Towing story

[Jim P]

Yesterday I finally got to tow something with my truck and give her a good test. I Pulled my flatbed trailer to an auction with the cruise set on 67 mph and running 2,300 rpm. At the auction, I bought a machine that weighs 2500# and the trailer weighs 2400# empty. On the way home I never found a hill that I had to downshift on and it never dropped under 65 mph.

Prior to going to the auction, if I would really step down on the go pedal on a long hill it would set a code 78 and go into limp mode until I would turn off the key and restart it. I have a homemade wastegate controler but my boost sensor is defective and nevers seems to show any boost while hooked to a scanner, even when my gauge says 15 lbs. The way I understand it, the computer don't set the code for low boost, it only sets it for high boost. So my boost sensor must work every once in awhile to set this code 78. So the night before leaving for the auction, I took off the boost sensor and put a little silicon over the end of the boost sensor to keep it from reading any boost at all. Now it still sets the code 78 but it don't go into limp mode.

Last year I didn't have this truck and I took my 78 k30 dump truck with a 350 gasser and 4:56 gears and pulled the same trailer. The trip is about 125 mile and the dump truck used $30.00 in gas. With my 6.5 I used 1/8 tank of diesel. I am pretty pleased with that.

[Barry Nave]

I see you don't have any kind of power chip.
JK has a chip that keep this code from setting when going to a manual boost control.

[Jim P]

I know that a chip is available but I am a major cheap ass. Although you can probably tell that from my other posts.

I only have about $1,300 in my 18:1 rebuild and about $4,000 in the whole truck.

I think those chips run about $400.00 don't they.

[Barry Nave]

Around $300-350
Theres another way,Dang if I can fine it though.
Something to do with putting a resistor in the boost control or I may have heard that Bill Heath as a way for he sell his mech.boost control.

[Wheat Whacker]

I don't know about everyone else but my chip has paid for itself in fuel savings. With the chip I get at least 1mpg consistenly better sometime closer to 2mpg. And the power difference is way more fun.

[Barry Nave]

Whacker
Chip,what are you running?
I'm thinking of going with another after running Banks for 4yrs.

[Marty Lau]

Originally posted by Jim P:
I know that a chip is available but I am a major cheap ass. Although you can probably tell that from my other posts.

I only have about $1,300 in my 18:1 rebuild and about $4,000 in the whole truck.

I think those chips run about $400.00 don't they. Jim;
I try and be carefull also on how I spend money.
I bought the Heath MaxETork chip and it runs about $300 and it changes the fuel curve, delivery and take care of the code and Max speed of the factory chip. I think it was worth it and would do it again. So from one cheap ass to another.... think about it.

[Jim P]

I agree that a chip is probably money well spent but I already have more boost than I probably should have without an intercooler. I also seem to be getting quite a bit of fuel. My pmd had a #3 resistor and I took it out and hooked up a potentiometer in its place. I have it cranked all the way up. I also have high flow injectors. With my manual transmission, If I drop my speed down to about 35 mph in OD and then put the pedal to the floor, it almost fills my 4" exhaust with black smoke and completely covers the car behind me until the boost comes up. The smoke does clear up once the boost comes up.

I feel that my money would be better spent on an intercooler so I could crank my boost on up. As soon as I get some time, I am going to try and cast a new upper intake out of aluminum that will house a liquid to air intercooler. I am also working on putting bigger plungers in an injector pump that I got on ebay. If this works out, I figure that I will be getting way more fuel than even a chip could provide. If my calculations are right, it should be able to pump 120 mm3 of fuel. I believe that even with a chip, these pumps will only pump 80 mm3.

As far as the code 78 goes. I will just take the boost sensor out of the intake and plug the hole if I have to. I am just wondering if the intake air temperature sensor may be also set the code if it senses too high a temps. The reason I wonder is that I have silicon over the end of the boost sensor and it is still setting the code. An intercooler should fix that though.

[Wheat Whacker]

I am running a Hypertech Chip Bnave. Yes it is good but the JK chip would be my prefernce but when I bought my chip I was not aware of JK or else I would have one of his.

[Barry Nave]

Jim
Your ideal on the intake would be great :D
Cost for some one like I would be out of site. :eek:
Hey I thought you were a cheep A$$ ;)
Or am I thinking of some one else :eek:

[Jim P]

I am a cheap ass.

I am planning to cast a new upper intake myself so a 20# pound tank of propane is all I will have to buy for that. I have a bunch of scrap aluminum to melt down.

I am planning on using a heater core, maybe two stacked one on top the other for the intercooler. I have also thought about using airconditioning evaperators and run refrigerant through them. This is still in the planning stages. I am not even sure it would work but it will fun trying.

Right now I am working on putting the bigger plungers in the ip to get some more fuel.

If the new cast intake works, I might start selling these.

[GARY PAGE]

Here one for you to test, 7500 LB un-loaded, with our stuff and tools and equipment add 500 LB and passengers add another 600 for a estimated total of 8600 LB. She just finished a 1000 mile round trip to FL running 75 on cruse and only about 3 times did I have to take her off due to rising EGT temps. I am very pleased. Honestly once at speed you forget it

[Barry Nave]

Gary
Your truck looks like mine ;)
Dont see our truck colors around :D

[Tomar]

jim i have both kennedy and heath chips. the heath chip seems to make more power.it also idles smoother.

[whatnot]

What size pot did you use for the boost comtroller? If it is under 10K then that is the problem.
I tried a 5K in mine first and it would adjust ok but then it wouldn't change the boost reading on the scan tool.
I switched to a 20K and it worked much better.

[Jim P]

I have no pot on the boost sensor. I have a homemade wastegate actuator that looks real similar a turbomaster.

My pot is in place of calibration resistor in the pmd.