93 6.5TD turbo whine help?

[Lamoureux1]

I have owned a 93 stock K2500 4X4 with 6.5 TD, it has been an great truck however I have never been impressed with it's pulling performance. I pull a 25ft fifth wheel travel trailer. It is a struggle to maintain 65 in a wind or even up slight inclines. A 3% grade in the mountains means 35- 40 mpg at the top. Otherwise it runs like a top. Does not put out much smoke with pedal hammered and I NEVER hear a turbo whine. The wastegate actuator moves fine and the turbo blade seem tight, no slop. I have tryed revving the truck at idle to see wastegate movement, there is none.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Robin
Edmonton, AB
Canada :confused:

[cruzer]

Boost/EGT/Gauges/exhaust/mandrel bent downpipe, and a turbo master. Be sure to keep the fins in the rad clean and cooling system maintained. Eventually do 97 cooling mods.

[ 01-21-2005, 07:06 AM: Message edited by: cruzer ]

[KallyI]

posted 01-21-2005 07:36 AM
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I have owned a 93 stock K2500 4X4 with 6.5 TD, it has been an great truck however I have never been impressed with it's pulling performance. I pull a 25ft fifth wheel travel trailer. It is a struggle to maintain 65 in a wind or even up slight inclines. A 3% grade in the mountains means 35- 40 mpg at the top. Otherwise it runs like a top. Does not put out much smoke with pedal hammered and I NEVER hear a turbo whine. The wastegate actuator moves fine and the turbo blade seem tight, no slop. I have tryed revving the truck at idle to see wastegate movement, there is none.

Any suggestions?
Not to detract from what Lamoureux1 is asking, but I have a related question. I pull a 25 ft 5th wheel with my 1997 K2500. It's mostly stock. This past July, I got a 3" exhaust installed, and removed my catalytic convertor, and put on a Flowmaster type muffler. I also put a K & N air filter on it, and opened up the air path to the airbox, as per The Diesel Page (or it might have been on the Kennedy Diesel site). At any rate, I went west for vacation, into British Columbia, which meant that I had to contend with the Rocky Mountains. I had pulled through them a few years ago, with the same truck and trailer, and was less than impresssed with the performance, similiar to Lamoureux1. This time, I was mostly happy with the performance, but when I was pulling hard, the 6.5 was laying a big black smoke cloud down, like I was smogging for mosquitos. The smoke was good enough that it left a smudge on the front and side of the 5th wheel. Is that saying that I need a whole lot more air, and that the turbo is not giving enough boost? I don't have gauges at this point to tell me the boost pressure, or the EGT. The only other time that I saw that much smoke from this truck was when the wastegate solenoid failed, and I wasn't pulling anything then. My speed up the hills this past July did not drop below 55 mph, which is about 15 to 20 mph better than the previous time pulling the trailer through the mountains.

[rjschoolcraft]

Get gages now, if you don't want some serious engine damage to occur. After that, we'll know better what to tell you.

[Lamoureux1]

I guess I should be clearer. 4:10 gears, K&N filter, modded air inlet, no muffler just pipe. Automatic. New Rad.

Do you hear your turbo whine Kelly1?

Robin

[cruzer]

Lamoureux1, With my GM1 turbo I could hear the whine on strong excelleration or pulling wt, after all my mods where installed. I now have a GM8 and I hear turbo all the time. I responded to your post because we both have mech injection, which IMO is a good thing. Reving the truck w/no load will show minimal boost if any. You should have minimal, if any, black smoke too.

My truck used to run similar to what you describe. If you do the mods I've listed, you will have definate improvements in power.
The 97 cooling is a pain in the a$$ to do on our trucks, but if you do considerable amount of towing, I would highly recomend it in the future. In the mean time, gauges,atleast a down pipe, and a turbo master. Air flow is the key, in and out.

[bobt]

Lamoureux1, On my '93, I first did a Banks upgrade to include the exhaust, air filter, gauges, and their turbo boost lever. Made a significant improvement in power, but before and after the upgrades, I overheated the engine numerous times and broke it. With new motor, I added '97 upgrades, turbomaster boost controller, and intercooler. I got as much additional improvement in performance from these improvements as I did from the first ones. Additionally, I now no longer have a problem with overheating and may someday try to turn up the injection pump to get a little more power. As for the turbo, I'm pretty sure mine is working because of the readings I get from my boost gauge, but I don't hear much of a whine from mine, never did.
Bob

[patrick m.]

i doubt you will hear the turbo untill you increase boost levels.
when i had the GM-4, i could barely hear it after upgrades.'
the unit i have now, i can hear very clearly.