Turbo Install problems

[shamanie]

I bought the turbo and took it to Custom Truck in Las Vegas after the recommendation from Jeff Klossner of Banks.

I afraid I may have made a mistake and need your advice on how to proceed.

I brought the truck in on Monday morning and was told tues afternoon wed afternoon at the latest.

On wed it was "sorry we had a mechanic out with a back injury" and on thursday it was "sorry we are having a problem getting a bolt out by the oil pan. We don't have the propper tool to extract it and we have called Snap on and they say the part does not exist..."

2 1/2 minutes later I call my friend who works for snap on who calls them back and tells them he has the tool in his hand and is sending a truck out to get it to them right now.

1:00 pm Friday...."sorry we still can't get the bolt we are calling a diesel shop to see if they can take over...."

I am livid.

Thinknig about calling triple A and having them come tow the truck to another shop...?

What do you guys think?

[Jgreemo]

Is the bolt they can't get out the turbo oil feed near the filter? That was a real pain to get out when I installed mine as the tool Banks recommends didn't fit my motor. I did manage to get it out using just a flex handle with no socket, but it was in tight and took a while. Also the Banks supplied oil feed line fitting did not fit the port, but a trip to Home Depot got me the right stuff.

Anyways, sorry to hear about the issues. I would call Banks and let them know what's going on. If Banks is going to recommend an installer, they should at least know if they aren't getting the job done or maybe even provide a little technical support.

Best of luck.
Jon

[shamanie]

Originally posted by Jgreemo:
Is the bolt they can't get out the turbo oil feed near the filter? That was a real pain to get out when I installed mine as the tool Banks recommends didn't fit my motor. I did manage to get it out using just a flex handle with no socket, but it was in tight and took a while. Also the Banks supplied oil feed line fitting did not fit the port, but a trip to Home Depot got me the right stuff.

Anyways, sorry to hear about the issues. I would call Banks and let them know what's going on. If Banks is going to recommend an installer, they should at least know if they aren't getting the job done or maybe even provide a little technical support.

Best of luck.
Jon That's the ^%$^&^&^$&%ing bolt. Unreal. Just got off the phone with the mechanic and I'm feeling better. At least I know it's not from incompetence, rather what seems to be an issue that is not isolated.

He said look, "I have been eating words all week and I feel terrible, so instead of pulling my hair out I am going to eat $800 and send it a guy I know can take care of it. What ever we quoted you is what you'll be charged, but it's going to be done right no matter how long it takes."

And apparently the guy has been on the phone to banks for the past two days...getting...technical support.

Service = Word to your Mother.

[Peter J. Bierman]

Sounds like they are taking care off things the right way.
Down side is that bolts and nut can really deley the proces, keeping you better informed on progres would be nice :rolleyes:

Peter

[Jgreemo]

Glad to hear they are taking care of you. You'll love the turbo, though make sure the TV cable on the tranny (adjusted at the back of the engine) is reset. The turbo will smoke the tranny if it's not set to handle the extra power. I would also check the exhaust a few thousand miles down the road. The pipe next in line from the turbo down tube can rub on the tranny support as it's tight in between support and frame. Mine looked clear but seemed to work it's way over to rub on the support. I finally wound up putting a small bend into the support for extra clearance.

Enjoy the pump and let us know how it works out.
Jon

[shamanie]

Yeah, they are taking care of it. I jumped the gun. Inexperience and ill-informed customer am I.
They really got on it.


Thank you guys for replying so quick. Real good tips have been offered. I'll mention them asap.

Real excited. Can't wait to take for a nice long drive.

[jcomp]

Removing that plug really sucked.

Other problems I have had with my banks system that you might run into:

The crossover pipe was not bent correctly, resulting in a blown exhaust donut (driver's side). $150 later and my pipe is now correct and I have a new gasket.

There is only one exhaust hanger for the entire system, which broke on a bumpy road. I ended up driving several miles on a severely washboarded road with the exhaust system hanging off of the turbo. I suggest you have a second hanger added.

The mechanical lift pump is (very) difficult to get to after the turbo is installed. I suggest you have a new one installed while everything is apart. I went with an electric pump.

700 miles after the turbo install I blew a head gasket.

All this trouble and only 8 lbs of boost max.

Of course, your mileage may vary. smile.gif

[shamanie]

Originally posted by jcomp:
Removing that plug really sucked.

Other problems I have had with my banks system that you might run into:

The crossover pipe was not bent correctly, resulting in a blown exhaust donut (driver's side). $150 later and my pipe is now correct and I have a new gasket.

There is only one exhaust hanger for the entire system, which broke on a bumpy road. I ended up driving several miles on a severely washboarded road with the exhaust system hanging off of the turbo. I suggest you have a second hanger added.

The mechanical lift pump is (very) difficult to get to after the turbo is installed. I suggest you have a new one installed while everything is apart. I went with an electric pump.

700 miles after the turbo install I blew a head gasket.

All this trouble and only 8 lbs of boost max.

Of course, your mileage may vary. smile.gif Praying to god I get 100,000 before head gasket problems. Thanks You guys.

[doncannon]

Hello All,

Jgreemo how do you adjust the trans. I am worried since it has been 300 miles since i installed my turbo.

Thanks in advance for the help,
Don

[shamanie]

Don, good question. Anybody?

[Jgreemo]

For the TV cable, you can do it, but I opted to let a tranny shop do the adjustment. Diesels make torque so low in the rpm range they can smoke the transmission before it has a chance to clamp and in very few road miles. For a few bucks, they adjusted it for me and then put a few more clicks on the cable to help build pressure earlier. I have VERY firm first to second gear shifts, but as I had the transmission upgraded (friction components/valve body and drum) it will hold the increased power. Honestly, since a burned transmission costs $1k and up to rebuild, I don't have the confidence to recommend the adjustment myself. Better safe than sorry as far as I am concerned.

For the head gaskets, after talking with Banks, they recommended new ones on engines with more than 60k miles. For the exhaust manifold, I removed the drivers side (not a Banks provided part) and had it machined flat and am running problem free without a gasket now.

Again, according to Banks, a 6.5 engine with their turbo will make approximately 260 hp with 400+ ft/lbs of torque due to better breathing characteristics of the 6.5 motor and a better designed turbo than stock GM. Stats for the 6.2 are listed on Banks website, but even then are better than stock 6.5. Having driven both my own and my brothers 95 4x4 Sub with the 6.5, I have to say mine pulls harder and really feels like it wants to go. Thanks to his 3.73 ratio (4.10 in mine), his 65mph and above cruising is a bit more comfortable. I am also getting 18 to 20 mpg on the freeway and 17 or so around town.

Sorry I couldn't be more help with the TV cable, but I would only recommend doing it yourself if you are absolutely sure you know how to do it right.

Jon

[grape]

Again, according to Banks, a 6.5 engine with their turbo will make approximately 260 hp with 400+ ft/lbs of torque due to better breathing characteristics of the 6.5 motor and a better designed turbo than stock GM.

I'd love to have those figures in writing from Banks......saying that with nothing more than adding their turbo will add 60 hp to a 6.5 with the same amount of fuel. I'd also like to see cylinder head flow information showing the differences between all those years worth of heads with the same size valves.

[EWC]

Don't know about the other years , but I had a set of 1999 heads ported and picked up 37 CFM on the intakes and 28 CFM on the exhaust ( these figures are without the intake or exhaust manifolds attached ) . The maximum lift figures were .500" on both sides , as I have a Crane Cams regrind . After installing the intake the flow figures dropped to 196.3 and 193.3 CFM for the short and long runners respectively . Some more work on the bench and the final flow numbers for the short and long runners were up to 202.1 and 194.8 CFM . The open intake was worth almost 20 CFM over the dual plane and with some porting the final figure was 208.6 CFM ( this is just the flow for the intake manifold ) . I have been told that every 20 CFM increase in flow will net a gain of 40 HP . This is rough guide for a gas motor , but one way to look at it is that at least I have enough air flow to support more fuel . Maybe not 40 HP , but these heads should move some air !

[Jgreemo]

I agree with you grape. I think the Banks rep I spoke to runs a little loose with the horsepower/torque numbers and I have not seen any published specs that back him up. For me, the deciding factors were ease of installation and power increases above normally aspirated. I always suspected there was a bit of salesmanship going on.

I believe in the 2002 DP Rendevous, they dynoed a 6.5 with the Banks turbo and it did pretty well. That article is no longer online, but if anyone who happens to have the bound volume could put up the numbers, I would enjoy seeing them again.

Jon

[grape]

cylinder head flow formula for total possible hp under ideal conditions according to superflow,
.27 x cfm @ 25" test pressure = hp per cylinder.
In a gas application......still trying to figure all of the diesel stuff.

[EWC]

I would think the flow comparison to a fuel injected , not throttle body , manifold would be close as this is also a " dry " intake manifold , but then you throw in the different BTU's for diesel and gas .....

Yep , still working on diesel too .

[shamanie]

They still can't get the bolt for the oil return line. Are there any alternative places to put it?

[grape]

if they have the right tool for removing the plug, just use a rosebud or some form of torch to get it hot, that's how I got mine out.

[shamanie]

Grape, they said they tried that. And what exactly is the right tool?

Thanks

[Jgreemo]

The part is listed in the instruction manual (which I currently can't locate). It's a snap-on part number, though again it didn't work for me. I used an impact driver to break the plug free, though that required moving the tranny/oil lines for access. A flex handle fit well enough for me to get a bit of leverage on it to slowly work it out. It was in TIGHT and just getting the oil feed line installed added at least a half day to the job. There must be some variability to that port as the parts that Banks supplied were way off.

How's the install going so far?

[shamanie]

Originally posted by Jgreemo:
The part is listed in the instruction manual (which I currently can't locate). It's a snap-on part number, though again it didn't work for me. I used an impact driver to break the plug free, though that required moving the tranny/oil lines for access. A flex handle fit well enough for me to get a bit of leverage on it to slowly work it out. It was in TIGHT and just getting the oil feed line installed added at least a half day to the job. There must be some variability to that port as the parts that Banks supplied were way off.

How's the install going so far? Done. Got it back today. However, I am having some problems now and I am not sure if it is tied in with the install or what. Power door locks don't work. When I press the button I am hearing a electrical sound, although subdued. I am going to post this in it's own thread as I think it could help someone else one day.

Thanks for all your help guys.

[Jgreemo]

I would check the fuse block and the install the shop performed on the Banks gauge lights. I had a couple of small teething problems myself in that area and had to make sure the wiring was tied up properly.

Best of luck and enjoy.