Need some help

[daryl]

Hi everyone, This is my first time on this site and I sure could use some help. I have a performance issue. Truck runs good until I'm pulling my 5th wheel(10,000#), then it's a dog. EGT's seem normal 650 on a flat road doing 65mph. Only had 25 lbs. of boost for first 20 mins. of driving then I had 30 again. It also sounds like it's pinging. I'm not the only one that heard it either. A local garage mech. heard it too. But he doesn't know much about the 24 valve cummins. The pinging is louder when I turn up the tuner. It also guzzles the fuel under a load and runs hotter than normal. It was 40something this morning and it was running around 205(pulling 5th wheel). This thing has been giving me problems for awhile now. Don't know where to go next other than putting a for sale sign on it. Any help would sure be appreciated. Ready to go back to a Ford.

 

[leaky gasket]

What year truck do you have, what transmission, and do you have any power boxes or programs added?

 

[daryl]

I just saw that my sig didn't show up...I have an 2005 Ram 2500
TS Performance Power Play MP-8. MBRP turbo back exhaust. K&N cold air intake, Banks Techni-cooler system

 

[daryl]

Not my sig shows up...

 

[cerberusiam]

Take the TS off and it might resolve the pinging, not the best choice for power. Depenidng on on how long the K&N has been on there and where it was used that might be part of the problem. Would loose it ASAP.

How many miles on the truck? What transmission? What gearing? Any codes when you scan it.

 

[daryl]

I have 119,000 miles on truck. I just got back in from adjusting valves. Runs a little quieter but can still hear pinging. I installed K&N air shortly after I bought truck. I installed the TS after that. It has a 48re auto with a 3.73 rear. The truck ran like a house on fire. I could pull hills with a 7500# camper and not even know it was back there. No codes. Thinking about a smarty jr. for power, but I need to know if I have an injector or CP-3 problem. I connected the scanner and am showing 6500 to 7000 fuel pressure at idle and when I get on it 24,000.

 

[daryl]

I didn't get any codes for the map sensor but, could it be bad?? I did pull it a few weeks back to check for any dirt on it and it was clean.

 

[JJPage]

Like cerb suggested, get rid of the TS MP-8. Their electronics break down over time, just like the Edge boxes and TST. Hopefully that will resolve the current issues, but do not correlate the "now" lack of power, because of the lack of the TS module, with a current problem, will probably feel pretty weak at stock levels.

Once all has settled down, the Smarty JR would be an excellent choice, lose the K&N...

 

[Prairie Dog]

Like cerb suggested, get rid of the TS MP-8. Their electronics break down over time, just like the Edge boxes and TST. Hopefully that will resolve the current issues, but do not correlate the "now" lack of power, because of the lack of the TS module, with a current problem, will probably feel pretty weak at stock levels.

Once all has settled down, the Smarty JR would be an excellent choice, lose the K&N...

Excellent advice.
My experience with add on boxes has been the same and they just seem to be something else to fail. The Smarty Jr. is great because it's just a programmer and there's nothing added to the truck to fail.
Pull the K&N and run your hand up into the rubber part of the intake. Do your fingers come back dusty/dirty?
I would lose the K&N either way..

 

[daryl]

which cold air intake is a better one to use. I'm not trying to be a wise *** but, I've been using K&N filters on my 2000 f150 and my Harley. I never had problems with either one of them. Is it just the diesel K&N intakes that are bad? You're not the first one to tell me to get rid of it. What's different between K&N and other intake systems. I've only had this truck for 2 years and I'm learning more about it everyday.

 

[cerberusiam]

The K&N's work fine on naturally aspirated motors, not force inducted. They are bad news on these high air flow turbo charged engines, any oiled filter is problematic. Oil filters rely on the oil film to catch the dirt but turbos create such a pressure differential it sucks the oil right thru the filter and there goes you filtration. If you can find a dry filter with good filtration that is the way to go. If you have the stock air box the 4" fleet guard is good for 500 HP and a bit beyond, otherwise your stnadard BHAF adn an Outerwears pre-filter is top of the heap. Simply cannot find anything that will flow more and filter as good as an AH19037.

Guzzling fuel under a load is a good indication you have injector problems, have you checked your unloaded mileage? The TS is a pressure box and they are hard on injectors. It would not be unusual at the mileage you are at with stock filtration and pressure box that the injectors are augered out causing the rattle and mileage drop. If you used the TS to get the power jump it was toomuch. If you don't have 3 um filtration it just goes faster.

Your best bet at this point is an injector return flow test, cylinder contribution test, and injector kill test with rpm drop to get an idea what shape the injectors are in. While your at it, a demanded versus actual rail pressure observation under load is a good step to see if you have CP-3 issues. The injectors might cause that so may want to postpone that until injectors are validated.

 

[daryl]

Cerb...Thanks for your help. I was wondering about the injectors. I readjusted the valves yesterday and it seemed quieter and I noticed a bit of a change the way it ran, for the better. I did check the unloaded mileage, it's 21-22 mpg on the lie-o-meter and when I'm towing, it goes down to 14mpg or lower and I notice the fuel gauge dropping quicker. I'm going to put the stock air box back on as soon as I get the fleet guard filter. The pressure box is disconnected, didn't seem to make any difference in the way it ran. I don't drive with it turned up to often. I did have it up pretty high when I was towing. If and when I get new injectors, what size do you recommend and should I pull the head and replace the head gasket? I don't want a sled puller, but I do want to pull my 5th wheel without any problems or effort.

 

[Tractorat]

Like cerb suggested, get rid of the TS MP-8. Their electronics break down over time, just like the Edge boxes and TST.

My truck is an 02. I had an Edge EZ installed when it was maybe a year old. (which should place it some time in late 2002 or early2003)

Is there a way to test to see if the EZ is still up to snuff ? Or, because of its age, is it probably not delivering the power that it did when new ? Truck runs OK, but maybe not as much power as when I first installed the EZ. I mostly blame that on fuel.

 

[cerberusiam]

You have to hand calc the mileage, the lie-o-meter is so inconcistent that it is hard to tell. Based on those numbers it sounds normal. I would guess actual is 16-18 empty, towing 10-12. That is pretty normal for a stock tuned engine.

The injectors are always a good question and open for personal opinion. The BBI injectors seem to be a good buy, little more expensive but that may pay out in the long run. The BMS 50's seem to be a good buy for less money than new or the BBI. Longevity and actual efficiency comparison is hard to say because tuning will make a difference. I have realized a solid 1-2 over the stock nozzles with the BMS 50's. From all accounts the BBI are right there also. The physical difference is the spray patterns between the 2, the cost difference seems to be the QC BBI has done.