Basic question on a few things.

[sparks57]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the site and am very happy with my Dodge.



It's a 1993 with the getrag transmition.



First, I have straight piped it and put a high flow air filter on. Besides that... what are some cheap things to do to gain power? I am in highschool, and my budget isn't too big. I've heard a few things about changing turbo housings, something about a torque plate, and something about waste-gates.



I have no idea what a waste-gate or a torque plate is, so if someone could explain to me what they are, I would be very appreciative.



So any suggestions for cheap (up to like $100-$200) performance boosts?



Also, I have been told that this Getrag transmission is notoriouse for overheating when hauling in 5th. I plan on putting a temperature gague on it and put in a quart over after I switch out the trannie oil.



Someone told me not to replace the oil with good synthetic because it will create slop. Is this true? The transmission has almost 200k on it, and I have no clue what the guy before me did with it.



Any suggestions about the gague or sensor installation?



Last, I would really like to put a tach in the truck, but I was told there is no way because there is no tach plug, I would have to go in and put some special wiring in and it would be expensive. Can anyone clear that up for me?



Thanks for any replies!

 

[Case500D]

Welcome

Hi CB,





Glad to have you on board. I can't help you much with the transmission questions, but I can help you out with the others. For more power you can change the exhaust housing on the turbo from the 18. 5 cm you have. A 16 cm is popular and is in the $125 range. I would also reccomend buying a boost and pyrometer gauge. These are the best insurance/performance meters you can get. Without these, your cheap power gains could get expensive real fast. I would also reccomend bumping the pump timing up a bit. This will reduce the exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs) when you do some other modifications. You can tear into the AFC housing on the injection pump and play with the star wheel and fueling pin position. Finally there is the main fuel screw. But I wouldn't play with it without gauges. I know JFitzgerald is turning 200 RWHP with a few pump tweaks. Also Isspro offeres a tach for your truck that plugs into the factory harness. It is about $85 (I think). I have one and it works well in my truck. To learn more about what I just told you, visit Bushwakr's photo gallery and do a search on this forum. Hope this answered a few of your questions.



Jeremy

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Hey there CB'



Let me be the first to welcome you to the family... .

You'll get the best help and ideas around, from this bunch in here...

Absolutely ever singe guy has something to offer from tricks to sticks. .



As for your questions. .

First of all there is one thing everyone agrees on... get guages when you can.

You will need a pyrometer, a boost guage, and a tach.

You can put a tach in the 93 by the way...



Next, forget about torque plates, we aint got em on our trucks.

On your truck is a turbo charger. That turbo has two basic components, one is the driven side or exhaust side housing, the other is the compressor side or charge air side.

When you do a basic upgrade most change the exhaust side housing. Your's is an 18cm exhaust housing. The smaller the number (housing) the faster it will wind up or spoolup.

As you go smaller and smaller they get faster and faster, BUT, they also start to develope high heat and pressure issues. We can go into that later...

Each size down you go, also will provide about 2-3psi more boost with the same fuel settings.

Your turbo exhaust housing is an 18cm, this is a bit big and can be replaced with a 16cm (good all around housing) or a 14cm or 12cm.

When you get down into the 14cm and 12cm they have a wastegate on them (some 14cm do not).

The wastegate is simply a pressure actuated relief valve. It is usually preset to oh... say... . 30psi (just an example) and as your boost climbs it begins to open and fully opens at that pressure. This allows for excess pressure to be dumped or wastegated to the outside preventing overboost conditions. There are reasons for doing this.

When boost starts to drop below that setting it closes again.



Cheap power upgrades are pretty easy on these trucks. In fact the first few tweaks are literally free... that's cheap right

Guages will be a big help here .....

You can make some modest pump tweaks and remain in the safe region until you get some gauges.



First, I'd adjust the AFC, second the starwheel, and last the smoke screw.

If you do a search on these items you'll get tons of info and 'how to'.

Click on this link... it will take you into my picture galleries. In there are alot of pics on our trucks, pumps, etc. Go through it, study the layout of our injector pumps. That will help you make sense of some of the suggestions you'll get.



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/displayalbum.php?&albumid=5



Ok, this is already pretty long so I'll close it now, but do some searching, some picture studying and we'll help you with tweaking your pump a bit...



regards, Bob.

 

[sparks57]

Thanks a lot guys. I really appreciate the info.



In terms of gains here... what is the stock HP and torque for this truck, and about where do you think the numbers should be when I change the housing and mess with the pump?

 

[AlK]

Hi CB,

Welcome to this site.

My truck is a 92 4x4, 5spd, standard cab and in stock form dynoed

Max Hp 157. 1 @ 2480 RPM

Max Torque 362. 6@ 2000 RPM

---

Al

 

[JLEONARD]

CB... welcome.

You got good advice already... I'll just add a couple of opinions and observations. .

If you're on a budget (aren't we all?) I'd do the Pyrometer first. That is important to keep you out of trouble (well your engine anyway )

But buy a 2 or 3 gage pod and keep a spot open for the future boost gage, and or small dia tachometer.

I would hold off on a temp gage for the gutbag... . Bflood put one on his and it didn't get hot while towing as I recall. Use a synthetic 5-30 oil and add an extra quart to it... . you'll learn how if you search the archives. That will help save the transmission.

Do the pump tweaks, maybe even before you change turbo housings..... you can shop for a (cheap) housing in the meantime.

Al's stock numbers are about right... that's what I got for RW numbers stock with a 16 cm housing.

Happy BOMBing



Jay

 

[sparks57]

A local mechanic told me to get Mobile 1. I got a few quarts but was wondering if it was the right stuff.



I plan on hauling some heavy stuff, like a Titan 4 horse trailer and hay trailers. I just want to make sure this Getrag won't keel over on me. I don't have the money to rebuild the thing.



I plan on mounting the tach right to the steering column and then getting a 3 gague pod for the dash for my pyro, boost, and temp gagues.



I will get the pyrometer first, it seems like it's the only one that's crucial. I've got some friends that might be able to get me a cheap turbo housing. Otherwise I may try to find one from someone on this site or eBay.



Thanks.

 

[dpuckett]

CB,



I wouldnt worry too much about the Getrag- just keep an eye on the fluid level and dont lug it. I have had ok luck with 2 of them. The current one has towed a GCVW of over 22K in 5th up a decent hill with no problems (until I dropped below 55 and had to downshift). I took the shifter stick out of the transmission to put in my extra quart. A bit of a pain, but worth it. Without the extra quart, it will not get adaequate oil to the upper shaft gears, and thye will burn up. You are already a half dozen steps ahead of a lot of guys, you joined the TDR. For towing, I would go with a 16 or a gated 14 housing. Having been on a High School budget not too long ago, I'd stick with the 16. For towing, try the Power Wagon injectors. I have plenty of towing capability with my 93 (fiancee says it outruns her dad's '01 H. O. ) with stock injectors, tweaked pump, and a 12 cm housing take off from a 96. I think the 12 is ok for light towing or empty, but you need more flow of a bigger housing on a stock H1C. BTW, how much does the Titan weigh? Sounds like if it is just a trailer (no LQ), you could get away with your guages, and housing.



Welcome aboard. Happy BOMBing.



Daniel

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Daniel,



I would guess that the 5spd would be about 135-140 RWHP in stock trim.



With housing changes and pump tweaks on top of your air in/air out (exhaust sytem) you would be able to reach, oh..... 175'ish RWHP. Each truck is different, and what is called stock on mine is a bit different on how your's was set at the factory.

The modest 185 Bosch (or Power Wagons)injecotrs with the same pump tweaks will take you up into the 190-200 RWHP but in each case you'll have some smoke/EGT's .



BTW, the turbo exhaust housing is not really a HP maker item, although it will give a couple extra ponies. It is more of a smoke control and air pump to help supply sufficient air to burn the increased fuel you put in.



Bob.

 

[JFitzgerald]

Welcome, CB. The best resource for pump adjustments that I found when I started tweaking my pump is here at Fritz's Ram Tech. Remember to mark the screws, count your turns and write 'em down.



These adjustments alone will put a on your face. You've got some good advice in the posts above - pyro & boost gauges, etc. Stock ratings were 160HP/400TQ at the flywheel.



Make sure you change the oil in that 5-speed and overfill. Who knows what's in there now. I've heard of gear oil, auto trans fluid, non-synthetic, etc. being used in them. Mobil 1 is fine, that's what I use. rwinslow likes Castrol's version. Mainly make sure it's 5W30 synthetic. My Getrag is doing fine so far, towing heavy with the power turned up a little.



Next thing would be to help the air flow in/out. A K&N or BHAF filter for the "in", and exhaust mods for the "out". Take a look at the tailpipe where it curves over the rear axle. If it hasn't been replaced already, it likely has a pretty good "crunch" at the top where it's closest to the bed floor. I cut my tailpipe off, along with the muffler, and replaced with straight pipe and a 4" mandrel bent tailpipe. This is cheap and easy to get, let me know if you want the details, I'll look up the part number. Happy BOMBing.

 

[BCaldwell]

Hi CB all the guys have told you to get a pyro first but didn't tellyou what temp you should run 1250* max better to keep exhaust temp lower 1150 or 1200* and you engine will stay happy bill

 

[sparks57]

Thanks a lot, I was curiouse as to what the maz temperature should be.



I'm going to start looking into gagues. Are all the gagues in the TDR/Geno's flyer pretty much the same? Some are slightly different priced than others and I wondered if it made a difference.



I'm sure they're all good if TDR offers them.

 

[sparks57]

How often should I chnage out the transmission oil?



So basically, the new turbo housing will not change my HP or Torque, but it will give my truck more "get up and go", because it spools up faster?

 

[JLEONARD]

Yes. The smaller turbo housing will make the truck more 'driveable' in most sriving situations... . better acceleration at low rpms.

I change transmission oil twice per year... some guys say every other oil change.

Jay