Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) First time owner

[gregl]

New owner of a 2002 HD 6-speed 4x4 extended cab. I have a 24' 5,000 lb TT that I pull regularly.

Great truck/engine, but want to start upgrades with gauge set. What should the "normal" ranges be for the various readings? Transmission, engine oil, EGT, etc. I've read discussions about the gauges and installation, but what numbers should I see?

Any recommended shops in the Houston, TX area?

 

[illflem]

Welcome Greg. I'm going to move this to 24 valve where it gets more responce.

 

[rfcom]

New owner

I'm also a new CTD owner and got this rig to haul a TT, yet to be acquired. After reading all the great information on this site for several months, I'm now in the process of installing gauges. After that will be some 275 injectors, exhaust brake and an Edge EZ. From what I've gathered, a boost gauge with a 0 - 30 psi scale should be OK. The EGT gauge is generally 0 - 1600*F but what you will actually see will depend on where the pyro is installed. IMO, a temp gauge is not necessary in a manual - just use synthetic oil and also in the differentials. In fact, DC recommends this when towing. Many guys also recommend a fuel pressure gauge. HTH



Jim

 

[RustyJC]

Greg,



First, welcome to the TDR. Since you're in the Houston area, you might want to check out the Lone Star TurboDiesel Registry (LSTDR) website at lstdr.org. We just had a "BOMBing day" this month, and there's talk about having another in March - if nothing else, you should be able to look at a lot of trucks and pick up some ideas.



Insofar as gauges are concerned, I'd offer the following:



Fuel pressure - I went with a Westach dual combo fuel pressure gauge that reads 0-16 psig so that I can monitor both pre-filter and post-filter fuel pressure. In retrospect, I should have specified a 0-20 or 0-30 psig gauge as the 2002 lift pump pegs my gauges at idle.



EGT - a 0-1600 degF should be plenty. I went with the Westach dual combo EGT/boost gauge with the exhaust thermocouple mounted pre-turbo. Stock, I could see 1300 degF exhaust temperatures when pulling our 13,500 lb 36' 5ver in the Texas Hill Country. With the current mods on our truck (see signature), this has dropped to 1100 degF maximum pre-turbo exhaust temps, but I'm getting ready to fix that with some DD2 injectors.



Boost - Stock, you'll see around 20-22 psig. The Westach dual combo EGT/boost gauge I bought is the "standard" one that goes up to 34 psig. With my current mods, I'm running 30-32 psig boost - I may well have to upgrade the gauge to the higher scale Westach EGT/boost gauge available from Geno's that, I think, goes up to 50 psig when the DD2's go in. With the stock HX35W turbo, however, you really shouldn't go over about 34 psig boost anyway since it's too inefficient beyond that point and creates too much heat in the compressor output air.



Hope this helps - maybe we'll see you at an upcoming LSTDR meeting.



Rusty

 

[99guy]

Ditto on the fuel pressure, just put a new pump on my 99 and installed a 0-15 liquid filled mini gauge pre filter. Have it on now and at idle its pegged, should have went with the 0-30 there. I’m in the process of adding gauges in the cab and am putting a 0-20 there. My idea was to save a little $, I wanted both pre and post pressures but am really only worried about post on the road. The mini was pretty cheap comparatively. This way I can still check filter psi loss in the shop. Now if that dang pod would just arrive.

 

[RustyJC]

The benefit of a pre-filter and a post-filter gauge is this: Let's say you're tooling along I-10 at 70 MPH and notice your post-filter fuel pressure has dropped to 1-2 psig. What's the problem? If the pre-filter gauge is still normal, it's a plugged fuel filter. If the pre-filter gauge is low as well, the lift pump has probably gone tango uniform (assuming you're not out of fuel).



Rusty