I finally got the Gov. spring kit... Pro's and Con's

[Jeff]

About 2 weeks ago I had the gov. spring kit installed in my '95 5 speed. (TST 230 kit and 4" straight exhaust) The kit got rid of that "dead" feeling around 2,500 prm. (just right - very nice) but I have noticed a couple of things that I'm not real fond of... when I pull our big trailer (30K gross weight) I can no longer use the engine as a brake. It seems so rev-happy it won't slow the truck down. The other thing I like is the truck seems hard to shift and drive in the lower gears. Very jumpy and pedal feels too light. Almost like when the throttle return spring rusts off... too jumpy for my taste. Don't even try to keep your foot on the pedal on a bumpy road... you'll make your wife sea-sick. Is there anything to help these symptoms? Heavier throttle return spring(s), heavier exhaust and/or intake valve springs? I really do like the way the kit pulls to 3,000 rpm. It's awesome really. Before when the truck ran out of fuel it took forever to get to 90 MPH, now... 90 goes by in the blink of an eye. Talk about mixed emotions! Thanks guys! Jeff

 

[Piers]

Hi Jeff, back off the retaining nuts 1 click each. What was the measurement between the top of the stud & the top of the retaining nut? How is your AFC housing positioned & how much preload do you have on the AFC spring?

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Piers Harry
Piers's Diesel Research Inc.

 

[Strick-9]

Piers,

I've got a related question for you. If you ever talk to Bill K about me he will tell you how much I like to tinker.

I had the touchy throttle and loss of engine braking, but I didn't like backing off the retainer nuts because I lost top end.

I ground down the seat where the smallest spring rides. I was then able to tighten down more on the retainer nuts and only compress the outter spring.

I now have much smoother throttle response off idle. I can actually hold the engine anywhere between 1100-1700rpms when before it would rev right through that range.

I also have more throttle travel before the power kicks in, so that translates to more TV pressure and my transmission is much happier.

I know you have experimented with different seat height arrangements. Why do you sell seats with such high inner springs. Take into consideration I may not have the latest seat configuration so I may be slightly outdated.

Have you ever used a block in place of the inner spring?

Thanks for any input.

-Chris

 

[Piers]

Hi Chris,
I have some seats that have a flat bottom on them, so the governor weights come up against them later, e-mail me your address & I'll send you a set down for you to try out. What kind of upper rpm's are you making? The seats you have should be stable in the bottom end, yet still allow good fueling to 34-3500. Are you going for more rpm's? If so I can send you some different big springs { the ones you never changed} to help you there.
Piers

 

[danandamy]

Question: What are the potential problems of reving into the 34-3500 rpm range? I mean, they must mark it red on the tachometer for a reason, or do they? Just curious.

Daniel