Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) I think it is time

[Molnar]

I have a 96 5speed 4x4, it is time to do some more upgrades and I have some questions.


I already have exhaust (4" SP) but the rest is stock.

I want to add a cold air intake, a fuel plate and gauges.

as far as the cold air is concerned, I cannot seem to find much on the reviews of how well they filter out dirt. when I purchased my truck it had a K&N filter in the stock box but I have removed it as it did not seem to filter out much. I live in eastern Washington state were dirt roads and moon dust are abundant. does any filter work as well as a paper filter? the most recent Geno's catalog has the Pro guard 7 is it adequate? is an intake necessary for modest power (less than 350hp)?


TST says that stock clutch will not hold for a #10 plate. Is this always true? or just when pulling a load?

TST also states that you need airflow improvements. Does this mean exhaust and Intake? or Turbo upgrades? if turbo to what extent?

Thanks,

Also my truck has 230,000 on it. is it safe to do power upgrades this late?

 

[Erniek]

Molnar,

I am certainly no expert, but here is what I have done to my 97 5spd. I put EGT and Boost guages on. (Do the guages first!!) I put a 4" exhaust with a flow thru style muffler, and no Cat. I put a #10 plate in at the same position the stock plate was in. I installed the "boost elbow" that came with the plate, and gave the starwheel a few turns for more fuel at the lower RPM's. The result was far more than I expected. As far as slipping the stock clutch, the answer is yes, it can and will slip the clutch if you "get on it" at lower RPM's when empty, and if you are towing you have to be really carefull to baby it so it doesnt slip the clutch. I have seen people post here that you can slide the plate back and this helps by not letting the pump fuel as much,and you can adjust the starwheel for less fuel at lower RPM's/low boost which will effectively lower the amount of torque the engine puts out. I tried that and it did help the clutch hold, but the power I wanted was gone, and the reason I put the plate in to begin with was to get more power! I have since had an SB Con O clutch (the 13" upgraded one) installed, and haven't had any issues with the clutch slipping, and I certainly don't "baby" it. (I pull a 28' Toy hauler to and from the Oregon coast and in the sand, that when loaded the truck and trailer scale out at close to 21,000 LBS. ). I have also had the injection timing bumped up to 15. 5 degrees. This seems to have lowered the EGT's about 100 to 150 degrees when towing. I have a K&N filter in the stock box, and have done nothing else to the intake side of things. If I never towed anything, this set up would be fine for exhaust temps. As far as towing goes, I have to regulate the EGT's with my right foot when climbing grades (I try to keep it below 1250*), or trying to pass someone in a short distance, but the truck still pulls like crazy even when "regulating" the EGT's. As far as the mileage question, I would think that many miles wouldn't be an issue as long as the truck is in good shape and has been taken care of.

I hope this helps. ?.

p. s. I know it is a bit of a drive from Eastern WA. State, but if you are ever near Northern California, there is a guy in Montague (Jim Leonard, his screen name on this forum is Diesel Demon) that did the above mentioned work on my truck. He did an excellent job, and his prices were very reasonable. I would reccomend him to anyone.



Erik

 

[bmoeller]

I used to use a K&N drop-in, but removed it due to dirt getting in through the filter and around the rubber seal itself, even with gobs of grease. I replaced it with a BHAF (big honkin' air filter). 42790 is the Wix #. It is actually made by Donaldson. Takes the place of the stock air box completely. Have a pic that shows it in my gallery.

As the PG7, I've never heard anything bad about that one. The BHAF is cheaper, though.

As mentioned before, a straight thru muffler (or straightpiing it) will be a very good thing.

The turbo might need to have a 14 or 16 turbine housing installed to help the engine breath and to aid in keeping the EGTs in check.

I have 220k on my Ram, and close to 400hp. Still have the stock headgasket. Been BOMBed since ~175k miles. No issues due to power. Even have the original u-joints yet.

 

[KCloward]

Keep in mind that the BHAF brings hot air into the engine instead of the colder air like th Proguard7 would be bringing in. I've got a 95' and it's holding the power I have really well with the mods I have so far.



Bryce

 

[bmoeller]

Keep in mind that the BHAF brings hot air into the engine

True, but never saw a difference in EGTs.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Molnar, here in Tri-Cities the K&N filter I had years ago on my '01 HO did a lousy job of stopping our fine dirt. I hear we have some of the smallest-micron particles of dust to be found on planet earth. An AFE Proguard would be a much better choice IMO.

 

[Bart]

"IT'S A DISEASE!!!!!!!!!!" Once you start BOMBING you're hooked! "IT'S A POWER TRIP, MAN!!!!!!!" LOL!! Seriously, First above all else install those gauges. Without them you can melt aluminum (can you say pistons?) These bombed engines can easily put out over 1500* exhaust heat. Aluminum melts at 1400* or so. Our mechanical engines don't have any way to de-fuel except "YOUR" right foot. When I'm towing I don't use anything but the pyrometer gauge, engine coolant gauge and fuel guage in that order to guage how fast I can travel.

 

[JacobsD]

Keep in mind that the BHAF brings hot air into the engine instead of the colder air like th Proguard7 would be bringing in.

You can make a heat shield. Get a piece of sheet metal, trace the bolt holes from the bottom of the origonal box, drill them, then bend the plate of steel so it doesn't interfere with the filter or the stuff around it.



There's also a guy selling really nifty dimond plate BHAF heat shields on Ebay.