Installed AFE Stg. 2 with questions

[JGheen]

So I put an AFE Stage 2 kit on my new '06 this weekend and have come up with a couple questions.

Obviously this kit has made the turbo sound much louder, not obnoxious or anything but a nice "louder. " Anyway, while accelerating at WOT in 5th gear, I can hear the turbo do some "variable" whistling like I am lifting my foot in and out of the throttle yet my foot is still planted in the pedal. Almost sounds like the engine fuels hard, then backs out, then comes on again hard. This happens as the RPMs pass over 2100 all the way to say 2700. This may be normal as I could not hear this variance in sound before the kit install, so has anyone else with this kit had this happen or heard this?



Also, the torque tube that came with the kit is the plastic one and I was wondering if anyone skipped bolting the TT to the replacement filter housing box by the battery? I went ahead and bolted it up but since the TT is plastic and it is so tight in there it seems like it is gonna break the bolt hole molded into the plastic where it bolts to the replacement box. Just the shake of the engine and the rigid design of where the box mounts kind of scares me. If anyone has had any issues with this or other parts of the box, I would be interested to know.

Other than that, great looking addition to the new truck's engine compartment.



Joe

 

[JGheen]

Nobody has any comments on the interesting turbo sound I am hearing from my turbo with the AFE installed? Some of you other guys with this kit on your trucks have to be hearing this same thing and wondering why.



I got an answer, well not exactly an answer, but an explaination for the TT bolt I asked about. Called AFE and they said they have never had one break and it shouldn't(knock on wood ) and it was designed that way to be that rigid. I guess the little boot that connects the TT to the turbo is supposed to be the vibration damper, at least that is why AFE says it was designed that way.



Joe

 

[JHenry]

I am certainly no expert, and I do drive an '06 Ram with a six speed, however I probably don't drive it quite the same as you described. I wonder if the truck's computer is reacting in some way to the rpms or the egts or something. Perhaps it's trying to tell you something. JH

 

[Bob4x4]

Joe,I have had mine on since it;s inception,including some pretty wild off roading-the tube is still fine. I have never noticed the sound you described but I am not exactly stock on the exhaust side either.



Bob

 

[JGheen]

Well, it's not like I am hammering on it or driving it like I stole it, the truck is still brand new and I just went over 1K miles this past weekend. I haven't even put the pedal to the floor yet since I have owned it, maybe 3/4 throttle but not to the floor. It's just I can hear this variance in turbo sound only in 5th and 6th gears as it doesn't seem to make that noise in any gear below 5th, probably because I am not building enough boost or staying in the throttle that long in anything below 5th. I just don't understand why the turbo would make a sound like I lifted out of the throttle when I am staying in it, accelerating onto the freeway for example, with just an air filter change. The engine doesn't seem to slow or back out on power as it passes through that RPM point that I am hearing this variance, just the noise from the turbo is making it sound like I backed out of the throttle as I passed over 2200-2300RPM.



Joe

 

[JGheen]

Joe,I have had mine on since it;s inception,including some pretty wild off roading-the tube is still fine. I have never noticed the sound you described but I am not exactly stock on the exhaust side either.



Bob

Thanks Bob, good to hear yours is holding up well. I am sure mine will be fine since I don't plan on hammering this truck off-road, that's what the other one is for.

As for the sound, I guess stock restrictive exhaust could be an issue with it. It's almost like it is pushing a bunch of exhaust through, then suddenly something restricts it then opens up again as I pass through the above mentioned RPMs.



Joe

 

[chrleb1]

As long as your truck isn't surging, you are ok. If it was surging with the turbo noise, you would have a turbo problem, fueling problem, or a bad sensor. More than likely it is just the way the sound waves are traveling. Sometimes wave cancelation comes into effect and it can act like the noise changes or stops. The way to find out is to put a boost and pyro guage on it.

 

[JGheen]

The way to find out is to put a boost and pyro guage on it.

That's the next plan but I need a few more miles on it before I put the Edge w/Attitude on it. I would really like to monitor the stock readings of boost and EGT for the meantime to get more of a feel of how this engine runs.

It's definately not surging. It probably is just some interesting sound waves I am hearing since there is no change in power feel or boost loss. Thanks for that explaination, Charlie, maybe we'll see if anyone else chimes in with similar findings from their AFE kit on a completely stock '06.



Joe

 

[JApol]

My truck does the same that you are talking about. I have been watching the boost gauge and the sound level and boost changes with the wast gate.

It annoyed me for a while till I get the PG7 filter on. The PG7 is a little bit more restrictive than the original supplied one but not by much. At least now I can hear my exhaust, that does sound a little more throaty.



All in all, I like it and keep the skinny pedal on the floor.

 

[JGheen]

I have been watching the boost gauge and the sound level and boost changes with the wast gate.

So, if I am reading this correctly and understanding your wording, the boost is changing with that variance in sound that I was describing?? When does the gate open up? Does it open, then close, then open again in the 2100-2500RPM range cuz if that is what is happening then that is what I am hearing, but confused as to why it would open and close so significantly like that and not just bleed a steady pressure off to keep boost pressure stable as the RPMs rise.



Joe

 

[Troll]

When I installled my Stage 2, I test drove it before doing the exhaust mods and I don't remember any sounds like you are describing. I then killed the cat and added the MBRP (the silencer ring fell out :-laf about 10 min. after i took delivery) and it sounds great, nothing like you are describing.



I don't think that the silencer ring would have anything to do with it, but did you remove it yet?



If you still have the stock stuff try putting it back and then see if it is still doing it, small p. i. t. a. , but a sure way to tell if it is the truck or the system.

 

[JHenry]

[ I haven't even put the pedal to the floor yet since I have owned it, maybe 3/4 throttle but not to the floor.

Joe[/QUOTE]

It's none of my business how you drive your truck. Your first post said: "while accelerating at WOT in 5th gear". I thought "WOT" referred to "wide open throttle", and I thought perhaps the computer was tellling you to shift or back off. Anyway, it seems like these trucks all respond differently.

On a different topic, do you fish Lake Castaic for bass? I've heard it's the home of some giant fish. I'd like to get on it someday. JH

 

[JApol]

I can hear the turbo whistle at about 2-3 PSI. I looked at it after reading this t hread and noticed that with the PG7 the boost is alot more stabilized. More like with the stock set up. With the NON PG-7 filter the boost would jump between 30-35 and never stabilize as long as I was accelerating

 

[JGheen]

I don't think that the silencer ring would have anything to do with it, but did you remove it yet?

.

Nope and not going to. It already whistles nice with the new AFE, I prefer to leave it in since it does nothing but silence some of the whistle.



Joe

 

[JGheen]

[ I haven't even put the pedal to the floor yet since I have owned it, maybe 3/4 throttle but not to the floor.

Joe

It's none of my business how you drive your truck. Your first post said: "while accelerating at WOT in 5th gear". I thought "WOT" referred to "wide open throttle", and I thought perhaps the computer was tellling you to shift or back off. Anyway, it seems like these trucks all respond differently.

On a different topic, do you fish Lake Castaic for bass? I've heard it's the home of some giant fish. I'd like to get on it someday. JH[/QUOTE]

Ok, maybe I should have worded that better, but while accelerating in 5th gear @ about 3/4 throttle I can hear the turbo variance. Bu funny thing is, last night I was cruising around and it didn't seem to make that variance in noise. Now I am thinking my ears are playing tricks with me but maybe it has to do with the sound waves as described above or the computer is varying fuel @ only 3/4 throttle?

Anyway, the truck runs fine, I just thought this noise was something unusual from just changing the turbo intake and thought maybe someone else had heard the same thing. I will post more instances if this seems to get worse or go away.



I don't fish @ Castaic lake but I have seen some of the fish that come out of there. My neighbor actually caught a Carp one time, brought it home and I swear the thing was as big as my male pitbull. Thing had to weigh in the range of 60lbs. Big SOB. Almost down right scary to think of what's in that lake with how dark the water is.



Joe

 

[JGheen]

I can hear the turbo whistle at about 2-3 PSI. I looked at it after reading this t hread and noticed that with the PG7 the boost is alot more stabilized. More like with the stock set up. With the NON PG-7 filter the boost would jump between 30-35 and never stabilize as long as I was accelerating

That's an interesting find, might have to invest in the PG7 but I what steered me away from there in the first place was some threads I read that mentioned it was much more restrictive than the regular 5 ply media AFE sells. Bunch of posts saying the filter minder was really being pulled with the PG7 installed.

I have run the regular filter in some seriously dirty and dusty conditions before on the '98 and it never let anything by with how clean the inside of it always was, no pre-filter was run either. Intercooler has been very clean as well with over 150K on that rig's clock.



Joe

 

[JApol]

What I have read on the PG7 is that this is the only aFe filter that meets or exceeds the filtration requirements for the engine