Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) I've got 3 different turbo recommendations, all different.

[Forrest Nearing]

Somebody at one of the vendor's in my OP told me anything over 1100° for more than 30 seconds was bad news.

perhaps the were talking post-turbo... 1100 is ice cold... you can hold 1200 till you run out of fuel in the tank

 

[Boondocker]

What color is your turbo? Has the clear coating over the aluminum turned golden brown? Mine has, a long time ago and I'm careful not to let it get over 1250* for more than a few seconds, and not very often at that. My point is, if your turbo still has the factory fresh aluminum color, then you haven't cooked it.

... 1100 is ice cold. .

I wouldn't exagerate that much, but it's well within acceptable operating parameters.



P. S. I'm a big fan of these towing/turbo threads, but this one has me swaying back and forth so much with opposing opinions that I'm getting dizzy.



Neil

 

[HookMeUp]

Still looks brand spanking new! And your right about getting dizzy. My head spinning like a top trying to figure out which way to go.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

I wouldn't exagerate that much, but it's well within acceptable operating parameters.

exactly... it's not 'hot' as far as being too hot... same impact (none) as 800*, so it's 'ice cold' in that there's no concern.

 

[PRout]

The reason I have not taken the plunge on a pdr yet is because for everyone that likes theirs, there is someone that was dissatisfied with theirs. There are too many trade-offs with upgrading turbos to be comfortable enough to make the change. Just to many variables and for a small gain in top end pulling power is not enough justification to give up a smooth running setup that does not "bark" as some complain of, or surge, or are lag pigs. Also,im not interested in having a towing rig run like my old 2-stroke bikes that just bogged then came on like a rocket ship with little in between. . Thats for people that havent been there and done that yet. . Power just costs money thats all. Unless your in the top 10% of the HP trucks around all it took was throwing money at it. Not impressing. . Balanced, practical, hardened rigs are what turns me on... . sorry

 

[HookMeUp]

From looking at all of the opinions here looks like I should just leave well enough alone for now. I've never had the EGT's past 1250, in fact by the time I crown the hills around here the temps are already starting to drop. I had my VA Smartbox re-programmed recently to take some of the timing advance out, as I thought it had too much for an ETH motor. I guess I'll wait and see how it handles in the rockies when I get there.

 

[PRout]

Im jealous of how you had your VA re-programmed for milder timing which equates to better care & feeding of your engine imo. Im still looking at different options but a compromise on timing advance is one of my goals for hardening the system while increasing fuel economy and helping with egts.

1250 is the grey area as far as im concerned. . I shoot for 1200 max and if downshifting to keep the revs up is what it takes to keep it there, then thats still better than knowing Im pushing the limits. We have to keep in mind that not all our pyrometers are calibrated the same (mine was off from the factory and needed to make a stable reference voltage p. s. to set it correctly). Also, cylinder #6 tends to run hotter than the others so you kind of have to keep that in mind as well. When I see 1300 I get out of it real quick and downshift. Dont want to stay at that temp for more than about half a minute or less. . Thats awful hot for aluminum. .

Just another persons opinion. Have fun at the Rockies!

 

[NoSeeUm]

I am running a PDR 35/12 on my setup. It works pretty good. However I would love to find a quicker spooling turbo if there is one out there, I think my main problem is the altitude and my 354 gears. It works fine and does a reasonable job on the egts. Normally I run with the smarty on 4 and juice on 1x1 usually. Problem starts when towing in the mountains and doing 35, 40, 45mph then need to go a bit faster. Smoke can pour out. I routinely run up there out of OD even at 60mph to keep the rpms up. In fact last week I was heading up to a high altitude lake to go fishing on a mining road(no trailer). Speed was 2 or 3 miles an hour if that and at approx 12500 elev the truck simply would not go. Smoke just pouring out I mean black out the sun smoke, go pedal in any position would just not light the turbo enough to get going. I had the fun of backing down a shelf road for several hundred yards to the next switchback where there was enough room to turn around. That is not something I enjoyed in the least(scared the bejesus out of me). Thought something was wrong blew a boot or something but once back down I checked everything and it all looked good. Truck ran fine rest of the trip another 1000 miles. Even with the trailer at over 11k elev all was fine. It just did not like the combo of low speed, low rpm and thin air. Never had that happen before but then could not remember the last time I was that high going that slow. Made me miss the HY for the first time in long time.

This was in 4 low?



Edit: Sorry I should have read farther before posting.



Jim

 

[NoSeeUm]

Then how long is it safe to pull a grade running an EGT of 1200°?

Just keep in mind that you might not be measuring the absolute highest cylinder EGT. For example 4 might be 1100F, 5 might be 1200F and 6 might be 1300F. If your EGT probe is in the 4,5,6 pipe it would show 1200F. From my testing of cylinder 1 compared to cylinders 5 and 6 that a 100-200F difference in cylinder EGT is easily possible.



I generally like to set my limit at 1100F and only going as high as 1200F for short periods of time while towing. Like if I am cresting over a hill. One thing that I often worry about, as I have seen many people do this. It is first running up the EGT's pulling hard then grabbing a gear and running up the rpm's trying to maintain the same speed. I just don't think that high rpm's on a hot engine is advisable and I find it better to shift earlier and stay out of that grey area.



Jim

 

[Forrest Nearing]

higher RPM generally brings EGT's down, it's also easier on drivetrain parts due to reduced torque.

 

[NoSeeUm]

higher RPM generally brings EGT's down, it's also easier on drivetrain parts due to reduced torque.

10-4 !



It is just the fast transistion that I worry about. Over heated parts going immediately to high rpm is a no-no in my book for engine longevity. I prefer to cooldown a bit at a lower rpm before I bring the rpm's up to make speed or just not go there in the first place if I know the grade I am climbing will be a long on.



Jim

 

[Forrest Nearing]

fair enough, I don't worry about it... as long as you're not overheating, I see no problem w/ it

 

[Eric Lee]

Used PDR HX35 on Ebay

If you're interested I have my old turbo on ebay - I see you already have the Afe intake - but the whole package is listed at about a third of what I have in it.



eBay Motors: Turbo PDR HX35/40 + INTAKE - '01 Dodge Cummins Auto (item 270165940091 end time Sep-20-07 19:00:00 PDT)



- Eric Lee

 

[Don Tanklage]

i would never buy anything from a guy that put a body lift on his dodge truck



ya just cant trust that sort of individual...



haha



TOTALLY KIDDING



nice lookin parts, very nice... and someone is gonna get a great deal!

 

[klaybus]

Still looks brand spanking new! And your right about getting dizzy. My head spinning like a top trying to figure out which way to go.

You've got a 6 speed. Downshift when necessary. You should try pulling with an automatic... . Just simply downshift, & enjoy the pull. Am I missing something?



Clay

 

[Eric Lee]

I had a '83 Dodge running gas and 38. 5 groundhogs and kept breaking parts of the lift kit. Swore I'd never lift a truck to the point where the suspension geometry is all messed up. And you would appreciate the extra room over the valve cover. I actually cut the available 3" lift down to 2" - stretches things out much less. I've had no problems with it - but she doesn't go off road. If you want a laugh - laugh at the guys with the brush guards on the front and not a single scratch in the paint. -- Eric

 

[Forrest Nearing]

I laugh at the guys with brush guards knowing if they ever tap someone from behind, they're probably going to take out their grill, lights, and fenders

 

[DOrlando]

#3 - Industrial Injection

Recommended their 62/12 Phat Shaft



So my question is has anyone had any experience with any of these turbos with a similar setup as mine?

Industrial Injection offers a towing compound system, did that come up in their conversation?

It's a lot of money and requires changing your exhaust manifold, but could it be the answer for HP towing?



Dave

 

[Don Tanklage]

I had a '83 Dodge running gas and 38. 5 groundhogs and kept breaking parts of the lift kit. Swore I'd never lift a truck to the point where the suspension geometry is all messed up. Eric

eric, you cant just bolt a 8" kit on and expect every to be perfect. there are things that you have to correct afterwards. like setting the pinion angles and getting the drag link horizontal again and possibly even changing out drive shaft yokes (if they barely have clearance rolling down the road you know what is gonna happen if you take some weight off that end)