Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Lost a 98.5, gained a 96. Tips on matching trucks?

[cade]

Two trucks, one divorce. Life goes on.



I’ll do my best to keep my emotions out of this and stick to the facts.



I’m loosing my 98. 5 3500. 3:55 manual Edge EZ. 175,000 on the ticker :{



I have to BUY her 96 2500 3:55 Auto, untouched engine. 220,000 on the ticker. I believe the trany has around 30k on it.



I know this has been beat to death and I should have read enough by now to know the answer but my brain is mush due to the obvious. The question at hand is:



What steps are to be taken to make the 96 run like the aforementioned 98. 5? Will this include at minimum the TC?



My local Cummins shop has done great work for me in the past. So my very first step will be to take the truck to them so they can run a blow-by test on it using there dyno. At least I’ll know what I’ve got. While it’s there I may have them adjust the valves and set the timing. It will be used as a daily driver for now. At some point it will hopefully be dragging a three horse trailer. It has stacks so I want to be conservative on the smoke (don’t want to suffocate the horses before I get to the show).



Thanks in advance.

 

[tp0d]

Well, sounds like the deal isnt all that bad. you lost all the problems with the VP and lift pump, and gained the P7100. The transmission is all about preference, you can tow fine with either one. As for the blowby test, if the truck has been maintained thru its life, and you arent using any oil, I would skip it. 220k on a well-maintained engine is less than half its life.



Steps you should take are:



1. Gauges (EGT at the least)

2. Air intake (I recommend a BHAF to replace the stock box)

3. If you feel comfortable working on the injection pump (its pretty easy), you can take out your plate and grind a half moon shape into it. Then set it forward about 1/8" past the stock point, this should give you a good increase over stock. Then slide the AFC housing full forward when putting it back on.

4. Depending on your horsepower needs, you may or may not need a full rebuild of the transmission, that depends on how it was rebuilt 30k ago. a TC and a VB would be a good minimum for towing. The upgrades spec'd above should be fine for a stock transmission. Anything over 300hp needs a solid rebuild.



Far as I know a cummins shop wont do horsepower upgrades due to EPA restrictions (and mebe warranty stuff too i dunno) you may have to goto a diesel shop for this stuff if you dont want to do it yourself. . If you're there to do the valves, see if they'll set the timing to around 16°. I doubt they will tho. .



i`m sure someone else will add something. .



good luck



-j

 

[BTighe]

keep your head up man, these 12ver's are sweet. i checked 5 shops in my area and the only shop that would time my rig out of spec was the dealer. i think its illegal for them to do so. grinding the plate is gonna have your transmission hating life. roasted my clutch instanly . if you can work on your rig do the valve adjust yourself. there really easy after you find TDC.



btw, it would be pretty hard to get that 24v to match a properly valved truck

 

[fox]

I would ask them to put a 3500 GSK in it. Most likely they won't, but GET it done anyway.

IMO, you are getting the better of the two trucks. ( that is without any personal attachments to either).

 

[cade]

I have some numbers to crunch after looking at the data plate.



We already knew this: ’96 ¾ ton ex-cab 4-wheel drive auto 180 hp at 2500 rpm. Appears to never have been modified.



It’s been a long time since I’ve talked/run with the D/C gear heads abound but I remember enough to know a couple of my questions causes MUCH debate. If someone could confirm the following for me as a general consensus for what makes a good daily driver out of the ’96 and might compare to the seat-of-the-pants feel of the ’98. 5 w/edge EZ I have to give up.



1. The ‘96 CPL No = 2174, timing (on data plate anyway) 14*. Increase to 15*?

2. After at minimum a TC upgrade, a No. 10 TST plate?

3. Adjust the valves (hard to say if they have ever been done…no history on the truck before 215k)

4. Gauges (including trany)

5. Taylor the AFC to my liking.

6. Boost elbow? I don’t recall this being an issue in the 12 valve forum. I think most of you guys just swap turbos. That will have to wait…the trany mods are going to eat up my already shrinking budget.

7. GSK? Just for driving, not racing?

8. Bigger air filter



Not necessarily in the above order. I have the skills to do all of the above, I swapped the 98’s engine for new one a couple years ago in one weekend by myself (hello…calling block 53!!), installed a set of stacks on a couple trucks, ect, ect. You know, typical shade tree mechanic stuff. I’ve been in a proverbial dark hole for over a year trying to get through this mess. Hopefully I’ll feel more motivated here before long and I’ll be back to my ol’ Tim the Tool Man/MacGyver self again.



As a side note, she has used the truck daily for about 8 months. Doesn’t use any oil to amount to anything. Leaks around the valve covers…easy fix. So for, only had to replace the alternator and LF hub. I don’t like the idea that if you step on the throttle to fast in reverse it seems like it jumps out of gear. If I let off and then ease into it it’s ok. Not TC slip but a bang and out of gear it comes. It’s ok going forward.

 

[ndurbin]

Atleast 15*, probably 16* of timing would be better.



Every transmission is different so it's hard to say if it will hold the power. Mine couldn't stand up to to stock power levels.



The boost elbow well come with the plate (if you buy one from a vendor) and it connects into the back of the AFC housing. It has a small allenhead screw in it which controls the amount of boost.



The GSK well raise the defueling point and give ya some extra RPMs to play with if you get in the mood to play.



I'd be somewhat concerned about the health of the transmission since it is acting up. Might not be a bad idea to start with it first and get those problems fixed before you burn it up with the extra power.



Nathan