Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Need help thinking through IP options

[BigPapa]

If you buy injectors just go with the 215's,same price...........

And a good upgrade.

 

[Man_of_Constant_Sorrow]

I am seeking some info from Farrell Diesel but now it's a long weekend, so I may not hear back till Tuesday.
So if I exchanged my 160 pump for a 180, I would need new injectors? Anything else? And if I exchanged it for a 215, what else would I need? Let's say my goal is to get all the "cheap" hp I can up to but no more than 230 hp. (Why 230? Because I don't want to get into transmission mods, and TST says the stock TC can't handle more than that. When the trans breaks, I'll look at strengthening the weak points, but I'm not in a hurry to cause its demise!) "Cheap hp" also means I'm not sacrificing everyday fuel economy or needing more than a few hundred in associated / required / strongly advised mods.

 

[GAmes]

Why 230? Because I don't want to get into transmission mods, and TST says the stock TC can't handle more than that.

Here's a hint. TST is trying to sell you performance mods. Dodge downgraded their engines that were bolted to automatics to 180 in '96 through '98. If you want to buy TST's story, start saving your nickels and dimes.

 

[Man_of_Constant_Sorrow]

Well, I had a discussion of the TST #6 plate recently on this forum, and came away with the impression that it was probably fine as long as the transmission itself is in good shape. Do you mean by "downgraded their engines" in 96-98 that they downgraded them from 94-95? Mine's a 95, and of course rated at 20 fewer hp. What would you consider the safe limit for the stock auto trans?

 

[BigPapa]

The best money I ever spent on my truck was for a Goerend TC and VB. You'll never regret a good, built transmission.


As to getting a different HP rated pump, you won't find a shop that will sell you a 180 or 215 pump and take the 160 pump core without paying a premium for the difference. That said, my '95 engine with the 160 pump has been a bit over 350hp for over 300K miles with just 181 DV's, a fuel plate, and injectors and gets 19-22mpg regular as clock-work depending on the season. The best I've seen was 25-26 on a regular basis when I had a 5-speed and was limited to 55mph for my hour drive to work.

The 160 pump will do all you want to do, no need for an upgrade unless you want BIG HP.

 

[GAmes]

Do you mean by "downgraded their engines" in 96-98 that they downgraded them from 94-95? Mine's a 95, and of course rated at 20 fewer hp. What would you consider the safe limit for the stock auto trans?

Your engine is rated at 160hp/400tq, a downgrade from the manual trans equipped engines' 175/420. The 180/420 engine years were down graded from the manual transmission specs of 215/440. Whether or not your transmission could hold up to even 180/420 would be pure speculation. 230hp? No way, unless you never actually used it, but then, what would be the point? I suppose the answer to your quest is only limited by your budget.

 

[Bill Lins]

I think "de-rated" is a more accurate term than is "downgraded".

 

[GAmes]

I think "de-rated" is a more accurate term than is "downgraded".

True......

 

[Man_of_Constant_Sorrow]

I want to thank everyone for their input, and give an update. I had my injectors cleaned and tested, and five were good, one was marginal for pop pressure. I had the shop shim it. Based on concerns about what the stock transmission can handle, budget, time, and priorities (I need the truck running, mods can wait), I am staying stock for now.
I talked to several rebuilders, and got some different opinions about the basic problem of sticking barrels and plungers. It is a little discouraging, because there is no real consensus, no data, just anecdotes. First, there is a question of how common is this problem. My guess based on the number of posts and counter-posts is it affects a low but not vanishing percentage of owners. Second, there is a question of whether it is confined to or more likely to affect 94-95 models. Farrell Diesel told me that it's a "common" problem in 94-95, but also that it is a wear issue with any pump. There's one thread on competiondiesel where he touched on this (and I think BigPapa has gone another 100K trouble free miles since participating in that thread!). Other rebuilders agreed it could affect any pump, and were ambivalent about whether it was more likely to occur with 94-95.
Due to various factors, I went to Gomer Diesel in Missoula (aka US Diesel Parts) for my rebuild. They found I did have scored B&P, and said they replaced them. They advise running fuel additives. And I think that may be a large part of the problem in my case. What I have here is a truck that wasn't used for several years, and then was lightly used. Farrell told me "diesel fuel ... will go bad quickly in small quantities (inside the pump) in as little as 6 weeks. It really isn't good to let a mechanical pump sit without being ran for more than a month."
You folks running high miles probably don't let your trucks sit idle for so long. So, I'll go with that hypothesis for now -- it ain't the pump, it's me. I'll try to treat it well and use it more.

 

[Timd32]

Glad things are working out for you. Sounds like you did a good job sorting out your specific issues.