Need More Power

[DNOTE]

I have a 2000, quad cab, long box, 2 wheel drive, 24 valve with automatic tran and 3:55 rear end. Factory says tow capacity is 10,000#. My trailer is 10,000# and I need more power. Every shop I talk to give me a different story. Some say if I put in a chip I have to first upgrade the transmission. Others say I need to go with 4" exhaust to reduce EGT. Others say that a chip such as the EDGE EZ plus gauges is enough. The truck currently has 110,000 miles with a lot of life left in it. Any ideas??????

 

[Jefff929]

Well if you don't upgrade the trany, exhaust and get gauges, you are going to have no idea what is going on or be able to handle any power adder(s) for very long without paying a bigger price in the long run.

 

[icman95]

First off, welcome aboard.



Second, you must have a pretty big can opener to open the can of worms you just did. You can get 1000 different responses to a question like that and they all will be right. Everyone has tried something a little different and will tell you what works for them.



So here's my 2 cents:



Gauges are a must. Once you start to mess with things, you move the engine specs out of factory tolerances. EGT's, for example, need to be monitored so that you don't burn up your turbo. Anything around 1250* or less measured pre turbo should be safe. A fuel pressure gauge will tell you when your lift pump quits (and most of them do) so that you can replace it before you kill your VP44 injection pump. A turbo boost gauge will tell you how high your boost is going so you a) don't go too high and b) know if you want to get more boost out of it.



These are the 3 most common gauges. Since you have an auto trans, you might also want a temp gauge there, too.



A bigger exhaust will help, but if money's tight, it can wait, so long as the EGT gauge agrees.



As for adding power, you might want to try a Smarty programmer. It has many different settings including one for towing. There are others out there, but this one seems to be well respected on this forum and I am thrilled with mine. If this gives you enough power for your needs, then stop there. If not, there are many other avenues to take. Bigger injectors, other computer boxes such as a TST or Edge in addition to the Smarty, bigger air intakes, different turbos, the list goes on.....



Anyone can make horsepower. You just have to ask yourself "How much do I want to spend. " Your power is directly proportional to the size of your wallet!

 

[0013]

Welcome to the TDR bro.



Here's my $. 02. Start with gauges (boost, fp, trans temp, egt). The two weak links on the 2nd Gen's are FP issues (weak transfer pumps that could take out your IP) and trans issues (overheating and not being able to hold the power). If I had an auto Id get a trans double deep pan and really watch the temps.



Once you have gauges get a air filteration system and 4" exhaust. Neither of those should hurt your MPG and are recommended before other power upgrades.



Then try some small injectors like RV275's or a box (or both depending on what you what). Keep in mind as you add fuel you normally will decrease MPG and increase EGT's. If towing is your primary concern I would try this combo. Should really wake your rig up and keep it reliable, safe and towing much stronger. Hope this helps.



God bless,

chris

 

[HBarlow]

Any additional power you create with modifications will be converted to heat energy and lost in the loose torque converter of the 47RE transmission which is made worse by working against the 3. 54 gear set. Together, they create a bad combination for heavy towing. A modified valve body and torque converter would put more power to the rear wheels than any basic modifications mentioned.

The factory stock intake and exhaust system will handle all the power your engine is making and up to about 400 hp. Any mods to either will be wasted and, in the case of the intake and air filter, probably won't filter as well or as efficiently as your factory intake and air filter.

As Joe Donnelly wrote in issue 64, the most restrictive component in our exhaust systems is the turbo, not the muffler or pipe diameter.

Our diesels are low rpm engines which rarely run at high rpm so additional air flow in is of little or no value until horsepower is increased dramatically.

 

[SHobbs]

My current 5er weighs around 12k and with stock injectors an Edge Ez I had no problems towing. I know there can be differences between autos and manuals but the ez did make a noticable difference.

 

[BILLVO]

I will tell you to put an aftermarket Valvebody and torque converter into the transmission first of all and I would bet you that you will think you have 100 hp more with just those 2 mods and you will be tickled with the result rather than adding power. Like posted above you would need to upgrade the transmission anyways with any power adder so just start with the transmission and go from there. You won't be diasppointed and you will not believe how much power is lost with stock VB and TC. I would then go to Intake and exhaust mods. then a chip if so desired.

 

[JGamble]

My turn, my turn... . lol. Welcome to the Forums bud.



I dont have the auto, but I have the Quadzilla Adrenaline, and this thing ROCKS. If you were to invest in this item, you might want to upgrade your transmission/TC. Alot of the guys like the Smarty. Some even look into custom live tuning. If money is tight, the Smarty or the Adrenaline is the way to go. On the subject of the adrenaline, you will get +180 gains in HP.



On the subject of gauges, yes. This should be the first thing that you invest in. Geno's is probably a good place to start. If not, check out farmboysdiesel.com ... Gus Farmer is very customer orientated. Also has great prices on the other goodies you were wondering about. But I digress, YOU NEED those gauges. I am personally running ISSPRO and love them... . its your call.



As Mr. Barlow had said, realize that these CTD are low RPM engines. The key here is to let the beast BREATHE. I would go this route as my bottom line. If money is tight, start with a guage cluster. Then I would move on to a better air filter, perhaps a BHAF. If more money is available, the programmer/chip/computer upgrade; however, realize that with the latter, you will need to trick out [a little] the transmission. If not, you will face some bad demons. Follow that [if cash is still present] with a exhaust upgrade. On a side note, if the money is available after budgeting this all, before you do anything, it might be smart (as I do) to dyno the truck before you stick anything on the rig... .



BEST WISHES DUDE!!!!!!! AND CONGRATS ON THE RIG



Kind Regards,

John

 

[AClayton]

I agree with the other posts... . but need to stress the importance of gauges and do the VB and TC upgrade 1st. This is a proven 50 to 70hp rise to the wheels that you can count on and achieve better mileage as a bonus!!As spending money comes around,do a 4" exhaust and start with a filter upgrade. 10K is a modest load for the truck you have and I think you will be satisfied with the mods I mentioned.





Alan