Newbie questions

[BFC]

Hi guys,



I'm new at all this stuff. Just bought a 98 3500 SLT quad dually to pull my RV. I've been reading the posts for the last week, you make me want to spend my money real fast! I'm pretty handy with tools but I don't know much about diesels, got some catching up to do. Any book, websites, that are a must? I'm kind of short on time, those Banks Power package worth the money or get parts here and there better? Should I worry about waranty issues? Any good shops to do business with in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Sorry for the 20 questions(I have about a 1000 more) I'll keep reading the post and try to be quiet for a while... ..... any info you can throw my way I'd appreciate. Thanks

 

[Archive]

A lot of what you will read here is opinion. Remember that as you read. If there are actual facts, they will be able to post them.



Banks has received mixed reviews on this board, even from some of those that sell them. Others are extremely happy with their systems. (Illflem is one).



Read carefully and choose wisely. There are a whole lot of options out there.

 

[Oasis-3]

Welcome Aboard

Welcome Aboard the best $35 spent on your truck and it will love you for it.



Cliff

 

[chuck3]

Read on all your questions will be answered in time. And welcome to the best darn diesel site on the web.

 

[Floor It]

From what I found out is banks kit works real good but is expensive. I would go with TST or Edge EZ, same or better bang for less money.

 

[Jetpilot]

Welcome aboard,



Don't worry about asking questions here, the only problem may be the amount of replies and opinions. As for what to do first, you should probably decide what your goal/use is you are wanting to obtain. The bombing mods for hotrodding are different than for pulling heavy loads.



As for a Banks system, I agree with Floor It..... The Banks system works OK but you can get a lot more bang for the buck going other routes.



Warranty issues we all face, even those who have not bombed run into this. But the best advice I can say is if you bomb "you are your own warranty station". Now not to say some dealers will not stand by you but watch out they seem to be few and far between. Some mods are pretty stealthy but a lot of mechanics know what to look for. There are even posts warning to remove the piece of velcro used to mount a Poweredge EZ prior to taking in for warranty issues.



Now for shops in the Dallas area Diesel Injection Service:

http://www.dieselpage.com/main.shtml

is located in Lubbock TX. They are a good source of products. There are a lot of good shops around the country, DTT, Diesel Dynamics, Bully Dog, Advanced Diesel Technology, Poweredge, just to name a few... .



Good luck with your choices bombing is VERY ADDICTIVE !!!!



Doug S.

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Personally, save you money. You could buy a 4" exhaust, K&N, gauges and a TST box for less then the Banks Powerpack. It will work better too. From what i have noticed, Banks spends the most money on advertising, not product developement and DEFINATLEY not customer service. Check out sites like www.tstproducts.com www.jannettyracing.com www.genosgarage.com www.autometer.com There are alot of other sites too for diesel stuff, i dont know the web adresses though. Another member will gladly fill you in on them. (Diesel dynamics, bullydog, etc. ) Good luck with your truck

 

[Ramboy]

It is easy for guys that do not have any experience with Banks to play it down. I am VERY happy with my PowerPack and the Temperature Limiting feature alone is worth the cost of the system to me. Just knowing I can tow and not have my eye glued to the EGT gauge is peace of mind. Just MHO.

Phil

 

[SA Law]

questions

ghodgson



another good source of information is tdr members that live near you. even though im way down in in San Antonio, there are plenty of guys in ur neck of the woods. go to the local and regional events forum and click on the texas rally 2001 link... you should find plenty of members there who live closer to you that would love to spend a weekend talking diesel with you. . if nothing else, come down here and we can have a good time as well!

 

[KatDiesel]

Originally posted by Ramboy

It is easy for guys that do not have any experience with Banks to play it down.

Two calls into them with questions, twice they hung up on me. Three emails sent not one single reply. Thats all the experience I'll ever need with them. With PowerPack you are only at roughly 300hp, you can do the same with and EZ & DDII's, add a 4" exhaust (total $1500 tops, you got 300hp) and walla you can out pull a PowerPacked truck (which is roughly 290hp) and you will have no worries about EGT's whatso ever. Not to mention this combo will leave no marks on the injection pump wire (like the Ottomind of Banks) so theres another postive side. Banks works for some people but its not the only thing out there like all the advertising leads one to belive. If it works for you great... ... ... ..... they don't make a kit with enough horsepower for my tastes anyhow. Some of the newer fueling boxes have temp limited fueling as well, most recently the BlueChip Wizard. I also belive the PowerMax³ can do it as well and last I heard the boys at Edge were working on that feature to incorporate it into their Comp boxes.

 

[Ramboy]

Kat,

I am not saying that Banks is the best available. You have had problems with their customer service and others have had problems with other companies' service. When I bought mine, Banks was the ONLY one on the market with the temp. limiting feature. If there had been any others, I would have considered them. But, there were NONE.



Phil

 

[jackrea]

Welcome to this site, there is a great deal of information here. I would like to second what Rob stated, read, read and read, there are some post's that get a bit bloody. Do a search for information that has been posted in the past. Jack

 

[work2muchplay2little]

GHodgson, I live in south Ft. Worth, maybe an hour from you. I'm planning on going to the Big D TDR chapter meeting next weekend Sat. 7/14 at 9am, check out the website: http://home.swbell.net/dmad/index.htm If this doesn't work for you, I'd be glad to get together some time and show you what a few little BOMBs can do to the ol' oil burner email me if you like