Powermax3 Questions, need your input

[Vaman]

Had a guy contact me via e-mail about the surging issue. He says about every six months his truck starts doing it and he fixes it by taking out the inline fuse to the PowerMax and cleaning it. Could be a power supply issue. I haven't looked at my fuse yet but I will... I've checked everything else. Anyhow, he asked me to pass it on.

 

[MHindman]

Todd, what are your lights doing on the pm3 box, not the remote when its surging? My fuel light would flicker on and off. I am convinced you have the same problem that I was, with the surging. Its also more noticeable in the higher gear.

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(Silver Bullet)1999 Ext Cab 4X4 5SPD, All options. Power Max 3(adjustable), K&N Filter, no muffler, Pyro,Fender Flares, Toolbox, bedrail covers, 450 watt Kenwood Sub, 33 12. 50 16. 5's, 3. 54's... Soon to have: 4inch, DDIII's, Southbend clutch.

 

[Briar Hopper]

Todd, I'd highly recommend driving to Columbus, IN to let Mark and his mechanics check it out... They were a BIG help to me on an issue unrelated to the fueling box. I DID get my fueling box installed there, Steve St' Laurent and Mark worked together to install it for me while I removed a defective turbo and installed a new one.
Keep in mind, he gets MANY calls every day, and there now appear to be so many variables with these trucks,and the people installing the boxes, that it can be hard to pinpoint the source of the problem, especially over the phone or internet.
I understand your frustration, I've been there a time or two, myself. It's one of those things you have to expect when fooling with the systems on our trucks.
If you can get in to get some service at TST on Friday June 8, you could come on up to Muncie for Dave's Diesel's Thunder in Muncie on June 9 & 10. Look me up while you're there, and and if you still haven't got it fixed,for whatever reason, I'll see if I can help.


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Tom
Secretary of the Great Lakes Turbo Diesel Registry GLTDR B. A. D. Boys

 

[Bigsaint]

ToddT, another idea just came to mind. Are your fuel/banjos stock. Blkdemon, I believe it was he, was having problems with the Blue Chip box on his ETH. He removed the banjo bolt at the VP44 and drilled and tapped the pump inlet out to 1/4" npt, then ran the fuel line in with no restriction and the box came to life. I know you stated that it pull hard in all the gears but the problem comes into play when you are in 5th. Is it possible that happens because your asking the VP44 to use more fuel than in the other gears. Remember more fuel equals higher boost. Where do you see your highest boost psi's ? I'm lucky to see 10-20 psi's before I get into 4th and beyond. Just thinking out loud here, maybe something else to consider if your lift pump pressure is okay. Incidentally, my rear wheels were spining at 122 mph on the dyno before I "hit the wall".

Scott W.

 

[Todd T]

(follow up:I called and talked with them and I think an appology is coming down the pipes from ME, from what I was just told, I may have disconnected the wrong white/orange striped wire(or in the wrong place anyway). I'll try doing the one they told me to tonight and see if it works. )

Tom,

I thought about doing that, I am leaving friday for there and could just leave earlier that morninig and go by. but I figured they would be swamped trying to get ready for that event, if not already there. I am talking about two different problems that I dont think are related. Scott, listen in here, the surging is only at light throttle when just maintaining highway speeds of anywhere between 40 and 70MPH not under hard pulls where the VP44 would, like you said, need the most fuel. my bosst levels are 32PSI at every gear and are sustained there for a few seconds in third and fourth. I have felt in a different truck, the poping when it runs out of fuel and I dont think that is what I am feeling here. I have a sending unit and guage coming for the truck, just because i feel they are needed, as much as the Pyro and boost if not more than the boost.

the speed limiter is in fact what is going on. the other night i disconnected the VSS from the ECM and it will run like a stripped a** ape, until I chicken out. i ran on level 9, up to 110MPH and it was still going.

now i just need to figure out why it is interfearing and get it fixed. what is odd is the lower the level i set the PM3 to the higher the limit before the limiter will kick in. if i leave it on 0-2 it will run past 100 beofre it hits, if i run at any level between 3-9 it will vary at different speeds kicking in.

I emailed Mark again yesterday, but he is probably mad at me at this point, as i haven't heard back yet. I'll try and call him today and tell him what I have found.

my next trick was to add injectors and see if it will run past 100MPH with the pm turned to level 3 or so, as that is probably as much as the clutch would hold at that point. #ad


thanks for all your help and hope to put some faces to these names in Indy. and Micheal H. you can see my airbox there too.

[This message has been edited by Todd T (edited 05-31-2001). ]

 

[TORQUED]

My PM3 has the surging problem in cruise in any level above 4. I thought it was because the PCM was over correcting because it was programed to make adjustments based on 420 lbs torque. ??????????????

 

[Bigsaint]

Todd, sorry if I mis-read, just throwing out ideas. I'll have my TST comp. box in next week, should be interesting in many areas, to say the least. I'll look for that surge, though I don't think I'll be testing the speedo limiter anytime soon.

Scott W

 

[Blkdawdg]

My blue box did the same thing and it was because the VP44 was running out of fuel to send to the injectors. This was even with the BG220HR up and running. I had to tap the VP before it stopped acting up. Just my opinion.

 

[Todd T]

Scott, I was just trying to get your attention, not trying to be smart. it was hard to word it to that effect though. #ad


well I talked with TST last night, and I found out, stupid ol' me, was cutting the wire in the wrong spot. I cut it exactly where they said to and it stopped the limiter from kicking in. #ad
#ad
#ad


I was trying to be too stealthy and take it apart at the connector, rather than just hacking that sucker, where they said to. #ad


now as for the surging, I will start testing fuel and metering things. to see if i can get to the bottom of it. more than likely i will have to take Mark up, and bring the truck to him to test it.

just keep in mind here guys... . the surging that we are talking about is at cruising speeds, not under hard exceleration. so it is more than likely not a fuel starvation thing. what it feels like to me is the engine is just real goosie and it is slacking and unslacking the drivetrain. or a slight miss, or roughness to the engine.

 

[Bigsaint]

No offense taken, Todd. Hope you get it worked out.



Scott W.

 

[Vaman]

Todd... exactly which wire needs to be cut?

 

[Todd T]

First let me say, I like this new board, it has some cool options, we didnt have before.



Nate, I got your email and now that i can post again i though i would catch everybody up. I last posted that i cut the wire in the right place now and the limiter is now disabled.



well as it turns out the wire to cut is part of the governor circuit and the truck now will stall if you dump the clutch in first gear, and i have had to re-learn how to drive it. because it now requires more go pedal than before to get off the line.



(I kept stalling at stop signs, the first day )



so for now i have a switch wired in and i just kill it when i want to go faster than the limiter will let me. I am working on a circuit that will allow the ECM to follow the leads signal until it reaches 2. 6volts and then switch over to a constant 2. 6v source until the signal voltage comes back higher than that. this way the truck will behave normally up to about 80MPH and then the circuit will mask the speed limiter voltage from the ECM, until i slow back down.



the reason for this is, I noticed right off the bat, that the truck was sluggish, so it (ECM)has to be compensating for me, by adding fuel, or timing, or both. which I feel without it doing that, would and is, a source of turbo lag. that combined with the 1 second delay the PM3 has for emissions reasons, is alot.



anyone else notice this, when they cut this wire?

 

[Todd T]

just trying to see why its not moving up.