rookie question

[KRMurray]

I grew up a mechanic's son, but this is the first time I have owned or worked with a diesel. I have some embarrassing basic questions for someone. Why do I care about exhaust temperature and why would you want to monitor it?

 

[Mundgyver]

What is your truck signature?? That tells allot and gives an idea of where to begin.

EGT for you is important because once you go down the dark evil road of bombing, hot-rodding, performance-enhancements or anything dealing with bigger, badder, tire turning, smoking the neighborhood and killing skeeter s, you suffer the chance of melting down your pistons.

Melted pistons are a bad thing. A good set of gauges for Boost, EGT temp, Fuel Pressure, will pay for themselves in giving you the ability to diagnose problems with some degree of certainty.

If your are pulling a trailer and or are dealing with a heavy load on a long hill, you will be able to better protect your investment (Darn good engine) from damage or abuse from over temping.

Information about your motor and it's current state is always a good thing when driving.

 

[jray]

Good question. There are certainly alot of people here that are more knowledgeable about diesels than me, but here goes. As exhaust gas tempatures (egt's) rise to 1300 degrees or more for extended periods of time things tend to melt, mostly pistons. You'll see a few guys on here claim to run their egt's to 1500 for extended periods of time with no damage, but the general rule of thumb is to try to keep your egt's below 1300*.



Things to consider about a diesel. When you add more fuel, such as a programer or bigger injectors your egt's tend to rise. More fuel = more heat. Adding more fuel (heat) can be offset by using a bigger exhaust system, using a less restrictive intake system or adding a bigger turbo. Any of these modifications can help in reducing your egt's.

 

[Mundgyver]

Another thing to think about also, these engines are designed to do 400,000 turns with no problems provided you care for them. There are individuals on this forum that have 500,000 to 1,000,000 turns with no problems. These guys watch their EGT and take care to do the required servicing of their engines when required.



I have 200,000 on my truck with no problems so far. I am boosted, but I do not abuse the privilege of the added performance.



More fuel ='s more wear and tear on the engine. Gages help keep you in the acceptable performance range by giving you a visual indication of what you are doing as you enjoy the ability of these trucks.



Food for thought.

 

[rbattelle]

Besides modifications, some of us monitor EGT in order to protect the turbo. It's generally considered a bad idea to shut down the engine if the bearing housing on the turbo is above 300°F.

To prevent doing so, people idle the truck until the EGT drops below 300°F.

Ryan

 

[KRMurray]

Thanks. That all helps. I have an 07 6. 7 Cummins. I have not gone down the boost tuner path . . . yet . . . I will at some point. I do haul heavy. One of the significant reasons I went diesel was I was tired of towing with no power.

 

[6BT-Dakota]

Oh ya and 1 other thing Welcome to TDR where its not just a past time its an addiction ! ! ! ! !

 

[Hammer]

Oh ya and 1 other thing Welcome to TDR where its not just a past time its an addiction ! ! ! ! !

Oh Yea... Now thats a correct statement Rob,LOL... ..... Andy



BTW... Welcome to the newbie!!!