Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) stock plate and AFC adjustment

[bluthndr]

Can anyone tell me how tough it is to slide the stock plate forward (the breakoff screw is already out)?



Also, which way do I move the AFC for the best response (most smoke), and is it worth doing before getting the aftermarket springs...

 

[JohnE]

You still have a stock plate?

Get a #4 and discover dangerous.



Yes, you can slide the plate forward very easily. Be sure to make a scribe line in the stock position for reference.

You won't need AFC springs until you add a plate or larger injectors.



You've got a lot, but I don't see gagues in your signature.

Got gauges? Start there first.



Open the cover over the star wheel and rotate it toward the engine so it moves forward and relaxes tension on the spring.

 

[onestackdram]

let me say this though, if MPG are an issue with you, becareful how much you screw the afc foward. SMOKE=RAW FUEL, great for showing off sometimes but really uses the fuel, ofcoarse that hasnt slowed me down AT ALL>. . LOL. .



russell

 

[wsmalley]

Snatch the plate, up the timing to about 19-20*, and you will discover how easy it is to mod a diesel. you can be over 300 wheel HP for less than the cost of half an hour's labor.



All you gotta do is remove the housing and loosen/remove the two screws holding down the plate. If you slide, push it towards the front of the motor until you feel it stop, then tighten the screws back down.



Screw TST plates, they are a BAD waste of 250 bucks. If you feel you need a plate for whatever reason, just take a grinder to your stock plate and **PRESTO**, a custom fuel plate

 

[Deezul1]

"Screw TST plates, they are a BAD waste of 250 bucks. If you feel you need a plate for whatever reason, just take a grinder to your stock plate and **PRESTO**, a custom fuel plate"



Poor advice unless you are a very accomplished tuner and fabricator and a very uncalled for slam on a good company with excellent products, ask any one who has a TST plate if it does what it is supposed to do and decide for your self.

 

[onestackdram]

I too have to warn against grinding on your plate. The only time I would reccommend something like that is if you have a SPARE stock plate to play with. TST products have done everything that has been promised to me, and I would reccommend them all day long. They must be doing something right if some of the best trucks out there run their products, and when PIERS themselfs use their products something must be going right.



Russell

 

[JohnE]

snatch the plate?

I hope you don't recommend removing the plate entirely.



TST plate has worked very well for me and a number of friends.

IMHO they make great engine products.

Custom plate grinding is best left for the pros.

 

[wsmalley]

Now don't get me wrong, I know those TST plates do what they're supposed to. All I am saying is you can do the EXACT same thing and put that 200-something dollars to much better use. It's the "Gale Banks Principle. " Banks products work too, but you can accomplish the same HP goals at a fraction of the cost and have the same safety and everything.



And yes, if he wants to feel a good kick in the @$$, I AM recommending he try removing it. If he doesn't like the power he gains, he can put it back.

 

[krs]

"All I am saying is you can do the EXACT same thing and put that 200-something dollars to much better use. "



What hardness level do you bring the ground surface to, wsmalley, and how do you recommend that it be tempered?

 

[gitchesum]

Guys, lets not start the arguement over "plate vs. no plate". That has been hashed out here many times. That type of arguement will only get things locked up.



My personal opinion is that the different plates do serve a purpose. The control fueling throughout the RPM range. Most gys just want a little more power without belching black smoke everytime they take off. They also don't want a truck that leaves a black streak down the side of their trailer.



#0 plates and no plates are for the guys that are looking for huge power. This usually leads to lots of smoke and high EGTs. For a guy that doesn't want to spend the extra money on larger or twin turbos, the #0 plate/no plate isn't a practical option.



Blu, as for a sliding the stock plate forward, it does give a little kick in the shorts. I'm with John though. Get some gauges. With just my stock plate slid forward on my 97, I could peg the EGT gauge at 1600* in 4th and 5th gear at WOT. I did dyno with over 280HP with jsut hte stock plate though. Plenty of power pulling my buddies 35' RV in the Texas HIll country. Only had to downshift once.

 

[wsmalley]

Originally posted by KRS



What hardness level do you bring the ground surface to, wsmalley, and how do you recommend that it be tempered? [/B]

I don't. You can take it and on a good grinding wheel bring back the lower blocked area. I have never seen one that needs any kind of prep work, nor have I seen any of those done have any stress problems, although mine now sits in my door's pocket



I ain't saying TST plates don't work, but for someone BOMBing on a budget, that $250 could be spent much better, and all you have to do is slide the stock one a bit or have it ground a little bit.

 

[illflem]

My opinion.

Unless you really know what you're doing grinding the stock plate is just a recipe for a new engine.

Cheap mods can turn into expendsive engine rebuilds.

 

[Texas Diesel]

Originally posted by gitchesum



Blu, as for a sliding the stock plate forward, it does give a little kick in the shorts.

How much do you slide it? No $ for another one at the moment, have EGT gauge already.



Was told to slide it 1/16" forward, does that sound right to you?



TIA.

 

[Deezul1]

Tejas Deezul



Slide it all the way as long as you have an EGT gauge and watch it. You wont hurt anything. You will find that there will be a "sweet" spot that will be a compromise between power, EGT and smoke. After you get used to that you will be buying a upgrade plate to get more safe fueling. The key to all of this is EGT controll.

 

[Texas Diesel]

Cool! Thanks! Is there no end to tinkering/playing with the Cummins?

 

[bluthndr]

gauges

I do have gauges. EGT, boost, and trans temp. EGTs won't go over 950F right now, and boost is maxed at about 14 psi (on a 60psi gauge - don't know how accurate that is on that low end of the gauge... ).



Should be able to make my changes in a day or two...

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

Tejas Deezul,





NOPE!!!



Jim

 

[JoshPeters]

Re: gauges

Originally posted by bluthndr

I do have gauges. EGT, boost, and trans temp. EGTs won't go over 950F right now, and boost is maxed at about 14 psi (on a 60psi gauge - don't know how accurate that is on that low end of the gauge... ).



Should be able to make my changes in a day or two...

Have you installed a boost elbow? I put in a boost elbow and adjusted the waste gate I can hit 36psi pretty easily with spikes to about 38.



Josh

 

[bluthndr]

wastegate

No boost elbow yet, but TST should be sending me a boost elbow and an AFC spring kit as of this morning. Should have it in and adjusted before the weekend I hope.



Josh - you mentioned "adjusting" the wastegate... Other than the boost elbow, how's that done? I wasn't aware that there was any adjustment to be had...



Still not sure if my roughness between 900 and 1200 and boost level is "normal" or is a pump issue, so I am trying some things to isolate it... I sure hope it's not a pump problem - I called around about the pump and it looks like this project will cost me another $1k minimum before I can seriously start to bomb the motor if thats the case!

 

[JoshPeters]

I've adjusted mine using a bit of engineering and some elbow grease. If you look on the exhaust side of the turbo there will be the waste gate actuator. It will have a hose from the intake side of the turbo going to it. There's a clevis on the end of that actuator that can be adjusted. The hard part is removing the waste gate from the turbo, turning that clevis in, and reinstalling the waste gate. What I did was took a bolt approx the legnth of the non threaded part of the rod and welded a bracket on one end. That way when you remove the jam nut from the clevis and tighten it down against the special tool, you don't have to wrestle against the spring. Just remove the tension from the waste gate, remove the C-clip, and tighten the clevis a few turns. Reinstall the waste gate and give it a try. I'd wait till you have the boost elbow before you mess with the waste gate. It can be a PITA.





Josh