Tools Needed for EGT Installations

[LesStallings]

My tool box (and me) are in Las Vegas and the truck is in Nashville right now. I'd like to pack all the tools I need in my suitcase and take them to Nashville and install an EGT gauge while I'm there.



Several have suggested removing the four nuts that hold the turbo in place, lower it an inch or so, and block off the opening with duct tape before drill/tap the exhaust manifold for the pyro.



What size are the nuts on the turbo (`04, 305/555)? Metric? Also, other than screw drivers, adjustable wrench, drill, tap, misc. drill bits, cable ties, voltage tester/light, RTV... what else will I need?



What do I use, if anything, to seal the threads on the pyro?



I'm thinking about purchasing Geno's SRT-10 style single mount and using a DiPrico white EGT or Westach's combo. What do I need to get off the old A-pillar? Socket size needed for the grab handle?



PLEASE, any trick/tips and suggestions for things to pack will reduce the number of times I need to run to Sears (Craftsman) to buy something I already have but did not bring.



Thanks - I know you guys will cut my headaches in half!

 

[SRadke]

It's not really needed to remove the turbo. There are varying opinions on this but if you leave it in place, drill most of the way through, clean the chips and finninsh up drilling with some grease applied to the end of the bit you'll get most of the chips sticking to it. What fall through can be cleaned out of the manifold with a magnet on a stick. You'll find removing the turbo to be such a PITA you may as well remove the entire manifold with the turbo attached and do the work on the bench.



Most pyro probes are 1/8" pipe thread so you'll need a tap that size with the appropriate drill bit, a wrench, some never-seize for the probe and of course a drill. Add to that a screw driver for the thermocouple connections (a pair of pliers will hold the tiny nuts), and a 10mm deep socket (probably 1/4" drive) for the grab handle removal, you should have it made.



-Scott



Edit: Forgot to mention the electrical connections. You'll have to tap a dash light wire for the gauge lighting so don't forget that stuff.

 

[Fuzzy Bear]

A razor knife to cut the front trim off the old A pillar cover. There are tabs on the back side and a couple are press melted to the cover. Cut them away and pull the trim off. I used a hot glue gun to attach it to the new cover. A small flat balde screw driver to remove the cover off the wire raceway on the firewall. There is an opening right above the exhaust manifold to drop the probe wire out of. Then run it back to the driver's side. From there I put it in some split loom, dropped it down the firewall to the rubber plug right behind the clutch peddle. Pull it out from inside the cab, cut a small slit and pull through all the slack cabling. Then just run it over and up to the A pillar.

 

[LesStallings]

Nice! This is the kind of information only someone that has been there, done that will know. You guys are fantastic!

 

[Buffalo]

I installed a BD X-Monitor in my '03. I'm NOT a mechanic and this is the first time I'd ever tried something like this. Never tapped anything before, either. The job wasn't bad at all. I'd do a search, on this site, for pyro installs. There is some great info, out there. One of the best tips, that I didn't know, was not to tap to far into the manifold. I believe it was far enough so that the pyro screws in 3 to 3-1/2 turns. Otherwise the tip of the pyro will seat against the back of the inside of the manifold. I'm not positive about the number of "turns". You need to double check, that. I would have never known NOT to do that. I, also, jacked the right front of the truck up, removed the wheel and fenderwell liner and that will give You a straight shot at the manifold with Your drill. Worked great! I lowered the turbo a little, cut a piece of cardboard from a cereal box to fit between the bolts holding the turbo onto the manifold. It will catch the filings. Before You reassemble, blow the filings off the cardboard and Your OK. The grease on the drill bit and tap is a good idea, also. I saw no reason to remove the manifold, at all. Again, the best advice I got was from reading the thread pertaining to pyro installation. Do a search. You won't regret it. There are guy's here that have forgotten more than I'll ever know! Hope this helps. Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[driverno8]

When I did mine I found that the size drill bit you need is actually pretty long. Put that into a drill and the whole thing didn't fit in the engine compartmetn to get a straight angle. Hope that made sense. I ended up using a 90º drill to get it to fit in.

 

[SRadke]

When I did mine I found that the size drill bit you need is actually pretty long. Put that into a drill and the whole thing didn't fit in the engine compartmetn to get a straight angle. Hope that made sense. I ended up using a 90º drill to get it to fit in.

That depends where you drill the hole. This is an ATS manifold with the boss on top but that is the same location I had drilled my stocker. I have two probes in this manifold, for front and rear three pistons.



-Scott



#ad

 

[driverno8]

Very nice. Yea, mines stock so I went in the side. That's why a reg drill with that size bit didn't fit. How do you like that manifold?

 

[RAMN4EVR]

The funniest thing happened when I was finishing my pryo project, I was using a craftmans magnet to clean out the last of the metal shaving and the f______ magnet falls off the into the exhaust manifold. I couldn't believe my luck. Ended up removing the exhaust manifold & buffing and painting it. And thats the end of that story.

 

[RankRam]

Quote:



That depends where you drill the hole. This is an ATS manifold with the boss on top but that is the same location I had drilled my stocker. I have two probes in this manifold, for front and rear three pistons.



-Scott



End Quote:



Hey Scott can you tell us how much the temps vary between the front and rear pyros?



Thank you!

 

[JHardwick]

You guys can do what you want, but your making it too difficult!



You are not going to hurt anything with a few shavings going throught the exhaust!



If you lose a magnet in there, you need to take it apart. If you break the end off of a drill bit in there, you need to take it apart. But, a few loose cast iron shavings aint gonna hurt a thing. They'll be blown out before the turbo starts to spin, and wouldn't hurt anything if they didn't!



Cast iron is brittle, very brittle. You take a thin shaving and it's like crumbly brittle. Just chill guys, it's easy!



Buffalo, 3 - 3. 5 turns hand tight is about right on the fitting, or 5 - 7 threads from the end of the threaded portion of the tap. It's a tapered tap.

 

[SRadke]

No complaints about the manifold. Unfortunately I installed it the same time as the turbo so I can't say how much affect it had.



RankRam, I've never seen more than 100° diffrence between the front and rear three. I assume a little error because the rear is on my digital TST and the front is on an analog gauge but the rear usually reads slightly hotter.



-Scott



PS guys, does that picture look okay? It shows really dark and a little orange on my PC at work but looks great here

 

[RankRam]

Scott the pic looks great!



Thanks again for the info.