Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Upgrades and reliability

[The Red Goat]

At what point does upgrading start to compromise engine reliability and longevity? I have VA PNP and thinking about 275s with a 5 speed. I am upgrading for better efficiency. Your comments will be appreciated.

 

[McDowra]

keep adding till something breaks then back up 1 modification . actually reliability depends on your driving habits and usage of the truck. My truck has 171000 mile and still going with the mods listed in my signature. The 6BTwill hold up to alot of abuse.



Tim

 

[The Red Goat]

Currently most (miles) of my driving comes on long trips (6hrs many sometimes nonstop) between Baton Rouge and College Station, TX. Little time and miles come while pulling. The truck is now just over 3yrs with 82,000, I want to be driving it at 500,000 or more. The last truck I owned ½ ton chevy 350 had just under 190,000 when I sold it, and now has over 250,000 (sold it to a friend). I am certain that if the dodge part can hold up I should be able to get far past 250,000. I just do not want to do something to hurt the engine in any way. I do expect the miles towing to increase with time. Expect 5er and fishing boat at some point in time.



Thanks



Curtis

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Engine and drivetrain lifespan and durability are proportional to stresses and demands placed upon them.



Place twice the stress/load on components, and expect a related loss of lifespan - no mystery, no "free lunch"...



Dunno what the exact ratio of stress vs lifespan is, but it's unrealistic to think we can double and place into USE, the output on any engine and/or drivetrain, and STILL get the same lifespan out of it that it was capable of at a lower level...



Naturally, we don't USE the full power capabilities all the time, but the principle still applies...

 

[jwilliams3]

Curtis,

If you want to go half a million miles.

Here are my suggestions:



1. Keep your oil changed every 5k miles, filters Oil, Fuel(15k miles), Air(whenever you think its restricting flow).

2. Let your turbo have cooldown time after every hard run.

3. Make sure your lift pump is operating within spec 13-15psi at idle, 10psi @Wot, 7psi continuous Wot.

4. Keep your differential fluid changed every 40k miles, transmission fluid every 35k miles.



High Performance is a whole different world.

I would suggest after you get the VA box and the 275's, to get a clutch to handle the power properly, like a South Bend Clutch.

Some stock clutches hold well, but some do not.

I have a friend with just and EZ and his rattles like crazy!!



--Justin

 

[Lsfarm]

Ujpgrades and Reliability

Curtis: Gary said it pretty good in his above post. If you add a lot of power, and use it ALL the time, yes you may shorten the life of the engine.



However, when you are driving as you described, you will be using the same power to move your truck regardless of the HP your engine is capable of. So you won't be stressing the engine any more than you are now.



But what hasn't been mentioned yet is that our Cummins engine is designed to be used in vehicles up to something like 60,000 GCVW. That is about three times the Max GCVW of our trucks. So our engine is actually way understressed in our application.



I've talked with drivers that I saw step out of Dodge Ram trucks at reststops that were loaded to more than 40K, and they had more than 200K miles on their engines carrying loads like that. And they had upgraded their power too.



So unless you get really carried away, I don't think you will seriously affect the longevity of your engine. Though the rest of your drive train may not hold up as well as your engine without some help.



BTW: welcome to the TDR!!



Greg L. The Noise Nazi

 

[jimnance]

Other posts have answered this pretty well. Increased power output WILL effect engine life. However, heat and proper lubrication have the greatest impact on engine life. Keep your engine coolant temp below 210F and EGT's below 1250 and most mods won't dramatically effect the engine life. Driveline life is another issue.



The Cummins engine in our trucks has a design life of 300,000 miles. Many will last substantially longer with proper care and avoiding abuse.



Most Dodge trucks will have the body fall apart before the engine dies, so go fast - life is short!

 

[The Red Goat]

Thanks for all the great input guys.



Curtis