Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) When do you need a.....?

[JGheen]

Just thought I would start a thread on this since I asked this question on other threads.



When one does a 3K GSK install, how do you know when you will need to adjust the govenor lever that hits the fuel plate?? I installed my 3K and since then I think I need a governor lever adjustment. Peirs had told me that I can either get a #10 plate and not have to adjust the lever, due to the "forgivness" of the #10. Or I can just adjust the lever and not change the plate. Well, I went with the easier decision of just changing the plate to a #10, its coming via Fed Ex hopefully on Friday. I know that the guys @ Peirs told me that I will not have to adjust the lever and I trust them to that, but I just wanted to know who has done their 3K GSK with a #10 plate and still had to adjust their gov. lever. Thanks in advance for the info, I really appreciate it.

 

[bmoeller]

I don't have a 3K kit, but I didn't have to adjust the arm.

 

[Dennis Garrett]

It was a no-brainer for me. After I installed the #K kit, my truck wouldn't make boost & wouldn't get out of it's own way. After a few days of messing with it, I stumbled onto the Gov. lever adjustment on Pier's site. After I made the adjustment, I took it out for a spin, not really expecting much improvement. When I got out to the black top & hit the go pedal, it took off like a rocket, threw me back in the seat, pulled strong up through 3200+ & the boost hit 33lbs. In the mirror I saw nice pall of brownish smoke and big cheesy grin on my face. I decided then it must have been the Gov. lever hanging up on the nose of the plate. Why it changed when I installed the spring kit, I don't know.

 

[TPCDrafting]

Not being a mechanic, I went the easy (and very fun) route. I threw a TDR bombing party at my place. I had all the help a guy could ask for. They put in the #11, 3 gsk and AFC spring kit all at once along with gauges. I learned a ton. After the install, I noticed all it could make was about 23-24 psi, that was maxed out on a hill. So after some checking around talking to those in the know including Piers himself, I concluded that I needed to do the Gov lever adjustment.

I did that myself. Trust me I was afraid to do the GSK install, so if you handled that, the adjustment will be a cake walk. Granted I took it over to R. ebel's shop so that I had someone around that could get me out of a pinch if I were to screw it up.

After turning that little screw 4-6 turns, the plate moved up only milimeters. Put it all back together and the truck is completely different. It now leaps to 30 psi and starts to crawl up from there. Pulls hard in every gear.

Really, it's not that difficult. Unless you have gorilla hands and 5 thumbs, you'll be fine.

 

[JGheen]

Originally posted by TPCDrafting

Not being a mechanic, I went the easy (and very fun) route. I threw a TDR bombing party at my place. I had all the help a guy could ask for. They put in the #11, 3 gsk and AFC spring kit all at once along with gauges. I learned a ton. After the install, I noticed all it could make was about 23-24 psi, that was maxed out on a hill. So after some checking around talking to those in the know including Piers himself, I concluded that I needed to do the Gov lever adjustment.

I did that myself. Trust me I was afraid to do the GSK install, so if you handled that, the adjustment will be a cake walk. Granted I took it over to R. ebel's shop so that I had someone around that could get me out of a pinch if I were to screw it up.

After turning that little screw 4-6 turns, the plate moved up only milimeters. Put it all back together and the truck is completely different. It now leaps to 30 psi and starts to crawl up from there. Pulls hard in every gear.

Really, it's not that difficult. Unless you have gorilla hands and 5 thumbs, you'll be fine.

Well, see thats my issue, my hands are huge!! It was a PITA enough just trying to adjust the idle screw back there with all those lines, wires and filter in the way. I guess if this #10 plate does not fix the issue, I am gonna have to bite the bullet and adjust the lever.

Do you know how much throttle to give it when adjusting?? I have heard of some people pushing the pedal to the floor and adjusting it, and some pushing the pedal just about 20-30% throttle and adjusting it. Won't the throttle amount give you different adjustments, as in if you had the throttle wide open rather than partially open. Or if you just have the throttle open a little you can still get the same adjustment?? I know your basically looking for the lever to just contact the very bottom edge of the plate, but it will be different if the throttle is WOT or partially open right??

 

[Dennis Garrett]

Don't know if you've seen this or not, but here's the Gov. lever adjustment page.

http://www.piersdiesel.com/TechLeverAdj.htm

 

[TPCDrafting]

I don't think that's right. I'm not a pump head, but there's plenty on here that can explain it better than I. That withstanding, with the engine off (of course) no matter how far you open the throttle, the gov lever shouldn't do more than move into view and tap the plate. I was only twisting the throttle linkage enough to see the gov. lever move forward and contact the plate. We're talking maybe 1/8th to 1/4 twist. The only way you can tell how far the lever is traveling up the plate is to pull out the plate, wipe it off and look closely at how it has scored the plate. Mine was coming up the first ramp, tapping against the very bottom of the second ramp and not going any further, thus not givin me the sugar I wanted

It is my understanding the lever moves up the plate coinciding with RPM.

OK, so before my adjustment, when I twisted the throttle linkage, the gov. lever was hitting the plate at the very bottom. Looking at the scoring, I was able to diagnose that it was indeed moving up the plate, just not far enough. So I adjusted the screw so that the lever would start out somewhere near 1/2 way up the lower ramp.

I hope I'm helping

 

[JGheen]

Yeah, your helping, but I wish there was a better illustration of how the lever moves up the plate. The Piers directions are nice and descriptive but I would like something to show me the lever in action.

So, if the lever moves up the plate per RPM, what happens when you suddenly take your foot of the accel pedal?? Since the lever has a slope to it that slopes down at the end of it, I would think it would get caught in the plate grooves as it moves back down. But when you take your foot off the pedal, does it jump back to clear those grooves and just drop back down until the pedal is pressed again?? I hope that makes sense.

 

[T. Baker]

If you take your foot off, the lever instantly pulls back off the plate.

 

[TPCDrafting]

exactly, when you pull off the AFC housing and just look down in there, you won't see the lever. Exactly the point that you need to one push up the fuel shot off lever and twist the throttle linkage, other wise the lever is sitting in the "idle" position.

I've always thought it would be cool if someone built a see through pump case and filled it with clear lube so that a guy could watch the whole process.