Which turbo to replace stock with smarty jr.?

[zzman]

I am just looking ahead here (for my wife's purpose only) on which turbo should I be looking at, in the event mine goes out.

I have always felt that the stock turbo does not produce enough air for the engine. My comparison comes from operating 18 wheelers and hearing the whine of air flow with amount of pedal pressure. This can not be done with my Dodge.

I feel with the extra fuel the Smarty Jr puts out, the turbo can't match the air flow needed.

So I am looking for something that will produce more air and match the smarty fuel flow.

Not looking to pull sleds or drag race now.



I have changed the stock air filter to a K&N that fills the stock box and have a 4" tube cut out of the bottom of the box. I think it will breath better if it needs to.

Have removed the baffle in the intake tube, the fins in the intake elbow and for what ever reason I removed the silencer ring on the turbo. It has been this way for over 250k mi.



Any thoughts here?

Thanks guys, this site IS my diesel Bible.

 

[Wingate]

you will get some opinions on the K&N filter... Personally, I would not use one simply because the stock air filter flows plenty of CFM for the engine, even with Jr set on "full stun" And the paper element is zero maintenence compared to the K&N.

The Turbo is also sufficient for the Jr. . There are some in the aftermarket that are capable of more boost/ higher CFM, just remember, you will need additional fuel to spool a "bigger" turbo, so be careful that you don't generate a high EGT condition or a lag issue.

Not sure which I would do, I would probably hope the turbo stays in one piece for awhile and get some 50hp. nozzles first. Maybe then, when the turbo does give up the ghost, you will be ready for a bigger spool.

 

[zzman]

Thanks Wingate, I felt I needed more filter intake area than the stock size offered. I had the little meter minder on the filter get sucked down when the stock filter got real dirty.

Now with the extra 4" hole I get all kinds of critters in there and for sure I believe it would clog up quick. I found this K&N on the internet and it looks to offer close to twice the area of filter than the stock one. It works real good but yes, the cleaning is time consuming at every oil change.

I use to have a 97, 01 and now this 04. 5 Dodge diesels. None of them seem to have enough turbo. When they were stock, you could play patty cake on the go pedal and nothing would happen. I knew they needed more fuel so it was added, but I still think they need more air too.

I think Dodge or Cummins has built these engines like the one's in the BIG trucks. They put big size engines in them but cut them back (fuel & air) to increase the life of the engine.

I did drive a big rig with a 350 cummins for 2 yrs that had a fuel pump that was wide open (not turned down). It ran how ever strong you wanted it to. It was your foot that governed the engine. It was burned up a month later after I quit driving it.

My point is that the engines in our Dodges are made to be stronger running than they are mint to be driven when stock (my opinion only).

I'd like to add about 10 to 20 percent more air flow, but this may not be possible with the plumbing as it is.

Thanks again neighbor.

 

[AMcCormick]

BD Super B is a popular mild turbo upgrade.

 

[rscurtis]

I'll second that. BD now makes a Killer B which is supposed to be an exact replacement for your '04. 5. It has the correct exhaust housing and the correct elbow on the compressor housing, where the Super requires an exhaust adapter and a separate elbow on the compressor housing. The Super will require you to shorten your engine pipe by about 2". If you go for this upgrade, use their manifold also.



Get rid of that K&N, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[CKelley1]

get the K&N in the trash as fast as you can. get a 62-65-12size from htt or bd

 

[zzman]

Wow, I guess alot you guys don't like the K&N.

Got alot of miles on this with no problem yet, but I will take note.

Thanks

 

[rscurtis]

"Yet" is the key work here. By the time you have the problem, it will be time for pistons and rings, and maybe a rebore.

 

[Mark31]

"Yet" is the key work here. By the time you have the problem, it will be time for pistons and rings, and maybe a rebore.

"You don't have trouble until you have trouble!"

 

['strokeThis_'07]

Your turbo is just fine for the fuel you have. It doesn't whistle because it has a silencer ring, that and the intake quiets it down a good bit.

 

[cerberusiam]

The stock turbo is good for about 450 HP and it is out of its element. If your worried about normal operating and towing it does a great job in that aspect. Get a boost fooler on it and it will help a lot.

 

[LRutigliano]

The stock turbo is good for about 450 HP and it is out of its element. If your worried about normal operating and towing it does a great job in that aspect. Get a boost fooler on it and it will help a lot.

If I have a Smarty S06, do I need a boost fooler with my 2003 ??



Right now with it set on SW1, the boost pressure at the intake manifold is 26psi max, on SW3, approx 30psi max. EGTs are right at 1200F on SW1 and 1300F on SW3 while towing up a grade.

 

[cerberusiam]

If I have a Smarty S06, do I need a boost fooler with my 2003 ??

WG is mechanical on your truck, unlike the 04. 5+ trucks that are electronic. You need a boost elbow to raise it.



The boost fooler would just stop over boost codes, not give more boost.

 

[LRutigliano]

WG is mechanical on your truck, unlike the 04. 5+ trucks that are electronic. You need a boost elbow to raise it.



The boost fooler would just stop over boost codes, not give more boost.

Thanks. So do I need just the boost elbow? Or a boost elbow with a boost fooler? Does the Smarty do boost fooling on my year engine?

 

[cerberusiam]

Smarty remaps the boost tables to the limit of the MAP sensor, about 45 psi. That should stop any over boost codes until boost exceeds the limit of the MAP. Does on mine anyway so an over boost code is probably the result of a value exceeding what is in the table.



A boost fooler clamps the voltage coming from the MAP sensor to 28-29 psi representative. The MAP returns a voltage between 0 and 5 volts which the ECU converts to a relative boost value. The ECU never sees an issue so it just keeps fueling.



A boost elbow allows and adjustment of the amount of boost that is applied to the WG actuator. The less actual boost applied keeps the gate closed longer to build more boost.



Adding a boost elbow allows tuning what the max boost will be before the WG opens mechanically.



Answer to your question, all you really need is a boost elbow cuz pushing an HE341 to 45 psi is a really bad idea.

 

[JamesStevens]

Don't worry about the K&N, have had mine for 160,000 no problems (I did the super scoop like U to). My oil analysis always come back at 3 or 4 PPM Silicone (Same as paper filter) And don't clean it every oil change unless it is real dirty, no need the dirt just helps with filtration.



I put in a vote towards the new 'killer B' turbo, I wish I would have went that route, sounds like a great turbo giving U that 20% more air!

 

[ColemanR]

I would'nt worry about your K&N either. Mine has been on my truck for about 400k. i had a HTT 62/14 installed on my truck over 300k ago still running strong. I changed the stock one because the housing cracked. Without the Smarty there is turbo lag but with it set on 3 purrs like a kitten real close to stock.

 

[CToney]

Zz you have enough turbo. I upgraded my truck to the same turbo as you have. I tow a lot and sometimes quite heavy. The jr an the he351 turbo moves enough air for low egt on long grades. With the amount of miles that you have on your truck I would save my money for other maintenance items. A used he351 can be bought for $300. They can support 450 hp which is plenty enough in my opinion. That puts a guy at over 800 ft lbs of tq which is what the new ho trucks come with.