will i have a problem towing?

[Ahopper]

i have a few questions reguarding towing our rv. i want to know if im going to over heat after all of the mods i hav done to my truck. i have a 1997 12valve automatic witha #5 tourqe plate and my wast gate is disabled on the turbo, i have also strait piped it the stock 3inch all the way back. all i have right now is the pyrometer guage in and without a load right now flooring it i get all the way up to 1250. is that to high and what should be my degree limit? i will be towing up a 6% incline for about 10 miles ending up at 8000 feet. the trailer is about 9500 pounds. i dont know what my boost is at the moment but that guage is going in tom or wed. i also whant to know what a safe boost would be. im thinking of getting one of those boost regulaters or whatever it is from genos. i just want to know if ill be safe going on this trip. oh and i have turned the star weel out a couple of turns. i cant afford to mess anything up because frst of all im broke and second im only 17 and my dad knows didly squat about engins and such thanks Austin

 

[PatrickCampbell]

1200 or 1250 degrees is a good limit just don't floor it with a 9500 lbs trailer. If it starts to climb too high try shifting down and there is nothing wrong with stopping for a few minutes if that is what you have to do.

 

[Big MAK]

Pulling that long grade just let the engine work where it's comfortable and don't race up the hill; you'll have no problems. More then likely it'll pull that grade at 40-45mph just letting it cruise along in 3rd. Make sure your transmission fluid is clean and full before the trip.



Is your pyrometer before or after turbo? 1250 after turbo is probably 1450-1500 at the manifold; you don't want any hotter then that for sure.



Is that a tow prep with a transmission cooler? I can't remember if that came with one that year. You should have a transmission cooler pulling an RV in hills/mountains.

 

[Ahopper]

the pyrometer is pre turbo. i belive it does have a transmission cooler on it. what is a safe boost for it? 35psi? i have a new tourqe converter in it but is a new stock one am i screwing it up with this extra power?

 

[GAmes]

Are you worried about overheating the water, transmission fluid or exhaust temps? I'd recommend a trans temp gauge for towing and keep an eye on the water temp gauge if it is hot outside. I personally use 20 lbs of boost as my limit while climbing, when it hits 20 I slow down and shift down, mostly for economy but it will save your transmission too.

 

[jtwcummins]

1250 is not excessive pre turbo exhaust temp. The biggest problem will be the auto trans. You need to get a gauge for the trans fluid temp as well as Turbo boost. Don't try and pull hard uphill with OD on, keep the RPM at around 2000 and don't worry about MPH. The sweet spot for the 12v is between 1800 and alittle more than 2000 RPM, it will pull like a champ. Less than that and you are going to lug it. This will kill the transmission faster than anything else since the internal pump pressure and fluid flow is low. Fluid flow is controlled by accel pedal position. It is even a good idea to do town driving w/o OD on.



Coming down the hill watch your speed. Good rule of thumb is to come down at the same speed or even slower than you went up. If you have cruise control it can help coming down. If you feel safe speed is 45 set cruise for about 40. It will lock up TC and downshift trying to keep your speed down to the set level. It helps save brakes.

 

[flyairam]

Austin,



You've already gotten good info on EGT limits. Ditto boost. Your truck is almost exactly what I was running before getting my '06. Even the number five plate is the same. What you will experience, sooner or later, is torque converter slip when it's trying to lock up or when towing. You are making more power than it can hold.



One 'lister told you to keep your RPMs up above 1800 and that's excellent advice, another told you to get a boost gauge, more excellent advice, but if you USE the power that this truck is making, it WILL toast your transmission.



Sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear. My DTT transmission was great, could hold the torque, and could put it to the ground, unlike the stock transmission/torque converter, but you'll spend over four grand getting that set-up if you do your own work.



Take it easy on the 'ol driveline if you can't afford to fix it.



Randy

 

[RDelissen]

in addition to that boost gauge, it also wouldn't hurt to install a transmission gauge (all in addition to the pyrometer you already have).

That way you can really tell what the engine and transmission are doing and you can keep it within safe specs ... even if it means slowing down a bit :-laf

 

[Ahopper]

i just got the boost guage in not pulling anything i can max out at i belive around 40psi. (my guage is only 35) im going to reduse the boost to 35 any opinions? also does anyone know what the average life of a stock tourqe coverter is? i just had mine replaced at 80,000 (im at 91 now) problem is i had a new stock one from the dealership put in. ( i know stupid move, but wasnt my desion). i know they said it has a one year warenty should go back to see if it needs replaced?