you guys are scaring me

[k.vickers]

as you can tell from my signature, i'm a 12 valver. however, i have been helping my father find a truck to pull his fifth wheel and we just bought a 99 one ton 2x4 with 80k. it's in beautiful shape and runs like a charm. i spoke with the person that traded the truck in and he said the truck had never had a problem, but he needed a 4-door so he traded.



we are going to want to juice this truck up a bit, and i was wondering if i could get some suggestions from this forum about the best power kits to install, including an idea of their cost. you guys have scared the crap out of me, though, with all of the talk about lift pumps and injector pumps and failures, etc. . i would hate for my dad to pay money for this truck and have it go south on him. i'm sure hoping we didn't make a mistake in buying a 24v instead of looking till we found a good 12v.



any ideas and help? let's see if the 24v forum is as wonderful as the 12.

 

[RobG]

The amount of power your dad wants is dependent upon the mods selected.



Meaning... if he's content adding only 100-200 hp, then I recommend an Edge EZ and a set of injectors. If his new truck is an auto, so I'll then recommend the DTT transmission setup from Bill Kondolay. If it's a stick, then the clutch may be okay for a while, but when it isn't anymore, talk to South Bend Clutch.



With those two power mods, I'd still do a 4" exhaust and of course, guages should be the first priority above all else.



If he wants more power than that, an Edge Comp is my next recommendation, still wtih a set of injectors. I actually prefer the Diesel Dynamics version of the EZ or the Comp, as well as their injectors. But that's just me.



Rob

 

[LSMITH]

Vickers, the first thing you do to the 99 is put a fuel pressure guage on it, that way the lift pump failure taking out the injection pump is a non-issue. You can add a pusher pump to feed the lift pump as well for more piece of mind, so far I have not heard of a single lift pump failing that had a pusher pump feeding it. http://www.enterpriseengine.com/ These folks make a kit that I understand is as simple as splicing into the fuel line and plugging it in. The kit from Enterprise has had good reviews by the guys that have installed it. Look at the site for a price.

For power upgrades I would recommend a set of Diesel Dynamics injectors, a set of DD2's would be my choice. Add to that an Edge EZ or a DD TTPM. That will get you a small amount of additional fueling and a timing advance. The fuel is obviously more power, the timing increase will also add power as well as lower EGT and increase fuel economy a little bit.

I am sure you have witnessed the battle of auto trans mods on here. If the combo I reccomend is added it needs to be upgraded. Make your own choice there. Same for clutches. Hope this helps, and I am sure you will get plenty more opinions.

 

[chuck3]

Don't worry.

K. Vickers, don't be scared, sure you hear about the failures because we want people to be made aware of the problems that are out there thats what this is all about. What you don't hear is all the people that aren't haveing problems because they don't need a fix if nothings wrong. But I do know what you mean I was the same way at first but my truck is still running great.

 

[Ramboy]

k. vickers,

Tell your dad not to worry. I have almost 60,000 on my '99 and you can see in my sig. the mods I have. I have pulled my 18,000 GVW trailer all over the country without any problems. Still have original lift pump and it is working fine.

Phil

 

[BigDaddy]

Gauges, Gauges, Gauges...

Have been said so many times before...



k. vickers,



I could not agree more with RobG and LSMITH



For my $. 02:



For any additional power enhancements, gauges should be the first priority. How else can you truly evaluate the status (i. e. is my lift pump OK?) of the mighty Cummins and your performance modifications AKA: BOMBs Excluding, Scan tools, Quick Check, etc. Not to mention, safe guarding your (Dad's) healthy investment.



To help further, we really need to know more specifics about Dad's truck. Auto, manual, fifth wheel weight, and such. However, whether an auto or clutch, a PE EZ or VA never hurt anyone (that I'm aware of) and it will provide an additional 40 HP



IMO, if you have a BOMBing plan and want versatility the PE COMP is the way to go. Fully adjustable power setting (in cab), compatibility with other mod. 's, and at the right price.



My congratulation to Dad and his new truck. Good luck

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

It all depends on how fast you want to go and how much money you are willing to spend. I have a VA box and a boost module. My exaust is simply a three inch flow through muffler. There is a noticable difference in power. I will not hurt the stock trans with this setup. When I do upgrade the transmission it will be with DTT. Then I will install the DDII injectors, but not until the trans is done... ... .

 

[k.vickers]

thanks!

thanks for all the replies so far .....



the truck is an auto, with 3:55 rear end. i have a set of 4:10 gears for him if he wants to switch, but he wants to try the existing gears first.



he doesn't want/need a lot more power. he pulls a fairly heavy fifth wheel (30') and just wants to make it through the texas hill country without having to work too hard. my truck is not very bombed, but i don't see him ever going as deep into extras as i have. i talked with a man a while back who was discussing a dodge rally he went to. he said there was a man installing power kits left and right for $400; he described it as a box that just plugged in (not very intrusive engine wise) and took about 15 minutes to install. i never heard a brand, but it seemed like it was not a drastic change. that is about the level that i think my dad would be happy with. i certainly agree about the gauges, and that will be one of the first things to come. can't make it too complicated, though, or he begins to worry about it and won't enjoy driving his truck.



ok, i'll stop there and see what else comes in. thanks again for all the excellent advice so far.

 

[SOOT]

Don't worry about the lift pump I have 123,000 miles on the 99 (see sig) with the original lift pump, but its not bombed YET!



Guages are definitly the first thing to do. IMO go with guages that are bigger than the autometer Z series ( I think mine are the Z series) 2. 25 inch, there too small and the lighting is poor.



I agree with everyone else about the EZ or the comp all though I have no experience with them (I wish I did) from what I have heard and read about them they are the way to go.



Hope your father enjoys the new to him truck, he made a wise choice.

 

[DarrellB]

Don't forget about these guys

www.tstproducts.com They have 3 diffrent power ratings of fueling boxes and even have one that has built in electric boost and EGT guges. Just take a look at the website, GOOD STUFF I've had a PowerMax 2 on my truck for about 40,000miles now and love it. Only wish they had the PM3 when I bought mine so I could have saved getting mine reprogramed.



Big D

 

[rubberneck]

ok, i'll throw in my opinion (remember opinions are like anything else, you get what you pay for) DO NOT do anything more than an edge EZ for your dad (or a van aaken). Anything more than this and your pop will be upgrading the transmission soon. As stated earlier these boxes advance timing and add minor amounts of fueling.



Now here is my reasoning on going no further. From the way you decscribe your dads desires for this truck, he just wants a little more pep, and not a whole bombfest. there is a truck around my parts that has installed an EZ and a set of 275 rv injectors, he has smoked his auto 2 times in the last several months. (we begged him to upgrade it, but some people just insist on getting that warranty work) Any way, the EZ adds about 100 foot pounds and 45 or so horses at peak. It WILL make the truck seem like a whole new vehicle, and if your dad takes it easy on her, should be ok with the trans depending on how much of the time he is dragging the ol trailer. the 275's add about another 45 hp i believe, and this is just too much strain for the ol stock transmission. (I know someone is going to get on here and tell me i'm full of it, but trust me man i've seen the carnage)



Any way, do the gauges, the SPA's are great, you can get the boost/egt (dg111), and the fuel pressure/oil temp (dg112) and monitor everything he will need in 2 gauges. The edge EZ is very easy to install, should take less than 15 minutes, and just as easily removed, all plug in, dont even need to run power to it.



Now if he ever wants to go crazy, upgrade the trans, then dd''3s and then stack a power max on top of the EZ, oh my god kind of fast. Quite frankly, with the ez dd'3s and powermax, my truck scares me. that much weight should not move that fast.

 

[LSMITH]

Vickers, the power kit that you were told about was probably an Edge EZ, or possibly a Diablo Power Puck although the price is low for either by a C-note. Those boxes give a good solid power gain and are not intusive. The transmission should be fine as is, but I would turn the line pressure up a bit, the instructions are on the DTT website. If you put the box on and get a shudder from the transmission you need to have the line pressure turned up for sure. If you wanted to keep the setup simple for your dad you could just put in a fuel pressure guage and an EGT guage, that is all that is really needed. If EGT is OK so is boost. Hope this helps.

 

[k.vickers]

i love this place

as always, tdr is the greatest. i can easily see that help, friendship, and support is consistent through all the forums.



i will study the suggestions here and pass them on to my dad. i have tst products in my truck, but the lowest improvement level on tst is still a good bit stronger than the edge EZ. looks like the EZ may be the way to go for a bit more pep without causing concern. i had all of my work done at Diesel Injection Service in Lubbock, TX. ; i need to check with them and see if they carry the EZ. i know they carry the gauges i'm looking for.



thanks again guys. your input and help is greatly appreciated.

 

[almitchell]

Hi, Kim, as you know I have a comparable rig to your Dad's. I have EZ Comp, boot and pyro gauges, K&N filter. Gives me more than adequate power to pull my 10K 5th wheel. Call me and we can discuss prices because I think we are not supposed to do this on the forum.



Alvin Mitchell