Turbo-Master
After hearing some rumors about a product called Turbo-Master I did a search on the internet and found the web site located at www.turbo-master.com.
I looked the site over and found it to be packed full of information about the new products they were developing and I became curious about the TM device.
It appeared to me that if this unit did indeed perform as stated, it could be very useful to many of our members who also tow heavy loads or tend to push the performance envelope. Contacting Mr Bill Heath
I sent a quick email to Mr. Bill Heath the Designer of the "TM" asking for information and he immediately responded. Bill didn't try to feed me a long practiced speech about the benefits of using his product, he instead told me why he felt there was a need for this product and told me to give it a try on him and find out for myself. I admit I am usually a bit skeptical of most add on after-market type products, I think a good portion of them are designed to line the inventors pocket with gold, while doing little that resembles the claims put upon them. However the moment I opened the box my impression of the TM became based on a solid, well built, American made product.
The Turbo-Master is born!
The Turbo-Master came to life, when Mr. Bill Heath of Ellensburg WA, noted the shortcomings of the stock waste gate control in the way it responded to the available power curve. He noted that towing a heavy load behind a stock truck or one that has been (fuel enhanced), climbing an incline can easily cause the vehicle to reach increasingly high EGT temperatures, forcing the operator to back off the throttle to avoid excessive heat and damage to the engine and drive train. A high quality after market air intake does help, but the lack of an available increased boost pressure to take full advantage of the increased air flow to the engine, simply is not available with the stock set up, thus the Turbo-Master was born. There have been many home fixes shown to help alleviate this problem with the stock waste gate configuration; the ones I have seen basically locked the waste gate lever in a wide open position increasing available boost pressure. This will indeed work; however it lacks the adjustable spring control the Turbo-Master has incorporated. This in my opinion opens up the possibility of damage to the engine from excessive boost and takes away the ability to "fine tune" your available boost supply. The construction of the TM allows you to quickly and easily set your maximum boost pressure to a "stock" setting or increase it to a level that will give you the extra boost you need while keeping it at a level you can feel comfortable with. For me this allowed me to raise my weak 18 psi boost, to a much improved 28 psi. The Turbo-Master also allows you to adjust the boost up to a maximum of 50 psi, and for those of you with enhanced fueling; this is a great way to compensate. With my truck being stock in the fueling department, I don't need that big of an improvement at this time. When I add a bigger fueling plate I can quickly adjust the Turbo-Master for more boost as I need it. This was important to me as I use my truck to tow the family camper and boat to and from the lake, in the steep mountain region of West Virginia. I felt I needed the improvement of the added performance and cooling effect the higher boost pressure can give me, but without the risk of damaging my older truck.
Installing the Turbo-Master The installation is a simple process as Bill has provided everything you need in the kit except the tools and the ambition. In the box I opened for my 96 12 valve automatic, the following lists of items were included. 1. Turbo-Master 2. Turbo to exhaust manifold gasket 3. Two Heavy duty E-clips (one as a spare) 4. Two shims 5. One brass plug to replace the boost pressure signal tube fitting in the housing. 6. Two new bolts and lock washers for mounting the TM 7. Turbo oil drain tube gasket. 8. Installation instructions with photo's 9. Phone number and email address should you have a question about installation. 10. Turbo-Master ball point pen  Click to view larger image Installation began with removal of the negative leads from both batteries. This step is omitted from the included instructions but since you will be working over the battery on the passenger side, I think it is a wise safety precaution. (Applying a good rust penetrating oil on the turbo mounting bolts prior to disassembly can significantly aid in removal.) | Remove the turbo
The next step involved removing the air filter, in my case a Scotty Air II. Then I removed the clamp on the turbo and exhaust elbow and loosened the hose clamp on the turbo oil drain line, after disconnecting the turbo oil supply line, I removed the four turbo mounting bolts and the turbo assembly came out in its entirety Finally remove the waste gate boost canister and the boost pressure signal tube from the housing. Now the turbo is ready to receive the Turbo-Master.  Click to view larger image Using the new bolts and lock washers supplied in the kit, bolt the TM mounting bracket in place and torque the bolts to 22 ft lbs.  Click to view larger image Place the TM lever over the waste gate lever and pin, being careful to make sure the forked end fits down over the waste gate lever. With the TM lever flush against the waste gate lever using one of the shims provided attach the E-clip to the pin retainer groove. It is important that this lever fit tight against the waste gate lever, so use the shim that will allow the tightest fit. Two E-clips are provided so you can use a fresh clip on final assembly when fitting the shim in place.  Click to view larger image
Install the brass plug into the hole in the housing from the boost signal tube and tighten securely.  Click to view larger image
To make the preliminary adjustment on the TM, using a 1/2'" wrench, turn the adjusting nut clockwise until all the free play is taken out of the spring assembly. Turn the nut 20 more full turns to preload the spring assembly, this will deliver approximately 30 psi boost. Seven more turns will give an adjustment of approximately 39 psi boost. In this manner the range of boost is adjustable from 14 to 51 psi.  Click to view larger image
Using all new gaskets supplied in the kit I reversed the removal process, and mounted the turbo back in place. It is advisable to prime the turbo by squirting some motor oil down into the oil supply line fitting, while carefully rotating the turbo with your finger before reconnecting the oil supply line. Also check the oil supply and drain back line for obstructions as any interruption of oil supply to the turbine can cause severe damage.
The time to test has arrived!
Prior to installing the Turbo-Master I made several test runs up a steep hill near my home, I recorded the egt's at WOT on 3 consecutive runs and the maximum boost achieved. I also used a stop watch to time each run as closely as I could from a stopped position I had marked by a mile marker sign. While this could hardly be called a truly scientific test, for my purposes I believe it to be accurate and fair enough to judge the turbo-Master from a normal user's viewpoint. The precise numbers are not important as I was merely trying to see if I could indeed note an improvement over the stock set up. After allowing the truck to come up to operating temperature I made my three consecutive runs, allowing a cool down between the first and second run, and the third run was made as soon as I was able to return to the starting point. The test runs were completed and the egt's were again recorded. The results were not at all surprising, as I could feel the difference in the truck as soon as I drove it. Conclusion Each run came in with egt's showing a decrease in temperature in the range of approximately 12% with a much slower rate of climb visible on the gauge. The elapsed time also decreased by a couple of seconds. This was done at a boost setting of approximately 28 psi, much lower than the unit is capable of producing but plenty for my truck with stock fuel plate. Now my testing was not intended to find out if the Turbo-Master is suited for drag racing, rather it being the middle of the snowiest winter in my area in 15 years, I had to use a short test hill that was facing the sun and clear of snow and ice. Certainly I believe the Turbo-Master would have been best served by testing with a load behind it on a much longer run, unfortunately that was not an option for me at this time as my camper is sitting in a foot of snow. I am nonetheless solidly convinced the Turbo-Master performed as stated and will definitely recommend it as a worthwhile addition to the list of "must have" modifications. The Turbo-Master is a nice addition to a stock fueled truck, as it does allow you to get a little more boost, but it will really shine when used together with a fueling box or plate. This is what the Turbo-Master is truly designed for. Thank you Mr. Bill Heath, for the opportunity to test this wonderful product, I look forward to working it even harder in the summer months. Keep up the great work it is obvious you are on the right track there at Turbo-Master. There are several other Turbo-Master test units currently being tried in different parts of the country by dieseltruckresource.com members, I will add their results to this article as they come in.
This article was written by Staff Writer: Lary Ellis
|
