Went out on a little trip towing just a hair over 5000 lbs this weekend with my 04.5 and have a question about my egts. Cruising along at 70mph 2000 rpms i will see about 900 degrees and get as high as 1200 just going over small rolling hills, or can get it to 1200-1300 very quickly if i have to roll on the throttle to pass a slower car in the right lane. I accepted this as fairly normal, but then i got to the mountains. I have climbed this hill countless times, but never with an egt gauge in this truck. Its about 4 miles long, and 7-8 percent. I drop the truck into drive, which puts me around 2300-2400 rpms at 55-60 mph and start to climb. This is super easy for the truck, and im really only using about half throttle to hold this speed. But the egts get hot immediatly. As soon as the grade starts im at 1400 and climbing. If i try to hold 60 it will easily get to almost 1500 before i back off. Slowing to 55 and i can keep it around 1400-1425. This seems really high, and im only a quarter of a mile into the climb. Boost is anywhere between 28 and 32 lbs, and the elevation at the bottom should be maybe 700 feet and the top should be maybe 3000. I am certain the truck has the power to run 75 up this hill with this load, but i believe the egts could get to 1600 or more if i tried.


Keep in mind, the engine is stock at this point, no boxes, no downloaders, just a BHAF and a muffler delete.

Another thing i have noticed, everyone says when you lug these engines, thats when the egts start to get up. The advice is to always drop down a gear, make some boost and the temps will drop. Mine is the exact opposite. If im pulling up a slight incline at 60 mph in over drive, my egts will be about 1200, but if i click the button to drop into drive and maintain that speed, the egts instantly go up 100 degrees.....This just doesnt seem normal to me.

The truck runs great, pulls strong, and seems to work effortlessly, just shows high egts. I jsut recently put the guage in. Before this the truck has pulled loads up to 15000 all over the east coast and never missed a beat. I would certainly hate to think what the EGTS would have shown on some of those trips. I really am starting to doubt my gauge. If the truck actually was making these temps, i dont see it running great with 150,000 miles on it....

Any one had a problem with a quad recon reading egts incorrectly?

Suggestions? Ideas?

Thanks for the help.

 

I would suspect the gauge, &/or probe. I'd start with a new probe, & then another gauge if that doesn't cure it. Or if you have a buddy with another gauge see if he'll let you borrow it 1st. These engines run hot stock, but not that hot. IIRC mine would run @ 1250+/- on a hill you describe @ that speed, & WOT passing on a hill, would get 1450ish.

 

i had the same issues with my stock 07 5.9 and didnt really get any answer from my dealer when i asked them about it. hope you have better luck. the only way i got around that problem was to chip it the temps dropped by about 200 or more when climbing the same hills

 

Sounds like a stock 04.5... In order to meet 50 state emissions Dodge had to retard the injection timing to reduce NOx emissions, this greatly increases EGT's.

There is truth in the dropping a gear and getting the rpm's up, on the pre 04.5 trucks..

These 04.5-07 5.9's are supposed to be good for 1450* continuous, but thats pretty darn hot. The best thing you could do for your EGT's is a Smarty Jr on SW1, this will bring the timing back to normal, non EPA controlled, levels.

 

Thanks for the responses guys.

Ah64id, i do have a smarty jr and the 40 hp tune has been great for reducing egts on my other truck. The problem with the 04.5 is the 48re isn't in the best shape. It does fine stock, but will shudder the converter a little with the smarty. I've been running the truck stock so the tranny will last me a little longer.....

I had heard that 1350 to 1400 was ok, but i had never heard anyone mention that 1450 continuous was ok, thats getting on up there pretty high. Do you happen to remember where that info came from?

 

Get the tranny fixed and get a JR on it. Intake horn helps with egts a little.

 

All in due time. I figure the tranny isn't worth just throwing a torque converter and a valve body in, as im sure the bands and clutches and all that jazz are getting a little weak too. So, ill just run it until it pukes and upgrade from there.

 

I see the same temps with my EGT's. I live at 7000ft and run 37" tires, with no load climing mountains I see 1500 - 1600 easily.

 

That is supposedly what Cummins put out.. Never seen it for sure, which is why I have the Jr..

I would think that with the Jr on the truck on SW1 you wouldn't be affecting the tranny any more, its timing only. If you have the timing on TM2 or TM3 its not the full power potential, and still greatly drops EGT's. On SW1 the total hp is the same as stock, thou tq is increased.

Is that with your Jr on? If so then you either have something going wrong or a bad pyro.. I can tow at 7K and not hit 1300* with my Jr.

 

Is that with your Jr on? If so then you either have something going wrong or a bad pyro.. I can tow at 7K and not hit 1300* with my Jr.[/QUOTE]

Yeah on SW3, not towing but with my set up the truck works a lot harder than normal. My 6" lift with 37" tires aren't the best running gear on the trans or engine, they work a lot harder. I also live in the mountains at 7000 ft of elevation, so I drive in hills and mountains everyday.

 

I live and tow in the hills too.. If you seeing 1500-1600 with the Jr then you have something wrong or a bad pyro.. That is hotter than the trucks run stock, and the Jr decreases EGT's a considerable amount, unless your running TM3 or TM1.

 

Well I'm currently running SW3 TM3 and TQ3, I also always keep the tow/haul engaged to keep the trans temp down while in town, so that aloan increases my EGT's. Now so I'm clear, I don't see 1500-1600 everyday or in town just going the speed limit. When I see 1500 or so I'm either climing a MOUNTAIN between 5000-9000 ft and in the throddle pretty good and turning 2k RPM plus. I also think my EGT probe is in too far and resting on the inside of the exhaust manifold, but I don't think it's affecting my gauge that much. I've tried to pull it out but I think it's stuck for now, I don't have the time or it's too cold snowy outside to mess with it.

 

Thats a good point. The last time the JR was on this truck it was the orginal smokey tune. Since i downloaded the pod and revo stuff i havent put it back on this truck.

On the original software on sw1 it would shutter if you rolled onto the throttle at highway speeds...not exactly the most comforting feeling when you are 500 miles from home. With the truck stock, i get no shuttering for now, but i know it will probably start before too long.

 

TM3 will be almost as hot as stock, but still not as, thou in SW3 at altitude it may be... But 1500 at all is still too hot, IMHO.

You may give it a try.

 

More rpm's equals more fuel which drives EGT's. If it will pull the load in OD your temps will stay considerably cooler than downshifting to drive. The fueling curve is on a ramp according to rpms unlike a jerk pump which is throttle linkage controlled. Unless you have some hefty fueling changes lugging doesn't drive EGT's as much on a CR engine. As long as you keep the rpm's over 1800 it will roll a lot of hills with minimal effort and temps.

Your temps seem way too high for a stock engine. Bone stock the max I could see was 1400 at 3000 rpms on a that type of grade at a lot higher altitude. You should not be able to drive to those temps with a measly 5k in tow. I have to think the gauge may be a little inaccurate.

A boost fooler will help cnsiderably with the EGT's in just the situations you describe. Another 5-6 lbs of boost should drop the max EGT's 200-250 degrees even with stock fueling. I rarely see 1300 anymore even with Smarty and a 90 HP tune. 1200-1250 is the tops even on longer steeper grades.