vagabonddreamer

good evening chaps...i dont post on a regular basis...but i READ lots...i cant seem to figure out the answer to this one though....i have a 97 2500 4X4 ctd that my wife uses almost exclusively to tow a three horse/living quarter trailer..(call it 6-10 K lbs)...the truck is STOCK...i want to increase hp but mainly torque as we live in british columbia where you cant drive more than a block without going up a steep grade...truck just seems to labour too much for my liking...it seems before i do any air intake or exhaust mods...the BEST bang for my bucks might be a turbo hybrid....the question is...can i do the turbo upgrade...and NOT have to worry about upgrading guages...my wife is very pretty (i didnt marry her for her mechanical aptitude...lol)...but the chances of her learning to read a pyro...much less understand what it means...well..you know what i am getting at...so...can i upgrade turbo and not have to worry about egt...dont want to do the gsk stuff like on my first gen as it just complicates things for her....with hybrid turbo upgrade..can she get in ...start up and go..just like now??? thx..vs

9 sec camaro

5spd or auto trans ?

robert chilton

The hybrids are great but I dont think that you will realise much of a gain. They are a tad bit laggyer than a stock turbo albeit you probably wouldnt notice it as once a few PSI are made they really come on strong. The problem is that you will run out of fueled RPM way before the turbo is maxed. My 95 is at 300HP and I could hardly spool a 14 housing. High but safe EGTs and smoke were all I got in the lower gears. I couldnt build much boost till 4th gear. The 12 housing is the way to go if you try it. The smaller housing gives good spool and cooling. If you change your mind and decide to add gov springs or a mild plate I would definatly go to the hybrid. My opinion is to save your money and adjust the AFC a little for a little more bottom end. Someone else may disagree with me though.

vagabonddreamer

its an auto trans...so am i to take from this then...that without watching out for increased egt's...there is no real safe way to increase hp and torque?? vs

Rattlerattle

If it is completly stock I would suspect that the cat converter is probably plugged.

With a stock truck I would start with an intake and exhaust. You won't have to worry about gauges but will notice a difference in performance.

If you get one of the rainbow pyro's (green, yellow and red)they are pretty easy to monitor. I

Where abouts in BC are you?

vagabonddreamer

hmm...never thought about the cat....how can i check that??? i wonder if that is contributing to the engine running warmer than it used to???

my very first thought was air/exhaust...but i read a number of threads...where some had compelling arguments that the 2nd gen air/exhaust was almost as good as it gets...and that more might be gained elsewhere....

another thread stated that the bhaf was no improvement in 2nd gen 12 valve and that you would have to go to an actual intake system like scotty's or something....

okanagan....land of hills and lakes...lol...vs

Bart Timothy

If your turbo is in good shape and doesn't need a rebuild, you can have it hybrided for under $200. What is done in a hybrid, is an HX40 compressor is installed on you existing cartridge and exhaust housing. By itself, it will add very little extra power, but still more than aftermarket intake and exhaust modifications on a stock fueled engine, with much better egt control. Add more fueling and it helps even more. Time and time again, independent dyno tests have shown no hp increases until the 375 to 400 hp mark with exhausts, and over 500 with intake systems. If you can't see it on the dyno in a controlled test, how can you ever feel it on the street.

Here is a roadmap you can use for upgrades.

Freebees for extra power... if you've got some mechanical skills. Gut the cat, if it has one, slide the fueling plate forward (off the top on my head I can't remember how much), advance the pump timing to around 16 degrees, and block off the waste gate. None of these mods will require guages, and will yeild small power gains.

For a few hundred bucks more, install a #6 or a #10 fueling plate and 4000 rpm govenor springs. These mods will require guages. If you're adventurous and want to try a non-advised mod, grind your stock feuling plate to a #0 and control egts with the throttle, for no cost.

Then go to Diamond 370 injectors, when finally a 4" exhaust system will be of benefit, and you'll be in the 400 hp area.

Find the all parts used, do the work yourself, and you've done it inexpensively.

Ph4tty

Great post Bart!

Anybody think a valet switch might help this man bomb his truck while keeping it wife friendly? Just an idea- I don't know enough about the 12vers to know if this mod would be appicable.

Rattlerattle

Each to their own but a #0 is a poor fuel plate for daily driving. A #10 is probably preferable for a DD.

From my experiance I don't understand how you can say the stock intake is good to 500 hp or that you won't notice a difference until that mark. For me ditching the factory muffler and cat and just replacing it with a straight pipe made a noticable difference in spool up. Maybe on a dyno there is no difference in HP but there sure is a difference on how fast you build boost and how quick you are of the line. Same thing with some form of an intake, running 200 to 300 degrees cooler has to be a benafit in my books.

Ditch the cat, some form of an intake as normally the stock intake doesn't seal properly anyways, bump the timing to 15.5 degrees and cut a #10 plate. It will be a totally different truck.

The Okanagan is nice country. I have family in Westbank and Winfield (or is it now called Lake Country?)

cumminsdriver635

You never said if the truck was a stick or automatic, but my suggestion is to gut the exhaust, put at least a better filter in the air box, and crank the starwheel as far forward as it will go. In my opinion; pulling any heavy loads, like you are. Any fuel plate work needs a pyrometer just to be safe. Turning the starwheel full forward will help it spool up quicker, and I know on dads truck it made it nicer to drive just because it would spool the turbo much quicker. Especially with a load. Sliding the plate forward, or an aftermarket plate would be the ultimate answer to your problem, but like I said. I would suggest a pyro for that.

Eric

vagabonddreamer

sigh....well...i am going to start with the cat...there are no govt inspections here....and the truck is registered as a farm vehicle so it is exempt from inspection anyway... should i just remove the entire cat section and replace it with a straight piece of exhaust pipe???

i guess it looks like guages are the order of the day...my intention is NOT to bomb this vehicle but in the grand scheme...probably safer with guages...maybe if i get the really pretty ones with red/yellow/green...she might even look at it once in a while...lol....

it is an automatic by the way

i appreciate the healthy debate with respect to air/exhaust...this is a great forum made even better by open discussion...thx...vs

vagabonddreamer

i started working on the cat today...in between putting a new yoke in the rear end of my first genner....i got the clamps undone which surprised me....and did lots of banging around...but i did not manage to remove the cat before i had to pack up and go home...so i quickly buttoned everything back together....to finish tomorrow...on the drive home..i noticed improvement in acceleration?????????? could that cat be plugged and could i have banged it around enough with my ballpeen...to slightly unplug it??? if so...i think i am in for a real treat when i finish the job...lol..vs

Rattlerattle

My quess would be that you probably did break up some of the junk carbon build up in the cat just by banging it. I know when mine was removed after 6 years on the truck it was a huge improvement.