I am going to be going on a trip to West Virginia this spring towing a small trailer that weighs approx. 6,000 to 7,000 lbs. I currently am not monitoring EGT's. I have an Insight for gauges but have not Installed an EGT probe because I'm leary of drilling my manifold if I don't have to. My truck is bone stock so do ya'll think I need to worry about EGT's ? I haven't bothered with it because I only tow occasionally and it has all been flat road up until now. I have heard that a stock truck won't get hot enought to worry about but then again others say it can. Thanks in advance!!

 

No, it is not necessary. If you get a tuner to get more power while towing then I would say it is required. That weight is nothing to cause high egt's. but I saw top egt's with my 11k tt top out around 1300. But once you let off a little it would drop back to 1000 -1100 fairly quickly. My truck is not tuned btw. Don't be scared to drill your manifold. Drill it dry and use a vacuum to suck out the shavings, it won't hurt anything. The only way i can think of for them to get too high is from a bad injector on a stock truck. What type of grades are we talking here on this trip? And how long?

 

I pull my 31" fifth wheel up the eastern Siearras with out monitoring egt's. Totally stock truck. I do monitor ect/eot and tranny temps. If you pull over after a long pull just let her idle for 4 or 5 minutes before shutting it down. Usually by the time you get off the highway and find a place to park she has already cooled down sufficiently.

 

I appreciate the feedback!! Like you said the load is light. I don't go out that way very often(last time was 3 yrs. ago) and I was not towing and I don't remember what % the grades are,but WV doesn't have those long hard pulls that seem to last forever like they do out west. Some of the pulls are pretty steep but they don't last too long.

 

Thanks CJ, I also monitor ECT/EOT & tranny temp. ALL the time. I've never been there myself,but from what I hear we don't have the mountains here in the east that you guys have out there so I should be more than fine. When I tow,I don't run the crap out of the ol' girl anyway. Before I plant a foot all the way to the floor and leave it there for a long time I will slow down a bit and let the gears do the work,after all that's what they're there for. I may be wrong but I think the lead foot syndrome leads to ALOT of the problems we read about here everyday.

 

The pyro
This is a must if you pull heavy even if you do not, need for cool down 350*-360* before you turn the key off.
After drilling it out i used a magnet with a paper clip with a L shape on the end clip taped to the magnet run in the hole to remove any steel then tap the hole going only half way with the tap so you do not over size the hole, do not use grease. (the steel is soft so be carefull) Take is slow you can do it.

3-Gauge Install Pictures

pop

 

My gauge set from glow shift is now even on sale. My main arrow gauge is exhaust gas temp. The secondary digitals are radiator outflow temp and boost in inches. The package is neat clean and out of the way. One gauge 3 functions. Also do not worry about drilling the exhaust then tapping for the pyro sensor. Glow shift sold me a hose clamp type devise. One small 1/8 inch hole in the pipe, then the tip of the sensor goes in and simply threads into a spot welded on to the clamp. They have an unlimited combinations of this triple gauge. Choose temp egt vacuum oil temp whatever you want they set it up and ship you everything you need. Ordered the single pillar pod mount in one of 3 colors, and the neat thing about that is I got to keep the factory grab handle to haul my 60 year old butt into the cab. Bye the way with a 6.0 think also about an ehaust gas delete and do not run without a coolant filter system. Spend 2000 before you lose 8000 bucks.

 

Thanks for the pics and also for the vote of confidence. I have been planning on getting the attatchments for my Insight to monitor fuel pressure so I guess I will do the EGT at the same time. I am pretty handy with a wrench but sometimes my bad luck kicks in and when I try to "fix something that ain't broke" I wind up with the short end of the stick.

 

I appreciate the recommendation on the gauges but I like my Insight and will probably stick with that. I do agree with the preventive maintenance of the coolant filter for sure. I installed a coolant filter on my truck when it had only 4,500 mi. on it and flush and refilled my system at 3 yrs. old and plan to do it again at 6 yrs. old so I'm hoping I won't have the oil cooler prob. but only time will tell. So far my temp. spreads are fine. Is your thermocouple in the manifold or after the turbo in the exhaust ? If so does it seem to work well there ? I have heard the whole debate about the difference in readings between the 2 locations but am still not sure which way to go. I drove tractor trailer over the road for years and EVERY truck I drove had the thermocouple behind the turbo but for some rerason it is rumored that this is not acceptible on our trucks so who knows? Thanks again!!

 

Yes the pyro should go in the exhaust manifold because that gives you the true temp of the motor with the pyro in the exhaust (after the turbo) the temp is about 300* cooler so your readings will be off, would not want to fry a piston or cook a turbo.
pop