my son has a 1991 f350 crew cab with a banks sidewinder that was installed in 1995. we went to put gauges in it this weekend and the boost gauge will only read a max of 3lbs under the heaviest acceleration.

I am new to turbos so I am not sure if thats all it should be getting or do we need to make some adjustments. The first thing we did was to tighten the smaller tube from the air box to the turbo but the bigger inlet is a rubber elbow and looks a little worn. We are thinking of replacing that just under the assumption that an air leak in the system would effect the boost pressure. Again just an assumption.

I have read that the waste gate may need adjusted but we don't see an obvious waste gate, could there not be one on a banks this old? This motor is old and original, drips a little oil and it is his first truck so we are not going to make it a performance truck just want to work out the bugs as best we can and make it a little cooler. So what I was hoping was for someone to educate me a bit on turbos and if the 3lbs is as good as I should expect on something of this age and mileage 173000.

 

if the filter is a giant box that covers almost the top of the engine, that is a first generation non wastegated turbo.
3 lbs is about all you will see unless you put a heavy load in the bed.

with no muffler(straight pipe exhaust) and towing a 22,000 lb load, i would regularly see 15+ lbs boost.
but empty and regular driving 3-5 lbs boost is about all i will see.

 

Even the later generation Sidewinder system had a non-wastegated option. It's what I have in mine. Even empty on a flat piece of road, I see close to 10 near the governor at WOT, but since there is no wastegate, it takes a while to build up to it. Going down the road at city speeds, I don't see boost. A freeway speeds, though, I see anywhere from 2-4lbs just cruising and generally closer to 7 when I put my foot in it to pass someone.

Are you sure the boost gauge and the line feeding it are hooked up well with no leaks? The Sidewindwer has a threaded fitting on the back side of the intake hat. That's the ideal place to pick up the boost.

Mike

 

Hey mike this is his son. Where I have my boost gauge line running from is a threaded piece on the back of the air box right by the exhaust part of the turbo. I don't see a threaded spot on the actual turbo. I am going to check the gasket on the bottom of the air box and get new fitting for intake and exhaust and see what happens there. Because if I rev it up and shut the truck off I can hear air leaking out of the back by the turbo but can't tell where it's coming from and after about 30 seconds to a minute the air leak stops so I don't think I have a sealed system.

Connor

 

the port on the passenger side rear of the air filter is the proper place to draw boost from.

and i think you are hearing the turbo spool down when you rev it and shut it off. mine does the same thing.

 

Just to clarify, does your system look like this: Banks Power | 83-93 Ford - 6.9 & 7.3L>>Sidewinder® Turbo System (minus the wastegate on the turbo), or like this http://www.oramagazine.com/pastIssue...images/02.jpg?

Either way, I've never tried shutting mine off after a rev with the hood open, so I couldn't tell you whether the sound is normal or not. It'd make sense that it could be the turbo spooling down, and that air does have to go somewhere.

Mike

 

It looks more like the second one but still more boxy. And it isn't the turbo spooling down it is after the turbo is done spooling down I can hear air escaping but I'm not completely positive that the rubber pipe for the exhaust in between the turbo and the box is on all the way I have it on the top and the sides but I don't know about the bottom part. I think that is where my leak is I'm going to buy a new rubber pipe for in between the turbo and box for the intake and just make sure that the bottom exhaust line is on. I think if I just test all my connections tonight after I get out of class and put one of our trailers on and shove it and see if I build anymore than three which I'm sure I will. Also would turning up the Ip do anything for me other than blow more smoke? I understand it will make a little more power but doesn't that mean more boost?

Connor

 

And tjc transport I don't believe that it is the turbo spooling back down but you know more than I so I will go with that I will check my connections turn my ip up 1 flat or 2 flats and go for a test drive with a trailer.

Connor

 

when turning the pump up, go 1 flat at a time.
do you have an exhaust temp gauge?
if not, do not turn up the pump until you put one on. you do not want to see any black smoke. that is unburnt fuel.
proper pump setting is a very slight haze at full throttle under load.
it sounds like you are going in the rite direction with your thinking.
putting the high and low pressure lines on the between the turbo and the air box is a real biatch.
what i do is get them squarely on the turbo and clamped down. then you have to finagle the air box onto both the hoses at the same time while trying to get it under the turbo and onto the intake.
i modified my air box "a bit" to make this easier and get rid of that giant airbox and filter.
this is what is left of mine:

and here you can see the repositioned CDR, and the temporary air filter i put on before i finished the intake tube:

 

I have not put a exhaust temp gauge on it yet. I kinda do want to see some smoke though. Imma kid its cool lol. We put a "redneck cold air intake" on it and it pretty much took all the black out of the smoke. So I am only going to bump it up one flat and leave it at that. How much damage can I do by doing that though? Also is there anything I can do to make it whistle anymore or is that just it?

Connor

 

by not having a pyrometer, you can easily get the EGT's in the danger zone. with these engines you never want to see exhaust temps over 1100 degrees.
the highest i have ever seen in 496,000 miles was 900 degrees.
about the only way to hear the turbo whistle is to take the muffler off and straight pipe it.

banks has a port on the turbo pedestal under the turbo for the temp probe.
most people mount the probe in the driver side exhaust manifold, they feel it gives a better temp reading.

 

So I should look on the driver side of the turbo for a threaded spot and the pyrometer gauge will have a spot to go into? Or where should I look? Is it the same kind of thing as my transmission temp gauge? Where I just screw the piece in put a wire on it and run it to the gauge?

Connor

 

Oh wait ya know what I looked the other night and there is a wire running from the back of the turbo that has been cut off. It is right before the pipe goes into the turbo. I think that Is for a pyrometer. I will get a new gauge and run it to that wire. Would that be turbo temp or exhaust temp?

Connor

 

that is the exhaust temp. if the wires are cut, you will need a new probe to go with the gauge. the probes are gauge specific, and wire length usually has to match the rest of the setup to get a proper reading.

 

X2. your best bet will be to but an entire new guage kit. itll have the probe wireing harness and guage. make sure you use neverseeze on the threads, I used the copper stuff works good in high heat.