I've got probably the best 'tuned' Banks system at this point, and I typically will cruise at 0-2 PSI of boost at 60MPH, with EGTs in the 500 range(on flat ground). Go up a steep hill at that speed and the EGTs will start going up pretty quickly; typically, though, I'll be at the top before I get to 1000.
I can also see up to 20 PSI of boost with my wastegated turbo(with the wastegate totally locked out), but it definitely pushes that little turbo /way/ beyond normal.

I pretty much have to haul a trailer to push things now; last weekend I hauled a 3-4K dual-axle trailer with a hot tub on it, and an 8-foot camper in the bed, and I actually had to back off on my throttle slightly going up an extremely steep grade at 50MPH in 4th. I also went 65 on the freeway with that load and had no trouble accelerating up to speed as well as one of these trucks does empty without a turbo.

As much as it's hard to deal with, the number one thing that affects EGTs is timing. The better your injection timing, the lower the EGTs, both because you are getting more power from your fuel and because you are burning less fuel to maintain the same speed/acceleration.

 

something seems odd. are you sure you are getting a tight seal on the intake hat? One time I put my intake hat on cocked, and the seal pinched up on the groove in the hat. That resulted in very very very poor psi. Also, (sorry for the dumb question), but are you sure you capped the threaded port on the intake hat? Also, is the turbo-to-intake-hat splice hose tight, with tight clamps?

Timing could play a role, but in my sig, i have a link to my timing testing on my IDI hypermax van kit. I tried a dozen or so timing degrees, and boost wasn't that affected. If you are already coal rolling on load, then you probably don't need to crank up the fuel a half or full flat. Their pufflimiter is supposed to let you get a little more fuel in the mix without alerting the authorities, but I've gone without a limiter and never had too much of a prob.

I gotta think about this some more. What kind of exhaust pipes and muffler you got? I assume you got a brand new air filter on this kit, so you aren't getting an air restriction. What about the bolt that keeps the intake hat on? Maybe put a high-temp rubber/silicone washer on it, so that the air can't escape out of the top.

... hhhmmmmm

 

Yeah, its sealed up good. I can see it well enough to know that its clamped down evenly, and the fitting was sealed with pipe sealer and is housing the boost gauge hose.

Yep, that short little boot is on good and tight as well. I removed all of that stuff to double-check its condition. O-ring on the intake cap was good, boot had no rips or holes, and the bolt holding the cap on has a rubber-ized metal washer on it to seal the top. I even re-aligned the turbo ouput with the input on the intake cap just to make sure. All that is good.

If I really get on it when heading up a hill or something I get a bit of black smoke but it falls off quick. I could probably turn up the fuel a bit more without getting out of hand with it, but I'm beginning to think my best course is bite the bullet, pick up the Ferret adapter, and get a handle on my timing. Fuel screw adjustment can wait till then.

Exhaust is I'm assuming factory, or at least factory style replacement. Single muffler with 2 1/2" pipe in and out. My intent is to dump the muffler and straight pipe it. No sure on the size though. Down pipe out of the turbo is 2 1/2" so is it really advantageous to run anything larger from there, or should I just stick to the 2 1/2" all the way?

 

I put a high-flo muffler on it after i realized my stock muffler was 25 years old and not flowing AT ALL. also i bumped up the exhaust. But before that, just disconnect the exhaust and let the down pipe be the end of the exhaust. then take it for a spin. Maybe that'll tell you if you have an exhaust restriction.

Also, did you make sure your turbo prop is spinning well? And your oil feed is flowing oil? Maybe the prop isn't spinning like it's supposed to.



You don't need the timing gun if you are just curious about performance. Just adjust the timing a bit, then drive it, then adjust it again. Keep going until you get an idea if your performance increases. Here's my vid if you want to do the turn-buckle method.

 

So it is clearing up the smoke? More and more its seeming like a bad gauge to me. Does it feel like it has anymore power? Also, check to make sure the turbo spings free and easy.

 

Replaced gauge and hose, no difference. Disconnected intake and exhaust sides of turbo just so I could spin the wheels. Spun fine.

I'm fairly confident right now that I just need to work on my timing and fuel.


And after reading up on it I am soooo looking forward to that (not). I think I will end up with the Ferret and a new timing light, because I think I can get a much better job that way. Plus it will tell me what the timing is now, before I start mucking about with things. Hypermax says I should be leaving it at factory unless....unless I'm in California or high altitude, can't remember which. In any case retard 2 deg in the event of one of those, otherwise leave as is, except everything I've been reading seems to point to them being all wet about that.

Kind of a bummer to go dump $250-$300 on something I'm only going to use a few times, but such is life I guess.

 

Don't believe anything Hypermax says from their book. I ended up doing my own series of timing tests and it never coincided with Hypermax's suggestions.

The timing gun and ferret purchase won't be a total loss. Set up a sharing system with the FTE members. Charge something nominal like $25 to use it for a week and the customer pays for shipping. Probably will make your money back in a year.

 

Just had a thought. Does this adapter work for any diesel? I have an old Jeep J-truck I'm putting a Cummins 4bt into.


Not sure on the sharing thing. I parted out a truck once and Never again. A long time forum member put dibs on a bunch of parts and arranged a Saturday pickup. I get a call. He's broke down on the toll road 1 1/2 hrs from me with apparently no home based help to call on. I pick up some stuff I think it might take to get him going, hook up my trailer in case it won't, and then go rescue a rattle trap I wouldn't have driven across the street let alone on a 3 hrs drive to haul parts.

Bring him back to my place, help him fix his junk (bought his lunch), and THEN let him con me into helping him pull the parts when the deal was U-pull it, and THEN he proceeds to beat me up on the price he'd already agreed to, AND he leaves out owing me $10 because he didn't have enough money to cover even that. "Pay ya later"....never did. And he burned up my whole freakin Saturday.


One bad apple ya know? Hard to get past that sour taste sometimes.

 

Not sure. But i'm sure R&D and others on FTE would know.





Bummer. That's a terrible experience.

You're too nice. I would have been hard pressed to be convinced to drive out and help that dude. Luck favors the prepared man. There are too many people in the world that tend to have the mindset that "the world against them." Nothing every goes right for them. My theory is it has nothing to do with the world, and everything to do with how that person prepared. Every once in a while **** happens to us, but if **** is happening all the time, then the problem is on them.

Too bad that jerk too advantage of your generosity. So far, the few FTE IDI guys I've met are pretty good, so I've been lucky.

 

Live and learn, and move on.

Another hopefully little bummer I found out is my doghouse hits the turbo if I try to strap it down the way it's supposed to be. Standard van doghouse probably doesn't have an issue, but mine is an Ambo and the doghouse has this big honking notch molded into it to accept the big honking switch panel that slides into it.

It makes the strangest sound if I fasten it down. Sounds like the turbo is full of marbles and the whole mess is rattling itself apart, but if I leave those front bottom latches loose so it is just kind of sitting there it shuts right up.

That one is going to take some figuring. The switch panel is this funky integrated circuit board thingy that all the switches snap onto, so just reswitching everything into a new configuration is going to take way more electrician than me I think. And I have to be able to do that so I can modify/replace the doghouse with something with more clearance.

I went to two different exhaust shops today to try to get it straight piped with something a bit bigger in diameter and you'd have thought I was asking them to part the freakin ocean. Couldn't believe it. It was all "we can't do that it's too funky gotta buy a kit go to a performance diesel shop" blah blah blah. Got frustrated fast and gave up for the day. I mean Jesus, a few feet of exhaust pipe with a reducer and few bends in it. What on earth is the big deal? Didn't even want to poke their heads under to look at how simple that system really is.

Gotta find a good diesel shop around here that doesn't get all glassy eyed when I say idi, and a Dyno would be awesome.

 

first thing i would do is get rid of the stock exhaust. i bet that is your whole problem. banks used a 3 inch exhaust with their non wastgated units.
i went farther than that with the 3 inch downpipe to a 3 inch "T" adapter to dual 4 inch pipes with no mufflers.
when i redid the exhaust for the third time, i put a 3 inch flowmaster delta 50 series muffler off the downpipe. this cut boost back to around 10 psi.

 

Stinks about the exhaust shop. Were those chain shops or one off's that were you could talk to the owner?

Luckily I have a good shop close that doesn't mind doing custom work. They did the exhaust on both my van and my SHO. Only problem was that the biggest pipe he could bend was 3". He priced out the 3.5" I wanted, but buying the pre-fabbed bends made it a little too pricey. I ended up going with a 2.5" y-pipe to a 3" single with nice smooth bends.

 

Not sure about the one of the shops but I know the 2nd one I went to was an independent and that's the one that really surprised me. I've used it off and on for years and never had trouble. The first job they ever did for me was a completely custom exhaust for a Jeep CJ I rebuilt and I wanted the tubes run a very specific way, and none an inch of it was factory. No problem. The other may or may not be a chain. It I could tell it had an independent owner if nothing else.

Seems like if they couldn't pull the OEM tubing pre-bent off the wall they weren't interested.

 

If you are willing to pay for shipping, I have a blue doghouse from my 1984 van just sitting in the backyard. I'd sell the doghouse for $25 if you want it. I could send you photos.

As for exhaust, I gave up on exhaust places here in LA, so i bought a few sections of pipes from jegs or summit... cant remember which. plus then, i used a few conveniently placed easy-off splices so disassembly of the exhaust is easier.

 

On by Banks I may see 1 or 2 psi running empty up hill. When I tested under load (2007 Jeep Liberty on Uhaul car trailer) saw 6 psi on same hill. Normal EGT around 350 to400