Upgrades are here!
#46
12-27-2017, 11:09 PM
Well, the new thrust bearing and collar showed up on Friday night. Nik, was as curious as I was to know if the new bearing would work. He put it in and sure enough SCORE! It worked perfectly, not sure what was wrong with the first one Kevin sent but this one worked!! So I'm running the 360 bearing on the rebuild of the turbo.
Got the turbo back together, pipes and the EBPV delete pedestal on And everything buttoned up. I picked the truck up today and trailered my Subaru home. So how do I like everything?
WOW! The turbo spools up so much faster! I hit 26 # of Boost on stock turbo and 140 sticks without a chip. The EGT's went down about 100-125* too. Getting on the Interstate, I hit the 26# and EGT's were at 1050*. The truck seems to be quieter too. Overall, I very impressed!
I scheduled the emissions for tomorrow so I'll be interested to see what the Dino says after the last year of upgrades.
Kevin, wants me to let him know if the new bearing worked so I'll call him after he reopens in the new year. His Customer Service and Support ranks up there with the best of them! Based on the CS and the initial performance (85 miles) I would have absolutely no reserve recommending SPTURBO.
WOW! The turbo spools up so much faster! I hit 26 # of Boost on stock turbo and 140 sticks without a chip. The EGT's went down about 100-125* too. Getting on the Interstate, I hit the 26# and EGT's were at 1050*. The truck seems to be quieter too. Overall, I very impressed!
I scheduled the emissions for tomorrow so I'll be interested to see what the Dino says after the last year of upgrades.
Kevin, wants me to let him know if the new bearing worked so I'll call him after he reopens in the new year. His Customer Service and Support ranks up there with the best of them! Based on the CS and the initial performance (85 miles) I would have absolutely no reserve recommending SPTURBO.
#47
12-28-2017, 08:30 PM
Emissions today
Like the title says, I had emissions done today. I was a bit worried about the new exhaust because I gutted the cat and slide a 4" pipe through it and welded the pipe to the cat. Well, everything was going great until a damn kid crawled under it and started asking questions. I simply said, it's the same exhaust I had the last 2 years y'all inspected everything AND passed it! More flashlights, another set of eyes, finally I said I can grab last years emission test. They finally gave up a ran the damn test! 
.
Well, not only did it pass but the truck passed with flying colors!
In El Paso county, CO, 35% opacity is considered passing. The truck's Max opacity at 40 mph was only 8%, 03% @ 50 and 06% @ 60 mph! Not to bad considering the truck has 373K miles and is 17 years old!
During the emissions test they also Dino the truck. The day after I bought it, 2 years ago I had the emissions done and it Dino'd at 175 hp at the RW's, this was with 351K and 6 original injectors (130's). The following year I got new 140 injectors from Rosewood, new UCVH and GP's...the truck jumped to 203 hp. This year I did the exhaust, up pipes and had the turbo rebuilt and regeared to 4:10's, the truck Dino'd today at 220 hp!
Considering what I have in the truck and where it's come from I'm very happy with these numbers!
I have to to thank everyone here for all the help, direction and advice!!
. 
s on me!
. Well, not only did it pass but the truck passed with flying colors!
In El Paso county, CO, 35% opacity is considered passing. The truck's Max opacity at 40 mph was only 8%, 03% @ 50 and 06% @ 60 mph! Not to bad considering the truck has 373K miles and is 17 years old! During the emissions test they also Dino the truck. The day after I bought it, 2 years ago I had the emissions done and it Dino'd at 175 hp at the RW's, this was with 351K and 6 original injectors (130's). The following year I got new 140 injectors from Rosewood, new UCVH and GP's...the truck jumped to 203 hp. This year I did the exhaust, up pipes and had the turbo rebuilt and regeared to 4:10's, the truck Dino'd today at 220 hp!
Considering what I have in the truck and where it's come from I'm very happy with these numbers!
I have to to thank everyone here for all the help, direction and advice!!
. s on me! 
#49
12-29-2017, 07:11 AM
Fleet Owner
John, I have very similar results with my truck. I am sure you have heard me say it, but the combination of parts (similar to you now) makes me second guess a bigger turbo and injectors because it runs so well together with EGT's that are not a problem at all.
Now that it is running right, you can start to do fun stuff to it that you want to do instead of things that you need to do.
I have a Ranch Hand grille guard, GPR LED mod, wheel hubs/bearings, upgraded + electrical wiring, etc on the way right now.
Now that it is running right, you can start to do fun stuff to it that you want to do instead of things that you need to do.
I have a Ranch Hand grille guard, GPR LED mod, wheel hubs/bearings, upgraded + electrical wiring, etc on the way right now.
#50
12-29-2017, 07:36 AM
Hotshot
#51
12-29-2017, 06:46 PM
You know things can never be easy. I had an oil leak, thought it may be residual but nope. My passenger side HOOP line fitting was broken, Nik grabbed a fitting off an old engine turns out the Oring was leaking. I got one from Ford, got them to match Clay's price. Got it put in this afternoon and the valley cleaned up. Should be good to go for a while...knock on wood!
Sous, I agree completely! It's nice to be able buy a few things I'd like to get for the truck rather what it needs.
Sous, I agree completely! It's nice to be able buy a few things I'd like to get for the truck rather what it needs.
#54
12-30-2017, 08:12 AM
Fleet Owner
I would jump in my truck today and drive it cross country if I needed to without any concerns, that is a great feeling to have and glad you have joined us.
Yup, but you have to get your 160/80's up to 100% first, then you can join the bus tour! We have beer and wings too!
#55
12-30-2017, 10:45 AM
Hotshot
So, to summarize, you did a 360* rebuild and a WW2 on your turbo? I may do this and was wondering if it was worth it. It sure seems like it with cooler EGTs and faster spooling? I have stock injectors and will remain that way. I am just wondering if it will still make any difference. FWIW, my turbo is in good shape right now.
#56
12-30-2017, 10:56 AM
Fleet Owner
Byron, I know your question was not directed to me, but the more information you have, the easier your decision is to make.
I did the following...
- 360 bearing kit
- RiffRaff 4/4 billet wheel
- High flow outlet
- MBRP 4" exhaust
- AIS intake
I pull peak boost ~32 PSI and can maintain 28 PSI towing heavy up mountain grades with good EGT's.
I did the following...
- 360 bearing kit
- RiffRaff 4/4 billet wheel
- High flow outlet
- MBRP 4" exhaust
- AIS intake
I pull peak boost ~32 PSI and can maintain 28 PSI towing heavy up mountain grades with good EGT's.
#57
12-30-2017, 11:30 AM
So, to summarize, you did a 360* rebuild and a WW2 on your turbo? I may do this and was wondering if it was worth it. It sure seems like it with cooler EGTs and faster spooling? I have stock injectors and will remain that way. I am just wondering if it will still make any difference. FWIW, my turbo is in good shape right now.
I rebuilt the Turbo with a 5x5 wheel from SP Turbo, the rebuild kit comes with the 360 bearings, o-rings...everything you need to rebuild. $190 WITH the new wheel. The price combined with the reviews are what convinced me to go with SP TURBO. I definitely notice faster spooling! My EGT's seemed to drop also which I assume is do to the faster spooling. My truck still had the original WW that came from the factory. The turbo was still original with 373K miles and both sides looked incredibly good.
My injectors are from 140's from Jim at Rosewood, technically an upgrade over the 130's of the E99. If I hadn't been struggling with high EGT's, which turned out to be from a plugged cat, I may have went with larger sticks. But at the time I didn't want to create more problems than I was already dealing with. The turbo is also the stock turbo.
As Sous said, I would drive the truck across the country right now a feel confident that it would handle the trip just fine. I've put a lot of money in the truck since I bought it. I could have bought something else that cost more and needed less work. But the way I look at I did all the work and KNOW everything was done right the first time with quality parts and OEM sensors. There's a certain level satisfaction in taking a tired truck and giving it new life. I couldn't take $16K, go to a Dealership and buy a truck that can do what this 7.3L can AND be able to diagnose and fix the majority of the problems myself.
I think it's definitely worth your time and money to upgrade the turbo especially if you don't know the history of it. My turbo was in good shape but I'm also of the thinking that you take advantage of the problems you run into to make improvements and save money. My up pipes were leaking, so the turbo had to come off anyway. If it's off I might as well rebuild it now, saving time and knowing its good for another 100K. It was worth the few headaches and little bit of money.s
My injectors are from 140's from Jim at Rosewood, technically an upgrade over the 130's of the E99. If I hadn't been struggling with high EGT's, which turned out to be from a plugged cat, I may have went with larger sticks. But at the time I didn't want to create more problems than I was already dealing with. The turbo is also the stock turbo.
As Sous said, I would drive the truck across the country right now a feel confident that it would handle the trip just fine. I've put a lot of money in the truck since I bought it. I could have bought something else that cost more and needed less work. But the way I look at I did all the work and KNOW everything was done right the first time with quality parts and OEM sensors. There's a certain level satisfaction in taking a tired truck and giving it new life. I couldn't take $16K, go to a Dealership and buy a truck that can do what this 7.3L can AND be able to diagnose and fix the majority of the problems myself.
I think it's definitely worth your time and money to upgrade the turbo especially if you don't know the history of it. My turbo was in good shape but I'm also of the thinking that you take advantage of the problems you run into to make improvements and save money. My up pipes were leaking, so the turbo had to come off anyway. If it's off I might as well rebuild it now, saving time and knowing its good for another 100K. It was worth the few headaches and little bit of money.
s
#58
12-30-2017, 11:41 AM
Hotshot
Byron, I know your question was not directed to me, but the more information you have, the easier your decision is to make.
I did the following...
- 360 bearing kit
- RiffRaff 4/4 billet wheel
- High flow outlet
- MBRP 4" exhaust
- AIS intake
I pull peak boost ~32 PSI and can maintain 28 PSI towing heavy up mountain grades with good EGT's.
I did the following...
- 360 bearing kit
- RiffRaff 4/4 billet wheel
- High flow outlet
- MBRP 4" exhaust
- AIS intake
I pull peak boost ~32 PSI and can maintain 28 PSI towing heavy up mountain grades with good EGT's.
I rebuilt the Turbo with a 5x5 wheel from SP Turbo, the rebuild kit comes with the 360 bearings, o-rings...everything you need to rebuild. $190 WITH the new wheel. The price combined with the reviews are what convinced me to go with SP TURBO. I definitely notice faster spooling! My EGT's seemed to drop also which I assume is do to the faster spooling. My truck still had the original WW that came from the factory. The turbo was still original with 373K miles and both sides looked incredibly good.
My injectors are from 140's from Jim at Rosewood, technically an upgrade over the 130's of the E99. If I hadn't been struggling with high EGT's, which turned out to be from a plugged cat, I may have went with larger sticks. But at the time I didn't want to create more problems than I was already dealing with. The turbo is also the stock turbo.
As Sous said, I would drive the truck across the country right now a feel confident that it would handle the trip just fine. I've put a lot of money in the truck since I bought it. I could have bought something else that cost more and needed less work. But the way I look at I did all the work and KNOW everything was done right the first time with quality parts and OEM sensors. There's a certain level satisfaction in taking a tired truck and giving it new life. I couldn't take $16K, go to a Dealership and buy a truck that can do what this 7.3L can AND be able to diagnose and fix the majority of the problems myself.
I think it's definitely worth your time and money to upgrade the turbo especially if you don't know the history of it. My turbo was in good shape but I'm also of the thinking that you take advantage of the problems you run into to make improvements and save money. My up pipes were leaking, so the turbo had to come off anyway. If it's off I might as well rebuild it now, saving time and knowing its good for another 100K. It was worth the few headaches and little bit of money.s
My injectors are from 140's from Jim at Rosewood, technically an upgrade over the 130's of the E99. If I hadn't been struggling with high EGT's, which turned out to be from a plugged cat, I may have went with larger sticks. But at the time I didn't want to create more problems than I was already dealing with. The turbo is also the stock turbo.
As Sous said, I would drive the truck across the country right now a feel confident that it would handle the trip just fine. I've put a lot of money in the truck since I bought it. I could have bought something else that cost more and needed less work. But the way I look at I did all the work and KNOW everything was done right the first time with quality parts and OEM sensors. There's a certain level satisfaction in taking a tired truck and giving it new life. I couldn't take $16K, go to a Dealership and buy a truck that can do what this 7.3L can AND be able to diagnose and fix the majority of the problems myself.
I think it's definitely worth your time and money to upgrade the turbo especially if you don't know the history of it. My turbo was in good shape but I'm also of the thinking that you take advantage of the problems you run into to make improvements and save money. My up pipes were leaking, so the turbo had to come off anyway. If it's off I might as well rebuild it now, saving time and knowing its good for another 100K. It was worth the few headaches and little bit of money.
sI am stoked for you and your results! These are fun trucks and easy to work on, IMO.
#59
12-31-2017, 09:54 PM
Byron, I know your question was not directed to me, but the more information you have, the easier your decision is to make.
I did the following...
- 360 bearing kit
- RiffRaff 4/4 billet wheel
- High flow outlet
- MBRP 4" exhaust
- AIS intake
I pull peak boost ~32 PSI and can maintain 28 PSI towing heavy up mountain grades with good EGT's.
I did the following...
- 360 bearing kit
- RiffRaff 4/4 billet wheel
- High flow outlet
- MBRP 4" exhaust
- AIS intake
I pull peak boost ~32 PSI and can maintain 28 PSI towing heavy up mountain grades with good EGT's.
Ok. so Sous' post has me thinking and asking questions. IIRC, he's running stock sticks, no chip? And pulling 32 PSI...we're almost identical on build so where are you getting 5-7 psi more in boost? I'm sure that the elevation in GA verses CO plays a role BUT is that difference?? I'm just curious and want to make sure I'm not missing a bit of performance. Thanks!
#60
01-01-2018, 08:15 AM
Fleet Owner
Ok. so Sous' post has me thinking and asking questions. IIRC, he's running stock sticks, no chip? And pulling 32 PSI...we're almost identical on build so where are you getting 5-7 psi more in boost? I'm sure that the elevation in GA verses CO plays a role BUT is that difference?? I'm just curious and want to make sure I'm not missing a bit of performance. Thanks!
I recently tried the Economy and Street Shredder tunes from 1023 Tuning, but they are not for me. I have learned to drive the truck one way for the past 3 years and the engine was a completely different animal on the 1023. Not a good thing, not a bad thing, just not my preference.