Sell the truck?

Okay I'll go wash my mouth out with soap now......

My apologies to the OP for derailing this thread too.

 

-Sous, why did you do the turbo before switching out injectors and tune?

 

He goes over this in his thread on why he made the decision to go with the SXE but he doesn't need new injectors and then there is the money thing. He has said if he ever does new sticks he might just go with 160/0. He did the turbo for towing purposes not more horsepower.

 

What a jerk Jason! why dont you just let Sous answer the question?!!

 

 

Thanks guys. I'm saving up for both the turbo upgrades and injectors. I would think you would want the turbo first so that when you purchase your tunes to go with the injectors you can factor that in. So you want your tune to account for whichever turbo you have.

 

For about 4 years I drove with Gear Head tunes. Each time I would tow I would use the "heavy tow" tune and all was well. Recently I switched to 1023 tunes and was able to use the "medium tow" tune while towing and still be below 1200 degrees with the modified stock turbo. I was much happier with the 1023 tunes than I ever was with Gear Head. Now, the results I was seeing from 1023 with the modified stock turbo were great, but this was on long rolling hills in the low country of SC, not mountains. I knew that once I got to TN, CO or WA I would still be driving by the EGT's for the most part.

I swapped out the SXE because we travel the country with our 5th wheel camper. I knew that I needed a larger turbo, but after realizing the 38R is a screamer and old technology and the KC was failing mechanically and EGT wise for my needs, I decided to go with the SXE.

I had originally planned on 160/80 injectors, but based on the results I was seeing from the other SXE fellas, especially Akcooper9 (because he is on stock AD injectors) I was hopeful that the AD injectors would get the job done well. If I don't have to spend $2500 on modified injectors, that is a win in my book. If I can keep the stock injectors in my truck for another 100K or 200K miles, then that is a huge win. So, that is where I am at now. The SXE pulls hard enough and I am planning to run the light tow tune from 1023 as the daily driver and towing tune. The SXE performs so well that I am confident it will make the tune a great all around tune.

If I do decide to move up to single shots when my injectors finally give up on me, I might (that is a big might) go to 160/0 and call it a day. I would really prefer to leave the stock AD injectors in there for as long as possible, then replace them with new Alliant AD's when the time comes. This means that the only thing really changed for my 7.3 is bolt on parts that are external to the engine. I can get an AD injector a lot of places. I can remove the chip if I have problems to get the PCM down to bare bones. This again is a win for me. I am looking for reliability and longevity out of this truck.

Not a big deal, I don't mind others sharing thoughts with others that I have shared with them.

This is correct, more versatility in the SXE rather than driving by the EGT's with the modified stock or KC.

Are your injectors bad or showing sings of wear? You can get everything else before you get injectors because with the Hydra and emailed tunes, it is not very pricey to get a new set of tunes sent to you for modified injectors. You may like the way the truck runs with AD injectors too and not have to change anything like I did. There is that to consider as well.

The SXE is a great turbo with new technology that advances it to the forefront of the industry. You will not be let down.

 

Thanks Sous for the input! My trucks runs and starts great. No problems with injectors as far as I know. My max boost is only 18 PSI, so I'm thinking there may be a small leak somewhere. I've read our trucks are programmed to dump at 24 PSI I believe, but I never get there... I've got some thinking to do. I like the aspect of saving money for now and getting more life out of my current injectors, and going ahead with a hydra and 1023 tunes. I watch your video on the turbo swap, very helpful. I'll start looking at that. Did you swap out your up pipes? I read where some guys upgrade them and others just replace the donuts. I'm wondering if there is any actual performance improvement by upgrading them?

 

You more than likely do have a leak or two in the exhaust, intake, boots, plenums, etc... I think I had a leak when I went to install the T4, but the only area I needed to be concerned about was the plenums because everything else was going to be replaced or refreshed. If/when you decide to go the T4 route, just make sure your plenums are sealed up and press on.

Your right, the PCM "defuels" at around 24 PSI of boost, unless the tuner has eliminated this parameter in their tuning. 1023 does not remove this parameter, so that is why I installed the RiffRaff OCR.

The up-pipes came as part of the T4 kit from Carson Stauffer Diesel. If you are talking about the OEM style up-pipes, I did install bellowed up-pipes when I rebuilt and modified my turbo. If your OEM up-pipes are leaking, that is one of the primary places where your boost pressure is being lost. I would say that if you are going to go with the T4/SXE and can wait, save yourself the work, aching and cash and leave the OEM up-pipes in there. I wish that I had known about the T4/SXE and what it could do for me years ago when I modified my turbo and installed a bunch of stuff. The "stuff" did help a lot, but nowhere near the level of performance I get from the SXE.

For me, the biggest advantage to keeping the AD injectors is that I don't have to change anything internal to the engine.