Is there anything out there reasonably priced for us low budget guys that can't afford the top of the line chips and tuners? So, chip or tuner? I'm looking at improving gas mileage more than anything, but a little power increase is always nice. Any advice?

 

I would suggest gauges first. most important EGT, and boost.
You could run a 10k Mod. Do a search and you will find it. Helps a little but it is still not 100% safe to run without an EGT gauge.

 

From my experience it's always better to work like Santa's little helper and save the money to buy what you really want and not settle for anything less. I have settled for things before and wasn't satisfied and in the end ended up spending more money to get what I truly wanted. With my truck I have done the former, work and save up and I am happy with my choices. No regrets whatsoever.

All that being said, have you looked for used equipment? The reason why I ask is I did a search on Craigslist today for diesel chips and I was astounded how many were out there. You never know, you might be able to get a good deal that way.

 

fully agree with texas get what u want be aware of things that look to good to be true i bought a new ts chip from a guy on ebay (dealer or an employee) fired the ecm a used chip is a good idea but send it to the company who made it to be sure that it is programed for ur truck as for a tuner most of them work on all pcm codes in a given year range

 

i have a superchip tuner that i can sell you pm me and ill explainmore

 

You bet there is a low budget alternative! You can have Jody (dptuner) flash your PCM for, I believe $75 and the 40 hp tow flash will make a huge amount of difference (it is what I have) in performance and shifting, with a wee bit of mpg increase (it did for me anyway). Listen to these guys when they tell you about gauges...do it. You can contact Jody at http://www.dp-tuner.com

 

I appreciate the advice guys. So you mention gauges; what kind should I get or which ones besides EGT? I am new to the diesel world so I am trying to learn all this as I go. What would I be looking at for cost?

 

trans temp and boost, egt gauges ~350
chip or pcm tuning ~ 75-500 depending

 

i think i spent 270 for autometer 2 guage A pillar mount and boost and EGT i got mine thourgh carquest b/c u can't buy directly from autometer

 

Is there anywhere you can buy gauge clusters where they are all included or you can create a cluster with mounting hardware and all included?

 

Most kits come with the mounting type of your choice (A-pillar, over rear-view mirror, steering column, etc.), and the "standard" three are EGT, Boost, and Tranny temp (if you have an auto). I'll be adding fuel pressure, water temp, and voltage eventually...

I got mine from ITP Diesel, but there are several supporting vendors that sell the kits (Diesel Manor is one of the favorites). It's a very straight forward installation, the only part that gets tricky is the drill & tap of the EGT sensor if you've never done it before.

Joe

 

Anyone have a photo of their gauges over the mirror? Don't like the A-pillar gauges.

Thanks

Rod

 

yes I have an automatic, when you mean drill and tap is this something a novice should be attempting/ ie time consuming or just know how?

 

Look up CSIPSD in the members search and view his gallery, he has ALL the guages (12 IIRC) in all the popular mounting points. As far as the install of the Pyrometer, If you can use a cordless drill, and are not crosseyed (so you can run the tap in straight) it is very simple. I think Diesel Manor also sells the drill bit and the correct NPT tap for like an additional $10. They provide very detailed instructions, and have great customer service.

 

They offer the Tap type and the clamp type is one better than the other or are they the same?