In order to insure I beat this topic to death, having caught a brief scent of diesel upon start-up, I have been on this site enough to know that sweet perfume likely means I need to consider uppipe replacement.

I have gathered a load of how-tos and have even figured out where they are. I intend to purchase a topside creeper and will spend some hard earned on bellowed pipes (from riffraff, where else?). Now, given that I will have a load of stuff torn off my engine, from a maintenance standpoint, what else should I freshen at the same time? Note, I am looking here to maintain, not build a rocket ship just yet.

 

Welcome bruva.
How olds ya truck bro? How many miles ? You gunna take the turbo out ? Is your truck stock ? There are many mods out there that increase mpg, decrease Egt's, improve throttle response and generally get ya rig running like it should. And do you have a budget ?

 

DI Exhaust manifolds??? mmmmm.. sexy

 

Thats the thing, The uppies are only one part of the equation. You have the manifold, Uppies, Turbo and Downpipe. I dont know what ya pricing is over there but I got my manifold, Turbo and EBVP ceramic coated for $350 combined with the ceramic coated uppies your boost is on tap real quick. And they look sweeeeet.

 

Hi guys,

Truck is 2002 I found after a great deal of searching. One owner, box stock with 40,000 miles on the clock. Since my trucks have to work on an everyday basis, my first goal is to set everything right. At present, other than a small whiff of diesel on start-up, I can't find anything that needs fixing. I had done the easy stuff so far. Rhino bed liner and stereo upgrade, so I can use my cell phone hands-free while I drive. Oh yes, I also picked up a new 6.0 transmission cooler off ebay for $150 as I will be using this truck for towing.

I do intend to pull the turbo and, in this posting, mostly wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking small parts or seals that should routinely be replaced with an uppipe replacement. There is so much on this forum about uppipes, it is a little awkward asking about something that may well have been covered in the past. The most important thing for me is reliability as I do not want to build something that is fun to drive, but blows itself apart when I am towing a 1,000 miles from home. The ceramic looks very nice and I am considering it.

Thanks,

 

Well the trucks done bugger all (which means not much miles) So one would assume there is not much wrong with her. If your just in there for the uppies you will need a oring kit for the turbo/pedestal. Give Clay a yell at riffraff diesel, he is the man that will fix ya up. Its just a pain to pull all that out and not get into it. lol

 

Hi Chunder,

I know I may have to repeat some steps down the road, but I tend to be an empiricist. I want to put in the gauges and establish a baseline, so I can see what happens as I change things and what kind of numbers I get when towing. With most things mechanical, I have found the greatest gains come in the first couple of modifications. After that the rule of diminishing returns sets in fairly quickly. In racing, every last bit of torque counts. For me, that is probably less so.

 

Just a thought, the first time I smelled diesel, it was not my up pipes, it was my EBPV tube had completely rusted through. So take a look there first.

 

First time I smelled fuel it was the fuel bowl drain o-rings

 

Hi guys,

Thanks very much for the additional thoughts. The odor I get smells a bit more like exhaust than raw fuel, but I will be sure to check. I am still in the process of learning my way around this engine. I have spent some time with the hook raised learning to identify parts.

 

If you tow then get the ceramic coating. It allows you to really control your boost pressure. I can choose between 10psi or 28psi on long grades and switch between the two quickly b/c I'm keeping the heat in the turbo system...

I would get a 38r and uppipes and call it a day.. For a towing vehicle that should do it.. maybe an RR down the road and water meth if you are super heavy

Good luck

 

Rebuild the turbo pedastal while you are in there.
Riffraff has a rebuild kit.

 

I agree with Dan. This was the first place my truck develpoed an oil leak. I did the EBPV delete pedestal, but that is another option. You may want to keep the valve in case you want to make it an exhaust brake for towing. Definitely worth the time to do this while you are already that far into it.

 

Thanks,

I do appreciate all the suggestions and do take them seriously. I must have 50 pages bookmarked from this site!
Steve

 

I would get a non-ebpv pedestal and a turbo re-install kit from Clay when you get your up-pipes. That way you don't have to worry about the pedestal leaking again and you will have every o-ring and two new bolts to re-install your turbo.