I just bought a 1997 e450 superduty 32ft rv and plan on towing with it at 25k gross weight. I have added gauges, 02 van turbo, bellowed up pipes, 3 in intakes, 4 inch exhaust, e-fuel and bowl delete, and 120v idm.

1)I am trying to decide between a ww2 or rr to help get my bottom back from the bigger turbo swap. I have read that the WW2 was better than the rr6/6 in the van turbo in the lower rpms spool up but haven't seen anything bout the rr4/4...other than: Per Clay the 4/4 is a smidge quieter and gives a smidge more boost vs 6/6". How much do the wheels weigh? I've seen ww2 is 5.5027 oz or 13% lighter than oem.

2)I don't want to do the 08+ front clip so I am planning an a2w intercooler to combat compressor heat but haven't found a big enough heat exchanger yet that makes me happy, so I probably will end up with 2 in series maybe 3. I would like one to be the size of the radiator but only 1 inch thick, but I think I might be dreaming on that one. any sources other than frozenboost/siliconeintakes?

3)I AM swapping my edge ez/banks trans command(both previous owner) for a ts 6 pos chip or a dp product? with live tunes as soon as assembled. I believe dp has a more capable chip than ts but I would be limited to the one tuner which I don't like. Who all sells the ts with lifetime reburns that are worth it? I am leaning towards php. My dad keeps pushing swamps. After talking on another forum, my current choice is the power hungry hydra!

4)I'm pretty sure I have ab injectors (from my research and ill pull a valve cover soon to confirm). I am thinking about swapping to ad's but concerned about egt's. Ad's seem to be the easiest injectors to get ahold of from a salvage yard or auto parts store if I had one fail on the road, which is why I wanna stay stock type sticks. I've also read stock nozzles are better for towing due to better atomization.

5)This brings me to med/big oil. I want as much down low as possible to get the rigs weight going. Is there such a thing as too much hpop for this combo? I dont see anybody talking about doubles on stock injectors other than loping/wandering idle and ipr duty cycle issues with 2 iprs so I think that is out. Did the overdrive ever get an ok for daily driving? srp1.1 have had some catastrophic failures which leaves terminator my first choice as of now.

6)In the spring I am considering a sd pcm wiring 4r100 swap when I do a 4x4 conversion.
A)what is the best model to get the pcm from?
B)Are there other supply sources besides ujointoffroad.com for the 4x4 brackets etc.?

Is there any positive suggestions or anything missing from my list that will help with getting the weight rolling and keep egts in check?

 

You'll never cool it.

The E series engine compartment is too crowded to cool a high horsepower Diesel. Can't get enough air through the radiator / intercooler and out past the engine and firewall.

 

Sounds like this is mostly engine-related, so this would better be addressed in the 7.3L forum. Thread moved.

 

I am so confused. It's a '97, but with the "Superduty" moniker?

TS chip is completely outdated. Hydra is what you're looking for, without even knowing it. Matt at Gearhead and Tony Wildman at Total Diesel Performance carry the Hydra chip.

Going for big ICP down low causes all kinds of issues with the HPOP, the injectors, the ICP sensor, the HPO hoses, etc.... I don't like to exceed 3000 PSI ICP anywhere on the tach.

 

I have installed the 4/4 RiffRaff wheel and am very happy with it. I came from the stock wheel though, so no real comparison to other billet wheels. I will say that it is just about as quiet as the stock wheel with an AIS intake until the RPM's get to 2500+, then it starts to whistle a bit. I don't mind it much because when I am driving at a constant speed or even accelerating at a decent rate the turbo is just doing its job silently. A lot of that has to do with the parts around it too though like the boots, up-pipes, etc.

Hydra tuning is the way to go as of today, no doubt about it. I went with GearHead tuning and they nailed it. My truck runs better now than it ever has and I hand calculated 18.25 MPG's the other day. Could have gotten another .25 - .5 or so if I had really tried, but I wanted to gauge normal driving MPG, not driving silly slow.

 

Tugly, yes a 1997 E450 super duty. I believe the sd is a chassis designation. From the factory the engine is neither obs or sd and has van specific parts so I am upgrading it to sd F-series standards or better where applicable.

I am pretty set on the hydra now that I've read more bout it!

Finn, from your statement then why doesn't it overheat now if there isn't enough air flow thru the radiator? lol. The 6.0 van uses a smaller radiator and covers it with an a2a intercooler and makes more power and they don't have overheating issues...
Even if the ic gets heat soaked 3/4 up the mountain, it wasn't heat soaked for the first 3/4 of the load, where it was doing work that the van otherwise wouldn't have had anyways. Also you are not taking into account the extra coolant capacity for the rear heat on a 32 ft long chassis, so it will take longer to get the engine to the point of overheating. I'm not the first one to think about w2a on a van and there are successful installations out there that have proven they work, if done right! I have pre and post ic air temp gauges already for the install, so I will only know for sure when I hit the first big long grade. If overheating is an issue I can always use the 6.0 fan...if heatsoak is an issue, then my heat exchanger and reservoir are not big enough!

sous, logic tells me that 4/4 should be lighter(and spool faster)than 5/5 all things else being equal. But I know not all things are equal. What boost does it start to whine at for you? Are you wastegated? Unported housing. .84 exhaust housing? In other words, just a standard truck turbo?

 

Standard turbo with the EBPV delete and high flow outlet is all. I did the 360 bearing upgrade when I rebuilding the turbo as well. If you listen closely you can hear the whistle starting around 12-13 PSI, but at around 20 it is very apparent and up to around 28 it sounds like a small jet under the hood.

Although, running down the interstate at 68 MPH I am normally only pushing 1-6 PSI of boost on rolling hills.

I have a TurboMaster wastegate controller from Diesel Site so that I can dial back the max boost if/when I need to.

 

With that much weight some 1600cc stock nozzles would do you very well considering that you will be using a van chassis. As for a turbo I would recommend at least a 38r, you need as much air as you can to keep those egts in check. Another option is to butcher your turbo and make it into a Frankenstein. Using the obs 1.15 ar exhaust housing, will yield lower egts, but the con will be slower spool time , but thats ok getting an aftermarket wheel such as the SPX spturboost.com, Riffraffdiesel.com, Barder etc can teally wake up those turbos gairly quick. Everyone likes the 1.0 van ex hausing but for towing you will kick your nuts for using it. So heres the bottom line that much weight egts will concern me, heres my mod (note mines an obs but same concept)

Rosewood 1600cc stock nozzle
T500 hpop
6.0 intercooler
3"-4" straight exhaust
6637 air filter
Obs exhaust housing (1.15) with gtp38 center cartridge and e99 pedestal
SPX billet 5blade (nice product)
Custom tunes by Tony Wildman
Towing tunes, daily tunes, Hot tune(this one I cannot for the life of me get it over 1300° iirc doing wot 0-100mph runs hauling at the minimum of 1500lbs of weight with the SPX wheel.
I did all these mod mostly for daily and towing, they work great and would recommend them to anyone that want mome power but keep it really reliable rig

 

With a tuner and AB injectors I liked what the T500 did for mine. I would not change from AB to AD injectors, you won't notice the difference with a tuner. If your going to change go to 160 single shots. Biggest bang for the buck for sure.

 

Yeah... if you never have to pass a smog check, the IH 160s with stock nozzles. I'm not saying they're smoky, I'm saying they might not pass something like a California smog check.

Bear in mind... if you do go ACs, you are going to need a lot of airflow, and the transmission needs a bit of reinforcement by way of beefier parts (I went HD4R100). I don't think your suspension would allow axle wrap, so you're likely in the clear there.

 

I just ordered the rr2-4/4 wheel. I am keeping the 2002 van turbo with the 1.15 ex housing...if I went backwards to obs 4 bolt turbo mount then I would lose the new bellowed uppipes I just put on;-).

The weight does NOT concern me. I had a 97 f350 that weighed 23 - 24k while towing. I had the obs turbo and aa's with a 6.0 ic and ts canned tunes and I rarely had egt problems at mountain peaks after miles of wot @ 55mph, but it was horrible if I lost a gear and just had to crawl upwards.

I know this build is gonna be different cause I'm pushing a huge box and am looking for more bottom end! So I know bigger oil down low will help with more torque due to better fuel atomization, which also increases the efficiency of the burn decreasing fuel consumption. I feel the 160/0 or 160/30 would also help down low and with getting the turbo spooled faster. At 60 mph cruise I am between 6-10 psi depending on the wind direction.

No smog checks. will 160s be too much for a van turbo with the riff raff wheel? Can't the pw be tuned to match the airflow?

Please keep the ideas coming guys. Thanks Matt

 

The wheel will help, the tuner will be key here. I would call Matt at Gearhead, or Tony at TDP and speak directly with them about your build. They will likely have a lot to say about your build.

 

Yes, PW can be dialed in for EGT control and good tuning will manage low rpm TQ and damaging CP's. I strongly agree with the suggestion that you consult with a couple of tuners.

The van turbo (1.15 ex housing) with upgraded compressor wheel and 160's is a PERFECT combo. This will move PLENTY of air, still spool quick and BP's will be very reasonable for long bearing life. (consider a rebuild with 360* thrust washer for added durability). Sounds like you already have bellowed up-pipes, but if not - I like the $170 or less Dorman's.

If you want more air than that, the KC38R is probably your best bet. This rebuildable BB turbo should move more air than any other drop-in turbo available.

The 15* HPOP needs to go. I'm less than enchanted with customer service available for most 'modded' HPOP's. The Adrenaline appears to have the best service/least issues, but I am strongly considering the MB Diesel pump as an option for my current project.

CNC Fabrication also has a nice HPO hose option I have used a few times now. Skip the HPO x-over hose - that is just more places for a future leak and has zero measurable benefit.

Another option for EGT control is water/meth injection. With the amount of real estate you have, finding a place for a big water tank shouldn't be a problem!

I may also consider relocating the diesel filter - just because access sucks sooooo bad in the factory location.

Take the front seats out of the van before you even take the doghouse off. Its messed up enough to get in there without having to bend yourself into a pretzel shape to do anything on the engine.

Oh, and swapping injectors in an e-series presents its own special challenges. As does nearly everything on this body style! Place 'swear cans' in various places around the work area and use the funds to buy the booze you'll need after each day of wrenching on this PITA!!

 

I like Jason's explanation, I think he's right on. i don't know what a KC38R turbo is but other then that he's right. 160ac's shouldn't give you smoke if tuned right and the right turbo. Even here in Califi, they pass smog. Let us know what you do.

 

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