Dan Marino

it to happen.

I always knew I would burn a piston or two. I was prepared for it - no big deal. But what i dont understand is that every piston has damage. 6 is worst, then 5 through 1 damage diminshing. Is the burnt pattern from the nozzle spray pattern. Originally I thought maybe the valves hitting the pistons started the process b/c of the half round on number 1 you can barely see it...but I have Sportsman springs.

I just dont get all 6.
Also some pics still waiting approval this pic is number 3


this pic is piston 1 notice the half round spot barely visible


Number 6 is the worst

madhat

I approved them for you...

I have personal opinions on what did it, but I'm probably wrong... I'd say that Edge has a lot to do with it. When I had mine, EGT's were always off the charts. That, coupled with those big sticks and a big single... Man, I bet that thing stays warm.

Dan Marino

Thanks for helping me try to figure it out.
I mean I know that my egts caused it but what do I to to help me not lose all 6 at once again?
As I said I knew I would get one or two but i never thought all 6 would go at once.

So which way do I go? I got the head at machine shop. We have been talking about porting. Will the smarty drop egt?

Don M

Do you have any water on the truck? Do they allow a water system in your class of pulls?

What really happens is the pistons aluminum softens over repeated cycles in the area the fuel does not spray. Once the softening starts in this region it moves to the area the sprays do contact. Overwhelming the cooling effect of the sprayed fuel. If the pistons get hot enough, the sprays can begin to erode the aluminum away and melting is what you see.

Water can really help to alleviate this problem of hot piston areas. The botton line is heat on the pistons crown that kills them.

If you have water, more turbo is the next step. Its all about heat control.

Don M

Another note:

More timing adds cylinder heat, but reduces EGT. EGT is the result of more unburned fuel from the earliest times of combustion. Added timing can actually add to your problem of too much cylinder heat, not take it away.

Dan Marino

No water. Water is allowed. But no larger on the turbo. Will porting the head help? Don I have been trying to get with Tim to ask him if I should send the njectors out to have checked. No luck getting him. What should I do?

Don M

Often when an engine melts, the nozzles get aluminum all over the tips or inside the spray holes. I can remove that mess for you here with a chemical we use just for that purpose.

Tim will get you my shipping address if you dont have it already. He calls me daily, I will mention this to him.

Porting will not help much, IMO. Finding a head from an 06 and up would though. The ports are mucho better VS the older engines.

Water will lower the crown temps for certain and should be the end of the heat problems. Just make sure it is always working before you start the pulls. Go easy on methanol if you feel you need some for colder temps. Dont exceed 10%, IMO. Were you pulling when the failures happened? Was it knocking before you stopped the engine?

TexasCTD

Don is there a difference in the heads from an 06.......vs. 04.5 or 05? I thought they were the same past 04.5.

..

Dan Marino

Happened while pulling. Had a good run going and it just stopped around 270 feet. The truck acted like it came under turbo and stalled. Didnt start right back up. It took about 3 tries. When it started it smoked white and had a shimmy to the truck. It only ran to get it on trailer. At first we thought it was a broken rocker arm or push tube b/c it was just idling with a shimmy - wasnt really running that rough.

I got your springs and was wondering if they need checked?

streetsmoker

Sitting here thinking/wondering the same thing.

Don M

The 06 head was redesigned. It has larger ports. Much larger. This of course applies to the 07 as well.

madhat

Dan, if you're pulling with just the mods in your sig ( and I'm no puller) I think you need some water at a minimum, at least a 4 nozzle job, and get rid of that edge. I'm not here to bash the edge, but the way that they make power is timing and dumping fuel in the cylinders. It was a great box for me until I added an aftermarket turbo and sticks. I have an edge vs smarty thread around here somewhere... look it up.

I will be happy to mail you my smarty once you get your truck back together and let you try it out. Just send it back, or I will have to come for you... You will really see the difference.

If you are a serious puller, I would look at some coated pistons, maybe a lower compression ratio. (again, not a diesel guru.) Build the truck for what you are doing...

Good luck, man. Anything I can do to help, let me know.

NickBeek

This is an UNEDUCATED guess. But to me it looks like some of those pistons were getting fuel sprayed on top of them instead of in the bowl where it belongs. And yes I would go through the springs and measure each one for consistency. There is a tool for that, and I can't call the proper name of it, but you will squeeze each spring down and it measures the resistance the spring provides.

tantruck

I agree, looks like the timing had the spray above the bowl area which is supposed to be bad. Don't big sticks simulate advanced timing and that's the reason the Smarty programs can back off the timing a bit. Probably the combined effect of the large sticks and electronic timing manipulation caused too much heat just above the bowl. Also, aren't the number 6 and 5 the hottest ones?
Note to myself - don't run two timing boxes together or big sticks with timing without some water.

1985cucv

right too much timing and the fuel hits the piston in the wrong part and boom goes the dynamite