I hear a lot of talk about grinding the fuel plate and/or moving it forward and/or turning the star gear in the AFC to add hp to the 12 valve. How does one do this in a stock engine without risking mpg and such things? What other mods are needed to reduce risk of damage to the engine?

truck is a ‘94 2500

 

Short answer: Not at all.

Sliding the fuel plate forward, or grinding off some material will increase the amount of fuel that can be injected per revolution.
So it will not lead to better mpg. It will increase power, smoke, heat, EGT and load on the transmission.
If you have an auto truck without any mods to the transmission do not modify the plate, the stock transmission is on it's ragged edge with the stock torque.

A first step to BOMBing your truck:
Get gauges, Boost, EGT, trans temp.
Then do a correct inspection- valve leash, check turbo for play and wastegate operation, tightness of all intercooler hoses etc.
Check for aerated fuel while running.

Only if everything is OK and you can monitor your engine with the gauges you can start the BOMBing.

(Better Off Modified Baby)

 

Okay I already have EGT gage and turbo boost gage, so should I use a cold air intake to keep my temps at a safe level after adjusting the fuel plate? Truck is a 1994 with stock manual transmission.

 

I'd go for a BHAF and a heat shield.

Personally I do favor a governor spring kit (plus valve springs on the 94) over the plate mods.

You don't increase torque, but the engine delivers the torque up to higher rpms, meaning you can wind out the lower gear with good power and be smack dab at max torque after shifting up.

Still, the correct inspection is crucial.

 

Kinda forgot I even made this thread 😂. I appreciate the feedback. So I was wondering just to be sure, will removing the muffler risk any damage at all? I don’t think so but figured I’d ask. And how do you think I could make my turbo louder? I removed my silencer ring and I’m thinking a cold air dry filter intake, when I get the time and money.

 

Well, modifying the go pedal into a headache pedal.. I'm too old for that.. I did it in my youth..Still it was a bad idea in retrospect.

How to do it- get a 4" or 5" straight pipe exhaust.

Get a Scotty 2 system, or use any air filter you like and drill a 4" or bigger hole through the firewall section where the wipers are.
Remove silencer ring.

Then you may gain miles per gallon because using the right pedal induces headaches.
This will not harm your transmission, axles etc, just your hearing and the usability of your truck.

 

Ah thanks! I’ll see what I can do. Probably won’t go too overkill on loudness just want a better sound. Much appreciated!

 

If you want a free flowing (good for EGT) and nice sounding system that does not get you deaf immediately:

4" Turbo back, a resonator (very important) as close to the downpipe as possible, and a 5" straight through muffler with 2 reductions 5" to 4".
Has a nice mellow sound and does not shake the rear wall of the cab- this is the cause of the dreaded highway drone.

If you get a BHAF, do the heatshield https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...mplate-332607/ and use a piece of 4" tube to connect the filter to the stock hose.
Filter part numbers:
John Deere PMAH19037
Wix 42790
NAPA 2790
AFE 20-40044
Hastings af 1012
Carquest 87790 $64.78
Caterpillar 3i 0005
Fram ca 6818

Pre-Filter
Outerwear wr 3325-105
AFE 28-10033

 

Thanks! I’ll look into it!

 

Ah I’ve thought of yet another question! So I would love to put a performance chip in my truck just for the hell of it but most people tell me that you cannot chip or program a 12 valve because it’s not computerized and it’s all mechanical. I totally believed this until someone told me you CAN chip/program a 12 valve with some kind of receivers or something. I’m not sure what to believe? What can you tell me?

 

You can potato chip your body while installing a fuel plate and a governor spring kit.
There is absolutely no electronic control or software involved on the 12V engine.
Even if you removed the whole electrical system from your truck you would only need to zip tie the shutdown lever up and bump start. (Assuming manual trans.)

There are some "chip" products out there that help you to modify the shifting of the automatic transmission. (IMO they are rubbish)