Cheap power
 

High to all. I'm usually over on the 3rd gen pages but after I drove my dads 97 12v home from Iowa the other day I have come to the conclusion that he needs more power. I am just looking for free and safe mods to give his tired old truck a little boost. Its a 2wd 3500 clubcab with a five speed. I say cheap cause thats what he is and safe cause he won't let me touch the thing if theres a higher chance that something will break.
Thanks for any help, Nick

Crank the starwheel all the way forward,a nd move the plate full forward if the governor lever is still hitting in the right spot. He will pick up around 40hp by doing this. gauges are reccomended, but if hes not pulling hard much, then i dont think he will hurt it.

Some helpful links for you:

-How to get into the pump to get to the plate:
http://www.tstproducts.com/pdffiles/INSRUCT98.pdf

-To make sure the governor lever arm is still hitting in the right spot:
http://www.piersdiesel.com/TechLeverAdj.htm

Just moving the plate/starwheel/afc housing forward will make a very nice difference. It would be nice if you could talk him into a pyrometer though.

Eric

Just sliding the plate and cranking the starwheel can result in engine killing egts.
Cheap hp can quickly turn into an expensive new engine.
At least install a pyro.

How about a valve adjustment? I know the '97 215k mile engine I just got is definitely needing one due to it never having one yet. I run Power Service cetane booster/anti gel additives in all my diesels. It makes them start better at least. A inter cooler cleanout might help, but you need to remove it to send it out to a radiator shop to get flushed. Just my 2 pennies.