Kind of hard to describe the sound but here goes. I am running a BHAF and no silencer ring. I can hear the turbo start to spool right off of idle. Not loud but definitely a turbo spool. At roughly half throttle or more and around 2000 RPM I will get a much louder whine. Sounds similar to the turbo spooling but much louder and the pitch does not change as much. It stays pretty much one pitch. Keep in kind that I am deaf above a certain pitch so the turbo spool is gone to me after it get above a certain point. This sound comes in after that an a lot louder. I am going to hook up my scanner today and see what kind of readings I am getting. Will these engines normally hit enough boost for the wastegate to open? I realize these are probably dumb questions to you but I came to Dodge from Ford old body style Powerstroke which did not use a wastegate.

Rick

 

You'll have to refresh my memory if your truck is stock or not, but a stock truck will see about no more than 20 psi, give or take a few psi per model year. The wastegate actuator opens to keep the boost at whatever the year model is specific to. 24 valve trucks will throw an "overboost" code if the boost gets above the factory boost setting which is why you hear about "boost foolers", which are intended to fool the ECM into allowing more boost without defueling. So if you have a fueling/timing box then you could be making boost somewhere in the mid to upper 20's psi. And once you get to about 25 psi, the turbo can start to simulate the same high pitch as a jet engine. This sound is exaggerated even more with the silencer ring removed. And depending on how familiar you are with turbo diesels, the amount of turbo lag can be considerable between a manual tranny and an automatic which will give you that no power feel until boost starts building.

So hook up that gauge and lets just see what kind of boost you're building in conjunction with whatever HP goodies you have. That may help us figure out if you have a boost leak or if you're just not used to the sound of a fully spooled Cummins.

 

Truck is stock except for the BHAF and removed silencer. I changed that stuff back to stock and made no difference. I just replace the gaskets on the inlet line to the pump since they were suspect from the pump change when I had to reuse one after I lost the new one. Didn't seem to make and difference. I was going to hook up my scanner so I could get you some data but it seems I have lost the OBD key I need. I did get it out on a long flat stretch and here is what I am hearing/ feeling. The loud whine I described before seems to have gone away, I will know better tomorrow when I am on a highway with a barrier. It pulls hard up to 2800 and then falls flat like someone turned off the fuel. Fuel pressure is around 12 lbs. at that point. Sometimes it will pull up to 3000 and sometimes not. At no time is there any smoke at all, none, nada. I am thinking that at WOT there should be something? I will get you some better data when I find my key.

Rick

 

Sorry but I'm not sure what you mean here. What pump and what gaskets? And I guess we'll have to wait until you find your OBD key for any gauge readings since only that information is going to help figure this out.

But as for your concerns with the lack of top end power..... If there's anything these engines lack, that would be top end power. And the higher the RPM's go, the faster the HP falls, but strangely EGT's will increase and fuel pressure will drop. If you're specifically after "top end" power, say for reasons of towing, then you'll need to get some larger injectors. Fueling/timing boxes help a tremendous amount but they tend to mostly help in the mid range.

By the way, I just noticed your truck is a 98. You must mean a 98.5 right? Meaning you do have a 24v. And do you have a manual or auto?

 

Yup, 24 valve. Stock fuel pump and the gaskets were on either side of the banjo fitting on the suction side of the pump. It is an automatic with 4:10 gears and it is 2 wheel drive. It is funny you say that about the top end and injectors. I paid for a set of lightly used RV's and never got them. I am not looking to modify this truck as it does just fine right now. So what you are saying is that it is normal for a stock truck to flatten out around 2800? I drove tractor trailers for quit a few years so I am used to what it feels like to hit the governor, pulls like hell and then drops right at the governor.

Rick

 

No, it wouldnt be a fuel leak. Or at least not one severe enough to cause VP cavitation or a loss in HP. And if you had a fuel leak then you'd also experience hard starting issues.

And yes, these engines pull really hard up until around 2700-2800 RPM and then flatten right out. The only way to change that is by adding more fueling. But ya have to be impressed with an engine thats capable of making 300 ft lbs or torque at idle. Check out these dyno charts: http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/Facts/98ISBspecs.html If you're not happy with how the HP feels then as we talked about before, invest in a mild box and you'll be shocked at how much your truck will wake up. You might even gain a mile or two in fuel mileage. But.....just make sure your tranny is maintained well and possibly even look into a new valve body and tightening the bands. You dont want to place unnecessary stress on the OEM automatic's.

I'd say there's no reason to be in that RPM range much but since you have 4.10's, you're probably close just keeping up with highway traffic. 4.10's are great for towing maximum GVWR or more but thats about it. Unless you're towing around house size objects on a regular basis you might find yourself more happy with changing to 3.54's. Since you only have a 2wd, you might also end up saving the cost of the switch in fuel savings too.

Also, who did you pay for injectors and never get them?

 

The guy with the injectors was a guy from Texas named Adam Meadows, he had them in the classifieds but I think it was on 1973 moparmans site. He had those and an Edge EZ, I wanted both but he said the Edge had been sold. Only been waiting 3 months now.

OK, I got some data for you, this came from my Snap-On scanner. Recorded a movie of the data while on a WOT run.
First mashed pedal, APPS 43%, Boost 1 lb. load 70%
APPS 100, boost 3, load 70
APPS 100, Boost 7, load 80, RPM 2138
APPS 100, Boost 14, load 99, RPM 2450
APPS 100, Boost 20, load 100, RPM 2888
APPS 100 Boost 22, load 99, RPM 2822
The first five figures are about one second apart.
The last figure was after a shift and rpm came back up. It remained at 22 lbs. until the load started to drop of as speed caught up. I have 3:55 gears in my Ford and they are much nicer on the road, 2000@70. I am running 2000@60 with the 4:11's, It will be at 2200@70 and that is as fast as I go anyway so it is not to bad. If I do change I would go with 3;73's.

Rick

OH yea, there is also an overboost code stored.

 

Your max boost is right on the money for your year truck and being stock. I'm not sure why you have an over boost code unless its been there ever since you purchased the truck. Can you delete the code with your Snap-On scanner? If you can then see how the truck runs cleared of codes since you could have been running in a limp mode which would definitely affect HP. Then check again to see if the code comes back after a couple days, with some WOT runs in there too. And have you tried contacting the guy about the injectors? That would be a shame if a member stole your money.

 

I can clear the code and they were cleared about 6 months ago so it popped up since I had it. Yea I have contacted the guy, several times. All I get is an excuse that he is working 16-18 hours a day 7 days a week and has not had time to send them. That is a load of crap. I am going to call the police in his town and explain what is happening and ask if they can just stop by and say hello for me. Maybe that will wake his *** up! I already have a claim in with the post office and I have reminded him that since it was a postal money order and went through the mail what he is doing is mail fraud, which by the way is a Federal offense.

The loud whine I started this about has abated so I don't think I have solved the problem, just hid it. I think there is a hole in one of the hoses that may be sealed right now because I was poking and squeezing them. I really think it is the top rubber hose on the left side where the A/C sensor was rubbing. I can't feel a hole but nowhere else is there anyting touching the hose. It is REAL close to the fender on the bottom hose on the same side but I dont feel anything. Wouldn't limp mode throw a CEL? The scanner is still hooked up so I will go out at lunchtime and clear the codes and see what happens.

Rick

 

Not sure what to say about your situation with the injectors. Thats just sad. He claims to be so busy that he cant send them but obviously not busy enough to cash the money orders. I'd be sure to let the administrators know of the forums he's a member of so that others can be forewarned not to deal with this person. And the police or the post office aren't going to anything so dont waste your time. Just because you sent someone money orders and they cashed them doesnt mean there's a crime.

As for your noise..... If you indeed had a boost leak then it wouldn't just go away. Something like that wouldn't fix itself. You can look for something rubbing a hole in the boost boots if you think thats the case. Its common for people to say the lower boots are close to the body metal. I bent my metal edge away from the boot. Maybe your wastegate is not working properly. You have an HX turbo so you can pinch the wastegate hose and see if your boost increases or stays the same. Did the PO do anything to the truck which could have added or altered the ECM programing? Maybe you have a boost elbow on the turbo and are making to much boost. Just throwing out ideas. And I dont think the limp mode throws a code.

 

OK, Cleared the code and it was back in a couple of days. Did not seem to run any differently after resetting the code so I don't think it is going into limp mode, maybe just defueling for that overboost period? I know Fords older Powerstrokes will go into a default program and really run like crap until until the next key cycle.
The P/O told me he never chipped it nor did anything else to it, That is one of the reasons I bought it. I checked it for codes before I bought it and also checked the ignition cycles to see if any indication of trouble had been erased but there were over 500 ignition cycles since the last reset. He told me he had disconnected the batteries for a whole winter when not using the truck. This was before I even mentioned scanning it so I am sure that was the previous reset and he was hiding nothing. So it is either overboosting or the sensor is bad. What is the limit where the code is set? OH, I got hold of the guy with the injectors and he said he sent me the money order back last week. I told him I did not receive it. He said he hopes there are no hard feelings! I mentioned what would he feel if he had 150.00 out on the street for four months and counting, would he harbor hard feelings? I asked if I was going to get the injectors and he said he just doesn't have time to send them out. *********! 6 injectors will fit in a postal mailer envelope that he could send as easily as the money order! I will bet he sold them to someone else for more money. If you ever see a guy named Adam Meadows selling stuff DO NOT TRUST HIM!!!!!!!!.

Rick

 

Well it sounds like you're on the right path and have checked out the right stuff. It also sounds like the PO was being honest too. After looking here http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/FAQ/turbo_faq.htm at what your year truck model should be making for max boost, I think you're over by a couple pounds which could potentially be the reason your throwing an overboost code. Maybe your problem is actually your wastegate? I cant imagine it ever getting out of adjustment since that would be almost impossible but I can imagine the wastegate pressure pod having a leak or the boost hose running to the wastegate pod is cracked or broken or the wastegate sticking and not opening properly. All of which would allow more boost than normal without adding more fueling to increase boost levels. Maybe a thorough inspection of the wastegate is in order? Because if you read the link I sent, it clearly states that any boost over 21 psi on the 215 HP engine will cause the ECM to reducing fueling, thus reduce HP. Check it out.

 

I will check out the thread at lunchtime when I have time to look at it but this may be the problem. Remember I said it is dropping off at higher rpm like it is running out of fuel. It may be just that as the boost gets higher than the fuel supplied.

Rick

 

Read what I said again..... What I linked is not a thread but an informational page about the Cummins Holset turbos and what years produce what amount of boost, etc..... In that page it says that if the boost ever gets over a factory preset limit, the ECM will defuel the engine. This isnt something to take a peak at during lunch but you should give the wastegate a proper look over to find out why you are making 22 psi of boost because you should be making no more than 20 with that year trucks wastegate being preset to open at 20.8.

 

I was going to peek at the article at lunch, actually I read it at break. I am going to hook a regulator to that hose and see when the wastegate starts to open using compressed air. That way I can see and hear what is going on and when. Another thing to consider is that the boost figures I gave came from my scanner which in turn gets the info from the ECM. If the boost sensor is bad I could be reading more than is actually there. I am going to try to find a decent and accurate gauge to hook to the truck to verify the readings. Where is the boost sensor?

Rick