Hi, I'm new to the site... I have a 2006 2500 4x4 Mega Cab 5.9 auto. I have a Airaid Cold air intake and a Magnaflow muffler and I have been running a superchips programmer. I was towing this past weekend with the programmer in tow mode about 14,000-15,000lbs in The Hot AZ weather going up a hill i noticed a loud ticking noise from the engine. got it home reprogramed to stock brought it to my buddy at dodge... I thought i toasted an exhaust valve, he says the tech thinks its a piston. sounds like the motor is junk. my egt's going up the hills stock or programmed is 1500degrees... how can i lower them?? would removing the catalytic converter help? a different intake system? those intake manifolds (banks/ats)?? sounds like i got dodge to warranty it (THANK GOD) i will no longer tow with the programmer but my egt's stock are the same... thanks for any input!!!

 

Sustained 1500*, especially under that load, is very dangerous. You just may well have junked that engine with melted pistons.

Losing the kitty may result in about 100* difference. The intake manifold may not help at all, especially with stock turbo. There are varying opinions about their true usefulness anyway. The quickest, best help is a larger/more efficient turbo. Select one made for towing such as sps 62/12. There are others to consider as well. I would also consider a different programmer/module. Do some research here and ask some questions for guys that regularly tow heavy. For instance, I have a Smarty, and on the program I am running now, (level 3), I can tow about 8k with egts about 100-150* less than stock setting. I run mostly in the mountains too.

Good luck with your truck and in the future, try not to run sustained temps over 1300* just to be safe. I don't feel comfy unless they are 1250* or below, but that is me.

 

Hey mikedevito.

Welcome to the site.

I had concerns about EGT's right off the bat after I installed my gauges and got a bird's eye view/eye opener when towing in the hot desert temps of New Mexico.

I opened up my air inlet by installing a Ice Box Intake, Amsoil 4091 nano filter, Outerwears for additional dust protection and water repellency. I changed my Intake horn to a better flowing horn, I installed the GDP Power Flow - note that these are sold here on the site store, and I did the ME pipe. My total gain/EGT temp decrease was right at 200*. I had been running a Quad STD box using the #2-60hp setting in an attempt at getting better fuel mileage, but found that the added fuel pressure made my EGT's rise too much towing 6% grades at altitude, so I had to shut it off on the grades. Finally I decided to sell it because I really was not reaping what I was seeking in fuel mileage having to shut it off on the grades. After I removed it the one thing I did notice was that my EGT's rose slightly, just a notch on the gauge, but a notch none the less. Since the boost fooling works whether the Quad is on or off, I am now going to just add a boost fooler to my stock truck and see if I can get back the notch lower in EGT temps. To the best of my knowledge from many webites of information, the CAT only has something like 1/2 lb of back pressure in the exhaust system, so removing it is really not beneficial becaue any gain is truly no being seen in EGT's. The ME pipe seems to have made about a 100* lowering difference, and the Ice Box and Power flow has achieved ther rest.

Hope that info help you.

(note-on edit) Another gain that all of this has made has to do with EGT's at shut down time. I have about a 1-1/2 mile dirt road that take me home off the paved roads, it is about a 25-30 mph road. Before doing the mods my EGT's were right at 350* when parking in my driveway, so I had a min or so idling before shut down for them to come down under 300*'s. Now, when I hit my parking spot my EGT's are below the 300* mark buy a good 25*'s and I can just shut down with no significant idling time.

CD

 

With the Diablo Pred, i never really get that hot loaded or unloaded. But that makes me wonder if my pyro is installed correctly

 

A turbo, something like an s300, intercooler and intake and exhaust manifold combo would be nice but that is a lot of cash I just mentioned. Then again it is cheaper than new pistons...

 

Water meth injection would not hurt too!!

 

+1 -Intake and exhaust works wonders for EGT's.

 

replace the stock muffler with a free-er flowing model, or eliminate it.
drop in filter, the box is not restrictive until close to 500hp.
a turbo upgrade is the best way to lower temps.
a good towing turbo will do wonders. and A2K or A3k, II sps62/12 or 14, HTT 62/12 or 14.
water meth should be used with headstuds to keep the head gasket happy.

 

Losing the cat will net you about 50 degrees, but at the cost of an annoying drone.

Losing the stock muffler will net you about 150 degrees.

You may want to try a different programmer. I have a used one for sale in the classifieds.

 

You can do alot to help but I also live here in Az and if your going to pull 14-15gvw in 110 plus its going to get hot stock or slightly modded. Your talking temps coming off the asphalt of 160 plus. Thing just won't cool down easly You also can back off throttle to help you just won't be able to take the 6-7% hill at 65mph.
I may take greef for this oppion of mine but I've seen many guys pulling heavier then I and blow my doors off but I've also seen them at the top of the hill with hood up and over heating or worse. Also can't use the a/c niether add load and strain which = heat.
I'm not saying that what happened to you.We just read alot about this and you know that most of the time it's someone thinking there truck is indistructble and push it a little too much heck easy to do I know I've burnt up a good stock GM truck I had. It was 112 out running air had mild mods pulling 12k fried tranny over heated engine, it happens but I could of back off a little to helped it. Bit I had to do 60-65mph. Alot off people don't know how intense it is here but it will eat any truck is pushed even a little. Just my 2 cents and they aint worth much.