I have a 2013 3500 deleted and recently fried my stock exhaust manifold while towing my 19k lb 5th wheel. I installed a two piece B&D manifold and a CTS3 monitor to prevent the same problem. This 6.7 runs a lot hotter than my old 5.9 that I was accustomed to and am wondering what everyone else sets their limits to and what they are watching for with their EGTs. I towed the 5th wheel last weekend and it was running 1200 and 1300 on small uphill and would jump to 1500 without even trying on the larger hills. I kept the temp down to 1250 and 1300 as much as possible but it seemed to be running best at those temps. I have the tune set at #1 which is 30hp over stock and the truck wants to just go but the EGTs are worrying me a bit. Any experience or knowledge would be great Thanks


2013 6.7 deleted, EFI live, stock air box with K&N filter, 35'tires and a leveling kit. 4" straight exhaust, B&D exhaust manifold and Edge CTS 3 monitor with EGT probe in the manifold collector

 

Dirty-Dodge:

First of all, Welcome To The DTR! Glad to have you as a member Sir.

Let me see if I can help you with your questions. For many years, the "unwritten rule" regarding EGT's on our trucks was keep the temperatures at NO MORE THAN 1,300 degrees if your pyrometer probe was in the MANIFOLD and NO MORE THAN 1,000 degrees if the pyrometer probe was in the exhaust manifold. As I recall, your 2013 has the electronic probes after the turbo, and the CTS is picking your temps up from those probes unless you changed that somehow. In my opinion, the EGT's you reported are higher than they should be, although the engine can take "short spikes" without damage but continuous high EGT's will do damage to the engine Sir, especially to the cylinder heads and valves. I have personally experienced this on my trucks.

If you want to keep what you have for the power gains, I would highly recommend water injection to you. I have had it on my 1996 Dodge CTD 12 valve for over ten (10) years and the results are excellent. I also had a small system on a 2007 Dodge CTD CR and it made a huge difference on that truck too. DTR had a VERY long thread about water injection on our trucks and I will get the link up here for you.

I hope this has helped you some. Good luck Sir.

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John_P

 

Dirty-Dodge:

Here is the link for you on the water injection thread:

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...ection-248415/

 

Thanks for the reply. I agree with all of the information about the rule of thumb as it held true to my 99 24v cummins that I ran for over 16 years. Just for a little clarification this 13 does not come with a factory pyrometer probe so I added one for the CTS in the manifold as stated above. I definitely am looking into water injection as the programmer is very tame and I still have the higher EGTs and also looking into a different turbo that could possibly help cool things down a bit too. For now I will have to take the larger hills at a snails pace to keep things at a reasonable temperature as I can hit 1300 on flat ground. Thanks again and if anyone else has more info on the 2013 and up 6.7 temps I would like to hear.

 

You are very welcome on the reply Sir!

My apologies on the error I made concerning the factory pyrometer probes. But at least you installed one in the manifold which in my opinion is the best way to make sure the readings are accurate.
Good luck with your truck and as you said, you will have to "keep an eye" on the EGT's as you travel.

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John_P

 

Have you tried downshifting to increase rpm? Should dramatically lower EGTs

 

Hi Yes I do and have but this 6.7 does not react like my old 5.9. I could grab a gear and maintain 1100 on the pyrometer with the old 5.9 but this 6.7 will spike up to 1400 and then keep climbing if I don't back out after a downshift. I have added a Banks monster ram and a water methanol kit so I can stay in the throttle a bit longer now and sit at 1300. I plan a turbo upgrade next year and that will further help lowering the EGT. I found on an ATS page that they are running at 1400-1450 with the pedal mashed and aren't concerned But I am still at the belief that aluminum melts at 1350 so anything around that temp prolonged is bad. My old 5.9 had an aroura 300 turbo, high ram air elbow, K&N cold air intake and 4" exhaust running 100hp injectors and a 50hp tune I could pull any hill at 55mph fully loaded and never go above 1150 with that set up so maybe if I run a similar set up on the 6.7 I can get similar results

 

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Dirty-Dodge:

I agree with you 100% on the EGT's running at 1400-1500 degrees and hurting the aluminum parts in our Cummins Engines! I saw it VERY clearly on the rebuilds of my two (2) 5.9 Cummins. Like you, I am now running a VERY efficient water injection system and no longer have any of those issues.

 

With EGTs on your 2013 6.7 Cummins, here are some common guidelines and things to watch for:

EGT Limits for Towing: Most people try to keep EGTs under 1250°F when towing. Brief spikes up to 1300-1350°F are common, but staying above 1250°F for long periods can cause issues over time.

Absolute Max: 1500°F is usually seen as the “red line” for EGTs. Going above that, even briefly, can risk damage, especially if it's sustained. Keeping your temps under 1300°F, as you did, is a safer approach.

Throttle Control: You may want to ease up on the throttle during long or steep hills to keep the EGTs lower. Letting the truck hold back a bit on hills can help bring temps down.

Tuning and Airflow: Since you’re running a tune, even at 30hp over stock, the extra fuel can add heat. If you want lower EGTs, reducing the tune a bit can help, or consider adding more airflow like a larger intake or turbo upgrades to keep temps down.

Monitor on Long Uphills: On extended uphill pulls, keep an eye on the CTS3 and back off if you see temps climbing. The B&D manifold is a good start, and monitoring should help avoid damage going forward.

Staying aware of these ranges and making small adjustments should help keep your EGTs in a safer zone.