Truck is an '86 F-350 6.9 with non wastegate Banks setup. Towed my boat with it for the first time this weekend and it was a terrible experience. The truck is pretty slow unloaded, but towing is downright painful. Pulling maybe 5000 lbs-ish or a tad more. I'm used to 460 power and torque in the same truck and this is just terrible. My girl didn't say anything about the truck being slow driving unloaded, probably because even with all the big block torque I'm used to in my other truck I drive pretty conservatively. She noticed while towing and asked if the new truck is really that slow. Sadly it is. I was hoping this thing would redeem itself and not be drastically slower towing.
Things I've observed. Unloaded EGT at 65-70 is around 400*-500* cruising level. Towing it's about 600* cruising at 55-60 MPH. After accelerating wide open after rolling into it gently from a stop up to 55 MPH or so is 900*, and believe me it had a LOT of time to get there. Smoke is grayish, somewhat dark and clearly visible but not at all black. Max boost while accelerating 7-8 psi.
Have a minor exhaust leak, not sure if pre or post turbo as it's tight and I haven't got to finding it yet. I have not notice any change in PSI or when it starts to spool since it developed a minor leak. I want to ensure no leaks though and that I'm getting max psi this turbo will do for me. Aside from leaks, will wrapping the exhaust help or is it a waste of time? Given max EGT I've seen accelerating of 900* should I see if the pump can be turned up any more? Timing is at 9*, and when i set that (it was at 6.5*) it made a huge difference is low end torque. Should I try bumping it to 10*? What else can I do to get more power out of this? I can live with it just being gutless if there's no way around it but it really sucks. Not at a point that I can pull the engine and do studs and spend a few grand on a new turbo setup. Don't have the time or budget for that just yet. Looking for tuning or cheaper/easier improvements to make it tolerable for the time being.
Things I've observed. Unloaded EGT at 65-70 is around 400*-500* cruising level. Towing it's about 600* cruising at 55-60 MPH. After accelerating wide open after rolling into it gently from a stop up to 55 MPH or so is 900*, and believe me it had a LOT of time to get there. Smoke is grayish, somewhat dark and clearly visible but not at all black. Max boost while accelerating 7-8 psi.
Have a minor exhaust leak, not sure if pre or post turbo as it's tight and I haven't got to finding it yet. I have not notice any change in PSI or when it starts to spool since it developed a minor leak. I want to ensure no leaks though and that I'm getting max psi this turbo will do for me. Aside from leaks, will wrapping the exhaust help or is it a waste of time? Given max EGT I've seen accelerating of 900* should I see if the pump can be turned up any more? Timing is at 9*, and when i set that (it was at 6.5*) it made a huge difference is low end torque. Should I try bumping it to 10*? What else can I do to get more power out of this? I can live with it just being gutless if there's no way around it but it really sucks. Not at a point that I can pull the engine and do studs and spend a few grand on a new turbo setup. Don't have the time or budget for that just yet. Looking for tuning or cheaper/easier improvements to make it tolerable for the time being.