first time towing... NOT thrilled

[GRU]

ok heres my story. ive been building an 89 f250 supercab 4x4 5-sp 7.3 with ATS turbo added on. been working on it over 1.5 years monitoring this site ALOT for info and figuring out what to expect when it got driveable. well that time finally arrived, just got it inspected yesterday, hooked up my trailer and loaded up my trail buggy, a thoroughly built 85 toyota 4runner, and took it for a ride around my area to see how she does. im horribly disappointed. my old 86 with a 460 would blow this out of the water! ive been reading about how nice these motors run and stuff, especially with the turbo. my max egt was only 700 degs, and oddly i registered absolutely no boost at all towing. but playing around empty i could get 5 psi pretty easily. i havent dug into the IP yet, i have a suspicion that it never got turned up when the PO added the turbo. my exhaust is 3" constant radius to beside the transfer case where i split of into dual 3" just ahead of the rear wheels. im towing roughly 7300 lbs, i would think it would do much better than it does. will turning up the IP really make a huge improvement or is this about as good as it gets? if thats the case im looking for a 12v cummins to swap in it... hopefully ill be getting my profile updated and get a nice picture of it on here. shes pretty even if she doesnt tow too well!

 

[Diesel JD]

Well its never going to pull as fast as a 460 and it can't be expected to perform as well as an even slightly modified 12V Cummins. However, if it is that weak something isn't right. If you get no boost with the thing towing something is wrong. It should probably boost closer to 8-10 psi with a load if it maxes out at 5 empty. 700*F loaded egts means you can definitely turn up the fuel quite a bit if your pyrom is pre turbo. They should be closer to 1000-1100 on the hotside with all those goodies you're towing around. What ATS turbo do you have? 085, 088(oldnon wastegated square box) or Ford Factory turbo or the ATS 093 aftermarket? All of this makes a difference. Do you have any smoke? What color? Where is the timing and how was it set? What rear end gears do you have?

 

[Exekiel69]

Like said above, turn up the fuel if the pyro is pre-turbo and if no boost when towing then You have a leak therefore the lack of power (no air for the fuel to burn), is it smoking? also timing is important. There is lots of things You can do to it before condemning it, besides You're only pulling 7300lbs You don't need a C for that.

 

[GRU]

i realized last night laying in bed that i forgot to say it has 4.10s. it also has no smoke at all. as far as the timing goes i honestly have no idea. im a complete noob to these engines. its a good running engine, idles surprising nice and smooth. as far as the turbo goes i believe its the 088. its non gated and has a long rectangular cast aluminum airbox with ATS on the top. i dont mean to jump on here and sound like im blaspheming this motor right off the bat. its just disheartening to have sold my old 460, bought this truck and have put over $8000 into it to make it my dream towing machine and it will barely hold a slight grade in 4th with the pedal matted. im going to turn the pump up hopefully this morning and take it around again since the trailers still hooked up. ill surely post the results. thanks for the replies so far!

 

[Exekiel69]

i realized last night laying in bed that i forgot to say it has 4.10s. it also has no smoke at all. as far as the timing goes i honestly have no idea. im a complete noob to these engines. its a good running engine, idles surprising nice and smooth. as far as the turbo goes i believe its the 088. its non gated and has a long rectangular cast aluminum airbox with ATS on the top. i dont mean to jump on here and sound like im blaspheming this motor right off the bat. its just disheartening to have sold my old 460, bought this truck and have put over $8000 into it to make it my dream towing machine and it will barely hold a slight grade in 4th with the pedal matted. im going to turn the pump up hopefully this morning and take it around again since the trailers still hooked up. ill surely post the results. thanks for the replies so far!

You NEED more fuel then post back.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

I've always said that timing is critical for the IDI's. It often makes the difference between a satisfied owner, or one so frustrated that they'll sell.

My '85 NA will keep up with a 460 with no problem. My 93 w/Banks Sidewinder will leave a 460 in the dust!

 

[hesutton]

No Boost???? EGT's in the 700's Max?

Boost should be much easier to obtain while loading the engine... i.e. towing. Do you have a leak in the exhuast side or the intake side of the turbo.....causing boost loss?

Oh yeah.....YOU NEED MORE FUEL!

Heath

 

[hesutton]

My 93 w/Banks Sidewinder will leave a 460 in the dust!

Yup, the gasser is not even in the same ballpark in my opinion. Come to the rally and Mel will time it and we'll make sure your fuel screw is maxed out!

Heath

 

[JwS]

Yeah, sounds like you need attention to the timing and fuel, not a big investment compared to what you have spent so far, all you need is a timing adapter and some time to tinker. If you are like me, the tinkering is the fun part...
JwS

 

[sle2115]

My na performs better than that...MUCH better! I've towed in excess of 10,000 lbs and while steep hills cause some rowing of the 4 speed, I can drop to 35 MPH and 2nd gear and increase speed. I think problems have been discussed, mine makes no smoke either, without turbo. I'd say more fuel and timing would be a good place to start, and they are not that expensive.

 

[GRU]

well im currently in the process of adjusting the pump. got the plate off and am looking for the allen screw. i know... its not in here on the computer! just was trying to look up some info to see EXACTLY what i was looking for. i just found out about the rally about a week ago, got all excited and told the wife. i got the "well i have to work so... you do what you want to do, have fun" pissy response from her. sucks too cuz thats my birthday weekend! and i hear its pretty freakin booked up. but boy would i like to see all the stuff going on there. especially if mel got his hands on my pump! whoa!.... that didnt really come out quite right....

 

[f-two-fiddy]

!

I dunno how close to other Pa members You are, but I'm sure that one of them could help You get the pump tuned.

As stated, If Your not building boost, You've got a leak. Check that first. Look for soot around Your exhaust connections

 

[GRU]

the allen screw is through the hole at the rearmost "point" of the triangle correct? do you need to use the long end of the wrench to reach it? how difficult should it be to move? as for leaks i dont believe i have any, at least not obvious ones. i know it doesnt take much. the boost gauge has worked fine right up until i put a load on it. just seems funny, like the gauge in F-in up or something. i hate that gauge anyhow... im in western Pa almost to the ohio line a little north of mercer.

 

[ned37]

the allen screw is through the hole at the rearmost "point" of the triangle correct? do you need to use the long end of the wrench to reach it? how difficult should it be to move?

yes and yes. i attach a 1/4 " socket with an extension to the short end of the allen for leverage. it is a locking screw and thus takes a bit of torque to get moving. make sure your first motion is counter clockwise to ensure its not already maxed out, then once you have the feel of how much it takes to turn it. start cranking it clockwise max 2 flats at a time. put the cover back on and before you crank it, slide under the front of the truck and mark the damper to the engine block with chalk so that when you look for it again, you can just slide under with a 15/16 and turn it to your marks. if the screw is not there, then turn the engine til the mark comes up again.
you will prolly be in there several times to get it where you want it.

 

[RLDSL]

I've got 4.10 and an o88 turbo as well and I pull a 10k 5er no problem. I'll keep up with the big trucks in the mountains, can;t ask for any more than that