Chadillac
Registered User
Yessir, a very good option!
Any suggestions on intercooler models that work with the banks turbo?
Yessir, a very good option!
Just an update. Trans cooler installed. Fuel filter changed, and air filter replaced. The air filter fits really nice in the ram air box. The bracket holding the box on needed to be shimmed so that the filter fits on the turbo correctly. It has a noticeable increase in power. I haven’t towed with it yet because the damn trailer is in the shop again. Trans temps seem to be lower just driving on the freeway so I am hoping for the best. I’ll post the results of towing after I pick up the trailer next week
I thought it might be a good datapoint.After my phone call to Gale Banks, I was instructed to keep it in overdrive, run at normal highway speeds when towing—55 and 65 mph—and keep turbo boost near 10 psi and exhaust temperature near 1000 degrees. That was a hard learning curve to swallow, because those kinds of techniques often lead to quick engine failure. But I was willing to try. What made matters more confusing was that only part throttle was needed to do this.
I made arrangements with Gale Banks Engineering to tow a special trailer that was only 10 pounds lighter than the boat/trailer combination I used in the original test.
By keeping it in overdrive, the engine maintained the much-needed lower rpm, turbo boost got as high as 10.5 psi and exhaust temperature went up to 1050 degrees F, which is about 600 degrees cooler than the exhaust temperature you’d expect of a gasoline engine when under load.
The results were mind-boggling. Everything held together. The vehicle could maintain 55 mph on all the upgrades while using overdrive, but dropped to a low of 50 mph on the six percent grade; that was the only time third gear was needed. On all but the steepest upgrades, speeds could be brought up to 60 and 65 mph. Besides the performance improvement, mountain towing economy went from 9.6 mpg to 13.2 mpg, which was more consistent with previous turbodiesels I have done.
Driving the Gale Banks turbodiesel in a lower gear caused the engine to reach a speed where the governor began to cut in—thus, the engine is rpm limited. Banks’ way of bypassing the governor was to introduce peak torque sooner and produce volumetric efficiency at a low engine speed, as long as the engine can handle a heavy towed load—with the Navistar/Ford diesel, that was possible.