Diesel upgrades and tuning
 

I have a 2001 GMC 4x4 diesel dually with 175,000 miles that runs good . Last year I removed the muffler and replaced it with a straight pipe . A little more sound and not obnoxious . Yesterday I added an S&B cold air intake haven't driven it enough to say if it helps .

Next I am going to add a lift pump , the Duramax doesn't have one from the factory . Everyone I have talked to said it is a very good addition to help the CP3 pump and injectors . If you believe internet forums/comments what I have done and will do with the lift pump will add 20-30 hp and near 50 ft lbs torque .

Which brings me to tuning . I am not looking to race or roll coal , I am just trying to add a little more power while maintaining drivability/economy and longevity . As an example I have looked at Edge CS2 programmer . For $300.00 it provides 4 - 5 tunes and many gauges to monitor a variety of parameters .

Most of the diesel forums love EFI Live but it's around $800.00+ . I think it would be overkill for what I want . So for you guys running tunes with slightly modified accessories what are you using ? Is my plan heading in the right direction ? I do want to keep in mind I don't want to kill the transmission . Curious what others have to say .

My 04 Excursion has the hated 6.0L diesel, but the previous owner changed the coolant, properly flushed the system, deleted the EGR, and replaced the oil cooler, so other than studding it, and changing head gaskets, it has been bullet proofed.

I have a 40 HP FICM tune (not a tuner), I have added a blue spring mod which increases the fuel pressure, and also saves injectors from pre-mature failure. I still run the stock exhaust, but have a K&N drop in filter.

The only weak link is the injectors on your LB7. Other then that, its pretty bomb proof. They just kept chugging along.

I have an LBZ. The lift pump doesn't increase HP (I personally don't think so?) but it does take a load off the CP3. When I bought my truck, injectors and CP3 had been replaced in Montana while the owner was travailing from LA. I got itchy couple years ago and bought an Edge turner. I am a real sucker for power and those bastards:D at the diesel shop sold me within the first 5 min of riding in one of their customer's truck. A stock truck that has a Edge tune. Way I see it, get the best and never look back so I bought the Edge CTS2. It was fun for about 2 weeks passing all kinds of cars on the fwy with little effort. I didn't want to tear up my beautiful Allison tranny so I put everything back to stock because I have a lead foot that I can not control. Stock is more then fast enough (I kept telling myself). I go through these large mt pass here in CA with a full load and it never slowed down. Figure stock will give me many reliable miles out of this engine.

We have the same HP (stock) but I have almost 100 more tq then you so that maks daily driving a bit easier or a little more fun. If HP is what you are after as a normal driver the Edge is plenty of fun since you have different settings. Banks stuff is good too. I am interested on your opinion on the intake. I know diesel responds to intake and exhaust well. I am thinking Banks product but that's long way from now. I have no more itch to scratch now on that truck. Keeping busy with a 3 gen 4 runner for my kid. He's working with me changing out the entire suspension, shocks (I love billstein shocks) and coils, rubber parts along with rad, hoses, belts and all the while we are in there bs. I know those truck pretty well, so no struggle having to learn new things there.

Did you finally get that Kennedy lift pump?

Edge here , Overall , pretty happy with it . I get the best fuel economy on tune 3, and the thing is pretty fast on that setting. I usually putt around town in economy mode, which is the first tune .
I booted it one time on the highest setting, , and it was pretty impressive, but like you, this is my work truck, and I want it to last a long time

I am told highest setting yield the best MPG, but not sure if I understand why? Again, I don't know diesel well enough to believe that. I have it on economy for months, and saw no real difference still in economy, it has a little bump on HP but not much that I can tell.

I drove the truck today for a good bit and I believe the cold air kit has added some power . It seems to respond quicker and pull harder . I couldn't detect any additional intake noise .

I was ready to purchase the Kennedy lift pump but then found out about the Fass Duramax enhancer pump . Unlike a full Fass system with dual filters the " enhancer " is just a pump . I already have a filter head so not an issue . Now I have to make up my mind on Fass or Kennedy .

I have read many comments that echo your statement about good mileage on setting # 3 . Setting 3 supposedly gains around 100 ft lbs of torque and about 50-60 hp. Which Edge programmer do you have ? The CS2 has a 2.4 inch screen and you have to pull the radio fuse to make program changes . The CTS2 is a 5" touch screen with " change on the fly " ability .

Damn, now you got me thinking about installing that EDGE back on there. I see a consistent 17 mpg on the hwy going 75-80mph. 285, 17 inch tire, completely stock, empty or not, makes little difference.

Leave it stock. You have a good truck that makes good power and will last for 500K or more. My .02

Now - a - days, living in California, I really see no reason to buy a new Diesel. I guess if I was pulling big heavy trailers everyday I might think differently.

Steve

Not sure what a S&B cold air intake is but everyone I've ever seen has a K&N type cone filter and eliminates the stock air box...is that correct?

The absolute fastest way to kill a good diesel is to put crap filtration on the intake, (such as a K&N), and/or put a tuner on it that adds stress and heat to the engine. It's been proven so many times just in my own first hand observation that I've lost count.

I made a small cottage industry at one time buying "dusted" diesel trucks that someone had put "cold air" intakes on and sucked in dirt, destroying the seal between the rings and cylinder walls. Modern diesel PU trucks run somewhere around 400 psi of cylinder compression stock and when it drops due to improper maintenance, all of the crap tuners on earth won't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

That's where I came in, buying cheap and rebuilding, with proper filtration restored, of course. My 1999 Ford Power Stroke, (and every other Super Duty diesel ever made), has cold air intake from the factory. There is a huge snorkel coming off the air box to the front grille. Every aftermarket crap intake I've seen sucks hot air from under the hood and eliminates the stock airbag and snorkel. Also, if you do not somehow preserve the factory IAT sensor, (intake air temp inside of air box), the ECU thinks that it's 20 below zero outside all the time and you have a rich mixture w terrible performance and fuel economy.

Seriously, designing an adequate air filter and box is probably the least challenging thing the engineers had to do when they designed your truck. There is no government regulation or design restriction interfering w putting a sufficient size filter in the flows enough air. K&N uses bigger hole in an oiled, crap filter and they are snake oil, end of story. They are handy in the rare instances that a modified or antique engine needs some minimal filtration and a good stock solution doesn't exist but on a modern diesel, which always have excellent filtration, they are extremely unwise. That's not just my internet opinion, it's documented well. Use the mouse on your computer. :cool:

Living in any state, at any time, there has never been a reason to buy a new diesel PU truck unless you need the towing capacity. They are very expensive.

There's need and want. I have no reason to own a truck anymore but dangit, I want a truck. Its super handy to have. Borrow or rent is a PITA.

I would get the edge. Efi live would be over kill for that truck/what you plan to do with it.
I have a mm3 in my cummins and it's the same principal as efi live, but honestly it's a pos. I would prefer hard wired tunes that don't require a bunch of electronics that will break.

S&B is a company based out of California and all of their intake systems are 50 state approved . That is one of the reasons I purchased from them . Another reason was I called a local and highly respected diesel shop and they only install/recommend S&B .

The OEM air box at least on my 2001 only pulled air through a small slot in the inner fender , no way was it ideal . The new air box draws air through that same slot AND a large opening at the bottom of the box . That bottom opening draws in air flowing under the vehicle .

The tube from the air box to the turbo horn is larger in diameter and smoother , the OEM had this funky corrugated section to make a turn again not ideal for flow . My system only has a MAF sensor and the aftermarket system retains that . All boots are silicone .

The filter element: S&B offers two types one being a dry throw away the other a cotton reusable oil type . I chose to go with the oil type and will maintain per instructions . I can always switch to the dry type and I give S&B credit for supplying both part numbers with the kit .

Appreciate all the feedback it is helpful . My next step will be the lift pump , hope to buy that in the next few weeks .

Hey guys a small update . I am still deciding on which lift pump but today I ordered a boost valve and turbo intake elbow . Both are inexpensive additions that " should " add a little bit of power . The boost valve supposedly adds a little more boost before sending excess to the controller valve and the inlet elbow is larger in diameter than stock and a smooth mandrel bend . In theory the elbow alone is worth 15-25 hp .

Other than the lift pump for now that will be the end of any performance additions . I don't want to kill my transmission and I don't race the truck :rolleyes: . Will I add some tunes in the future ? Maybe but for now I think I'll dress the old gal up with some new wheels/tires and just keep running her :D

I have an 09 Duramax drivetrain in my 07 3/4 Suburban. Chipped, air cleaner, and Airdog lift pump. It’s supposed to be 450 hp at wheels and around 900 FPT. Love it.

Hey guys ............ I was a bad boy :( today and ordered this power module . No I haven't ordered a lift pump yet :eek: but I will . Today was just a rainy miserable day so decided to do some surfing . Came across this module and for the sale price really couldn't resist :D . I like the idea that it is plug and play and doesn't affect the ECM , it just plugs into existing OEM harness connectors under the hood .

I chatted with them for a while , the guy at first didn't think this was adjustable . When I pointed out the harness pics on their website show an adjustment knob/harness he said it is adjustable . I guess I will see when it shows up . It doesn't change any transmission parameters/settings so stock shift points will be retained .

I will provide an update after I have installed it and played around with it to see what I think . Here is the link:

https://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/431005/

I often wonder if a larger exhaust will help with power and mpg? I hear they do, but my truck is still stock, doesn't make any special noise which I actually like. I suppose I can deal with a tiny bit more noise if it gets me couple more miles per gallon.

I have a 2008 F250 with the 6.4. I deleted the DPF, cat, and have disabled the EGR via tune. Tuning is via an H&S Mini Max Race tuner and I run a tow tune which is pretty conservative. I picked up another 5 MPG on the highway and ended up with a much more responsive and enjoyable truck, while also eliminating the EGR and DPF systems that cause most of the issues with this motor. I’ve put on about 20k miles in 1.5 years, probably 1/3 of it towing, and the truck has been bulletproof. It tows my 32’ and about 10,000 lbs of boat and trailer with ease. After installing a double DIN touchscreen head unit and backup camera I have no reason to care about buying a new one. I also installed Bilstein 5100s which made a huge difference.

Diesels tend to respond very well to intake and exhaust mods . Mine is stock 3.5" diameter with no cat from the factory . Last year I removed the muffler and welded in a muffler delete pipe . That added some punch that could be felt without being annoying . It has a good growl under heavy acceleration but sounds stock around town .

Onewhippedpuppy my truck is a 2001 so I don't have any of the items you eliminated but I understand why you did . By modern diesel technology mine is quite simple . Not the most powerful but I am ok with that . Stock mine is 300 hp and 520 lb ft of torque .

With the minor mods I have already done and adding this tuner module if I am in the ballpark of 350-375 hp and 600 lb ft of torque I will be very happy . Those should be reasonable to achieve and be transmission friendly .

I don't tow as much weight as you , at the moment just a 14' boat . My truck camper is around 2700-2800 lbs. so not that much to haul . But a little extra power never hurts 😁 . Good luck with yours .

2001 Excursion with the 7.3 it has a TS Performance chip installed by previous owner other than that its stock and leaving it that way.

When I had my '03 PSD, 7.3L, it had the factory air filter & muffler. Some of the first things I did was install the heavy duty air filter commonly used in mining country in Canada & a Walker Big Truck muffler. The muffler improved exhaust flow & the air filter supposedly did a superior job of filtration. I was happy enough with that since one thing I wanted was to do things to make it last as long as possible (plus adding a by pass oil filter). It did everything I wanted of it, but I wasn't interested in more acceleration or hp.

I have a 5" straight pipe out of the turbo on my 6.0 Superduty. I definitely helped with the performance. The sound was cool for the first month... But that drone on long trips gets to me after awhile. Might end up going back to a muffler.

My 6.4 has a stock diameter straight pipe in place of the cat and DPF, with a stock catback muffler section. It has a distinct diesel tone at idle but is not obnoxious, and has a great tone under acceleration and no drone at cruise. It’s basically what diesels sounded like before they were neutered by emissions nonsense. :)

Hey guys so today I attempted to install the plug and play power module . After removing a few items to gain access I attempted to plug in the pair of connectors to the MAP sensor . It was a perfect fit on the sensor but the plug going to the OEM connector would not ☹️ .

After a few phone calls and emails with pics the vendor admitted their harness had a wrong connector installed . So they are assembling a new harness and will overnight it when completed . I had to put everything back together so I can use my truck . I was bummed but crap happens and I am over it .

I bet you'll be surprised how good it runs. My tuned 6.4 was faster than my old LB7, but not by much .

Fred if this device works as advertised it will add 20hp on the lowest setting and 100 at the highest . But more importantly for every 1hp gain it supposedly adds 1.8 ft lbs of torque . So at the highest level it will add 180 ft lbs of torque to the stock 520 for 700 total ! I wouldn't run much at the high setting but we will see what the butt dyno say's 😁

What about improving the brakes to match the supposed extra power?
In the UK your insurers would insist on that, and if you haven't told them of the engine modification then you basically have no insurance.
Successful chip tuning here is generally done on a rolling road.

A few months ago I had new front brake rotors replaced along with heavy duty ceramic pads. Seeing that it is a one ton diesel dually 4x4 with extended cab it came from the factory with a heavy duty brake system . So keeping it in good working order is sufficient .

Plenty of brakes there bone stock,

Having more torque doesn't mean that you are going to drive the truck faster. It isn't a Subaru WRX with a nitrous tank.

I sure hope that you have auxiliary gauges, (boost/EGT/trans temp), and pay attention to them. Especially EGTs. More power=more heat, period. There is no escaping the laws of physics or thermodynamics.

The heat can be managed but if not, *BOOM* :eek:

Hey Vinny, I have a stock 6.0 down pipe in clean condition that I will ship to you if you need it. Just wound up in my parts collection somehow. :)

I'd love one of those new, "neutered by emissions nonsense" pickup trucks w ~1000 lbs/ft of torque @ 1800 rpm and a full warranty, bone stock off the showroom floor, thank you. :)

I am not looking to drive faster , it's a 7500 lb beast not a sports car . When I have 4000 lbs of gravel in the bed I want some more power . When I am hauling my 2700 lb truck camper and boat or car trailer I want some more power .

Nothing crazy just a little bit more . As far as gauges from the factory it has engine and transmission temp so good there. I want to add EGT at some point . Maybe a boost gauge . I have been driving her stock for 75000 miles it's time to kick it up a notch 😁

Hey guys I am still waiting on the new harness :( with no date given . But today I ordered a lift pump kit from Kennedy Diesel . I did a lot of research and his single pump kit is an easy install , super quiet and enough PSI/volume to support 500 + hp at the wheels which is much more than I will ever have . Years ago I purchased from NAPA an aftermarket fuel filter mount with a NAPA filter . So I will marry the lift pump to the extra filter housing and will be running the stock filter also so two filters total .

I am planning on removing my truck bed and replacing with a metal flat bed I bought a while back . When the bed is off it should make the lift pump/extra filter easy to install . We shall see :D

If you are towin heavy , yes, gotta watch your gauges . My egts climb pretty fast with a heavy load, in higher tunes. Most tuners are set up so that you set an alarm at a pre set temp.
I set mine to go off at 1050, just so that I start paying attention at that point
Lugging it in higher gears , really makes the temps come up fast . Just downshifting out of OD and keeping the revs up , will usually drop temps fast, so will pulling your foot out of it

Agree completely with Fred.

I have always completed avoided tuning the Powerstrokes I have had, a 6.0 Excursion and my current 6.7 F350. I am concerned about longevity and I tow heavy loads here in the mountains which can create some pretty high temps.