KATOOM

Glad to here Moparmom is doing OK... Most people have life backwards. Health is everything, not all the crap we collect throughout life. As for wood, well I'm kinda concerned because at this rate I'm guessing the forest will be shut down to fire wood cutting simply because of the ongoing fires and the aftermath of those fires. Not to get political either but environmentalists are already trying to hobble the fire clean up in Napa Valley and probably up here too. They're claiming that all the burnt material is dangerous and must be cleaned up following hazmat guidelines. You all know what that means...

I recently purchased a blanket for my stock HX35. FYI, the only place that makes one for the wastegated HX35 is https://thermalzero.com The family decided to take a trip to the coast to get out of the smoke so this was my chance to see how it worked. Because most of the western side of America is up in flames, the only way we could get to the ocean was up into Oregon and down hwy 199, as everything else was closed... Not a big deal but this meant that I was forced to drive up the long summit I-5 grade by Mt Ashland. I'm not sure how high this pull is...but its certainly a long pull and feel like you're driving uphill forever. Thankfully though, we drove there at night when the weather temperatures were in the 80's - 90's. But we drove home in the middle of the afternoon when weather was really hot and very smokey. Some portions of the roadway were even hard to navigate at night due to the thick smokey air. Anyways, what I was really curious to find was how the EGT's worked out with the new turbo blanket, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I would guesstimate a 100* - 150* drop in EGT's under normal conditions. Matter of fact, at first I was almost second guessing my pyro since my towing EGT's have never been 700* - 750* with a 14k house behind me. Of flat ground, but yes that was accurate numbers. Overall EGT's were cooler too but when I was hammer down on the hills the EGT's would eventually climb and max out at 1250* if I held the peddle long enough, but that would be expected. And in talking about EGT's and towing capacity, I'm not in denial in knowing that my overall gearing and lack of available gears is always going to be the biggest problem for me and towing heavy. If this truck had one more gear between 3rd and 4th (I.e, the 5600) it would be much better.....but if it had two more gears it would absolutely be unstoppable. With 285 tires, 3:54 gears, and the limitations of available gears in the 4500 transmission means running hills and hoping for the best. Although, if the grade is not to outrageously steep and I can stay on top of the turbo then I'm safe to hold the throttle hard as long as the engine temp stays in check. Sometimes if the weather is hot enough and the hill is long enough then dropping to 3rd is needed which means crawling along at 40 mph until I get to a point where I can shift again and the road is flat enough that I dont wrap the pyro needle trying to speed up. This 5th wheel is frigging heavy and sometimes feels like I'm dragging it along instead of rolling on tires. If I was sensible and had a trailer about 5k pounds lighter then this truck could probably pull vertically... That said, here's a situation I was puzzled by... Coming home, the drive between Medford to the beginning of the Ashland grade is all slightly uphill. Therefore the 30 miles prior to the long pull up the mountain gets everything hot and toasty before even getting to the steep part. So coming up on the grade I was hammering down at about 65 mph getting a good run at it so I can pull steady at about 55 mph. But there was this unaware driver in a Tahoe who was cluelessly in the slow lane and got in my way. Forcing me to go around him, I was busy paying attention to other traffic so I didnt cause a problem... I looked down and saw that my EGT's were 1250* and my engine temp was close to far right normal on the dash gauge (225*). I let up but strangely the engine temps didnt want to come back down more than a needles width and held there instead of cooling down to the normal 210* range while pulling hills in 3rd gear. EGT's were maintaining about 1000* too so definitely engine temps should have dropped back down. Everything is so loud at that point but I swear I wasnt hearing the engine fan roar as loud as it normally does under those situations which makes me wonder if it hadnt locked up like it should have. Instead of letting up on the throttle anymore for fear of blocking traffic, I watched the engine temps closely and held it in 3rd gear pulling all the way to the summit with temperatures hotter than I like. I thought was even starting to smell what I thought was hot oil from under the hood, but not sure if it was me or other vehicles... Eventually making it to the summit, I came down hill and pulled off at the nearest rest stop to see how everything was. Looking around all seemed fine, and even checking with a laser temp gun, everything was strangely doing well. Even the oil temp was around 190* in the pan and filter, which surprised me the most. But here's where I thought I was loosing my mind. From that point on I felt that my engine temperatures would climb faster than normal on short hill climbs on the way home. Nothing terrible either so I was probably more paranoid than anything, but it still bothered me. If its ever does anything like this again then I know its the clutch fan and will be replacing it... Sorry, I kinda got off track there but nonetheless the turbo blanket was a success and I would consider it worth the money.

Just to be clear on my "overfilled" statement..... The 4500 holds 4.25 qts. The Fastcoolers hold 1 qt per side. Therefore I have about 1/2 to 3/4 of a qt in there overfilled. The way I read what I posted was 7 qts overfilled and I dont want anyone to think I'm running almost 2 gallons overfilled. I'd edit it but no longer can...

14k - 15k toy hauler, depending on how much I have packed in it and whats in the tanks. I agree with Moparman in that anyone concerned should invest in a temperature gauge just to understand whats happening at all times. But that said, if you tow only in 4th gear you'll never have a heat problem.

You're wifes going to be upset you cut up the tablecloth...

I have Fastcoolers on my 4500 and overfilled with about 7 quarts of OEM SyntorqLT. My empty driving temps will generally run in the 120-170* range depending on the ambient temperature and how fast I'm driving. Remember, running in OD (5th gear) will always build more heat simply because of the ratio reduction. You cant get away from that. But driving in 1:1 (4th gear) will result in the coolest temps possible since power runs straight through in and out and very little heat is generated. Towing my 5th wheel the transmission will run in the 150-185* range depending on the ambient temperature. But if I have to pull and long grades in 3rd gear then the temperature can climb, eventually reaching 200-210* if I hold that gear long enough and its hot enough outside. That said... I do NOT tow in 5th gear unless its something lightweight like a rowboat or small trailer. The heat placed on the 5th gear is too great and the stress on the engine and drivetrain is obvious. I'm in no hurry so... As for the temperature readings and where the sensor is located, I've confirmed with a laser temp tool that the iron transmission housing is the same temperature as what the gauge is reading, as is the aluminum Fastcooler. That tells me that the fluid is moving about and mixing at too fast of a pace for there to be any significant temperature differences from whatever level the sensor is located. The ONLY place the oil could be hotter is in the small areas between the gears and bearings under the most load...but that something you'll never be able to monitor. Simply taking the overall temperature as a running condition average based on load is all you can do. Lastly, what I also discovered when first monitoring my transmission temperatures years ago was the fact that the hot neighboring 900*+ exhaust pipe on long hot pulls can and will heat up the transmission fluid temperature merely through radiant heat transfer. So I blanketed the exhaust (not wrapped) with 6 feet of blanketing and the temperature interference is no longer a problem. Here's some pictures of what I did and what it looks like.

Here's Donaldson's catalog. Donaldson catalog.pdf

I'm a conspiracy theorist at heart.....but still try to live objectively in the real world and keep my head above the garbage. Although I do believe there's evil out there lurking about and constantly bidding for our attention.

So you're thinking that one or the other isnt as accurate? Have you tried swapping the connections and seeing if you get the same results?

I want to know too.....

He who askith the question in the first place... But I'm curious about the dual pyrometer set up you have. Whats differences in temp do you see from the back three to the front three?

Sounds like you really need to get your truck on a dyno and report back with some findings.

That brings up an important issue CA is facing... Because of the massive NAPA fire last year which wiped out most of that area and vineyards, PG&E was sued for millions because its was claimed that their infrastructure sparking was the cause of the disaster. Was this the real cause?...I'd say no since I clearly remember officials catching a couple people they believed to have started the fires. But money is where the blame goes so PG&E must pay up. That said, now PG&E has a new policy whereby they shut down the grid where there's a fire and the neighboring areas so that the electrified infrastructure is no longer an issue. But.....that means that no one can protect their homes with water since most people have wells that are powered from the grid. This has already been an issue.....

I dont have the dyno numbers you're after since I've never seen anyone do a run with and without air filter. But nonetheless, I really cant imagine what benefit you'd get since most BHAF's are rated between 500-800 CFM. Thats not me preaching about running without an air filter either but simply making the point that if your boost numbers are better with the filter off then you clearly have a CFM restriction. But if boost is the same with the filter in place, EGT's are the same, and the exhaust color is the same,.....then you could assess that the BHAF isnt causing any power loss. That said, if you have the filter minder in place or the ability to utilize one then you'd know in a hurry if the air filter was restrictive since the vacuum would suck the minder down immediately.

When I installed my adjustable track bar I hung weights off the front fenders with tape and string. The weights were positioned so that they indicated the alignment of the axle to the left or the right. This allowed me to center it and then correct the steering wheel if necessary. You'd be surprised how far to the side the track bar will pull the axle with just a 2" leveling kit.

Good question... Is it a combination of random accidents and arson, or spontaneous combustion? I think its of the first two, but more leaning towards the later of both. You cant make me believe that someone's not lighting all these fires.

I'm sure most of you arent paying attention since its not where you live.....but northern CA is up in flames once again. This time its horrific too. Hwy 299 has been shut down and the city of Redding and neighboring areas are literally engulfed in what they're describing as fire tornadoes. Whiskeytown Lake lost 40 boats that were parked at the docks. I understand FEMA is on their way too...

Also, dont turn the steering wheel while the trucks not rolling and make sure the alignment is good. The amount of stress that places on steering/suspension components is huge.....

Fuel to the VP but nothing coming out is either a bad fuel relay, bad connection at the VP, or the VP has quit. If you had electrical problems with the batteries then I'd confirm everything is working correctly before buying a new VP. That said, if you do have to replace it, you might want to reconsider the dealer doing it because the VP's they get may or may not be of the upgraded versions. If you have a friend who's mechanically able, you could use their help.

Pictures...?

I have the Solid Steel track bar adjustable version. I went round and round with them about fitment issues because I couldnt get the bar to fit without forcing things together. Very in depth conversation with them and they were eager to help too. Even sent me a revised version with a new bend to hopefully solve the problem. But unfortunately it still doesn't fit as good as it should. But that said, they also sent my enough rubber bushings to change them out a couple times if they wear uneven. All I care about is it works...

Understand that every time you loosen or remove any fuel system fitting or part of, you remove any existing prime and introduce air. Unknowing of this can cause you to chase your tail. Assure fuel to the VP and then follow what dripley said. If there's a good amount of fuel exiting the loose injector line nuts at the head then it should start. Lastly, weak or bad batteries will cause a slow cranking engine which will not start or not start easily. Dont run weak or bad batteries...

Someday in the sometime future I'll be looking at whats in my fuel tank too since I have to drop my tank because my gauge has been reading full for the past year... Just havent felt like going through the effort since I found I can drive by the odometer.

I was a good try but I honestly dont think this would work.

Unfortunately you're going to have to... But just imagine what you'll be able to do after you have one.