Blackcuda

Hey Apache,I called Hamilton Cam's, nice people and not afraid to talk to you about what you want to do with the truck.Went with the 188 / 220, 109.25 LSA, .310" / .320" cam.After doing a google search on BB Turbo's I noticed you have installed a Garrett PowerMax.I would love to talk to you about it to see if you are still happy and any advice you could pass along would be great!If you dont feel like typing a bunch of stuff I can PM you my Phone number or if you like maybe we should start a new thread aboout it? Just let me know what works best for you.Thanks

I didn't knock out the pistons before I took the engine to the machine shop. Between when he was available / dodging rain / borrowing a truck I didnt have time.However once at the shop they found the top ring was broken on every cylinder but #3.He said by the looks of the ring land on the pistons they have been broken for a while.I am going to assume it is my own fault for choosing to buy the programmer before I invested in an EGT gauge and then towing with the tune installed.If anyone is interested I had the Diablo sport with Power Puck combo.I assumed it would be safe on the "Tow Tune" but will not leave anything to chance in the future (EGT gauge installed now).Also all of the bearings (rod and main) looked brand new and the crank is fine.The shop is going to call after they bore it to let me know how far they had to go. I am looking at this as a chance to build it back the way I want. So I will start a new thread to cover the build.

I have also heard bad things about the K&N on a diesel.My question is what about the other brands such as AFE or S&B that use an oiled filter element.Do they have the same issues as K&N?

Wild and Free,I haven't knocked the pistons out yet but when I do I will snap so more pictures.If you think of anything else just let me know.Also to anyone who has not yet had the pleasure of pulling a Cummins "B" engine from a Dodge Truck it is a ton of work. It took two days to get the engine out of the truck and a third day to strip the engine down once it was on the stand.

Sorry for the multiple posts but I was unclear whether all the pics would upload at once.I will be taking the engine to the machine shop my next day off. Every Cylinder except for #3 is scratched and or gouged mostly on the drivers side.I hope the block has enough material in it to bore the damage out.At this point I think either: A) the previous owner neglected / abused the truck before I bought it? (It had around 60k when I purchased it)B) maybe the ring gap was tight from the factory and when I put the programmer on the truck the extra heat caused the rings to expand enough to dig into the cylinder wall?If anyone notices anything from these pictures please let me know what you think.Thanks!

Here are some pictures of what the engine looked like once the head was removed.

Yes it is a 'Cuda. With the last setup (smaller engine) it ran high 9's in the 1/4.I am hoping it will go a little faster this year

I work in Aviation and travel for work but when I can I enjoy Fishing, Water Fowling , Trail Riding, Camping, Muscle Cars / Drag Racing and Home Brewing

I am not sure what years are included but some (maybe all?) have a check ball that is designed to keep the tq converter from draining back fluid so it is not dry at start up. It is common to remove this check ball the logic being first it will allow more fluid flow to the cooler but more importantly removing the possibility of the check ball sticking shut and burning up the transmission.

A quick update for those that are following. We had a break in the weather Sunday so I started tearing the engine down. I did not get as far as I would have liked but managed to get the exhaust manifold / turbo, intake / heater and valve cover removed. I expected to see some obvious sign looking into the intake and exhaust ports but found nothing alarming. So I will be removing the head next and will post what I find. I am traveling to SFO for work this next week so it may be some time before I get back on the truck but I will update when I do.

John, thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us.[TABLE=width: 713][TR][TD][TABLE=width: 713][TR][TD]Once I get the truck rolling again I will be looking hard at the UDC.[/TD][/TR][/TABLE][/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

I also have the CTS monitor. The price scared me away at first. Then after I considered how much individual mechanical gauges would cost and also where to mount them all while trying to keep a neat / factory like appearance I bit the bullet.I also sprung for the Turbo Cool Down Timer and picked up an inexpensive backup camera off Amazon.I have had them all installed on the truck about 8 months and have been pleased with the Edge product so far.

Not wanting to offend anyone here but I have never been a fan of Rotella.I always ran the Mobile Delvac in my 1995 12 valve but have been using the Valvoline Turbo Blue in my 2004.5.I could switch it over to the Delvac just to see?

Yeah I copy what you are saying about the compression test.If all goes well I plan to start taking things apart this weekend and see what I can find.I have just had way too much going on the past few weeks to start.Lucky for me I still have my old Jeep to drive while I figure out what is going on with the truck.

Any updates on this? Just wondering since my truck is consuming oil too.