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.

I have had and rode many through the years. I started on 3-wheelers a Honda 110, then a Honda 185s then a 250R. Then I had a dirt bike phase, a RM125 and then RM250 that was fully modded.After a couple of crashes I went to 4-wheelers.I had 3 different Yamaha Banshee's the last one being an absolute beast!.Now like some of you I am married with kids to think about so I currently have a Grizzly.Here is a pic of the Grizz with the new tires I got for hunting season...

I have been reading bits and pieces about how the common rail engines have this so called “internal EGR” due to the way the camshaft is ground. People say this is one of the reasons the newer trucks don’t get the same MPG as the old. I can attest that my 1995 1-ton dually with the 12v and NV4500 would get as high as 20 mpg and 22 mpg if I kept the speed below 60 mph. With my 2004.5 3/4 ton 4x4 auto I have never been able to get the MPG into the 20’s no matter how I drive it. Have any of you swapped cams in a 3rd gen CR engine to try and gain back some of the performance and MPG that is lost due to this polluting the cylinder with exhaust? And if so what else will need to be done to make the computer / truck / engine all live happy together? Thanks!

Everyone at the SB party I attended aagreed that it was the best commercial of the night.Even the Blue Oval and Bowtie crowds.

Dorkweed, Thanks for making me laugh out loud this morning.keep them coming!

I travel for my job and often to other countries that don’t have the same freedoms we enjoy.You have got to be aware of your surroundings at all times. I started warning my kids at a young age that there are bad people in this world just looking for an easy target, don’t be one.

ZZ - I have talked with several diesel mechanics around town and they say when a turbo diesel (in general, not speaking common-rail specific) starts consuming oil it is most likely due to a turbo seal leaking.So if you are having similar symptoms it would probably be a good idea to check it first. In my case I would welcome a turbo seal over something more serious however with the amount of blow-by that I am seeing coming from the crankcase vent tube under the truck I fear it is something internal. Good Luck and let us know if you find the cause with yours.

I live in Mississippi, work in Memphis, Tn.

John, Thanks for the link. I was not aware they had a demo, very cool.

Yes, in fact I was saving up for a smarty before I started using oil.Now I have put the performance mods on hold until I fix the oil consumption issue.I like the EFI Live's tune-ability and control but I believe the latest Smarty has quite a bit of adjustability as well.

I have not started pulling it apart yet, haven't had the time. If it appears it was caused by an injector I will let you all know.A "friend of a friend" I know works at a GM dealer and his opinion is the injector failure is random and usually past 100k miles. I miss my old 95 12v but had to give it up when we started having kids because it was a standard cab.It had 230k trouble free miles when I sold it and I still see the kid driving it around town.He even repainted it!