concensus of running EGT's

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

i play it safe and have it all to defuel @1250. if im pulling that much heat ill downshift, id rather take a little more time climbing than kill another engine lol

[KATOOM]

Plus EGT's have a direct relation to engine temperatures.  When pulling a long grade, if the EGT's are over 1000* and I'm towing in the summer heat then the engine temps will start to climb, holding steady around 210*-215*.  Keeping the EGT's in that range will allow the cooling system to maintain those comfortable temperatures, but if I try to push it up around 1100*-1200* then the engine will get hotter than I want.

[TFaoro]

19 minutes ago, KATOOM said:

Plus EGT's have a direct relation to engine temperatures.  When pulling a long grade, if the EGT's are over 1000* and I'm towing in the summer heat then the engine temps will start to climb, holding steady around 210*-215*.  Keeping the EGT's in that range will allow the cooling system to maintain those comfortable temperatures, but if I try to push it up around 1100*-1200* then the engine will get hotter than I want.

Sounds like your cooling system could use some servicing.... @95 ambient I used to run 1200* all day and see about 210 on the thermostat.

 

Now that my fan clutch took a dump I can run about 1100-1150 all day and never break 197. What temp does your clutch engage at?

[KATOOM]

Thanks TFaoro.  Cooling system is in good working order.  This is just hauling a pretty sizable 5th wheel up some looooong grades.  We're talking miles upon miles of non-stop pulling too.  Thats when I see the engine temps succumb to the overwhelming heat.  Shorter grades are no problem just hammering down and running until the top.  Also, the OEM clutch fan fully engages at 205*.

[AH64ID]

At 1100-1200° and 2300-2500 rpms on a 90-100° day, or hotter, I will get to 213-215° and stay there. 

 

max allowable on the 190° thermostat is 225°. 

 

I did reprogram my fan a little with UDC Pro so I am curious if that will change anything while towing. 

[oldbeek]

17 hours ago, Russ Roth said:

 

 

Long time since I heard anyone mention a 262.  Drove several different ones.  I drove a 300 small block at one time and that one you needed to be pretty careful to not run over 1250* with it.  Had to drop gear more than one time.  I have an old book I acquired from somewhere years ago describing the proper use of a pyrometer and 1250 was max number according to it.

  My start in trucking was with the JT165 cummins in a 1947 Sterling. That is 165 hp pulling 79,000 lb over the grapevine and before most of the freeways in California. We have come a long way since then. That jeep in my avitar, when it was a new 4 cylinder,1947 was our tow vehicle. It was slow but it would drag them home in compound low if they broke.

Edited July 26, 2016 by oldbeek
addition

[Mopar1973Man]

I tend to agree with @TFaoro and @AH64ID about pyrometer temps. Even my truck with holding 1,200*F up 6-7% grade typically it will hover around 210-215*F once the fan locks up. 

 

Recently I do have an odd issue there. The first grade I take on for towing it seen that the fan clutch is getting late to kick in but once it does it fine for the rest of the trip. Just plain weird how it will nearly hit 220*F for the first climb then after that it only needs about 208-210*F and its locked up and the turbo prop is flying low.  Just weird. I haven't condemned the fan clutch quite yet.

[Russ Roth]

5 hours ago, oldbeek said:

  My start in trucking was with the JT165 cummins in a 1947 Sterling. That is 165 hp pulling 79,000 lb over the grapevine and before most of the freeways in California. We have come a long way since then. That jeep in my avitar, when it was a new 4 cylinder,1947 was our tow vehicle. It was slow but it would drag them home in compound low if they broke.

 

That took me back too.  The first diesel I ever drove was a '52 White w/JT165 but no turbo.  It was tandem axle solo rig so not that much weight but still pretty darn gutless. We were only allowed 73,280 when I started w/2,000 lb tolerance before they would cite you. 35 or 40 foot trailers and recently I pulled 40/22 combo @ 105,500 lbs.  Interesting how things change including I only made a living for about 4 years driving.  I wanted to drive and like doing it very part time which is what I have done for years when I was working my regular work.

 

Not sure this will work to either show a picture or a URL.  If it does it is the rig my brother drove since 2001 and put 1.4 million miles on it.  It has been restored and headed for the Brooks, OR truck museum.  I think they should put him permanently on display in the drivers seat with the rig.  =)  His last day in a rig will be 8/26.

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by Russ Roth
URL didn't work

[KATOOM]

The nostalgia.....  I have a certain love for the older trucks, especially the Pete's.  Those older trucks worked hard for a living back when we ran short haul.  Today my family hauls interstate and the newer trucks they receive every couple years are no different than most current day high tech cars.  Seemingly the trucking industry is going to revisit the auto-manuals too, so its anticipated that the next truck will be one again.  They're crazy to drive too.  Simply hop in, put it in "D" and hammer down.  Everything is handled by the computer.  Never really understood why the push for these transmissions too as most veteran drivers seemingly prefer not to have them.

Edited July 26, 2016 by KATOOM

[Royal Squire]

Might give companies a broader employee base

First diesel truck I drove was a 67 GMC cab over with, you guessed it, a 318 Detroit, 10 speed, and a hi/lo gearbox, and low was reeeally low. 55mph up hill and down. Was pretty much worn out then. Wiring was a real nightmare. 

Edited July 26, 2016 by Royal Squire

[KATOOM]

I'm sure you're right on the money than not.  My take on it is, its already too easy to acquire a regular drivers license whereby anyone is piloting around a 3 - 4 ton missile, why would we ever want to lower the skill level for CDL drivers just so there's more less qualified drivers behind the wheel of a 40 ton missile.....  Seems counter productive to me.

[Mopar1973Man]

Just look towards Swift trucking to see the less qualified drivers that managed to get a CDL.

[dripley]

Back in 73 or 74 I worked for a fire sprinkler company. I mainly fabricated the pipe systems. The guy making all of the deliveries was taking over all the welding and I stepped in to take over the driving duty. At the time all I needed was a chauffeur's license. It cost twice as much as a regular operators license and only lasted 2 years instead of 4. All I had to do was pass the written test and score 100% on the eye/sign test and if I am not mistaken I was legal to drive anything. Weight wise for sure and I think that was all that mattered then. Hazardous materials like fuel and such I dont remember. I do remember the first thing I learned was how to bypass the weigh station. My road tractor was a late 60's model Ford with a 400+ CI gas burner and pulled a 1957 Great Dane trailer that had more iron in it that it could haul. We had a new GMC flat bed that was a good truck and a gas burner also. Both had either a 5 or 6 speed tranny with a split axle. I got real good at driving them but the first month or so on those split axles was pretty entertaining. 

 

Even thought they were not diesels I enjoyed my time with them. Thanks for the memory bump.

 

So to paraphrase, in 1974 maybe I could have worked for Swift. See them on the road all the time.   

Edited July 27, 2016 by dripley

[IBMobile]

Just past my Federally mandated biannual physical for my CDL.  I'm good for another 2 years to tow doubles in CA.  

[KATOOM]

Always thought it was bizarre that Oregon and Washington dont allow that..... 

[Royal Squire]

I'm gonna pick on swift. They used to switch trailers near our yard and would sometimes pass their switch point and would pull in our yard to turn around. Twice they tore stuff up. One tore down our sign and one tore down a pipe rail that had outlets on it. Pulled all the electrical out of the ground. And this was a huge yard plenty of room to turn around!!

[Mopar1973Man]

As far as I know it's legal to tow doubles in Idaho without any special endorsements on your license.

[01cummins4ever]

On July 27, 2016 at 9:56 AM, Royal Squire said:

I'm gonna pick on swift. They used to switch trailers near our yard and would sometimes pass their switch point and would pull in our yard to turn around. Twice they tore stuff up. One tore down our sign and one tore down a pipe rail that had outlets on it. Pulled all the electrical out of the ground. And this was a huge yard plenty of room to turn around!!

SWIFT 

S sure W.wished I. F. finished T. training

[01cummins4ever]

being on the subject of old nostalgic rigs, I hauled this one up to our main shop in Denver a couple weeks ago, Its been siting at our location since I started about 20 years ago. Its fixing to get a total restoration and maybe become a museum piece or parade truck, If no one knows what it is, Its an early 1930's colman, (state highway plow) and the blower head on the rear of trailer was what was on the front, it had a patent date from sno go corporation of 1928.

[AH64ID]

Changing the topic back to EGT's and coolant temps...

 

I did my first towing with UDC Pro this weekend... and WOW. 

 

The only really big difference to the power portion of my tuning is that the pilot is removed at the rpms/loads I pull hills at.. so just a single event. Otherwise pressure, duration, and timing are relatively unchanged over the last 2 years or so. 

 

I made some tweaks to the OEM fan programming and it was noticeable. 

 

As long as I have been towing with my truck I have never heard the fan come on based on ECT's, ever... The OEM programming should have it start to engage at 210° but mine never did audibly, but I could see minor rpm increases with my touch but never enough to lower ECT's. 

 

I revised the initial ramp up rpms and ECT. I lowered the initial ECT to 207° since that is where the thermostat is full open. 

 

The grade I pulled this weekend is horsehoe bend hill. It's about 2 miles long and 6-8% for most of it. I normally pull the hard spots at 80% load, 1200-1250° EGT and 213-215° ECT running 63-65 in 5th and 2300-2400ish rpms. 

 

This last weekend I weighed in at 19,020 lbs right about 3 miles after the big grade I pulled. 

 

I pulled the hill at 1190-1200° peak, 80-85% load, and didn't hit 211° on ECT's. I would watch the ECT's hit 207° and the fan would start to come alive on the touch and then I would hear it!! The ECT's would drop to about 205° and the fan would disengage. It did that 3-4 times over the course of the hill and the highest it got, on the first cycle, was 210.98°. It didn't break 210° on the other cycles. 

 

Without the pilot (OEM pilot is around 12-13 mm3 at those rpm/load which is more than 10% of the main event) the load was a little higher than normal but the EGT's were a hair lower than normal and it was hotter than average with temps at 101° at the base and 97° at the peak. 

 

All in all.. UDC Pro FTW!!

Edited July 31, 2016 by AH64ID