Help with a Towing Tune

[KRob]

I am running a 2001 Dodge 6 Speed with 75HP injectors.  It weighs in at about 8500lbs (flatbed, tools, and my fat rear end).  Last week i towed a 2000lb trailer with another 8000 worth of stuff and the EGTs were pegged going up hills, even driving like i have an egg under my foot and gearing my way down through the gears.  I also on a couple of long  pulls was outside of the normal operating temp range and finished one hill in 2nd to keep it from going way to high.  

 

Today, i am just pulling the trailer 8500 (truck)+2000= 10500 ish and my EGT are once again at 1200 and i ease out of the throttle.  So I am curious what tune wise can I improve on.  I run from sea level to about 5000ft.  (I am not real sure i have the timing portion set right.)

 

power level 12 (running on 4)

RPM 3400

Max Val 50

max fuel stretch 1600

TPS Max100

TPS Min 30

Min pup 8 psi

Boost Scale 34 psi

 

Max Load Timing 3

Low PSI Timing Reduct 5

Timing  reduct scale 50%

Light Throttle Timing Adv 1

Light Throttle Load Limit 30

 

RPM Timing Max

1500 .   16

2000.    19

2500.    22

3000.    25

Max.     26

 

Boost Level

 

0-5PSI = 100

6 through 10 PSI up by two.      102 - 110

11PSI through 18PSI up by 4 .   114-140

20PSI on is 150 

 

Any thoughts would be really appreciated. 

[Mopar1973Man]

I think you need to drop -1 from the max timing across the board. This will build boost much easier for towing and get you launched better. 

 

Monitor your engine oil temp with the transmission probe. When your timing is too high the oil temp will rise above coolant temp. You should be -10 below coolant to just equal to coolant temp.

 

Edited August 3, 2019 by Mopar1973Man

[KRob]

Roger. Adjusted about to pull another hill at freeway speed. 

 

Had never heard that about oil temp and timing.  But I’m no expert.  

So adjusted timing down by one across board.  

 

———

 

What i felt as I pulled on to the freeway was I didn’t get any boost until about 2000 then it would hit hard and then it would hit 1250 and the de fuel would kick in. (I think it was doing the same thing before) 

 

Climbed to a reststop halfway up. Trucks temp was to the top of the operating range.  

 

I’m going from eastern wa to west wa so these aren’t that bad of a grade. 

I’m also curious if my rad is smoked.  It’s only got 270k on it and probably not well maintained.  

Edited August 3, 2019 by KRob

[Mopar1973Man]

Yeah I just figured out the oil temp trick. When timing is too advanced you'll heat soak the coolant jack at the cylinder area this makes it hard to dump oil heat into a hot coolant jacket. The way to verify this is engine load will be lower this is good because less fuel in needed to keep rolling. Then EGTs are lower and coolant temps too.

[KRob]

I think I’ve dropped it by two now on the lower three bands.  The truck is not heating up near as quickly but the egts are still getting up to 1200 - 1250 pretty easily.  

[Me78569]

post datalogs please

[KRob]

Made it home last night and dumped the trailer already.  Does it matter if I have the trailer for the data log?  

 

Will be driving back to Spokane on Monday and may need to take the trailer too.  

 

First timing number is where I started 2nd timing number is where I am at currently.  Looked like I only dropped by one curious if I did it and didn’t save. 

RPM Timing Max

1500 .   16.  15

2000.    19.  18

2500.    22.   21

3000.    25.   23

Max.     26.   25

 

 

———

 

Moparman. I’m originally out of Joseph Enterprise OR area so the names you throw around in your timing/oil heat thread are good to hear. 

Edited August 3, 2019 by KRob

[Mopar1973Man]

Current "Econo Tune" Timing...

 

1500 - 15.0

2000 - 18.3

2500 - 21.7

3000 - 25.0

MAX - 26.0

 

This so far is giving me the 21+ MPG but allows for 18.5 MPG at 80+ MPH. Non-towing tune.

 

7 x 0.010 @ 320 Bar injectors, HX35/40 (60/60/12), and the Quadzilla.

20 hours ago, KRob said:

Moparman. I’m originally out of Joseph Enterprise OR area so the names you throw around in your timing/oil heat thread are good to hear.

 

One of these days we'll have to make time to meet up.

[KRob]

So little embarrassed on this one.  Coming back from Spokane this last week I was thinking and realized maybe it was an air issue.  So I pull over and sure enough I can reach into the cold air intake box and remove the pre filter (little sock thing over the filter) it was caked just absolutely grody. 

 

Once that was off egt probably dropped by 200*. 

 

So ive ordered a fresh filter and I am not sure I will be putting the pre filter back on...after cleaning it of course.  

 

So once that that all gets maintained I will get back to tuning.  Which is good because in about two weeks I have to move a car over some mountains as well. 

 

Still embarrassed that my air filter was/is that bad. 

[Mopar1973Man]

I no longer use any prefilter (sock). They seem to create more issues than the BHAF by itself. I just install the BHAF and then reset my maintenance logs for the air filter.  When the mileage comes up then I just replace it period. I don't even worry about blowing it out or nothing. Just chuck it in the trash and install a new one.

 

Yeah I've got a few things to take care of. Cummins is being pull out of active duty and switch to the 1996 Dodge Ram for a time.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Mopar1973Man

[KRob]

What app are you using to track maintenance.  Can you run multiple cars on it and fuel mileage. 

[Mopar1973Man]

On 8/13/2019 at 7:44 AM, KRob said:

What app are you using to track maintenance.  Can you run multiple cars on it and fuel mileage. 

 

Simply Auto...

https://www.simplyauto.app/

 

Yes you can run more than one vehicle. I paid for the $4 version and working excellent. Can even back up your logs to a Excel sheet (LibreCalc for Linux). Like I currently log both my 1996 Dodge and the 2002 Dodge. The diesel I've got over 4 years of fuel logs just about and still working good. Maintenance notices will pop up after filling the tank when time or mileage is exceeded.  

[KRob]

Very cool will have to look at the maintenance tracker. 

 

So I installed the trans temp into the oil filter.  I am about 10-15 * higher on the oil then on the trans. This is my tow tune however no trailer currently. Truck weighs about 8500lbs. 

 

So is my timing set to high. (I am working on a couple of data logs. 

 

Current timing 

1500 14.5

2000 17.5

2500 20.5

3000 22.5

max 24

 

thanks

Sitting idling, for about ten minutes I am at: 

timing 15.21

oil 192

coolant 181 

egt 272

[Me78569]

What are the rest of the settings?

[Mopar1973Man]

Need all the settings...

 

Max Timing is the maximum timing the Quad will give normally the rest of the timing setting are how much retard of timing will occur in different conditions. We need to see it all.

6 hours ago, KRob said:

Truck weighs about 8500lbs. 

 

Truck is heavy. I'm typically 7,300 to 7,500 pound empty. 

Edited August 18, 2019 by Mopar1973Man

[KRob]

Before I put the flatbed on truck weighted over 8k with the flatbed I’m at about 8.5k. Steel bumper (it’s saved me on a couple of deer, it can’t be that heavy two guys picked it up and I bolted it into place 10 plus years ago) plus tools and assorted other “stuff” adds up I guess.  

 

So drove roughly 100 miles most of the time o was monitoring the oil was 10 higher then the coolant.  Coolant never got above 180-185 though.  

 

Goal at for this tune is to have a good 2k trailer plus what ever I put on it so probably up to 10k trailer and load. 

 

Power level 12 (running on 4)

RPM 3400

Max Val 50

max fuel stretch 1600

TPS Max100

TPS Min 30

Min pup 5 psi

Boost Scale 34 psi

 

Max Load Timing 3

Low PSI Timing Reduct 5

Timing  reduct scale 50%

Light Throttle Timing Adv 1

Light Throttle Load Limit 30%

 

RPM Timing Max

1500 14.5

2000 17.5

2500 20.5

3000 22.5

max 24

 

Boost Level

 

0.  100

1.  102

2.   102

3.   104

4.   106

5.   108

6.   110

7.  112

8.   114

9.   116

10.  118

11.  120

12.  122

13.  124

14.  126

15.   130

16.   134

18.  138

20.  142

22.  150

24-30+. 150

 

[Me78569]

How does it run? 

 

Personally i would add 1* or 2 acrosss the board.  

 

Fuel load timing pulls it down while towing.

[KRob]

Really. I kept pulling timing down because of concerns with the truck getting hot.  But now I am thinking that may have been the fact the air filter was plumb full of crap. 

 

Havnt pushed the timing forward/up at all with since the new air filter 

 

 

[Mopar1973Man]

About 15* at 1,500 and then about +3 degree step up for the rest of the spans and the max just +1 off the 3,000 RPM.. The oil temp might naturally run hot being your towing. I'll admit that is one variable I've not had the chance to study yet. My travels have all be empty so far.