I was wondering if it was possible to have a runaway from adjusting the preboost screw and star wheel. Also how much horsepower is gained from it? What about runaways because of fuel plate mods? Do you guys have any recommendations for the star wheel and pre-boost? I've got pyro and boost gauge to install before I crank on any thing.

 

No, you will not get a runaway pump from preboost or starwheel adjustments, for more or less the same reason you won't really gain any significant horsepower from them. They don't give you more fuel, they only change the timing for when it comes on. Power is made when you start messing with the fuel plate, either by sliding it forward, grinding it down or just plain taking it out, sliding the AFC housing itself forward, changing delivery valves, etc. Getting the most out of these adjustments involves maximizing the rack travel, and that is when you need to start worrying about a runaway pump, but only if you took the plate out. It isn't any one thing that puts you in jeopardy, it's a combination of all the right (or dare I say, wrong?) things.
At this point in the conversation it's important to know if you have a stickshift or slushbox working the gears. If it's a standard, you'll probably need to think about a clutch sometime, but it's not an emergency unless you drive like a moron or start pulling trailers around that weigh more than the truck all the time. If, however, it's an automatic, it's going to need to be fortified and the sooner the better. Furthermore, you'll want to add trans oil temp to your gauge collection.

As for recommended settings of the starwheel and smoke screw, that's really dependent upon what else you do in the pump. They are both fine tune settings, whereas the location of the AFC housing and fuel plate are rough settings. Honestly, I would leave the fine settings alone unless you get your plate configuration how you like it and it smokes like a train, in which case you'd want to tailor the fuel timing to take some of that wasted fuel out of the equation. I can't really explain the process very well, because I tuned my pump like a redneck. When I decided to go all the way with it and have it set up real strong and efficient, I paid to have it benched/balanced/maxed out and tuned by a pro. I read everything I needed to know to do it right myself doing homework here, and if you search around for pump tuning the wealth of information available here is very complete. Turns out I was just too lazy to do more of it myself than the easy stuff that blew up transmissions.

 

Thanks a lot man. I was worried about blowing the old mule up. I've got a standard shift by the way, and I'm planning on putting in a clutch any way. Mines starting to slip in fifth. And I use my truck to haul any where from 5k to stupid heavy, so a clutch was needed anyway. So if I ground the fuel plate to 0 or 100 and slid it full forward I would probably want to have a 2x4 ready? And say it did cause a runaway, the best course of action would to be backing of the plate? I really dont plan on grinding the afc arm or changing the washer. Someone has already been in the pump so it may've been done already.

 

Regular mods like grinding the plate or tuning will not cause a runaway. Just don't pull the plate, also that's not a legitimate way of making power, if you need more fuel get injectors or dv's etc. As for tuning the afc it most defiantly does add power depending where the star wheel and housing is. The smoke screw literally does almost nothing and at least for a not stock truck with injectors and dv's its best just to back it right out so you can have the housing all the way forward and not smoke out the world. Tuning is a fine line. On a stock truck you can basically clamp the wastegate, move the housing all the way forward, playe all the way forward and loosen the star wheel all the way and that's almost all the stock fuel the hx can take with out being too smokey. You can cut a plate but it will be hot up top when the hx runs out of air.

 

As for clamping the wastegate I've got the WH1C. Would that be anything I have to worry about? So is there anything in the adjusting of the pump that would cause a runaway?

 

Clamping the gate isn't the best way to make boost but with stock fuel you really won't push any dangerous boost/dp levels. I've done it on a couple stock hx trucks until turbos came in. As long as you have a boost gauge and egt you'll be good. And really no, just taking the plate out basically can cause the rack to get stuck. Regular tuning and mods do not hurt a thing. Other then mpg and your wallet from wanting more. If you grind the plate, do afc mods and tune it no harm will come other then maybe some high egt because of your small turbo.