smoke screw-how many turns?
 

i have my smoke screw turned in two turns. would 3 be pushing it or am i safe?

You can bottom it out if you want! It won't hurt anything.

Just make sure it's the smoke screw your turning and not the fuel screw. It is the one on top of the AFC housing, not the one on the back. I know a few people have been confused by the terminology before and cranked the fuel screw in by mistake.

^ what they said. the smoke screw can be bottomed out or completely missing, it doesnt have a lot of effect. the fuel screw however, be much more cautious with as it will cause run away. if you want smoke, bump the timing, burry the star wheel and smoke screw, turn in the fuel screw, get a cheap set of injectors, and grind the fuel pin. You'll give a train a run for its money. and the only cost is in the injectors which can be had for less than 250 bucks.

The smoke screw can have an effect on low end off idle power if it is too far out depending on your set up. Removing it will leave a big boost leak at the top of your AFC housing.

mine was bottomed out when i bought the truck, then when i raised it up, it ended up falling out, been missing for the last 4k miles. I cant tell the difference between bottomed out and a empty hole.

Then I would say you have another boost/AFC related problem. The tube that runs from the manifold to the AFC housing may be disconnected, plugged, or kinked leaving it inoperable. Without boost (or proper boost), the fuel pin can't do its job. Which is regulating additional fuel based on available air.
The fuel pin and/or the pin that follows the fuel pin may be stuck or damaged. Which will cause the same result.

When in doubt bottom er out! My smoke and fuel screws are bottomed right out and advanced the pump. Have never seen a street truck roal coal like this. Ensure you change your fuel filter often. I had a big issue with that. Damn farm diesel. The truck would stall after rolling. I guess dirt doesent flow so great. I'd also recommend disabling the fuel shut off and install a manual one. Popping the hood everytime you want to put her to sleep gets old quick

I personally would call that a very bad plan. A properly tuned truck is more efficient and clean burning.

The smoke screw and starwheel have no affect after you turn in the fuel screw. That's one reason they put a lock collar on the fuel screw. Those adjustments are not very fine and are designed to work around stock boost levels.