Recommended towing mods and maintenance
New to the forum, new to diesels. After years of towing with a half ton hemi I finally got the truck I wanted. My 07 5.9L is primarily used for towing. I'd say 90% of its use will be with a 5-ton bumper pull trailer behind it. Most of that time the trailer will be a light load of around 8,000 pounds. A large amount of my hauls will be through the mountains with the steepest grades around 8-9%. I bought the truck on Christmas Eve 2010 with 91k miles on it. The truck has a few mods done to it already, but I'm not sure of the extent of the modifications. It feels very zippy off the line, but I have nothing but a gasser to compare it to.
Current "Known" mods: - S&B CAI - 4" exhaust with muffler, unknown brand. Pipe is black though :P I'm wanting to know what modifications I should look to make, and in what order. I'm not interested in extreme amounts of horsepower/torque or rollin coal. I want it to be reliable, get good fuel mileage and get out of it's own way when towing. What I was thinking: 1. Gauges: EGT for sure, boost and fuel pressure? 2. A programmer of some sort, smarty? Also, what sort of maintenance should I be doing to this truck? Keep in mind, this is my first diesel so don't worry about hurting my feelings. I need to learn. Educate me fellas. |
Im a little new to diesels here to but from what ive learned i will say u are on the right track with what you are thinking. Definatly get the gauges first because u wanna know what your truck is doing( boost,egt,tranny temp,and fuel pressure). I would say a smarty jr since you prolly dont wanna change the tranny right away. Then like i did on mine i did a fass platinum. i've also added a s&B cai, exhaust , etc... Im sure someone wiser than me will chime in but for what its worth thats what i would suggest. hope this helps ya some
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Thanks for the help! The smarty jr is what I was considering.
Also, please recommend any brands of gauges/pods, or other programmers. ---AutoMerged DoublePost--- Anyone else? |
Smarty Jr and a set of autometer gauges boost pyro and trans temp if you have a auto trans
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I'd look into better fuel filtration. Kill 2 birds with one stone and get an Airdog. Flush the radiator. Change the diff fluid. Exhaust brake might be nice for ya too.
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So you would go with an AD before gauges and programmer, or in addition to?
I looked at the S&B filter on the truck and it was clogged slam up and brittle. It appears to be their oldest design for this truck. I may need to upgrade that. I stuck a parts store filter on it for the time being. Made a big difference in power. lol Here are my thoughts on the order of mods. First things first, I'll change all the fluids. 1. Gauges 2. Programmer 3. AD/FASS 4. Tranny and/or TC 5. Exhaust brake |
Looks like a pretty good list so far, just make and sure to save your pennies when it comes to the transmision, they are not cheap to open up and play with:tu:
I would go Isspro or autometer 60psi boost, 1600F pyro, and transmission temp Smarty jr. or Smarty sr., you can keep the sr. on a low level say SW2 until you get your other mods done Fass or AD, its up to you, they are both nice units If I had the Cash i would be getting a Goerand transmission :pca1: |
:howdy: Howdy! Welcome to Diesel Bombers! You're Going to Like it Here! :)
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Thanks for all the help guys. Going with the autometer factory match set; pyro, trans temp, boost. Then to save up for the rest.
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Sounds like a good plan. Glad you found the help you needed! :)
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