I have been told that people tune these trucks using the pyro gauge, If this is true, how do you read it? I understand that if you have alot of heat, its because you have too much fuel and not enough air. When i am driving like a regular human, the truck runs between 600*-800* @ idel the truck is 200*. The truck does not ever go over 1200* the first and only time it did was @ the dyno and it burried tha gauge over 1600*. The strange thing was that there was no dark black smoke, almost none. If i bog it out it will smoke pretty dark so i don't understand whats going on. how do i tune this thing, i understand the steps in getting more rack travel and less rack travel, but how do i know when i have a good ratio.....any help would be great thanks guys!

 

dont go over 1200* for very long and any black smoke out the back is a waste. back the fuel plate back until you have a light haze at full throttle.

 

ya, i only saw it go over 1200 that one time, didn't seem to hurt it thoe 1600* is hot thogh, the other strange thing is that the egts where high, but there was only a slight haze out the exhaust @ full throttle, i guess its time for a turbo, and a exhast manifold anyone have a bdm fat shaft tujrbo kicking around that they want to sell

 

when i melted my pistons in my truck i was running at 1150 pulling the grade for 5 minutes and it turned the pistons to butter. at 60 mph im at 600 now

 

With the way you have your plate set, the AFC set and bogging or lugging the motor there is a lot of fuel being dumped in the cylinders with no air from the turbo. No boost with lots of fuel = black smoke.
This is where the fine art of tuning of the plate position and the adjustment of the AFC comes in.