Help Needed $1000 to Improve Towing!

[BIG DUTY]

Well as the title says I will have a grand to improve my trucks towing capability very shortly. Here is how the situation arose. I am the President of the Society of Automote Engineers chapter at Central Michigan University. As a student organization, we design fabricate and race in a collegiate off road competiton. In the past our school provided a van to tow our 24ft covered Halmark trailer. This season due to funding, they will not provide a tow vehicle. I have made an arangement with the school that I will tow with my truck instead, for $1000 plus fuel. The trip is from Michigan to Alabama.

On to the truck! I plan to use the $1000 to make some practical upgrades to the truck. I pulled the trailer loaded with about 7,000lb last weekend and had a few problems. Most important is the turbo surge I have around 2000RPM while the engine is underload on an uphill stretsh. At full boost a got a CEL that went away as soon as boost dropped. I am also concerned about the trans due to a lack of trans gauge. It is the stock trans that has 190,000mi with the stock trans cooler. Boost pressure hits a max of 25lbs boost and exhaust temp stays around 1000*F. Below is a list of my plans, please provide feedback from your experiences. Current mods listed in sig. Thanks.

-Trans Temp gauge
-6.0l trans cooler
-Trans fluid Flush
-Wicked Wheel
-Turbo master Wastegate Controller
-ATS ported trubo housing
-Boost Fooler (got a CEL when pulling)

 

[BJS]

Given that you already have a hypertech programmer I will suggest backing down on the programs when towing if you're worried about your transmission. And without a doubt lighten your foot.

Given what you have listed that sounds like a great way to spend $1000 on the truck that would improve drivability while towing.

Where in Alabama are you headed, I'll have to check with our engineers and see if they are doing anything, I know that they build a concrete canoe every year but don't think they do much automotive.

 

[JLDickmon]

at the risk of sounding like a complete dick,
never let an engineer diagnose a problem.

you need to figure out if that was a surging turbo, or a lean fuel surge, ie., insufficient fuel pressure/volume (restricted filter, HPOP running out of oil, air leaking into the fuel system, etc)

And pull that fault code.
Five bucks says it's ICP above/below, which doesn't have anything to do with the turbo, and everything to do with an HPOP running out of oil.. common with programmers

change your fuel filters, do the Hutch mod, run a pressure/volume test on your lift pump, and save your thousand bucks for beer money (college people are very familiar with this liquid, I hear)

 

[BIG DUTY]

Well thanks for the response. The competition is held in Opelika, AL 36804. Although it is an engineering competiton, I am not an engineer. My actual major is industrial technology management-automitive technology.
I will look into other possible problems before i spend all the money on turbo related parts. I have not yet done any fuel delivery mods or oil related mods. The hypertech is the power programmer III and i have it set on the tow setting.

 

[BIG JOE]

-Trans Temp gauge
-6.0l trans cooler
-Trans fluid Flush
-Wicked Wheel
-Turbo master Wastegate Controller
-ATS ported trubo housing
-Boost Fooler (got a CEL when pulling)

I think you've got a good list of towing improvement Mods going there, but nothing about an up-graded Exhaust system.... other than the Muffler delete.

JMO but you'd have plenty of Boosted air coming in... but no way of optimizing getting rid of it (?)

 

[BIG DUTY]

Thanks for the reply Joe. I understand your concern about the exhaust. For the time being it will need to remain stock to to budget limitations as well as my low EGT numbers. In the future I plan to go with an 4" mandrel bent system with muffler delete. Im thinking i may skip the ATS housing and spend the $400 on addressing the oil and fule delivery issues. From what i here the wicked wheel does a decent job in reducing surge.

 

[BIG DUTY]

In response to me diagnosing the problem incorrect, if my boost gauge is fluttering is that not turbo surge? Could the flutter be cause by the HPOP or the fuel delivery?

 

[MBRPCrazyford]

I think that the boost flutter could be either of the two. They will probably both cause this.

 

[BJS]

is your boost flutter consistent or just at specific times or over a certain PSI?

 

[93turbo_animal]

did your truck surge or did it hold steady while your gauge flutterd? I'd say its just turbo surge