Cummins-Ford Conversion Questions
Question: I am in the process of transplanting a 5.9L 12-valve Cummins into my '02 F-350 (currently V-10 gas-powered) and have done my best to put together a combination that is both powerful and reliable. Here is a rundown of what has been done so far:
| Scott sent us a photo of his compound-turbo Ford Cummins project, and it looks like he's off to a good start.
• 5.9L 12-valve swap kit from Ford Cummins
• PCS stand-alone transmission controller
• Billet torque converter from BTS
• Built 4R100 by local Ford transmission specialist with TransGo Tugger shift kit
• Fire-ringed cylinder head
• 160hp P-pump with 191 delivery valves, 4,200-rpm governor springs, No. 10 fuel plate, timing set to 16 degrees
• Lightning injectors good for up to 1,000 hp according to Scheid Diesel
• ATS exhaust manifold
• HX-35 and HT3B compound turbos
• Pyrometer and boost gauges from Auto Meter
How powerful do you feel this engine will actually be? I've heard everything from 400 to 600 rear-wheel horsepower. I realize that the 160hp injection pump and HX-35 are probably going to be the limiting factors. Down the road I am planning on getting a 180 or 215hp pump and a 60mm or 62mm S300 turbo to run on top of the HT3B, I just don't have the funds right now.
Also, I would like to try something unique with my intercooler setup. I can fabricate a water-to-air intercooler and mount it where the passenger-side battery used to be and use engine coolant directed through it to cool it. After that, the air would be routed to a factory 6.0L Power Stroke intercooler. Do you think there would be any benefit of doing this? I am also planning on fabricating the intake system to take advantage of my Keystone ram-air hood. Even if this doesn't add to the performance factor all that much, I think it will add to the wow factor of the truck when completed.
Scott Brackett
-Via email
Answer:
Whoa, that's a lot of questions in one sitting. But, since your truck sounds like such a cool project, we'll give you some advice. First off, it already looks like you are on the right track as far as parts choices. With a 160hp pump, the difference between 400 hp and 600 hp has a lot to do with boost, injectors, and tuning. Big injectors are needed to make big power off the lower-horsepower pumps, but we see no problem in you hitting your 600hp goal as long as the injectors you got from Scheid Diesel are fairly large. Second, the only big thing you have to worry about on your HX35 turbo is overspeeding it-they actually flow pretty well as a manifold charger, you just don't want to see more than about 40 psi out of them (especially at high rpms) or else you run the risk of blowing it up. For this reason, we'd keep the stock exhaust housing on rather than upgrade to a quicker-spooling unit, and we'd also port the wastegate a little in order to maximize its flow potential. It would be a good idea to install a boost gauge between stages, so you can see how much boost you're getting from each turbo. On trucks with plenty of fuel and tuning time, we've seen almost 700 hp to the wheels on HX40/HT3B setups, so your HX35/HT3B shouldn't be that far behind. We might advance the timing a little from 16 to around 20 degrees. The additional timing should help create more cylinder pressure and less drive pressure, which should help keep the HX35 alive.
Dead Pedal?
Question:
I have a '99 Dodge 24-valve with an automatic transmission. At times, after warm up, I have no response from the accelerator pedal. If I let off the accelerator and pause for 15 to 20 seconds, sometimes I'll get a response, but not the all time. I have a Banks PowerPack on it and replaced the TPS and the MAP sensors. Recently, it has gone from 23 mpg to around 17 mpg. I also have an AirDog fuel system with 20 psi between the filter and injector pump. When scanned, the truck shows two codes: P0216 and P0237. The truck has 114,000 miles on the odometer. Any help to solve this problem will be greatly appreciated.
Bill Ivey
Benbrook, Texas
| Dodge Rams built between 19981/2 and 2002 are equipped with a VP44 injection pump, which will usually need to be replaced before the truck hits 200,000 miles. While having good pressure (15 psi) should help, they still won't last forever.
Answer:
The VP44 injection pumps on '981/2 to '02 Dodges aren't known for their longevity, and we're assuming the AirDog lift pump hasn't been on there for the life of the truck. In most cases, a P0216 code means the injection pump is getting worn out, mechanically speaking, which is also why your fuel economy went down. If you're having a code and a dead pedal, then your chances just went up that the injection pump will fail soon-usually when it's most inconvenient. A dead pedal usually indicates the computer on top of the pump is faulty, and the only fix is the replacement of the injection pump. While 114,000 miles may not seem like that much, the injection pumps are the known weak link on these trucks, and replacing it (especially now that you have the AirDog lift pump) should lead to at least another 100,000 miles of trouble-free service.
Bigger Brakes Question: I'm planning on getting some larger wheels and tires for my '97 Dodge Ram 2500. I want to beef up the front brakes, and I am having trouble finding a big brake kit made for my truck. I have come across kits made for other 3/4- and 1-ton trucks. Is anyone making a kit for my truck? Or will I need to custom-fabricate another kit to fit?
Greg Jacobs Middleboro, Massachusetts
| The braking test we held during this year's Diesel Power Challenge woke us up to how quick these trucks can really stop. Installing bigger brakes and better pads will only improve upon an already potent package.
Answer:
A lot of braking has to do with the size of the rotors, but the pads and the style of the rotor are also very important to stopping ability. We've seen a few trucks equipped with EBC Brakes that have been pretty quick stoppers, so we'd suggest a pad and rotor upgrade if you want to stop better. With the correct upgrades, we proved diesel trucks can stop just as quick as passenger cars during the braking test in this year's 2010 Diesel Power Challenge.
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