EGT Gauge - Necessary???

tatest wrote:
Do you have sufficient manual control of the boost to manipulate EGT? The EGT guage is needed as an engine management tool. Otherwise the guage can give you a number, but you can do nothing about it.

Do you have sufficient control of your knowledge of diesels?
Fuel makes egts go up, not boost. Boost alone makes it go down. Letting off the skinny pedal reduces all 3.

Well, you can do something about it. You can slow down, or downshift to a lower gear, or even just lift the go pedal slightly.

Do you have sufficient manual control of the boost to manipulate EGT? The EGT guage is needed as an engine management tool. Otherwise the guage can give you a number, but you can do nothing about it.

Ya, 355. I ran it for many years on the street and then I put it in a race car and it ran high 10's to low 11's.

I only got to make a few passes when the intercooler pump lock up and that burnt a few pistons in it. Never did get it worked out because the car was sold. one of these days............

Turtle, is that a small block Chevy? That thing is sweet. I bet it scooted.

Strabo wrote:
'04 6.0 here....Id like a read out display too, so I can watch as I drive.

Fingers crossed Everytime I start it....

I am praying for you my Son!

Strabo wrote:
'04 6.0 here....Id like a read out display too, so I can watch as I drive.

Fingers crossed Everytime I start it....

I understand the feeling, but when I apply a little logic to it, what is there to fear? It has been the best truck I have ever owned, 11 years old now and still hauling my load. Yes I have spent some money on it (not as much as some), but it has never left me stranded. The head gaskets may blow (I still have bolts), but for a few thousand dollars that can be repaired and improved. I don't have an exhaust filter time bomb. Or a DEF time bomb. And best of all, no payments.

I have a top notch independent diesel repair shop close by, and I have the utmost confidence in the guy. Unfortunately, he has probably forgotten me, which I blame on my truck. I should drop in with donuts and just say hello. :)

gmckenzie wrote:
Turbo will fail before you cook a piston. Do you think no one has burned a turbo with a stock tune while towing?

No, I've never heard of anybody burning a turbo with a stock tune on a diesel.

I don't even know what "burning a turbo" means? But I have only designed, built and driven turbo systems for only 35 or so years.

These are old sleeve type turbo's with only oil cooling and not the modern ball bearing with water/ oil cooling like all modern trucks have on them.

I have let my turbo's cool off on only a hand full of times ever in 35+ years; and this is for my daily drivers. And this is more for the engine than the turbo. My diesel truck DD now has 180 thousand on it with the stock turbo. I suspect the truck will be junk long before I have to replace the turbo in it.

The turbo system below was designed and built by me. I drove it every day because it was the only car I had at the time. Never let it cool off and the post EGT was 1,300 F just driving down the road with no boost. Gasoline engines are far worse on turbo's because of the high EGT's and constant heating and cooling cycles that most DD put them through. I might start and stop my DD 10, 15+ times a day.

I have taken the turbo off many times over the years and have never seen any coking or heat damage. I have gotten this turbo so hot the turbine section was glowing a weird orange/white color.

So please tell me what "burning a turbo" means?

As far as what EGT is safe for an extended period, I can only go by conventional wisdom found online. And opinions vary, but between 1300-1400 is what I found to be the consensus. I had my alarm at 1300 for a while, but my engine would reach that point when other parameters seemed to be safe. So I increased it to 1350, and as I said, I will let it bounce off that a bit, but if it hangs there I will back off the throttle a bit. Also, I have a 4" turbo-back exhaust system (Magnaflow) which is supposed to help reduce EGT slightly. I certainly could not prove that.

It is about being easier on your engine. The Powerstroke 6.0 (remember, that's what the PO is asking about) is the last Navistar/Ford diesel that is not equipped with an EGT from the factory. Later engines will defuel based on EGT. All the current diesel engines will too. I have to take responsibility for doing that manually. Or alternatively, I could just trust the Ford engineers to have provided a system that is failsafe at any load level for ignorant owners. I don't.

'04 6.0 here....Id like a read out display too, so I can watch as I drive.

Fingers crossed Everytime I start it....