My money maker

Originally Posted by ozzy214

Personally I wouldn't mount the lights under the bumper like you did. Too easy to get damaged. I would personally bolt them to the frame rails on the bed up top. or go to harbor freight. They have a magnetic spot light you could put right up top on the cab.

Or even do like I did. I came across a 500 watt spot light from a house. I bolted it to the bed rail, then ran it right to the inverter.



Although it is a sweet set up. Nice truck. But I would look into ya mpg. Comign 10-15 years exp as a mech, something is wrong. Unless ya have chip it should be getting 15 and better. Especially with the turbo, which would make it more fuel efficient. Not less.

Take a look one day. Is it puffing a lot of black smoke when shifting or idling or stamping the gas hard? If it is, thats unburnt fuel, and ya definately have a problem. Like bad injectors leaking or something. Or its chipped and your not aware of it.

The lights are fine under the bumper, I never back into anything (bumper was bent when i got the truck), and I cant put them on the bed rail as the cap is on there.

And I know my way around Cummins diesels pretty well, been working on them a few years and doing performance mods just as long. I'm not a huge expert but I know more than most of the people that own or drive them. Don't take this the wrong way I don't want to come off as a jerk but it's hard to take any of your advice on my truck when you know little to nothing about my truck/engine. You can't put a chip on a mechanically injected truck which mine is (as are all Dodge diesels through 1998). The turbo is quite a bit larger than stock, therefore it doesn't do much of anything to help bottom end (which is where the truck usually operates). I have a lot of extra fuel going to it, yes it smokes on demand. It will black out a highway if I want it to. That's the key: If i want it to. It doesn't belch smoke all the time during normal driving. It's tame until I get on it hard then it's wide open throttle, tons of smoke and the turbo comes alive. The injectors are bigger than stock, I recently put them in. I am really familiar with my truck, I've done a ton of work on it (and dozens of others identical to it) and if it was chipped I'd know it, even though a chip wouldn't do a darn thing for it LOL... I didn't set it up for fuel mileage I set it up for power. I don't complain about the fuel mileage. The low gearing makes it use more fuel than most and that's ok, it'll pull a house up a 35* incline in overdrive at 45 mph.

I appreciate you wanting to help but it's not applicable advice and I am not looking to change the setup or I would already. Again it's all for power not fuel mileage. To me 12 mpg is fine for lugging 12,000 lbs around (truck and empty trailer, usually 16-18k loaded, fuel mileage does not drop when loaded). I'm quite content with what I get out of the deal.

Ok my bad didnt realize that it was the pre ecm era. Still it shouldn't be puffing. Two different animals. But my buddy has a 7.3 ford diesel. It doesn't smoke and gets around 18-19 mpg. Even witha bigger on turbo on it.

So something is wrong. Since you put in bigger injectors, then maybe turn back the injector pump a bit. Not sure been a long time since I did diesels, but whether ya want to hear or not...something is wrong. A diesel blowing smoke does not help make more power. Its just show off and personal y from experience, dot hates it. Its a good reason to ull you off.

I would take it to a good cummins diesel and have it fixed right. Dont take this the wrong way, but anybody can bolt on bigger turbo, bigger injectors, etc, But to tune it and make it work right is a totaly nother animal.

I really urge you to take it to a diesel tech and have it looked at.

Here is another fine example. Used to drive truck...big truck. I had a full gross of 80 grand. Was runnign a volvo with detroit. 425 and slightly cranked higher by ecm. I was pulling 100+ down the mass pike without even a issue. Was getting 8 mpg out of it. No smoke or nothing. And she was still climbing. I didnt even know I was doing a 100+ till DOT pulled me over and, well, they were not quite happy.

But after I explained I was used to company trucks where the governor kicked in at 65 and I always kept my foot to the floor to let the ecm do the work, they let me go with a night off..lol.

So again if ya smoking something is wrong. Injector wrong size for turbo...something. Beyond my area of expertise, but I bet my left nut, that you get rid of the black smoke...you will still pull good...and get 15-16 mpg no issue.

Hell I had also a triaxle I drove that was a cat 525 that would do 9-10 mpg pulling 22 tons at 75 mph. See my point now...lol.