Power towing up mountains

[LHMissions]

So this past weekend - the first mission trip towing in the Appalichian mountains! Last trip blew the head gaskets, blew appart radiator, all sorts of stuff failed, heads warped - it was ugly to say the least.

$11,000 over a few months time () and 9 months later (this past July 4th Weekend) I'm reloaded and towing back into the mountains.

This time with gauges! Which was a headache in itself. (the Glowshift gauges I bought - where a headache to get installed - first time the mechanic complained the whole time and never did finish the install - then a great guy from the forum came to my house to help - we determined the EGT was either failed or the probe had the wrong resistance. Ended up being the probe resistance didnt coincide with what Glowshift could read. Then Glowshift promised I'd get my gauge back before I left on my trip. By Thursday night it hadnt arrived so I went to TrickTrucks in Edgewater, MD, and on their shelf was a EGT by Autometer they didnt know they had! They made me a great deal on it and it read the probe I had installed - so I have 1 Autometer EGT and the rest Glowshift. 1/2 way through my trip - the Glowshift Boost gauge failed and wouldnt read boost for no reason! Time to save up some money for better gauges!) I kept the EGT at 1000 degrees - touched off 1100 a few times. I was pulling roughly 9,000 lbs on the hitch - truck weighs 8,000 - giving a total weight of ... 17,000 pounds. Pulling 2900ft mountain climbs - the truck would slow down to 35mph - 40mph - keeping the 1000* EGT.

(granted when I blew the head gaskets in October 2009 on mission - with simular load - I was pushing the truck to maintain 65-70mph up the mountainsides and did not have gauges at the time. I can only imagine what my EGT's had risen to!!!)

Granted the truck made the trip flawlessly - it seemed a bit slow.

First question - what EGT can I safely run at on extended pulls (up mountainsides) without risk of damage to anything in the engine?

2) Why is it when the transmission (5R110) downgeared (in tow/haul mode) the EGT's decreased while the RPM increased??? I understand the lower gear - higher RPM correlation - but If the RPM increases - wouldnt that mean the engine is working harder? Why did the EGT go down?

3) I've got a 4" turbo back exhaust with kitty delete (diamond Eye exhaust), Banks, and ARP studded engine - what else can I do to pull mountains with better performance without risk of damaging something? The truck has 214,600 miles on it and runs on 35's. I really cant afford to break anything else. I was thinking adding a water/meth kit - I have an AEM kit sitting on a shelf in my house.

[JohnO]

Lower gear and higher RPM's means you aren't working the engine as hard, combustion pressure (and temp) is lower. If you want to visualize it, think of each cylinder firing. To keep moving in a higher gear at the same road speed, you're pushing more fuel and air into the cylinder and raising combustion pressure and temperature (because you're burning more fuel for each individual piston stroke) to keep the same speed at a lower RPM. Of course, the downside of low gear/high RPM is more fuel usage, but fuel is a lot cheaper than an overhaul.

I'm no expert on the subject, but from what I've heard, the 6-gun doesn't reprogram the transmission shift points, and can lead to transmission damage, especially if you're towing a lot of weight up a mountain. The pros might want to contribute their wisdom in on that one.

[SCUD001]

Your EGT will go down at a higher RPM due to increased exhaust flow. It's just one of the many reasons you pull up a hill in low gear high RPM deals. To push all that hot exhaust out the back end and don't let it linger around in your manifold heating everything else up.

I've seen new truckers who have never climbed mountains before destroy their rig engines/exhause/stacks.....all because they selected the wrong gear climbing.

[2006PSDSD]

I was told a 6.0 can hang on with constant 1300* EGT's all day long. This is always up for discussion though . ^^^^This guy said what I wouold have about the EGT's cooling with high RPM's. I think you need an SCT after you get the repairs paid off

That's not a ton of weight though for taking it that slow. What grade was the hill you were on? I towed my buddies F250 on a 3k lb trailer and had no issues pulled the hills to get it back to my house, running 50mph but not working it . I was using my aggressive tow tune from Eric though

[SCUD001]

Originally Posted by 2006PSDSD

I was told a 6.0 can hang on with constant 1300* EGT's all day long. This is always up for discussion though . ^^^^This guy said what I wouold have about the EGT's cooling with high RPM's. I think you need an SCT after you get the repairs paid off

That's not a ton of weight though for taking it that slow. What grade was the hill you were on? I towed my buddies F250 on a 3k lb trailer and had no issues pulled the hills to get it back to my house, running 50mph but not working it . I was using my aggressive tow tune from Eric though

I haven't damaged my truck at all from towing or the rig I used to drive through the pass all the time. But I've seen it, watched a couple of tag drivers melt an Cummins engine block on a Volvo. Seen a stack melt out at the elbow and flex areas from heat accumulation. I've seen to many stupid mistakes on the road with new truckers.

I love my CTS though and EGT temps are critical when towing up ANY hill. Especially at Rocky Mountain levels....

[Dave]

1250 egt's can be maintained all day with a pre turbo pyro.

What tunes are you running

[Dave]

Here is your problem

Banks 6-gun

Overpriced 10k mod with no real engine or trans tuning. I assume you dont have the PDA.

What power level were you towing in when you popped your heads the first time

[2006PSDSD]

Originally Posted by SCUD001

I haven't damaged my truck at all from towing or the rig I used to drive through the pass all the time. But I've seen it, watched a couple of tag drivers melt an Cummins engine block on a Volvo. Seen a stack melt out at the elbow and flex areas from heat accumulation. I've seen to many stupid mistakes on the road with new truckers.

I love my CTS though and EGT temps are critical when towing up ANY hill. Especially at Rocky Mountain levels....

Definitely

[Baddestt]

Changing axle ratio gears to 4.30s or even 4.56s will give you a lot more pull up those mountains with 35s. It's always best to pull with 33" tires with 4.30 gears....that's the combo I have, and it pulls like a freight train with my tow tunes. Gears are well worth the investment.

[cubalz]

I thought that all Volvos ran Mercedes Benz Diesel Engines.