Amg P400

[JetBoater]

Well... I'm nearing the end of my project truck and I'm going to miss wrenching on it.... kind-of. Here are a few pics of the "protection" I put in front of the intercooler.









The skeleton will hopefully provide protection from a dreaded collision with anything.

I put a jack under the 3/8" bottom steel plate and it has the strength to hold both front wheels off the ground! The aluminum grill/shield is for rocks. I am heading down 60 km (40 miles) of gravel on Sunday to get to a fishing destination... I wanted protection from the stones.

[JetBoater]

Forgot to mention... the skeleton above is welded between hooks. To remove you unbolt the hooks and 2 more grade 8 bolts on the bottom plate.

[JetBoater]

I installed dual 9" electric "pull" fans... made in Italy. I hooked them up through a relay and manual switch inside the cab.

The fans will probably only be used when cruising up a long steep grade... but I added them because thats when you need the cooling most!







The switch on the dash lights up when the fans are rolling!
Cheers..

[GMC Hauler]

Please keep me informed of testing with and without the fans. That is a mod i have been contemplating...

[More Power]

Nice work JB. Does your IC sit any lower than the commercial kit IC's?

The Turbo Tech IC I installed in our 6.5 project back a few years ago didn't sit low enough to be affected by concrete parking lot stops or curb height objects.

Jim

[JetBoater]

I pulled a good hill going in and out of Port Alberni during the trip.

It was a cool day going up the pass on the way in... and the fans kept the engine temp steady.

It was a record HOT day going back out of the same mountain pass and the fans didn't seem to be a benefit at all. I pegged the manual temp at 240°F(measured just before rad), the dash gauge read 100°C (212°F) in the engine. Ambient outside temp was 36°C (97°F).

The truck needs more fuel. No black smoke up the climbs, the pyro read 600°F max. I'll get the IP bumped up more and dyno it at the same time.

Jim.. I'll measure the height on the IC skid plate... it looks to be 9 inches off the ground... a touch lower than the cross member. I am going to weld a lip on the front of it to prevent scooping snow in the winter

[GMC Hauler]

I pulled a good hill going in and out of Port Alberni during the trip.

It was a cool day going up the pass on the way in... and the fans kept the engine temp steady.

It was a record HOT day going back out of the same mountain pass and the fans didn't seem to be a benefit at all. I pegged the manual temp at 240°F(measured just before rad), the dash gauge read 100°C (212°F) in the engine. Ambient outside temp was 36°C (97°F).

The truck needs more fuel. No black smoke up the climbs, the pyro read 600°F max. I'll get the IP bumped up more and dyno it at the same time.

Jim.. I'll measure the height on the IC skid plate... it looks to be 9 inches off the ground... a touch lower than the cross member. I am going to weld a lip on the front of it to prevent scooping snow in the winter

Did the electric fans on the IC help any?

[JetBoater]

The fans DO help... but not so much on a record hot day.

General thermal dynamics principles tell us that air flows from a high to a low. When you pull or push air through anything, it draws the heat away.

Ambient temperatures have a big effect on the cooling. High ambient = less cooling, Low ambient = more cooling. I'm pulling 590 cfm per fan. 1180 cfm total. This will move more heat than pushing the IC through air in front and under the truck.

I'm happy with it... but would have really liked to stuff two 10" fans totaling 2140 cfm behind the IC. They wouldn't fit in the location unfortunately.

Go big if you want more gain !

[JetBoater]

Jim... The lowest portion of the skid plate is 8 3/4" off the ground. If I trimmed the front of it off I would gain half an inch in height.

I left it hanging out to prevent bumping anything against the aluminum grill.

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

Please forgive a question from someone that knows close to nothing about such things, but I would think the temp to monitor would be EGT. It would seem that cooling intake air would certainly affect coolant temps, but the real goal is to get the charge air temps down, which should show up pretty directly in your EGT gauge.

I'm asking so I may learn, not because I think I know something about this - I don't.

Thanks & Blessings!

[JetBoater]

Keeping the turbo charged air cooled is the reason for the intercooler. The fans on the intercooler assist in lowering those intake air temps.

Cooler intake air temperatures will provide denser air, and more power. Yes, this will lower your EGT's.

My Pyro was running cool due to inadequate fuel delivery... it was not a big concern on the last trip because the engine was basically acting like a big air pump (600°F max). I have since bumped up the fuel, and therefore the performance.

An efficient air induction system inhaling fresh air will help lower your EGT's
A larger free flowing exhaust will lower your EGT's
A larger turbo which doesn't work as hard at the same boost level will also lower your EGT's

Sorry if I confused things with engine temps on my previous thread.... I was just providing all the pertinent info.

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

It's me, not you - I have a room in the home for the perpetually confused.

Blessings!

(signature in previous post)

[67_C-30]

Very cool thread! I can't wait to see it on the dyno!

[JetBoater]

I'm happy to report the dyno info can now be found under the September 2008 Update, members section .

Link: http://www.thedieselpage.com/members...es/mrp400c.htm

[JoeyD]

What did it dyno out at?

[Robyn]

I have a quicky ????????

If the GM 4X4 rig to receive a P400 has had a major lift using the kits that drop the front differential down with special brackets, will the pan that comes with the P400 fit and not hit things ???

Any Ideas??

I have coming a 92 Burb 2500 4x4 that has a 4 inch Body lift as well as a 6 inch suspension lift (Kit)

It has a 454 doing the pulling now but I am planning on a repower with a 6.2.

A fresh P400 at some time would be sweet.

Thanks

Robyn

[JoeyD]

The IFS lift kits bolt to all the stock suspension points with brackets or a sub frame. Hard to say but I think it won't fit. Not much room under there.
If you had a solid axle swap like I do I think it would fit as long as the pan will fit between the frame rails.

[JetBoater]

I'm working in Denver this week... so I'll run a tape down the forward portion of the pan for you when I get back.

The girdle drops the pan down 3" and the cast aluminum pan is at least 6" deep at the bottom, where it tapers sharply down. The pan will fit if you can get the room... it fits fine between the frame rails. If I remember correctly, the stock pan was 8.5" at the deepest portion. You can eyeball with a tape and check for general interference.

I would run the stock P400 pan if its close... you can always make a few welding mods if necessary.... my welder does work on cast aluminum.

The truck's final dyno numbers were 215 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. I'm sure there are losses of at least 20% through the auto transmission, transfer case, and drive train. Maybe someone can comment on what the numbers would be at the flywheel.

[JoeyD]

Good numbers. Are you looking for more or is it staying?

[JetBoater]

The truck pulls well enough for me... I am happy with the power.

The real test will be mountain climbing with the camper (2500 lbs) and boat (4500 lbs) loaded with gear, in tow.

If the EGT's stay under control, I'll be a happy camper.