Elecronic Diesel Tuning Devices

[CAT]

Hi all! Doing my usual dip in and out of the forum I am slow and steady with my progress on my truck. Thing is I am over in New Zealand for the year and close to the Motherland of all things mod with 4WD toyo's. So I really have my sights set on picking up some gear over here to post or take back with me. Just to re-cap I have the 1kz-te engine.

So far I have the egr blanked, throttle plate gonzo, I have a 3 inch dump pipe and 3" stainless running to a side exhaust, small muffler on this as the guy in the shop said it needed something on there and I was fine with that (by the way the delightful noises this mod has made are very satisfying!)
I have a hpd front mount intercooler which I fitted my self as well as a boost gauge and EGT which fitted nicely on the dump pipe (manufacturers fitted a socket for it) I can see I am getting max around 10 psi and my exhaust temps are nice and low and never really get up at all only on a hill climb. So I feel the engine is ready for some tuning and to get the most from the intercooler.
I have previously cranked up the fuel pump and noticed some obvious improvements, this was before the intercooler though. I am not 100% happy to go with this mod alone and I have read on other sites that it is not fully advisable for the engine in the long term. I am not adding weight to the argument its just something I read.
So, do I go with a DP or Steinbauer chip which sound like they have some settings for playing around with yourself, or do I pick up something specialist over here and go down the route of a new fuel pump etc.
I just want to say now that my cruiser is not going to be an off road fiend, I fish a lot and it is going to be used for highway driving with a boat, mixed with some rougher gravel type back country roads, hence why I got the front mount intercooler. So ultimately I am looking for more power output from the engine when I need it like overtaking etc and towing a boat, and better economy when I drive it around nice and easy in its usual format. So a more efficient engine you might say.
I have read that the chips like the DP and Steinbauer perfect the timing of the combustion process and also add fueling across the acceleration range in proportion to rpm and speed (Dont quote me on this, thats what I am picking up and I am probably lost in marketing jargon!). I am loathed to talk to most of the chip manufacturers as I think they are just buttering me up for a sale, I would love to get some cold hard facts on these chips and how they actually work!
A chip may be all I ever need power wise but I would like to be re-assured that a chip that I purchase can be tailored somehow to know that I have an intercooler and to make the most of that mod. I'm not talking about taking air intake temps or anything like that, just a general pre-programmed response across the board that will be beneficial with the IC. Maybe this is impossible but I would like to be a bit better informed on the chips processes before I fork out the money for one! Hope you guys can help a bit, lots of info out there and difficult to wade through it all at times. Cheers and all the best, Liam.

P.S another mod I will complete when home is to tighten up the turbo waste gate spring and get the boost to climb at bit more, I don't think I need to go down the road of a new turbo or anything like that, sub 14 psi seems to be tolerated by the sound of it, and I think I will be happy with that. Many thanks again.

 

[Shayne]

You forgot the pics mate

 

[CAT]

If I could I would have to wait till I am home

 

[Shayne]

It's just occurred to me Liam that your question brings this thread to a full circle . If you take a look a page one a tuning chip to go with my 3" exhaust was all i wanted .

13 pages and 3 years of alternative modifications and i don't feel i need a chip to add power but i do wonder if a chip might improve fuel economy .

IIRC i came across a plug and play tuning chip for our trucks that allowed the user to fine tune things via an ipad . This caught my interest because like you i do wonder how a chip set to work with a standard 1KZ-TE will perform with an engine that is no longer standard .

Unfortunately i cannot remember what it was called .

 

[CAT]

Just read the whole thread! Forgot I was a contributor back in the day

The boost controller seems a better mod to get, will look into it.

Worth looking into the NZ mechanical pump while I am over here also.

I'll do some googling on the tablet tune chip jobby, might throw something up.

Cheers Shayne

 

[Shayne]

The K&N air filter is easily dismissed as insignificant but when it was fitted it cured all sorts of problems that had me stumped .

 

[Beau]

CAT, I was gonna mention those NZ Hybrid pumps. They're very good from what I've read and are good for high power with boost. If your trucks manual its even better as setting the TPS right with the auto trans can be a pain! I think you'll get more tuneability out of those pumps compared to chips and actual tuning devices. These trucks just don't have that much electronics on them to make it work in my opinion.

 

[Beau]

The K&N air filter is easily dismissed as insignificant but when it was fitted it cured all sorts of problems that had me stumped .

That's strange Shayne... I've never really liked those K&N filters because I believe they don't filter as well as OEM filters, I could be wrong. Obvious they probably let in more air and are less restrictive, but at what cost, and gain, I'm not sure.

 

[CAT]

Did someone put this up before?

http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/1kz-te-to-mechanical-pump.487667/

New Manual pump would cost me the same as a chip. More research needed I think.

Cheers lads.

 

[CAT]

Only issue then would be fooling the ECU into allowing for higher boost ranges. I see minimum 18psi boost for the manual pump mentioned in the linked thread. Can the factory turbo deal with that range also?

 

[Shayne]

While i was juggling theories and trying to work it all out i kept hitting an invisible wall higher up the rev range . The filter let me move on , possibly i could go back to genuine filters since moving the sensors onto the intercooler but the k&n pulled me out of a hole when i was stuck .

 

[Shayne]

Just playing the Devil's advocate here but i took this from your linked mud thread -

Well played a bit more....
Auto playing up a bit....Late gear changes, especially at hi-way speeds. Tinkered with TPS position but no luck....
However it pulls strong....
Give it the boot at 100 kph and before you know it you are at 120.....
Peak boost at 20psi and can hold 100kph on long hills where it would normally run out of puff and just put the EGT's thru the roof. Or chop down a gear and over rev.
Now I can hold 650C at 20psi boost while blasting up a long steady hill.....And still have a bit in reserve....(This is what the guy who set the pump said it would do)
Haven't pushed any harder yet until I sort the auto out. Possibly go suprastick....
Cant wait to test it out in Low Range off road....As it jumps into life real nice.....
​

Now i'm boosting at somewhere vaguely under 14 and i still haven't fitted my egt gauge , but i can say without any shadow of a doubt that my truck will pull a 600kg trailer up a very long motorway hill at 80mph (128kph) with plenty in reserve should i need to overtake .

 

[Shayne]

Strange i can see the bit i copied and pasted on the latest activity page but not on this thread ?

 

[CAT]

I can see it there alright Shayne. Think I will have a chat with Kaiapoi and see what they say. Sounds like quite a bit tuning know how is needed with the manual. I could just leave it in to a shop once I have the pump though and get it tuned by someone who knows what they are doing.
The guys on that Mud thread were doing a lot of tricking around and one of the guys cracked a head and wore out his diffs?? :O
Either way it sounds like a manual pump or a decent chip will cost about the same all in, which one will be more advantageous though? Manual sounds like uncharted ground in some respects.

 

[Beau]

There is a way off fooling the ECU, But at the point of running the mechanical fuel pump, I don't think it matters. It may just throw a check engine light. Because normally the ECU would interfere with the electronic pump and limit fuel and power. With a mechanical pump the ECU can't get involved so you can boost as high as you like. They do recommend having a good exhaust/IC setup when changing to that pump because it does dump a lot more fuel in when asked.

 

[Shayne]

If you move to a mechanical pump surely the pressure sensor in the intake becomes redundant , i would pull it out shrink wrap it so it gets no reading and stick it back in to fill the hole . No fault codes and i imagine the new pump will compensate fuel on boost via a vacuum hose direct to the turbo .

 

[CAT]

They do recommend having a good exhaust/IC setup when changing to that pump because it does dump a lot more fuel in when asked.

I've got all the necessary upgrades in that department, 3 inch side exhaust with bigger dump pipe and a hpd front mount intercooler.

What about the factory turbo though? Will it be last with pace running to a max of 20psi, from the mud thread it seems that the pump needed that high boost to run right.

 

[Shayne]

I think the factory CT12B turbo was also used in the Supra's which are often tuned way beyond what 1kz engines will ever produce so i wouldn't worry about it beyond having respect for its age . I've forgotten most of what i read while looking into turbo upgrades but ultimately i decided its a case of lots of money for little gain in our small 4x4's .

Maybe a rebuild using genuine parts would give peace of mind .

It might well be worth seeing if you can source an upgrade radiator while in NZ as compressed air causes heat and your talking about doubling factory boost pressures if you go down the manual pump route . Obviously the intercooler will help to cool compressed air but to what degree ?

I'd say a lower degree towing thermostat is also a must as coolant does pass through the turbo .

 

[Beau]

I talked to the NZ pump guy who said the standard turbos are good up to 18-20PSI. Any further than that and they get very hot and push too much heat into the engine where you don't really make any more power. Theres also a known guy in NZ or AUS, not sure, who rebuilds the inside of these turbo with bigger shafts, and a better turbine to allow for bigger boost but still good spool up times. It really comes down to how far you want to go.

 

[CAT]

I've been in touch with Kaiapoi repowers and the guy there informed me that the difference in a chip and the mechanical pump is like night and day.
I think the factory turbo is all i need tbh, cheers for the info though beau.
I asked about a radiator upgrade also and if he thinks it may be necessary.

What is the install like for the lower degree towing thermostat shayne? Is there a thread link here? Or can you explain it to me a bit more.
Also best boost controller to go with?
Cheers guys.