UPDATE (added intercooler):
As most anyone who has attempted to add a turbo a 2h engine or read a little bit about it, the 2h likes to overheat as a result and this has been bothering me for some time. I went to
great lengths to put my engine’s cooling system in tip top shape but to no avail. I suspected my intake air charge was the culprit. So I finally installed
THIS input air sensor unit made by glow-shift a few weeks back. The new installed sensor was telling me that it was 100F outside, 10PSI boost, resulting in a 270F IAT (intake air temp)
This guy tunes Duramax diesel engines and has lots of great resources for learning about diesel tuning. I have referenced this article as I will be quoting pieces of it and don’t want to pass off the literature as my own.
http://killerbeeperformance.com/download/tuning/Timing%20the%20Diesel.pdf
“Let’s assume an auto ignition temperature of 800 F for our diesel platform. With a fixed15 BTDC injection pulse, the ignition event begins at around 10 degrees BTDC, using a standard cetane delay value of 5 degrees. If the ignition event lasts for 40 degrees of rotation, then there is 10 degrees of negative torque and 30 degrees of positive torque, resulting in 20 degrees of net positive torque.”
“But what happens if the entry air-charge heats up and is now 240 F (270 in my case with just 10PSI of boost)? This is an actual example of the effect of higher load and induction heat soak while climbing a grade. If the timing event is unchanged then there is 13 degrees of negative torque, and 22 degrees of positive torque, net positive torque has been dramatically reduced to 9 degrees. Note the loss of 5 degrees of duration; this is due to the decrease in combustion time that results from the hotter environment. So to restore net torque to 20 degrees, injection timing must be retarded 5 degrees. (5 degrees has a 10 degree “net” effect, a little change goes a long way). If this adjustment is not made dynamically, then you experience an efficiency reduction and a noticeable loss of power on grade.”
“Now let’s assume that you are towing a grade in the desert southwest, at 7000 ft, and the outside temperature is 92 degrees with 6% humidity. Assume further that you are using a boost enhancing device (because you hate the high EGT’s that these conditions create). Soon the engine is heat soaked at 230 F ECT, and the air charge leaving the intercooler (IAT2) has crept up to 240 F. And you are now looking around asking “why is this truck continuing to lose power?” Now you know the answer. Besides having thin air at that temperature, the stock injection timing is now too advanced for the conditions, and too much of the fuel is trying to turn the motor in reverse. Now if you take away 5 degrees of timing advance, say from 12 BTDC to 7, using a handy switched EFILive tune, some of that torque and power will be instantly restored on grade. If we are burning the same quantity of fuel, then more power equals more speed, which equals better fuel economy. Another option is to remove boost. “WAIT!” you say. “Won’t that reduce my power also?” Not exactly. Since more boost creates faster ignition, and vice versa, if we remove some boost from an over-advanced scenario (by virtue of heat), it is like pulling timing.
It is my understanding that the 2h engine, sadly, has a static injection timing meaning; while it’s running its always injecting at the same crank angle and for the same duration no fancy computers to alter this on the fly.
I need to cool down my engine on the hot desert grades. With the above information my new working theory for overheating is this ...
Higher IATs, 270F in my case, advance my ignition timing just a measly 3 degrees and shorten the combustion duration by a whopping 10 degrees.
“too much fuel is trying to turn my motor in reverse” This is where the overheating is happening not the added induction heat but what that heat can do to the combustion cycle which advances it and shortens it! Also very bad is advancing peak cylinder pressure towards TDC or BTDC which is where I completely
suspect the 2h’s problems with boost are coming from NOT from additional intake air pressure but from extra intake air temp.
So I added an intercooler up front of the A/C and now my land cruier’s face is all ugly but she runs up the hill like a champ with just 10F above ambient IATs and she DOES NOT OVERHEAT but will get to a toasty 220F or so on 6% grade at 105F ambient. I am now running 12PSI boost and I don’t see EGTs above 1100F. Flat Cruising EGTs are down 200F from 800F to 600F and boost is down at flat cruising from 8PSI to 6PSI. Cruising water temps are down from 205F to about 195F.
I have yet to retard my ignition timing. That experiment comes next. Looks like getting at the two bolts between the IP and the motor will be a tough to get to. I will attempt to index the injection pumps position with a permanent marker or something prior to moving it in hopes that putting it back can be easier than fooling with the inspection tube business.