Kevin Rutherfrauds $200000 Signature glider truck has complete engine failure!!!

Well, one thing I have to give KR credit for, he got folks actually thinking about how to do things to minimize cost and maximize profit. But like some folks, he has a "techie" bent, and every thing that comes out that promises the world, he seems to be on it like stink on &^%*. Folks just need to glean out what seems logical to try and forget most of the other stuff. I have to admit, I would have never thought of the better exhaust manifold, yanking off the waste gate turbo in favor of a larger non waste gated one, and slapping a blanket on that as well. But the results are most of what KR and BM said. EGT's stay way cooler, the engine does a lot better on hard pulls, and efficiency is there. There are a few other things I tried that work well, but at least I only tried a couple that didn't seem to measure up. But they were relatively cheap things that didn't make the loss of money seem all that bad. I had enough science in college to understand the exhaust flow thing and how improving the exhaust would cause better flow. And it did. I would have it no other way now.

 

cowpie, ain't that kinda like saying the Jack Leland infomercial has value because it gets people thinking about a healthy diet ?

 

I see those and think how much better some whole milk and a couple scoops of ice cream would work better than stuff that looks like it came out of the lawn mower.

 

Got a model number on that turbo? Slapping a blanket on it? Got a pic of this turbo snuggie? What's a turbo blanket?

Can you run the non waste gate turbo without the upgraded manifold and still see worth while results? I'd like to try a different turbo.

 

I put on a Borg Warner 171702 turbo on my 500 hp Detroit 60. The blanket was from PTP Turbo blankets, T6 size. A turbo blanket is literally that... a blanket that wraps around the hot side of the turbo. It keeps exhaust from cooling too quickly and creating a bottleneck to efficient exhaust flow. When exhaust gas cools, it condenses, and does not move as freely. Also, a blanket will keep heat from the hot side from radiating to the cool side and keep intake air temps 20-20F cooler (a big plus for those with aero style trucks with under hood air filters and intake). For those with a turbo actuator that VG turbos have, it would keep destructive heat away from the actuator and increase longevity. How many folks have had to replace actuators on VG turbos from Cummins, etc? A lot. This might have been mitigated had they been using a turbo blanket. Again cooler air is denser and for the intake, that is a good thing. Exhaust, it is not. And overall temps, by doing this stuff, in the engine compartment are further reduced as well.

Not sure why you couldn't run a different turbo without doing the manifold. I just felt they complimented each other, maximize exhaust flow as the ported, polished, ceramic coated manifold has a similar effect as the turbo blanket. Less heat is radiated off of the manifold and exhaust gasses do not cool too quickly, maximizing exhaust flow. One can actually place their hand on the turbo blanket, even after a hard pull on a hot day, and it will just feel warm to the touch. I have done it myself a few times just for curiosity sake. Whereas you put you hand on the hot side of a turbo without a blanket, and you will need to go to the emergency room. I can even put my hand on the cool side of the turbo, not covered with anything, even after a hard pull, and it is just barely warm.

The normal question that crops up in peoples minds is "wouldn't keeping the heat in this way increase temps and cause damage?" Absolutely not! Because the exhaust flows more quickly because it is not cooling in the exhaust stream too much, the EGT temps are actually reduced. Exhaust can get out of the cylinders quicker and get on down stream. It is the stacking up of exhaust in the flow that generates more heat. Those with EGT gauges, you can see the temps climb appreciably if running a motor too low of RPM's on a hard pull. Get the RPM's up and increase the exhaust flow, and EGT's drop. A proper manifold and a turbo blanket compliment this considerably. And this increases fuel efficiency as well.

The BW turbo I have has been on the motor from the first day it pulled a load, and the blanket as well. Just about to turn over 400,000 miles on the motor and turbo is doing just fine. Night time and raining now, but when I get a chance in the next day or two, I will take a pic of the blanket on the turbo and you can see it.

For those with the newer ISX, Detroit, etc motors with VG turbos on them, this works just as well by putting a blanket on them. I wouldn't run a motor anymore without putting a blanket on the hot side of the turbo. I ran one on the VG turbo that was on my '06 ISX with nary a problem. Even had one on the Garrett VG turbo on my 2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel and I had that vehicle for a little over 100K mlles and my son got it and it has never had a turbo issue and it gets 7 mpg better than the highway mpg the sticker said it would get when I bought it! Sticker said 27 mpg highway, and we got concerned on days it didn't get 30+ mpg. Many days it got close to 35 mpg highway.

Here are some videos from PTP Turbo Blankets you can see this kind of thing for yourself....

http://ptpturboblankets.com/video_installation.php

 

Cowpie, there is truth in your statements about the benefits of higher exhaust gas temps, but don't forget a turbocharger is a heat engine, and more heat kept in the turbo means the turbo can produce more work for any given input. Here's a very good paper on testing the effects of a blankets on both engine and turbocharger: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1DKgBxqE0JEME5wQ1pIc1N5dU0/edit?pli=1

TL; DR: The blanket moves the turbo into a more efficient part of its operating envelope, as well decreasing response time to throttle changes.

The paper is largely in layman's language, and is well worth the read.

 

Met a guy the other day that wrapped his exhaust pipes all the way to the top of the cab with asbestos to keep the exhaust gasses from cooling too soon. He said that the turbo ran much cooler because as with a wood stove, the exhaust being kept from cooling in the piping allows the air to flow freely out the end of the stacks. If you have ever started a wood stove on a cold day you know what I am talking about with the colder air blocking the flow of the warmer air out the chimney.

 

How'd it look?

 

At the Track That Truck page, there have been some recent posts regarding Bruce having told his side of the story. Anybody know anything about it?

 

I can't find it now, as it probably got deleted. Someone started a thread in the Trucking Resources thread bringing it back up. Somewhere in there, another person who was attending the current CMC made a sideways remark that it had been discussed there. Then refused to elaborate, not wanting to "feed the trolls."

I'm sure it will come out somewhere, some time. I guess you had to buy a seat to be there in person to hear it.