Am I on the right track? Help the new guy out...

[bakertime]

Hey guys...I'm pretty new to this whole diesel thing. I drive an Acura Integra, but my family has a '97 GMC 2500HD with the 6.5, and I'm exploring some options for making it a little quicker!

I've stumbled upon Heath Diesel, and the reviews have convinced me of their products. After looking at different options, I'm down to a few to consider (I'll be trying to convince the parents once I get this narrowed down!)

Option 1: $1936
Intake, Heath Crossover pipes + new seal and bolts, Heath Exhaust, Heath Stage 1 Performance Kit (GL4, WG Controller, Lift Pump, Coupler), Boost & EGT Gauges w/ homemade bezel

Option 2: $1242
Intake, Heath Stage 1 Performance Kit (GL4, WG Controller, Lift Pump, Coupler), Boost & EGT Gauges w/ homemade bezel

Option 3:$1107
Heath filter element, Heath Stage 1 Performance Kit (GL4, WG Controller, Lift Pump, Coupler), Boost & EGT Gauges w/ homemade bezel

I've been trying to find out what kind of gains I can get with these options in the hp/tq department. I also haven't been able to find any sound clips of the exhaust Heath offers...this truck would preferably not be much louder than stock. I'd like the gains in power, but not so much the sound! Anyone have experience with this exhaust, or have any recommendations for cost-effective systems on the quiet side?

Anything I'm forgetting? I'd really appreciate any tips. The truck has only 70,000 miles on it, so it seems to be a pretty healthy motor!

Thanks in advance, I appreciate the community you guys have got going here! A lot of good information, I'm just having trouble finding this stuff specifically at the moment.

Zach

 

[Turbine Doc]

Howdy Zach welcome to the site, you can't go wrong with Heath products, you'll see many of us using them, 1st question before you spend your parents coins you need to let us in on your goals for the vehicle, sporty or tow machine, economy or grunty, look at your RPO list in you glove box and see if you can figure what your delivered options were as a K2500 I suspect at 3:73 rear ratio vs the 3:42. What is 8 th digit of your VIN S or F

 

[Edzzed]

Howdy Zach welcome to the site, you can't go wrong with Heath products, you'll see many of us using them, 1st question before you spend your parents coins you need to let us in on your goals for the vehicle, sporty or tow machine, economy or grunty, look at your RPO list in you glove box and see if you can figure what your delivered options were as a K2500 I suspect at 3:73 rear ratio vs the 3:42. What is 8 th digit of your VIN S or F

x2 with heath, however some items can be had cheaper on the big auction site. other items are heath exclusive. heath is one of the very few vendors where the statement "consumer satisfaction" actually has meaning. Ed

 

[JiFaire]

Hi Zach; welcome to the site!

Things to consider:



1] Input/Output - Diesels are just big air pumps... you need to be able to get air in and get exhaust out, and neither of those things are GM's strengths, with this engine design. Before you go adding more fuel (GL4 ECM), you need to do something about your restrictive exhaust, or you'll have overheating and EGT problems. If you can't get the exhaust OUT of the engine efficiently, you certainly can't start thinking about adding more fuel or air to the situation... more fuel and air just makes more exhaust. In my book, a new 3" mandrel-bent downpipe is the very first step - I like to see people completely change the exhaust at the same time, with a new mandrel-bent crossover and 4" exhaust, if you can afford it. You'll get more power, better mileage, and it makes for a stable platform to build more power on.

2] Gauges - anytime you add more boost and fuel, you start pushing away from the conservative safety limits that GM put on these vehicles. You need to know how far away from that safe zone you are going, so gauges are a must. Once you have your gauges, the Heath WG controller will help with the air IN part and do something about that annoying lack of boost your turbo can currently produce.

3] Fuel - adding a 'chip' or reprogrammed PCM is the single biggest improvement you can make to your truck. It changes the amount of fuel your engine gets, changes the points in the power curve where that fuel is added, and modifies how your truck shifts and transfers power, as well. It's really like driving a new truck in many ways. You'll also need to add a better lift pump, to adequately supply your increased fuel injection volumes. Once you have upped your truck's ability to handle more fuel (air in, exhaust out, gauges to watch with), the GL4 is a nice program to put in.

4] reliability - has the PMD been remote-mounted? If not, just keep it in mind... it's a problematic part and most dealers try and replace the whole Injection pump (big bucks) when it fails. A remote-mounted PMD (when it finally needs one) will be a good thing to do.

Where to get all this stuff? Well, you sure can't go wrong with Heath Diesel, although I might argue that you can get parts cheaper off the big auction site. There are a number of places to get exhaust, and you can find good gauge kits elsewhere as well, but for the GL4, or the PMD isolator (when you need one), or for the Turbo-master, I personally wouldn't shop anywhere else.

There's saving money, and then there's risking money. For the technical stuff, for the warranty, and for the customer service, nobody beats Bill Heath, IMHO.

That's the order of attack, in my book... Exhaust, Gauges, TurboMaster, LP and GL4. PMD Isolator when it needs one.

Jim

 

[Dieseldad97]

Welcome here Zach. You don't know it now, but the advice you got already have come from some very smart and respected 6.5 guys on this site. Listen to them. That's my advice. :smile5:

 

[NVW]

Hi Zach; welcome to the site!

Things to consider:



1] Input/Output - Diesels are just big air pumps... you need to be able to get air in and get exhaust out, and neither of those things are GM's strengths, with this engine design. Before you go adding more fuel (GL4 ECM), you need to do something about your restrictive exhaust, or you'll have overheating and EGT problems. If you can't get the exhaust OUT of the engine efficiently, you certainly can't start thinking about adding more fuel or air to the situation... more fuel and air just makes more exhaust. In my book, a new 3" mandrel-bent downpipe is the very first step - I like to see people completely change the exhaust at the same time, with a new mandrel-bent crossover and 4" exhaust, if you can afford it. You'll get more power, better mileage, and it makes for a stable platform to build more power on.

2] Gauges - anytime you add more boost and fuel, you start pushing away from the conservative safety limits that GM put on these vehicles. You need to know how far away from that safe zone you are going, so gauges are a must. Once you have your gauges, the Heath WG controller will help with the air IN part and do something about that annoying lack of boost your turbo can currently produce.

3] Fuel - adding a 'chip' or reprogrammed PCM is the single biggest improvement you can make to your truck. It changes the amount of fuel your engine gets, changes the points in the power curve where that fuel is added, and modifies how your truck shifts and transfers power, as well. It's really like driving a new truck in many ways. You'll also need to add a better lift pump, to adequately supply your increased fuel injection volumes. Once you have upped your truck's ability to handle more fuel (air in, exhaust out, gauges to watch with), the GL4 is a nice program to put in.

4] reliability - has the PMD been remote-mounted? If not, just keep it in mind... it's a problematic part and most dealers try and replace the whole Injection pump (big bucks) when it fails. A remote-mounted PMD (when it finally needs one) will be a good thing to do.

Where to get all this stuff? Well, you sure can't go wrong with Heath Diesel, although I might argue that you can get parts cheaper off the big auction site. There are a number of places to get exhaust, and you can find good gauge kits elsewhere as well, but for the GL4, or the PMD isolator (when you need one), or for the Turbo-master, I personally wouldn't shop anywhere else.

There's saving money, and then there's risking money. For the technical stuff, for the warranty, and for the customer service, nobody beats Bill Heath, IMHO.

That's the order of attack, in my book... Exhaust, Gauges, TurboMaster, LP and GL4. PMD Isolator when it needs one.

Jim

:iagree: That's the order I did mine. Leo

 

[daustin]

I also did that same order, 3" downpipe & exhaust first, then the upgraded airbox setup. Gauges then fuel/boost. Worked well for me, although i did utilize lower cost components from the 'bay and lower cost vendors as i'm on a very low budget.
Don

 

[Rodd]

What Jifaire said!!! The only thing I would probably do first is replace the oil cooler w/ one from lubrication specialist. The stock lines are clipped in w/ a cheap cleap that tends to leak. Sometimes really bad and sometimes not so bad. The last thing you want is to put a lot of $$$ into the truck then blow the engine because you forgot to add oil. Just my 2 cents.

 

[North Maine]

Do things peice by piece from different vendors, with the more important parts coming from Heath, you will save money and have a great truck.

 

[snoman699]

X2 what JiFaire said.

When the master speaks, its for us newbies to listen.:bow:

I've been listening since I bought mine this past spring. Learned a lot from these very experienced people. I'm working my way down the list. (exhaust, gauges) I was lucky, the PO installed the Heath remote PMD.:thumbsup:

Just my :2cents:

 

[Turbine Doc]

Missed lube lines good call, I put PMD remote high on list nothing worse than sitting in a truck that won't start or dies while driving, oil cooler lines also have been known to fail, inspect retainer clips on side of block fittings, they have been known to rust and blow out with 0 oil pressure not good for health of engine, replace when you can afford it with stainless lines

 

[bakertime]

Can't thank you guys enough for the help! I haven't had a chance to check the Vin/ Options yet, but I'll do that later today.

I was thinking today how the exhaust might be crucial due to EGT issues w/o it...thanks for clearing that up JiFaire. Your post was incredibly helpful in many ways!

I had read about the PMD isolator, and the normal issues with that, but I think that's going to be left for when it fails. The truck only has 70k miles, and it's used sometimes as a work truck, but mostly as a "take the dog for a walk" truck, so it's not going to be a huge issue if we can't get it started one day. I'm just glad to be aware of the issue so if it does happen, I know what the steps to fix it are.

 

[SnowDrift]

Maybe give us an idea of where you're at, too. If you've searched, then you're already aware that keeping the engines cool is a well covered subject. Knowing your climate can help those that have been through it give you a better suggestion than not knowing.

Welcome!:smile5:

 

[bakertime]

Honestly, I haven't really considered cooling too much, because no one in the family (including me) is going to be beating the heck out of it. That said, I live in PA, so there is a pretty wide range of temperatures from around 15-100 degrees Fahrenheit. We also hardly ever tow with it (usually just small trailers, where the truck is waaay overkill anyway). Do you think it's something that I should be concerned about?

As for goals, I'm really looking to just get some more power, but also fuel economy. I've been wondering if the GLE might be better suited for me for the economy side. I'm going to be call Bill Heath next week to discuss the differences, but from what I read, it's in the last 25% of throttle the GL4 really has a more aggressive tune. This isn't a truck that's going to be doing a lot of towing, but it needs to be able to every now and then. It more commonly is used to haul loads of a few thousand pounds. What do you guys think? Would the gains in around town driving be similar for the two systems?

As far as exhausts, am I going to be able to keep this thing relatively close to stock volume with conservative driving, or is that a pipe dream (non pun intended, heh)? It seems like most are pretty similar with just a single muffler, with no cat...How much should I expect to spend? I haven't been seeing much under $500 for the DP and full system (not including crossover pipes).

Any websites that are good to buy from would be greatly appreciate also...I'm having trouble finding many with parts for the 6.5. I'll keep an eye out on the auction site as well!

I checked my Vin, and it's an "F" vin, and I took a picture of the sticker in the glovebox...I'm not really sure how to interprete it or if I even took a picture of the correct thing!

 

[RCpullerdude]

Where at in PA? If you look around, you can find a good system cheap. Mine was right around $300.00 with the X=over, DP, and a tip. A little more because of the cat ("S" vin).

 

[bakertime]

Wow, that's quite a deal compared to the number I've been seeing! Was that new? Does the "S" Vin have a Cat, and the "F" Vin not? Sorry for the 20 questions here...

I'm located in Bucks County, about an hour north of Philadelphia.

 

[RCpullerdude]

I'm in Crawford County, about 20 miles South of Erie.

Yup, brand new Warpspeed off eBay. The cat varies, greatly. As a general rule, "S" does have a cat, and "F" does not, but there are tons of variations. A ton of "F"s out there have a cat/soot trap and a few (only ever heard of one myself) "S"s don't.

As a general rule, 8 lug has the "F" HD emissions engine, no EGR, RPO code L65, and 6 lug has the "S" LD emissions engine, EGR, cat, RPO L56.

 

[bakertime]

Opposite sides of the state, haha!

Oh ok...I'll have to crawl underneath and see if it has a cat someday. It's the 8 lug, btw.

Just did some searching on ebay and found much better prices on the exhaust..still only got it down to about $500 shipped for exhaust and cross pipe, but that's better then 700+ via Heath.

Ebay guages any good, or should I stick with a brand name like autometer?

 

[RadioMan]

Mo' power & better fuel economy usually don't go together :nonod:

Mo' power and better speeding tickets do though :coal:

OTOH - Hard to beat a good acceleration rush :smile5:

Watch them gauges

 

[North Maine]

RC... all 6.5s have a cat, and by that I mean they have a soot trap. it isn't really a cat. If people want to be sticklers, they all need a cat, but for most seeing the 2500 and above badge is enough.