Escapees March/April 2016

Monitoring the Exhaust Gas Temperature

more complex than the installation of the engine tuner itself, because the probe gets installed into the exhaust manifold; however, the data it gives you can be critical. Using a 21/64-inch cobalt drill bit and right angle drill (because space was tight in the engine), Mark drilled a hole in the exhaust manifold at the junction point of the manifold ports, before the turbo. Then, he tapped it with a 1/8-27 NPT tap. Using a sturdy, long-handled tap makes a huge difference in the difficulty level of this job, as the exhaust manifold is made of hardened cast iron. We bent our cheap tap handle and broke a small wrench in this installation. Once the hole was drilled and tapped, Mark greased the threads of the exhaust temperature probe with Permatex Anti-Seize Lubricant and then screwed it into the hole. We ran the wires from the gas temperature probe through the engine firewall to the Edge Tuner.

Better Fuel Mileage We were impressed to ¿ nd that, in general, after we installed the tuner, our fuel mileage increased by about 1 to 2 mpg, whether towing or not towing, even if we left the tuner in towing mode all the time. We typically leave the tuner in towing mode simply because it takes a few minutes to switch between modes, and in our lifestyle, we are constantly alternating between towing and not towing our trailer. Where we had typically seen fuel mileage around 10 mpg when towing and around 16 mpg when not towing prior to installing the tuner, we now saw roughtly 12 mpg when towing and 18 when not towing, depending on the conditions. While in areas close to sea level, we have criss-crossed many freeways and back roads all over the country without the trailer attached. Putting the engine tuner in Economy Mode for non-towing conditions, we have been amazed to see our fuel mileage gauge reading as high as 21.6 mpg. Besides improving fuel mile- age, we’ve found that putting the engine in economy mode also decreases the impact of the ex- haust brake, because this mode is reserved for non-towing. Installing the Edge CS Tuner The installation of our engine tuner was an easy 60-minute job, including the reading of manuals. The display gets mounted on the windshield with a suction cup and a wire from the display is plugged into the truck’s OBD II port under the dashboard. My husband, Mark, used tie-wraps to dress the wires, and then the job was complete. Conclusion For the driver who wants to know the details about what is going on with the tow vehicle’s engine, exhaust and trans- mission temperatures, especially while towing a heavy load through the moun- tains, installing an engine programmer like the Edge Tuner can make a signi ¿ - cant difference on the road.

Occasionally, there are situations where the truck is working hard towing a heavy load up a moun- tain yet it’s traveling at a fast, constant speed. This allows a good air flow through the engine without having to shift gears frequently. Temperatures of the engine coolant and transmission fluid may remain in a normal range while the exhaust gas temperature climbs to a dangerous level. If you keep pouring on the throttle, it is possible to push a diesel engine until it melts down, so it is helpful to be able to keep an eye on the exhaust gas temperature. With the installation of the optional Edge EAS Engine Gas Exhaust Tempera- ture probe, you can do just that. The installation of this probe is much

TAPPED HOLE FOR PROBE

EXHAUST MANIFOLD

Emily and Mark Fagan have been traveling full-time in an RV and sailboat for the past eight years. For more information about Engine Tuners, visit their Web page .

www.roadslesstraveled.us

72 . ESCAPEES | March/April 2016 | www.escapees.com