cummins motor build questions

[emd513]

unfortunately after only a year of owner ship and thinking i had done nearly everything i could to keep the stock motor from going bad im pretty sure cylinder 6 has sent its rod bearing packing.
definitely going with a built motor as i owe 60 left on 2018 and love the truck just hate the reliabillity i never got out of any of it
questions.:>:>
whats the go to for rods for extreme towing and performance
bearing brand
cam
rocker and bridges
basically what brands are the guys who bild these motors using for such
im very hard on trucks. sad that my hd truck couldnt handle the abuse that my tundra did with 3 times the miles
to help heres the back story. i replaced intake with the big horn and the intake plate with grid delete. egr and def delete. 4 inch exhaust all the way back. 3 months later at 80k miles trans went. replaced with stock through warranty thankfully. upgraded trans with ats valve body, ats trans controller, bds trans cooler bypass valve, trans pressure harness increase to i believe 190. head studs and because of a noob moment not checking bridge after install i bent a pushrod so replaced them all with oversized performance ones. ended up braking stud on injector so purchased stage 3 injectors and cp3 pump. started the delete with a race me ultra tune then after injectors had another company do a tune over email with the stock file. ran better... now 3 weeks after i purchased a 48 foot toy hauler to make life easier for racing my motorcycle and decided i would use it over the winter in texas as i work out there and live in flordia and get tired of hotels. about half way there i started to hear a knock. i was pulling in race mode but!!!!!! i am ocd about keeping temps down and trans was the only temp i had to worry about at times as i didnt want to go over 205 with it at max. oil got 220 one time duriong the trip and coolant to 212. trailer loaded is roughly 16k. my work trailer ipulled for 5 years with my tundra is 9k and temps werre at the same area months back. so obviously when the noise started i pulled off the next exit to get fuel and check it out. was only under throttle at first. checked fluid everything was good. went to get back on the road as i pulled out it got worse. pulled over again and pulled valve cover to see if maybe i had broke a valve spring as i also started to develope the exhaust chirp when using exhaust brake. ran it with cover off to see as nothing was visiblly off nor could i move anything. it all operated fine and noise was minimal and not a color of shavings in the oil flowing as i have spun alot of bearings when i was younger and know what to look for with it. climbed under truck and was stupid loud at back of pan.. now have a shop in louisianna looking at it as the dealer there swears its the motor even though i think they just charged me for a diagnosis and didnt even look knowing whats done to the truck.
hopefully these guys listen to me and check for the flex plate first to hopefully be something simple, but in my mind i do believe its the rod bearing and she will need a new motor or build. whats your guys opinions on the build or should i just buy one built. shop will do whatever i want. found a stock motor for 9k and a pretty built motor for 15k but its a 6 to 8 week lead time for it and really dont want another 10k out for just a rental truck but, i will wait if it is the better option.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

So you never watched EGTs thats the most important one! Race mode is not for towing!

Likely a flexplate as the stock rods can handle way more power than you have currently….

And the turbo would be a better upgrade over injectors as the stock injectors can fuel pretty good

 

[AH64ID]

So you put stage 3 injectors in and a 48 foot toy hauler and are surprised you have issues? Even with a stock tune that’s too much fuel.

Stage 1 injectors get a lower than stock tune for heavy towing. Power isn’t lower than stock, just fuel duration.

Check the flex plate first, doubtful a rod bearing let go before a piston did.


Oil temp is fake, don’t bother watching it. 212° on the coolant seems a little low for towing a trailer that big, so no worries there. 225° is where you want to start paying attention and let it cool.

 

[emd513]

suppoose to be a full on 200 hp tune was about to buy a stage 3 turbo when this happen and had tune done for all the upgrades to counter this. had no issues prior to this event after all installments and tune. it smoked a lot more than needed under full throttle which was the increase in injector flow obviously but would have never caused a rod bearing to go unless i was super abusing the truck at the time which i wasnt as it was 5 am in the morning and just cruising at 1800 rpms max with temps running 190 coolant and 198 oil and trans at 170. ects were in the normal range on the tuner display not sure what the number was as i only look for the green and blue area which are the safe zones opn the tuner

 

[AH64ID]

Pretty sure you weren’t running at 190° ECT, but that’s not really relevant.

A 200hp tune with stage 3 injectors is not a towing tune, even if you have the correct turbo.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

A 200hp tune with stage 3 injectors is not a towing tune, even if you have the correct turbo.

Well its a great towing tune if you want to melt pistons!

 

[emd513]

i know its not a towing tune. i have a towing tune and the trans controller and tune for trans is for towing not racing. so as long as temps are correct the mode means nothing at that point as the motor only goes up and down in rpms with a different amount of torque and horsepower and the trans is the main focus when towing here not the engine tune as the ultimate goal is to protect everything from thermal breakdown. you can tow wit as much horsepower as you want as long as it can handle at trans and is functioning at an optimal level which the truck was. now talking with several deisel mechanics that own shops not just work there a rod bearing failure is possible but flex plate is more common. now moving on your opinions on what i did to get here mean nothing to the question at hand i have asked.

 

[emd513]

lol i see this group is either going to be informational or douche baggery. seems more douche going on. heres a question are you guys fan boys of cummins and drive basic stock trucks or do you have builds you use every day to do daily things like towing but also play too????? ive seen several people talk crap but nothing other than that on diesel forums. im asking for advice to move on that will work with my style of driving and what i use the truck for. if you cant handle that then remove yourself from the comments and let the real men answer the questions on what will work and what wont for my setup. thanks ladies

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

i know its not a towing tune. i have a towing tune and the trans controller and tune for trans is for towing not racing. so as long as temps are correct the mode means nothing at that point as the motor only goes up and down in rpms with a different amount of torque and horsepower and the trans is the main focus when towing here not the engine tune as the ultimate goal is to protect everything from thermal breakdown. you can tow wit as much horsepower as you want as long as it can handle at trans and is functioning at an optimal level which the truck was. now talking with several deisel mechanics that own shops not just work there a rod bearing failure is possible but flex plate is more common. now moving on your opinions on what i did to get here mean nothing to the question at hand i have asked.

Timing and duration EGTs change greatly with towing tunes vs race tunes there is a reason for towing tunes to say it does not matter is 100% wrong and silly

You want advice but when given it you say its wrong if you are the expert then why ask the questions…

 

[emd513]

so timing is changed that much on a towing tune when it basically with the tuner im running take it back to the stock settings. but also if egts were in normal area for said tuner that now no longer is an issues and timing can change with the rt tunes up 35 degrees so yes if there set there or stock it really doesnt matter especially under cruise speeds on flat level grounds. motor doesnt change. your items you speak of change during throttle changes and rpm moves which i had been sitting at the range for 30 plus minutes. yes they play a factor but not for a rod bearing to go agian. thanks for imput but your not giving advise on my question. multiple people tow with full built motors reliablly thats what im asking is what they used not your opinion on a stock motor that didnt hold to basic crap and a tundra with similar ******** has 260k miles and pulled 9k behind it at 80 or another toy hauler pushing 11k at 75 up mountains with a regear tune and work done to it. she still goes strong.

 

[AH64ID]

i know its not a towing tune. i have a towing tune and the trans controller and tune for trans is for towing not racing. so as long as temps are correct the mode means nothing at that point as the motor only goes up and down in rpms with a different amount of torque and horsepower and the trans is the main focus when towing here not the engine tune as the ultimate goal is to protect everything from thermal breakdown. you can tow wit as much horsepower as you want as long as it can handle at trans and is functioning at an optimal level which the truck was. now talking with several deisel mechanics that own shops not just work there a rod bearing failure is possible but flex plate is more common. now moving on your opinions on what i did to get here mean nothing to the question at hand i have asked.

Sorry, but you are greatly misinformed.

In very simple terms race tunes run more timing than towing tunes. This means there is more cylinder pressure, more temp absorbed by the piston, and a lower EGT than with a stock or towing tune. So while the temps may look “good”, they are far from it.

The more aggressive the tune the lower the sustained safe EGT limit is. Stock tunes run much hotter, but that doesn’t mean you can crank up the timing or fuel and run those same EGT’s without an issue.

I’ve done lots of tuning, towing, and playing with my previous truck. I’ve also tuned lots of trucks for towing and racing, trust me… there is a reason there are tow tunes and race tunes.

Keep comparing your current truck and trailer to a mostly stock tundra and a 9K trailer… it’s working out well for you so far.

It’s very possible to run a full built motor with lots of power for towing, but there are towing limits too.

 

[emd513]

correct but again those changes are under full throttle. i am literally going through school for tuning currently and know some things guys so pleasae drop the bs. answer my question not your opinion on what i may or may not have done wrong.

 

[AH64ID]

correct but again those changes are under full throttle. i am literally going through school for tuning currently and know some things guys so pleasae drop the bs. answer my question not your opinion on what i may or may not have done wrong.

No, those changes are across the board. It’s not just WOT settings that make a race tune.


If you want a well built motor that can tow heavy and be fun on the weekend then anything stage 3 is too big. Drop to stage 1 components, get a tuner that will write you fully custom tunes. Get a tow tune and a max effort tune, and use them accordingly. A slightly modded turbo won’t hurt, but it’s very easy to go too big for towing applications.

The bottom end isn’t an issue, just use the right tune and hard parts.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

You are right your OHC v8 gas tundra pulling 1/2 the weight is the exact same as your I6 cummins…. You are the issue not the engine. You Played stupid games you won your stupid prize.


You likely need a flexplate but keep running the engine that way you will need much more.

 

[emd513]

Never said I wasn't the issue. The tundra did all of it and still does. I'm now currently twin turboing to see what the stock tundra can hold then building when she pops.

Back to the ram. Ok I'm not going to argue in a **** fight who's right are wrong at certain areas of a tune its a waist of both our times. I'm going to have it fully dyno tuned not the bs tuning I have had as I'm sure if it's motor problems it and myself were the problems. But will not tow a trailer that big with a tune that won't pull 4 k under max ability of stock up a hill and as I wasn't going up hills and cruising. My money. Asking for knowledge on parts for the motor that will help hold up to dumb stuff with the ocd of maint I do

 

[Brutal_HO]

@emd513

Looks like you just came here to troll and pick a fight, not accumulate real advice.

Act like an adult or go home. Choose wisely.

 

[emd513]

Oh I did obviously this is the wrong group as you didn't read my last post where I said I'm not going to argue but yet instead of being an adult you are pushing the issue. Maybe you should choose wisely. Worse you can donis ban me. Do it if it makes you feel in powered princess. Several more forums to go to

 

[Brutal_HO]

Oh I did obviously this is the wrong group as you didn't read my last post where I said I'm not going to argue but yet instead of being an adult you are pushing the issue. Maybe you should choose wisely. Worse you can donis ban me. Do it if it makes you feel in powered princess. Several more forums to go to

Your wish is my command.

Maybe when you're mature enough to carry on an adult conversation, you can come back and be a contributing member here.

P.S. You roasted your trans running a hot tune. You're an idiot.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

You got the same response on the other forums too so far so the rest of the world must be wrong you are right….

 

[flan]

Urban Dictionary: Askhole

A person who constantly asks for your advice, yet ALWAYS does the complete opposite of what you told them to do.

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