LML Silverado Duramax C-Max build thread part 4

[Sammconn]

With expectations that low you're bound to be happy.
I did some lighting as well.
But nothing new. Just burnt out chinaman junk. (Circa 2009!)

[longball]

One screw each side to pivot, and the smaller one to lock in the desired angle. Definite improvement here!

Those mounts look similar to the Opt7 led lights I have. I’ve had pretty darn good luck with that brand.


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[JR]

How those tires doing? Sure look good on there.

[Flyin6]

How those tires doing? Sure look good on there.

They work pretty well. I have a balance issue from 55-67 mph but with larger tires one has to learn to live with some things. They are grippy and I notice the locker wanting to engage and scrub them more than with the 35" Toyos. That will mean a reduced lifespan for any tires working on the rear, but that just points to more rotations.
My mileage has gone down, but after the discovery yesterday of a clogged air filter, I can't say the larger tires are all at fault. Whereas before I'd see a lot of 17.3's, I ow see a lot of 15.3's. But I have been running around quite a bit in trailer mode, using more RPM, so that undoubtedly is the major chunk of the decrease.
All in all, I like them.

[EL TATE]

I'd be interested to see a mean avg w/out towing after the air filter cleanout. With the added height you should see reduced rpms at hwy speeds with that gearing. Sounds like you're running low on Grizzly Grease, should we reach out to Ash?

[Flyin6]

I'd be interested to see a mean avg w/out towing after the air filter cleanout. With the added height you should see reduced rpms at hwy speeds with that gearing. Sounds like you're running low on Grizzly Grease, should we reach out to Ash?

I've used that Grizzly grease on everything!

Had to drive all over creation today. First to a funeral, then to lunch with family members, then running errands. I was driving at 85 mph and with that and the idling in town, and after filter cleaning, I saw a .2 MPG inrease from 15.3 to 15.5 mpg. That just may have back up to 17's driving at normal speeds

[Bigdave_185]

I aired up my tires from the 35 psi to 55 and got .1 better per the computer


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[Flyin6]

I thought I'd get some baseline numbers with the new 37" tires, cleaned air filter, and old H&S tune.

First pic is half way through the trip to/from the farm. Speeds vary from a high fo 60 to a low around 35. I'd call the average between 45-50 mph.

The new tunes will arrive early in the week which will be the jump off point for the next round of changes for this truck.

[Bigdave_185]

What charger set up did you go with? 
Also why is your tire light on,   Didn’t you build a pvc tube and toss your sensors in that ?

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[dave945]

I though that was why his mpg was low, his tire sensor said he should be getting worse gas mileage and viola!!!  ;)


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[Flyin6]

What charger set up did you go with? 
Also why is your tire light on,   Didn’t you build a pvc tube and toss your sensors in that ?

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No charger yet, but a S-4XX over the stocker is probably where I'll land.

I got a bit skittish about inflating the PVC tube holding the tire sensors, so I just get used to the dash light and messages

[Flyin6]

I though that was why his mpg was low, his tire sensor said he should be getting worse gas mileage and viola!!!  ;)


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Speakin' of mileage, with this new tune which is in the mail somewhere, I hear I'll be seein' well over 50MPG!

Maybe I'm thinkin' about my Triumph...?

[TexasRedNeck]

If you can find a friendly , I think a tech II can disable the system


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[Flyin6]

If you can find a friendly , I think a tech II can disable the system


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Good to know. I thought disabling a "Safety system" was impossible.

[Bear9350]

I believe you can have the lower limit changed.  So instead of getting a warning below 65 psi it is set to 45 or something.  I'm not 100% though, it has been a while.

[KensAuto]

I don't think you can disable it, but you can change ther perameters. If it was in the pcm, you could tune it out, but it's in the BCM ....settings can only be changed.

[Flyin6]

So the folks from Motor Ops shipped me everything I need to tune with EFI Live

Included are five tunes already. Steve explained that the performance tune is above the transmission limit, however one of their guys ran that tune in an almost stock trans for a year and a half. He changed out the converter to a quality triple disc unit, so I'll do the same thing.

Looking at the sun coast and the Goerend units at the moment. Think I'll order one up in a week or so and have a trans shop throw it in there to protect the Ally until a full tilt unit arrives.

[Flyin6]

I picked up the DSP-5 selector switch as well

[Flyin6]

First up was the teardown. I installed the Hypertech speedo calibration unit some years ago, so that was the first thing to come out

[Flyin6]

I kept looking and looking for a good spot to mount the switch and finally threw in the towel and decided to make my own mount up. The switch will reside right on top of the dash, overlooking the instrument cluster. To do that, I cut and bent up a mount from aluminum.

[Flyin6]

Its odd shape is necessary to fit the contours of the bulge above the instrument cluster, which I had to take out.

To tidy up the installation, I installed some thread-serts in the 10 X 24 sizing

[Flyin6]

Then I spent a little time covering the fixture with black vinyl which approximately matches the factory dash

Over the vinyl, I glued on the switch face

[Flyin6]

And added the DSP-5 switch

[Flyin6]

Then screwed that down, first routing the wires directly through the dash down and back where I will secure them up and out of the way

[Flyin6]

Tomorrow, I'll reassemble this mess, and run those wires over to where I will tap into the ECM harness

[rpar86]

Hmm... that's kind of an odd place for that, Don. Most people put it to the left or right of the steering column under the instrument panel.

[wyorunner]

What he said ^^^^ We had ours tucked away on the left side of the wheel a little lower than the column housing plastic. Was in a neat and orderly location.

However I am not a pilot and am not used to switches and buttons and dials in every which location... so on top makes sense  in that regard!

So what was the reasoning to go with motor ops? Dealt with em before? Friend sent ya? Just wanted to try something new? Best deal?


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[stlaser]

So what was the reasoning to go with motor ops? Dealt with em before? Friend sent ya? Just wanted to try something new? Best deal?

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My money is on that it makes the most power & is the fastest way to tear something up & create more carnage....... or he’s tired of getting stuck in mulch beds and thinks this will help!

[JR]

I put mine in one of the 12v plugs. Had 2 and it works great.

If you are pulling the tranny for a TC, just do it all! Probably cheaper in the long run.

JMHO,,,,,,,,,,

[Flyin6]

Well, the switch is there, permanent like

I routed the wires appropriately and used a wire tie to keep the cable free of entanglement with the instrument cluster

[Flyin6]

Getting to the ECM wiring harness(s) is not too difficult. You have to remove all three connectors to gain the necessary room to maneuver the aft or gray connector out of the morass of wires to gain access

[Flyin6]

Here are the three connectors, Black, then Blue, then gray from front to back

[Flyin6]

First the black cover is pried off the connector

[Flyin6]

Then you VERY CAREFULLY have t pry off the gray cover which helps hold all the pins in proper position

[Flyin6]

Next I covered the wires with some convoluted loom covering

[Flyin6]

Then I had to remove two wires and pins and replace them with the DSP5 wires. The yellow pin is inserted into the #11 spot and the black wire into the #48 spot.
Then you simply reassemble everything and put it all back together

[Flyin6]

The first big test is to see if the engine will start. I tried to do that and discovered I had dead batteries.
I guess some light or something must have been left on , don't know.

But I do know that I have a decent battery charger and it is sitting down at the farm!

So with no juice in the batteries and no way of charging them, I did what any guy would do the end of October, I mowed my lawn

When the Frau got home, I had her shuttle me over to the autozone where I scored a 75 Amp unit on sale for $84

[Flyin6]

And as of go nighty time, the truck was still charging.
If all goes well in the morning, and it starts, first I'll restore the stock tune and backfill the hot tune back into the H&S unit.

Next I'll load the EFI Live engine and transmission tunes

Then it will be test drive time. Hopefully that test drive is not over to Costco to pick up a new set of Interstates!

So question 1: About how long are these factory Delco batteries lasting people out there?

And #2: How much is that Hypertech module with three delete tunes inside worth resale?

[Sammconn]

My answer to question one is likely different than most, due to -40.

The first time it needs a boost is a freebie. Second time is new battery.

I've seen 5-7 years out of the delcos I've started with.
5 in my truck, 5 in HH6's car, and 7 and counting in the kiddos car.

It also depends on how many times they've been stone dead. (Sub 6-8 volts)
A good battery will only fall on its face three times give or take.
A poor one may not recover as many times.
If it runs completely down to 1-2 volts even a good one may not recover.

[JR]

I agree with Sam. My first set lasted about 5 years. Went to costcos then (interstate) and now on the 3rd set. All under warranty they seem to last about 3 years.

The speedo should fetch about $50.

I would say the tunes are good for $200 if someone can load them. They get locked to a truck sometime.

[rpar86]

5-6 years on the Delcos is good Don. I've heard Interstate's aren't as good as they used to be. Or maybe that was Optima. I recommend Exide AGM. Made in USA.

[longball]

I put an Exide AGM in my 89 Chevy a couple years ago and am pleased as punch with it.


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[Flyin6]

My answer to question one is likely different than most, due to -40.

The first time it needs a boost is a freebie. Second time is new battery.

I've seen 5-7 years out of the delcos I've started with.
5 in my truck, 5 in HH6's car, and 7 and counting in the kiddos car.

It also depends on how many times they've been stone dead. (Sub 6-8 volts)
A good battery will only fall on its face three times give or take.
A poor one may not recover as many times.
If it runs completely down to 1-2 volts even a good one may not recover.

Mine got down to 11.6 (wired as a system, not tested individually)

Note: part of what kills batteries is plaque buildup on the lead plates. The amount of plaque is directly proportional to swings or dips in voltage. Like you refer to Sam, big swings can make a lot because of the chemical reaction taking place in the solution. Keeping a battery topped up constantly, like with a trickle charger, reduces the differences between the peaks (fully charged) and valleys (most discharged)
I have kept a five watt, then an eight watt solar cell on the dash and plugged into the power outlet for years. I was wanting to see if the constant trickle charge extended the life of the batteries.
My truck is a 2011. Built in May or June, and sold in October. I make that six years and four months of in-service life so far. Frankly, as a part of this "Survival vehicle" concept I was interested to see if I could get 10 years out of these batteries.
The charger has been on the batts all night, so the first/subsequent starts will be the test to determine if I continue (going into a winter) of replace with new.
More coming...

[Sammconn]

Yes sulphation is the death of the battery.
The trickle should help, and I do know of folks getting to the 10 year point.

My first bank of batteries took a beating, and are in the back of my truck due for replacement.
They were new in 2012, fall time, so they made five years. I'm hoping with double capacity, and the large solar array the next set does better. But five years is not bad either on off grid setups IMO.

[Flyin6]

I agree with Sam. My first set lasted about 5 years. Went to costcos then (interstate) and now on the 3rd set. All under warranty they seem to last about 3 years.

The speedo should fetch about $50.

I would say the tunes are good for $200 if someone can load them. They get locked to a truck sometime.

OK then, the speedo is free to any member who wants it
But
You must tithe the amount you would have paid $50 give or take to someone in need or put it into the offering at your church

As for the H&S, since it has the full delete tunes, it used to be worth a lot, like north of $500. I may try and sell that, or go the freebie route.
What say you knuckleheads?
Oh or I could sell it and put the casola in the Christmas fund here at RMTWS for this year's benefactor.
(I love the way we gift people without them knowing who gave to them!!!!!! Probably my favorite thing we do here)

[Flyin6]

Yes sulphation is the death of the battery.
The trickle should help, and I do know of folks getting to the 10 year point.

My first bank of batteries took a beating, and are in the back of my truck due for replacement.
They were new in 2012, fall time, so they made five years. I'm hoping with double capacity, and the large solar array the next set does better. But five years is not bad either on off grid setups IMO.

I wonder if there is a way to really extend battery life.
Like in the movies
Where humans fighting terminators a hundred years from now find a hangar full of fresh Harriers and just crank em' and go chop up metal men!
Batteries like that...Possible?

[JR]

Lithium

[Sammconn]

Ive been trying to research that very thing.
Well reviving dead ones anyhow.

There are some that claim some sketchy techniques work.
I had hoped to try them on this set from the cabin, but frankly I'm a little nervous of putting 120 pulsing DC to a six volt battery.

I will have another dead battery to try it on, but the cabin wasn't the time or place to experiment just yet.

Lithium batteries definitely hold charge better.
They do still suffer the cycling issues that lead acid do as well.

[KensAuto]

One of the delcos in my '12 went bad in 11 months, I replaced with Dekas, they failed in 2 years, then failed again last week. They were AGM (and under full replacement warranty), but now I have standard batteries. I never approved of AGMs in a vehicle, but I couldn't beat the price at the time. Yes, I'm on my 4th set of batteries in 5 years. lol

Out here it's typical to get anywhere from 1-5 years out of a battery, with an average of 3 from a decent brand.

[Sammconn]

Excess heat likely playing into the quick failures there Ken.
Another battery enemy.