am i pushing my deli too hard?

[almac]

so.
i cruised up to Qualicum Beach from nanaimo today.


Met up with Mr.Freeze to chat a bit, and pick up some cubes of unfiltered WVO.
thanks fresco, really appreciated the WVO BTW.

anyways, i was just curious what RPMs you guys run your Delis at while on the highway?
i was running around 80-90km/hr@2500-3000rpms.


am i pushing her too hard?

[delicat]

You should be fine. The MT runs higher rpm so bigger tires would help. It's not so much the rpm that should concern you but the EGT (exhaust temp). But under 100km/h should be ok unless uphill.

Pyro is your best friend...

[almac]

i am running 31" BFG AT, and unfortunately, i don't have a pyro.
at least, not yet...

[jessef]

Al

that is normal for 5spd's

you are running 31's so your rpm will be accurate but your speedo will be out by about 8-10%
so if your speedo says 100km/hr then in reality you are doing 109ish

your setup is normal
don't sweat it
if you want to know more about 5sp's and larger tires 31's, search tires.

You'll have all the info you need

it's awesome that you're into your new Delica so much

Andy's rig and others like his 5spd with 31's have been kickin for the past few years.

Take a few hrs and take a peek through the old threads. Most likely they will contain all the info you need and you won't have to create a new topic for each question.

Enjoy your new ride

[almac]

thanks guys.
once again i bow to your wisdom.

[TAIT]

I usually keep mine at around 90-100km/h on the highway, around 2900-3000rpm. I feel paranoid to push it higher. But sometimes, when i feel tired, I let my wife drive and i look over to see her doing 120km/h. The Deli still feels fine at that speed/rpm, even if i don't!

[delicat]

All of you guys should really invest in a pyro gauge. It might sound like a gadget but it's not.

On my way across the country recently I made full use of my pyro. There were time (Westbound in Alberta for exemple) that it felt normal to keep going at 100km/h but my pyro was saying no, that strong headwind was killing the van at that speed. Or came night time I had no idea I was actually climbing a hill but little pyro was there to remind me to ease off...

Anyway, I've changed my driving style a lot since I bought one and I would strongly recommend it to everyone. You might be surprised to know that it's actually much better to keep your O/D button off all the time in the city (and up to 65-70km/h) as it drops your exhaust temp. by about 100 degrees...

Anyway, it's your van. And 120 in a MT... I'd be curious to see that pyro gauge!

Cheers

[TardisDeli]

Hi Al, manuals have higher revs, and also lower highway speeds, than automatics. There are more automatics than manuals on this forum, so most postings refer to automatics -- just remind us when posting that yours is manual. When we do the group treks, and are all communicating with FRS Family Radios, we sometimes announce our tach and speed as we travel up a hill, just to compare readings, and manuals have very different readings (ie Coaxial, Shaun, Pedro). Enjoy the journey not just how fast you get there. Christine.

[Firesong]

I have a manual tranny and don't have the 31" tires.
I run it just over 3000 rpm and it does pretty good.
No I don't have a Pyro, sometime when I can afford one
I will, but other stuff comes first. Like a Flywheel and
the labor to put it in.
My fuel mileage is 27 in the city, 25 on the highway.
Pulling a trailer I slow down on the highway and the
mileage drops to about 23mpg depending on wind.
My turbo is set at max 6 psi. I can't seem to bump
it any higher. Maybe when Im in getting the flywheel
done I will have him check the actuator and the
linkage for it.
Yes, I've collected the fuel reciepts, tracked the
mileage for work and my pda gives me the results.
I like my manual tranny
James - 90 Delica

[almac]

so how do you set the turbo psi?
do you have a dash mounted switch or something to dial it in?

[marsgal42]

so how do you set the turbo psi?
do you have a dash mounted switch or something to dial it in?

Unless you know exactly what you're doing (or have lots of money to spend on engine rebuilds), you leave it alone.

...laura

[jessef]

David's right on the money.

I've counted 7 blown Delica 2.5 engines in the past 2 years due to cooked turbo = head = pistons and that's just what I've seen & heard. I'm sure there's more.

Just throw in a pyro probe/gauge and leave it at that.

Example. Cruising up the highway from Boundary exit to Ikea Coquitlam against a headwind doing 95-100km/h which is completely normal, when I pulled into the Ikea parking lot and looked under the seats, my turbo and exhaust were glowing red. THIS COLOR.

Who would have thought that cruising on a relatively flat stretch of highway doing 100km/hr against a bit of wind would cook my turbo. At least it only cost me 450 to rebuild it and not a cooked engine

[TAIT]

Heyzeus! Now I'm all freaked...mine is a 5-speed, and i really don't push it that hard. But there have been times...

Kay, should i just order any kind of pyro gauge from the local Lordco? One you guys recommend? And am i able to install myself (with my limited mechanical ability!)???

[jessef]

Two ways to install it. Pre-turbo and post-turbo. Pre-turbo you will have more accurate readings and post-turbo you will have more variance.

I would install pre-turbo and have it done by any mechanical shop. They have the tools and experience which is easy on you.

You can get it yourself (probe/gauge) from parts stores and take it to an automotive shop to have them install it for you.

You can buy cheap $100 up to $900 racing spec one's.

$200 or so is the average for a good probe/gauge.

[delicat]

Don't mean to alarm anyone but I'd spend money on a pyro before nice rims...

And keep in mind that higher RPM usually drops the EGT, it's when you're lugging your engine that the temp goes up and is dangerous so a MT might do better than a AT. Still, I'm sure you'll drive differently once you have a pyro installed and your engine will last much longer.