L 400 towing

[idiggit]

Hey all, I know it has been discussed to death, but is it common concencus that the 2.8 td on the L400 should be able to tow a 3500 lbs tent trailer? I have a deposit on a L400 super exceed coming in thru rising sun, and the towing issue will be a deal breaker.
And not to sound like a complete idiot, but what is a pyro?

I had a L300 super exceed that I sold as my wife did not like the rhd, but this new one will be just for daddy.

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

[thedjjack]

Pyro or EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) shows how hot the fire is coming typically in the manifold before the turbo....

Diesels are not like gas when you are climbing or pushing the motor you reach a point where adding fuel only makes heat and not speed. Diesels can melt pistons, valves, and heads if you do not watch it (stock motor should not be able to make that heat under normal conditions but pulling a large trailer up a large BC hill can make more heat).

It is nicest gauge to have towing with a diesel....good investment. (Small piston aircraft usually have Pyros as well)...

Never driven the L400 but hear good things about towing with it.....

Ask rising sun to borrow an L400 (if he has one with hitch and lights?) and go pull your trailer see what you think?

[Tojo]

Hi idiggit,

If you wanted to save some cash and do the pyro yourself, it's not that hard with a few basic tools. The only special tool that you need is a 1/4" NPT tap and appropriate tap drill size (http://www.engineershandbook.com/Tables/npttap.htm) if you're DIY'ing the blanking plates. Here is some info for you.

The pyrometer (pyro) measures exhaust gas temperature and can be placed in an EGR (exhaust gas return) blanking plate after removing the EGR system (a good idea anyways because a faulty EGR often leads to issues down the road). The other place to put it is post turbo and pre-exhaust pipe, but this is a bit trickier but gives you a more accurate temperature reading off of all cylinders instead of just one. This link talks about both methods: http://www.delica.ca/forum/pyrometer-pr ... -7622.html

Links:
http://www.delica.ca/forum/egr-plates-12377.html (PDF drawing download about halfway down)
http://www.delica.ca/forum/pyro-and-boo ... -3866.html

I chose to tap the blanking plate for a 1/4" NPT thread and I ended up choosing an Auberins gauge from here: http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_ ... cts_id=231

Get a longer cable (mine was too short!) and the sensor with a 1/4" NPT thread to match the blanking plate.

You'll notice that your driving style will change, as you monitor the heat especially on hills. Search the forum for the kind of temperatures that people are getting. I generally try not to exceed 1200 degrees F in my L300. Cruising at 750 degrees F.

Good luck!
Tojo

[thedjjack]

problem with after turbo is your turbo is a big big heat sink and you will not seem extreme temperatures as fast and will read few hundred degrees lower...

Risk pre-turbo is sensor falls off and goes through the turbo...never known this to happen..

[idiggit]

Thanks all. I will look into getting a pyro, altho as I'm a flatlander, it won't be as much of a concern.
I just need a vehicle that can tow the kids and the tent trailer. Using my xterra now, but sure do want the L400 for my mid life crisis vehicle (as I can't afford anything else).

Cheers.

[Firesong]

Being a flatlander myself people under estimate how the prairies strain the little motors. Hit a head wind with a slight slope and you will wonder just what the heck is going on.
I think nxski mentioned that on his trip across mb and sk.

That being said you should be ok unless you load the trailer right up and try to speed along to much.

Fs

[nxski]

Yup, I mentioned that. Manitobadeli is very familiar with towing on the flatlands in an L400. I found that a headwind slowed be to about 60kph in an L300.

[doodah]

I have been told that an l400 does not necessarily need a pyro gauge as much as an l300....

[mararmeisto]

3500 lbs on the Prairies shouldn't be a problem. The trouble with towing here in BC tends to be the hills much more so than the weight of the towed vehicle. A lot of Canadians expect to maintain highway speeds up to 120 km/h while towing a fifth-wheel trailer up the Kootenay Pass - unrealistic unless you're driving a tandem axle 1 tonne pickup truck with a 7.6 litre Caterpillar-built diesel engine.

If you're driving an L400, you'll have to drive slower. A pyro is beneficial, but down-shifting is the key.

[Rattlenbang]

Here's an excellent article on EGT and pyros :http://www.bankspower.com/techarticles/ ... -Important

[idiggit]

Thanks all, I really appreciate the info.

Cheers.

[Pajero]

I have a 94 paj 2.8l and we towed our 17' boler trailer which weighs about the same probably a bit more loaded up and decided our first trip from PG would be to wells grey park, then to Calgary and through the rockies to Jasper, then home would be a good way to see if the the Paj could do it LOL. It was a struggle up long hills and had to keep the RPM's way up and back off the throttle when the EGT's passed 1200c. most long hills maintained 70-80kms, short hills were fine just took a run at them. the worst hill was into wells grey as it was a steep windy hill and it struggled to do 30km as there was a stop sign at the bottom so could not get any speed before heading up it.


But if you dont let people get to you and be prepared to do 70-80kms or less up hills you will be fine


Joe

[mrdueck]

I did BC last year with 3 adults, 4 kids, 12' tent trailer, 5 bikes, 200lt tank of veggie, 100lt veggie in cubes. I know I exceeded what the van calls for but I just drove by EGT, not speedometer and was OK. At one point the AT light came on during a very steep grade on the #3, pulled over and let it cool off and we carried on.

You can do it, just don't expect to be catching up to anyone on the hills, they will be in your rear view mirror instead. You will want to put some airbags in your coils as the L400 rear suspension sucks for anything beyond 5 passengers. I plan to sell mine once I replace the stock springs with legit truck air bags.
Rudy