4m50 performance upgrades?
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SkiFreak
Crazy Person
My FG84 has a 4M50 engine.
I changed the exhaust from the OEM 2 1/4" to 3" and used a free flow muffler. I also replaced the OEM exhaust brake with a 3" one.
The most noticeable improvement in power was the addition of a Steinbauer chip, which is like giving it an extra gear when going up hills. I have my Steinbauer wired to a switch, so it is very easy to show what difference it makes.
Unfortunately, i do not have easy access to a dyno, so I did not have the opportunity to do a before and after. Having said that, I have been in a stock FG84 and mine and there is a noticeable difference.
I changed the exhaust from the OEM 2 1/4" to 3" and used a free flow muffler. I also replaced the OEM exhaust brake with a 3" one.
The most noticeable improvement in power was the addition of a Steinbauer chip, which is like giving it an extra gear when going up hills. I have my Steinbauer wired to a switch, so it is very easy to show what difference it makes.
Unfortunately, i do not have easy access to a dyno, so I did not have the opportunity to do a before and after. Having said that, I have been in a stock FG84 and mine and there is a noticeable difference.
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
The exhaust brake is off an Isuzu. It was a pretty simple swap over as most of the fitting points were identical.
You can see what I did here...
The Steinbauer chip for the 4M50 was not released in the US, as far as I know. You can get them from Steinbauer distributors in Australia, should you be motivated to do so.
I would suggest that you PM Alan, as he did this for Westyss (who has a FG140 in Canada)
Here is a link to the Australian Steinbauer listing of the chip.
You can see what I did here...
The Steinbauer chip for the 4M50 was not released in the US, as far as I know. You can get them from Steinbauer distributors in Australia, should you be motivated to do so.
I would suggest that you PM Alan, as he did this for Westyss (who has a FG140 in Canada)
Here is a link to the Australian Steinbauer listing of the chip.
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
My 3" exhaust brake is off an Isuzu FVR33, 1996 - 2000, with a sitec 6hh1-s engine.
As for the compatibility of this Steinbauer chip on an FE.... well, I think you would be best off asking Steinbauer that question. I'd just send the Australian branch an email and ask them. As far as I know, they are the guys that did the mapping for the FG.
As for the compatibility of this Steinbauer chip on an FE.... well, I think you would be best off asking Steinbauer that question. I'd just send the Australian branch an email and ask them. As far as I know, they are the guys that did the mapping for the FG.
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
Technically, getting more horsepower out of a diesel engine is not rocket science; give it more fuel and let it breathe better; but I am guessing that you already know that.
Was it worth the effort and cost to change from a 2 1/4" to 3" exhaust system? To be honest, I really don't know, but power was not my primary reason for doing the modification on my truck.
I needed to reroute the exhaust in order to have the layout of equipment I wanted between the chassis rails, so the OEM exhaust had to be replaced anyway. The cost differential between replacing the exhaust with 2 14" compared with 3" was minor. The only real addition to cost was the 3" exhaust brake itself, which I got for under $300 (new).
Did I have more power after simply replacing the exhaust? I expect so, but as I said, I did not do any before and after testing, so it is difficult to quantify that.
You also asked if the full flow muffler made the truck louder. I think a little bit, but it's not significantly louder. Again, I did no before and after readings, so I cannot give you any decibel comparison readings.
Was it worth the effort and cost to change from a 2 1/4" to 3" exhaust system? To be honest, I really don't know, but power was not my primary reason for doing the modification on my truck.
I needed to reroute the exhaust in order to have the layout of equipment I wanted between the chassis rails, so the OEM exhaust had to be replaced anyway. The cost differential between replacing the exhaust with 2 14" compared with 3" was minor. The only real addition to cost was the 3" exhaust brake itself, which I got for under $300 (new).
Did I have more power after simply replacing the exhaust? I expect so, but as I said, I did not do any before and after testing, so it is difficult to quantify that.
You also asked if the full flow muffler made the truck louder. I think a little bit, but it's not significantly louder. Again, I did no before and after readings, so I cannot give you any decibel comparison readings.
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
One thing that I did not do was to replace the manifold post turbo. This means that the connection point for the exhaust is still 2 1/4", not 3". There is a very short cone section (about 3" long) that goes from 2 1/4" to 3", so my system is not a "true" 3" system, as there is still a small bottle neck at the end of the exhaust manifold.
To build a true 3" or 4" system you would need to custom manufacture a new manifold at the back of the turbo and waste gate.
As I mentioned, I did not really do my exhaust upgrade for power, rather because I had to in order to make my design layout work. I could not justify the additional time and effort to build a new manifold section, so I didn't.
The chip on the other hand was added purely for extra power.
To build a true 3" or 4" system you would need to custom manufacture a new manifold at the back of the turbo and waste gate.
As I mentioned, I did not really do my exhaust upgrade for power, rather because I had to in order to make my design layout work. I could not justify the additional time and effort to build a new manifold section, so I didn't.
The chip on the other hand was added purely for extra power.