Been awhile since I ve been in here. But I just recently installed a Heath Turbo Master. Once again I must say Bill Heath has excellent products and customer service.

My vacuum can went out. Almost a year ago ( or longer ). :rolleyes: I know I am terrible for letting it go. But the truck ran fine , just low on power.

Now I finally get around to installing the new setup and wow. I wish I would have taken care of my problem a long time ago. To be honest I actually forgot about it.

But boy did it make a difference. 14 psi now , it whines like a little kid wanting candy. It ll break the tires loose from a dead stand still again and once in awhile from a 10 mph roll it ll squeal a little too. Awesome fun now. My fuel mileage went right to hell !!! Cant keep my foot out of the throttle now. I just have to hear that whistle !!!!

+1 to Heath for great products and service:D

Thanks

ROFL... kids and their toys... gotta love it!

Hi Customized..,

Does your truck throw codes (i.e. vacuum and/or vacuum solenoid codes) now that your vac actuated wastegate is gone?

Did you leave all other vacuum related hardware on your truck? I know many others have removed the vacuum pump after they upgrade to a Heath TM.

Thanks.

Jon

Glad to hear so many of us are still using and abusing our 6.5's. Was interested in buying/building a turbomaster and was wondering how much of an effect it'd have on a truck that didn't have a chip installed? I'm sure it's better than any vacuum system GM ever thought up. That'll be one of the future purchases for mine.

Glad to hear so many of us are still using and abusing our 6.5's. Was interested in buying/building a turbomaster and was wondering how much of an effect it'd have on a truck that didn't have a chip installed? I'm sure it's better than any vacuum system GM ever thought up. That'll be one of the future purchases for mine.

I agree that a manual wastegate controller produces more consistent boost, but I'm not sure that I agree that the vacuum system is worse. The point of the vacuum system was to have the electronic control be able to manage the boost based on engine need instead of having the boost on constantly. In theory, I think it's a great idea. Yes, we can quibble about the unreliability of the hoses, and the complexity of having a vacuum pump and solenoids, etc. However, I think the notion of having a turbo control that is completely independent of manual control is actually pretty clever.

I'm especially curious as to what Heath/Kennedy/Wester's actually does to control the vacuum on vehicles that have stuck with the vacuum system. Do they have the ECMs programmed to be more aggressive in providing boost? The anecdotal evidence is YES, especially Westers and Kennedy (who doesn't offer manual controllers), but there is not a lot of detailed discussion as to what is actually done.

I like the notion that if you're not 'on it', that the engine is also receiving less stress, and thus has better longevity.

Sincerely

Rob :)

Glad to hear so many of us are still using and abusing our 6.5's. Was interested in buying/building a turbomaster and was wondering how much of an effect it'd have on a truck that didn't have a chip installed? I'm sure it's better than any vacuum system GM ever thought up. That'll be one of the future purchases for mine.
Sir, check out this thread we were just talking about this topic.
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=213229

I'm especially curious as to what Heath/Kennedy/Wester's actually does to control the vacuum on vehicles that have stuck with the vacuum system. Do they have the ECMs programmed to be more aggressive in providing boost? The anecdotal evidence is YES, especially Westers and Kennedy (who doesn't offer manual controllers), but there is not a lot of detailed discussion as to what is actually done.


when i bought my HP4 i still had the factory vacuum setup. it provided constant boost but only up to around 7 PSI for some reason. i knew 7 PSI with WOT was really bad so i threw the turbomaster on since it was on my kitchen table anyways. not i get around 9 PSI at 1/2 or so throttle. i won't open it up any more than that as i don't have to because at 1/2 throttle its got plenty of power now.

i have also installed the heath turbomaster and i think it was a godsend it was easier and cheaper than a new pump and the power i got back was nice too

I agree that a manual wastegate controller produces more consistent boost, but I'm not sure that I agree that the vacuum system is worse. The point of the vacuum system was to have the electronic control be able to manage the boost based on engine need instead of having the boost on constantly. In theory, I think it's a great idea. Yes, we can quibble about the unreliability of the hoses, and the complexity of having a vacuum pump and solenoids, etc. However, I think the notion of having a turbo control that is completely independent of manual control is actually pretty clever.

I'm especially curious as to what Heath/Kennedy/Wester's actually does to control the vacuum on vehicles that have stuck with the vacuum system. Do they have the ECMs programmed to be more aggressive in providing boost? The anecdotal evidence is YES, especially Westers and Kennedy (who doesn't offer manual controllers), but there is not a lot of detailed discussion as to what is actually done.

I like the notion that if you're not 'on it', that the engine is also receiving less stress, and thus has better longevity.

Sincerely

Rob :)

That makes two of us, probably the only two on the board. My vacuum system spikes boost to 15 psi under hard throttle, then settles back to 13. I either have a custom ECM (I really doubt it) or the ECM is adjusting my boost for the lower air density at the altitude here. I drove all over the place for a week or so when I first got my truck, including a long test drive over a mountain pass. The wastegate was wired shut (no, I didn't know it) and it did not set any codes. I think maybe the turbo is about maxed out at 13-15 psi at 2200-2400 rpm.

The only problem I see with the vacuum system is that it's obscenely expensive to maintain. The price GM charges for that vacuum wastegate actuator is immoral.

Thoughts, anyone?

Does any of you put the turbo master using stock ECM?
Any improvement in that case?

Matuva, I made my own and it works fine however, with stock programming I can't tell any noticable difference driving it empty. I haven't driven it loaded. The link I pasted in in my above post deals with that and the basic concensus is that without a reflash more boost isn't going to make that much difference because you need more fuel to take advantage of it. I was hoping in that other thread that someone would have better news but what they said makes perfect sense. My 4 inch exhaust made way more difference than my boost controller did with stock programming.

Thanks for the input fonecop1 ;)

The thing to think about, with stock programming OR a reflash, is your turbo putting out ENOUGH boost?

That's the question. Do you have enough? Too much is just showing off, but not enough sucks.

My stock vacuum system seemed to work fine when unloaded and on the level... the wastegate solenoid was OK, the vacuum pump was good, the lines were great, and I had the proper levels of vacuum everywhere. Life is good.

Put a trailer on the back and BLAH.... black smoke, high egts, no power... get to a big hill on a hot day and the PCM would withdraw boost (and therefore power) just when I needed it most. No fun at all.

Rob, I don't think anybody dislikes the IDEA of a vacuum-controlled boost that 'fine-tunes' to the needs of the moment... just that it HAS to work! I do know that lots of guys run vacuum with new programming, and are happy - maybe the new programming is better than the stock PCM - but there are sure lots of us that went with the turbomaster and we're all happy.

As for wear and tear, constant boost that's less than 10 isn't gonna hurt anything at all, and as a side benefit, eliminates the 'turbo-lag' associated with spool-up in normal unloaded driving conditions.

But it's your call, as always. I just find this thread redundant, 'cause it always seems that somebody wants to either prove the mechanical wastegate is MORE or LESS effective than it really is. Neither applies, as the thread fonecop posted shows.

TurboMasters work. Very well. So do the stock systems, with suitable programming and maintenance. Depending on the application, we all choose based on our needs.

. Depending on the application, we all choose based on our needs.

Now that is what I call "profound". I think you just managed to sum up the whole human experience in one sentence:)

But anyway, I found this thread particularly timely, as I just figured out the vac pump in the truck I just bought is lunched. First reaction is to look at what the new pump costs, and labor involved(doing it myself, of course)and other factors(like the need for a new belt,anyway). Then look at the alternatives. In this case the alternative being the TM, actually works out virtually the same cost wise. And it seems there is better performance to be gained. The added factor that I like things "mechanically" rather than "electronically" controlled, it becomes a no brainer for me. I'll be getting a TM, and a shorter belt soon. LET THE MODIFICATIONS BEGIN!!!!

My question is once I install the turbomaster. I can just remove the vacuum pump and get smaller belt?

When I first got my truck, it had no power, & black smoke under acceleration. Thanks to this site I traced it to the vac. pump. Replaced the solenoid as well. Pulling 18 rolls of hay on a 24' pintle hitch flat bed, no problem. Smokes only at the gear change. The split between low & 1 is good but between 1 & 2 is 1,200 rpm, from 3,000 to 1,800. Is there a different year with a more evenly spaced rpm drop?

My question is once I install the turbomaster. I can just remove the vacuum pump and get smaller belt?

you have an "F" engine so yes.

you have an "F" engine so yes.

Same answer for you, yachtcare.

Anybody that has en "S" engine (has an EGR) needs to do a bunch of other stuff in order to use a TM.

Not impossible, just not as easy.

When not using the vac system, how do you fool the computer so as not to have fuel issues??

jifaire, I will answer a question you asked me from sixfive site. Didnt want to post there since it was SSD site. I emailed SSD and ask why he didnt offer a manual wastegate controller. The return email said they do not work and that some people out there will sell you swampland in Arizona so be careful for scams. I emailed Heath and ask if the Turbomaster would work with another brand of chip and they replied that it would not because most other chips are fuel only chips and for the turbomaster to work it had to be used with the max e torq. I emailed back and ask if it would work with the SSD chip and he said NO! Only the max e torq chip!!! Thats why I was saying its hard to trust any of these venders, seems they just want to milk a brotha!

Thanks for the clarification, DTR... that's really strange, both times.

SSdiesel's chips are made (AFAIK) by Wester's. They work with the turbomaster... the turbomaster works with them.

I believe the best combination is the Heath Chip and the TurboMaster... the programming on the chip takes constant boost into account. But there are lots of people who have either bought or made turbomasters and used them with Wester's chips. And they worked fine.

To be honest, it doesn't really surprise me that Walt answered you that way... I've talked with him before about relocating his PMD setup and he told me pretty much the same thing... that some people just want to sell extension harnesses and that testing proved that his mounting location was the best... but it does surprise me that you got that response from Heath.

Like I said, what might happen with another brand of chip is that you could get overboost codes by setting the turbomaster too high (like 14#)... the Heath Chip will notice those, but won't code if you're asking for that much fuel. If you set the TM below 12#, you should be fine with your SSDiesel (Wester's) chip. Now, if you had an old Hypertech or BD, I wouldn't say that, so the chip does matter.

Thanks jifaire! Thats what I been wanting to know!

found the answer to my trans question elsewhere, Thanks anyway

you have an "F" engine so yes.

:cool2::D