Proper Installation of an EGT Probe

Edge Products is one of the most popular and well-known brands of diesel tuners, a reputation they have earned over more than a decade of superior products and customer service.   Edge sends out a dealer newsletter each month, and they recently gave a very concise and insightful "Tech Tip" as part of that newsletter detailing the steps necessary to install an exhaust gas temperature (EGT) probe into your diesel manifold.  All Edge Juice with Attitude tuners come with an EGT probe, and they are an optional accessory upgrade for the Edge Evolution programmers as well as the Edge Insight monitors.

Here are the instructions they give.

1)  Let the engine and manifold cool down before installing the probe to help prevent any burns from hot parts.

2) Make sure you have all your tools needed to install the probe.  You don't want to get halfway done and realize you need to go to the store for a tap!  Tools required to install the EGT probes are:  Drill, 1/8 National Pipe Tap, 21/64" drill bit (5/16" optional), 9/16" wrench, Phillips head screwdriver, pliers or crescent wrench, safety glasses, grease/cutting oil, and protective clothing.

3) Set park brake before going under the truck.  If you raise the truck in the air, make sure proper blocking stands or jacks are in place.

4) Determine where the best location is for tapping the manifold.  The supplied instruction will help you find the location based on your vehicle.  In order to get to the desired location you may have to remove truck parts.

5) One effective way to avoid metal fragment contamination in your engine manifold is to apply grease in the tip of the drill bit and threads of your tap tool when drilling/tapping the hole in your manifold.  Reduce pressure on the drill when the drill breaks through the manifold wall to reduce risk of pushing metal chips into the manifold.

6) Drill a 21/64" (5/16" optional) hole through the manifold wall, and then use the pipe tap to cut the threads.  The pipe tap is tapered, so you will only want to turn the tap until the bottom threads of the tap are slightly deeper than flush with the inside of the exhaust manifold wall.  Use caution not to tap too deep since this would cause the thermocouple fitting and probe to sit too deep.  (Tap deep enough to allow 3+ full threads of fitting to seat in manifold.)
  
7) After the manifold has been drilled and tapped, remove the fitting from the Thermocouple and install by tightening the tapered thread end into the manifold with a 9/16" end wrench.  (Ideally the tip of the fitting would be less than  or flush with the inside of the exhaust flow path.)  Tighten the fitting so that it is securely seated.  Then install the probe into the fitting and tighten the top nut of the fitting just tight enough to keep the probe firmly mounted.  Make sure that the probe cable is positioned to allow best path and minimal bending,  for cable routing to the top of the engine compartment.

8) CAUTION: Do not bend the probe after installed.  If needed, loosen the probe nut, adjust the probe, and re-tighten.  Bending the probe tubing will result in a faulty probe.

9) Now that the probe is installed, hook it to your new Juice box or the EAS. Remember with Edge EAS you can install up to 8 EGT probes if you need/want!

If you have questions about any Edge programmers for your truck, or need help with any other diesel performance parts, trust the pros at Parleys Diesel Performance.

VW Jetta TDI Performance & Economy Upgrades - Part V

People often ask us if it's worth their money and their time installing performance diesel parts like cold air intakes, programmers and exhaust systems.  We wanted to help newcomers and skeptics alike see that there really is money to be saved and a better driving experience waiting for them with just a few easy to install aftermarket upgrades.  Obviously for many VW TDI owners, diesel fuel economy is a primary motivation.

This is the 5th and concluding blog post about installing an AFE intake into a 2012 VW Jetta TDI Sedan.   If you haven't read them yet, we recommend starting at the beginning with the 1st Post.  If you've already viewed parts 1 through 4, read on.

In part 4, we measured an increase in fuel economy of 2.48 MPG on a mostly uphill trip of 217 miles from St. George Utah to Ely Nevada.  While in Ely the car was used so little that we didn't put more fuel into it after our fill up with the odometer at 1141 miles.  Here's a picture again of that odometer reading with a full tank of fuel.

On the trip back to St. George we again drove normally, averaging about 72 mph.  Temperatures were very nice, with about 55 degrees in Ely and 85 degrees when we arrived in St. George.  We didn't fill the tank up until the next day, and when we did the odometer was now at 1363 miles.

So the total trip distance was 1361 minus 1141, or 222 miles.  On our original test trip with the stock Jetta TDI, we had driven 220 miles.  The difference in trips was due to a very small amount of around town driving while in Ely.  Now let's check out the amount of fuel pumped.

With 222 miles driven on 5.012 gallons of diesel fuel, the return trip with the AFE 2.0L TDI intake installed works out to 44.29 miles per gallon.  In blog post 2 of this series, we reported fuel mileage of 41.30 mpg with the stock Jetta sedan.  So with the AFE intake our fuel mileage increase by 2.99 mpg on this trip.  

Just like before, we decided to figure out a combined mpg trip average.  439 total miles traveled (217 going, 222 coming) with 10.646 gallons of diesel used (5.634 going + 5.012 returning) equates to a trip average of 41.23 mpg.  The original trip average was 38.50 mpg, meaning with the AFE cold air intake we improved our overall fuel economy by 2.73 mpg.  And, we had better power and improved turbo spool.  

With results like these, we're convinced that adding an AFE cold air intake is one of the easiest and best ways to get improved VW TDI performance.

Next up, we're excited to test this car out on the soon to be released all new Diesel Power modules for 2012 & 2013 2.0L TDI's.  We're being told a pre-Christmas release date is likely, and since just like many of you we've been waiting over a year for this exciting upgrade, we can't wait!   The new Diesel Power modules for 2011 2.0L TDI's should be available in limited quantities by the 10th of December.  And all preliminary testing shows great driving characteristics, 20% torque gains, and fuel economy improvements too!

VW Jetta TDI Performance & Economy Upgrades - Part IV

Now that we have an AFE Stage 2 Si Cold Air Intake installed in our 2012 VW Jetta TDI Sedan, it's time to see what kind of fuel economy gains we'll get from the intake.  We originally took a trip from St. George Utah to Ely Nevada with a stock car to get a fuel mileage reading.  As mentioned in Part 1, this trip involves a decent amount of uphill driving, and our fuel mileage was 36.03 MPG on the first run.

It was about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in St. George the day we left on our first trip in August.  This trip was in early October, but it was still pretty warm, about 90 degrees.  Temperatures were cooler on the trip, especially as elevation increased.  After filling up the tank, we took a picture of the odometer.  924 miles on the car.

Just like our original trip in August, there was about 800 pounds between people and luggage in the Jetta.   Just like the first trip, we didn't stop much, averaged about 70-75 mph, and just drove "normally."  When we got to Ely we were very interested to see what results, if any, would come from having installed the TDI cold air intake from AFE.  After filling the tank in Ely, we took another picture of the digital readout.

The odometer now read 1,141 miles.  The receipt from our fill up in Ely showed that we had used 5.634 gallons of diesel fuel.

Doing the math, we take 1141 miles minus our starting miles of 924, for a total of 217 miles traveled, exactly the same distance as our original baseline trip.  Dividing 217 miles traveled by 5.634 gallons of diesel fuel, the mileage on our trip with the AFE cold air intake installed was 38.51 miles per gallon.  That's an increase of 2.48 miles per gallon - not too shabby.   Not scientific, either, but our best guess is that the AFE intake gave us a boost in fuel economy as advertised.

In the next part of this blog post thread, we'll see what fuel economy we get on the "downhill" return trip to St. George, and if this almost 2 and a half MPG increase was a fluke, or something we can expect to continue to get.  Thank you for reading, and remember we have a huge selection of performance diesel parts for VW TDI's, Ford, Dodge and GM diesel trucks.

S.E.M.A. 2012 Award Winning Vehicles

One of the best things about being involved in the aftermarket performance diesel parts business is being able to participate in exciting industry conventions where we get to see all of the latest and greatest gadgets and inventions from all of the top manufacturers.  The pinnacle of these get-togethers is the SEMA or Specialty Equipment Market Association convention in Las Vegas each fall.  What better way to spend a week than meeting with old friends and making new ones, all while getting to eyeball literally 1000's of show trucks, muscle cars, off road beasts, you name it. From Ferrari's to F-350's it's all at S.E.M.A.

Each year we like to post pictures of some of our favorites from the S.E.M.A. convention, but to start we thought we would first show you which vehicles took home the coveted SEMA Awards.

Check out our blog in the coming months to see a bunch of pictures of our personal favorites from S.E.M.A.  Now we have to get back to work, and dream about next fall when we get to go to Vegas again.  Until then, give us a call or check out our website for a great selection of diesel tuners, cold air intakes, diesel exhaust systems, and all your diesel performance needs.

VW Jetta TDI Performance & Economy Upgrades - Part III

In order to determine what kind of fuel economy gain, if any, would be achieved by adding different performance diesel parts to our 2012 VW Jetta TDI, we first established a baseline MPG reading of  38.5 MPG on a stock diesel with an automatic transmission.  (See previous blog posts parts 1 & 2).  Now it was time to add a cold air intake, and we went with one of the best.  We've had consistent success over the years with cold air intakes from Advanced Flow Engineering, or AFE, and their intake for 2009-2013 2.0L TDI's is no exception.

The first thing that really stands out when looking at the stock air filter, is the almost shocking thickness.  Measuring a whopping 3 inches thick and made from a pleated paper filtering topped off with a thin (about 1/4" inch) layer of gauze, it's no wonder optimal airflow just isn't there with the OE filter.

In contrast, the AFE intake filter itself is of course conical in shape, allowing for a bigger surface area.  It also isn't nearly so thick, approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch, and the pleats are more open than on the original VW filter.  AFE offers multiple filter material choices, both oiled and dry.  We went with their Pro Guard 7 oiled filter.  Here's what the filter looks like.

And here's what the filter would look like installed.

With high filtration rates (high 98% for the 5 layer oiled cotton Pro 5 R filter, 99.2% for the 2 layer synthetic oil-free Pro Dry S, and 99.7% for the Pro Guard 7), and up to a 56% increase in airflow, it stands to reason that AFE cold air intakes will deliver power and fuel economy gains.  In our next post, we'll take another trip back to Ely Nevada.  With this 2.0L VW TDI intake installed we hope to see some kind of fuel economy gain.

Just one quick note; the addition of the AFE intake made a noticeable difference in reducing turbo lag off the line.  The car just drives better, both at lower speeds, and on the freeway.  Throttle response is improved, and the car is already more fun to drive!  

For all your VW TDI performance needs, shop Parleys Diesel Performance.