The best thing about diesel engine tuning, and in fact diesel tuning for truck pull power is that it doesn’t take all that much to get them to produce phenomenal levels of torque. In fact, adding a large number of improvements such as these listed can easily put the power levels very near to insane levels. In many cases, all it really takes to build your truck’s engine up into a powerful pulling truck engine is the addition of a handful of bolt-on speed parts available from just about any high-performance diesel retailer.
Install upgraded internal components in the engine, including a high-performance camshaft, valve springs and cylinder heads. Any time you intend to boost your power output to the level required by pulling trucks, you need stronger internal engine components. However, if you are not familiar with installing these components, it is best to source the work from an experienced engine builder. This will allow you to begin with the strongest, most breakage-resistant engine possible.
Install fuel injectors that are rated at a higher GPH, or gallons per hour, than your stock fuel injectors. Any time you boost the amount of air and exhaust in your engine, particularly when building a pulling truck engine, you also have to increase the amount of fuel being added into the combustion chamber. Diesel fuel injectors are located near your cylinder heads in most cases, and simply unplug from their harnesses for replacement.
Purchase and install a diesel computer programmer specifically designed for your truck’s engine. This bolt-on part should be the very best you can buy, because the high-end programmers offer you more than just added power. They allow you to fine-tune your engine’s power, giving you the option of more power, more fuel economy, or more pulling strength. In addition, good units have heads-up displays that are mounted to your dashboard, giving you a readout of important information such as engine temperature, boost pressure and oil pressure. Programmers are easily installed into your truck’s sub-dash diagnostic port and can be set up in a matter of minutes.
Install a diesel turbo system onto the truck if it is not already equipped with one. While doing this, it is also a good idea to add an intercooler system to help keep engine and turbocharger temperatures cool. This is one of the most significant power adders that you can install onto your diesel pulling engine, but it is also one of the most expensive. Fortunately, they are produced as kits that include all of the necessary components you’ll need to do the installation yourself, though you may want to have a mechanic check your work and perform the final tuning once you’ve got the turbo installed.
Install a nitrous oxide injection system onto the engine, followed by a methanol injection system. While either of these two options for boosting power can be used by themselves, using them together results in a much more dramatic power increase. Nitrous oxide works by cooling the intake charge of fuel and air entering the engine, essentially compacting it into a much denser “wad” of fuel and air. This allows more to be stuffed into the combustion chamber, thereby increasing power. Methanol injection, which is essentially windshield washer fluid, injects into the combustion chamber to do the same, working with the nitrous oxide to stuff more fuel and air into the chambers.
Install an aftermarket intake and exhaust system onto the truck. It’s a good idea to do both at the same time to keep the tuning of the diesel engine well balanced. A good cold-air intake system and oversize exhaust system is relatively inexpensive, and after the previous modifications are done, provides a dramatic increase in how much power the engine will produce.
Back the engine up with a more powerful transmission. It may be necessary to have a transmission custom built to the new specifications of your engine, but this will prevent your having to replace transmissions after every few competitions. When doing this, it may also be a good idea to install stronger front and rear axles, as well, but doing that depends on just how much power your engine now produces. For example, if your truck after modification produces in excess of 1,600 foot-pounds of torque, you will almost certainly shear off your stock axles the first time you attempt a competition pull.
