41 replies to this topic

[jedeka]

Can anyone tell me which switch position on these modules are the low hp setting and which is the high hp setting? I am assuming the middle is stock, but sheet that came with module did not indicate switch postions. Thanks.

[Noid93]

Mine has a one and a two sticker on it. The one position is 30% and the 2 position is 10%. I know that sounds funny, but that is what the sheet said that mine came with and i didnt read that for a day or so after i had it and when i switched it to 1, it came alive more yet... If yours doesent have that one and two decal on it, with the wires hanging down and the switch pointing down, top twards you, i belive that one is the switch pointing away from the wiring harness...Thats how mine is.. Any other questions, i think rochester fuel is very knowlegable on macks. Check out their site. Injectors, Turbos, Blixxton

http://www.rochester...ck-c-2_107.html

[jzack]

I would try both positions and pay attention to your boost guage if you have one. There should be a big difference between the two positions. Mine will run 30PSI on the 30% setting and about 22psi on the 10% setting. My instructions were actually wrong and said the 30% setting was toward the wire when it was away. I was running it on the 10% setting for 3 months before I realized it and WOW what a difference!

I'm really impressed with this product. Best $380 I ever spent on my Mack. Your truck still running good with your Blixxton Noid?

Jeff

[Noid93]

Knock on wood(please take the time now to do so...........) YES. Pulling 6.4-6.8 mpg hauling 66,000 lbs of spuds in the box, grossing 90-92 thousand. Big fall harvest in progress right now and that will be my average gross untill at least december. When im pulling hard hills north with corn i get as low as 5.6 mpg, but if im running along the mississippi with corn or soybeans i maintain bout that 6.4 mpg. Boost upwards of 35+ on 60 degree or less days, and yes, The best $300 i ever spent........Rochester Diesel almost has me talked into the turbo upgrade with new, bigger rubber elbow on the intake side either.......

[Gambi80]

Someone will have to post a .com for this thing.

So is this something you'd recommend to a guy who's got 630,000 un-touched miles on the motor?

After fixing the charged-air leak the mileage upped noticably...going from 22-25lbs boost to 30-33 lbs. Got a personal best 7.65 mpg while working one night.

[jedeka]

I could not find a blixxton website and came across the rochester diesel during the search. I switch my toggle so it was away fomr the wiring and got the boost to about 21 lbs. coming from the field tonight. Since I am running a straight truck and weighing about 58-60,000 lbs, I am guessing that is why my boost is lower than you guys running 80,000 lbs. The only negative thing I can say about this truck and is no fault of the Blixxton, is that the 8LL tranny seems a little long legged in the high side gears. It would be nice if the high side could be split, like the 13 speed in my Pete.
Gambi80 how did you know of your charged air leak?

Edited by jedeka, 10 October 2008 - 11:33 PM.

[Maxville]

I switch my toggle so it was away fomr the wiring and got the boost to about 21 lbs. coming from the field tonight.

The 21 lbs is still a little "weak" number in my opinion, I'd be looking for a leak or intake restriction (air filter).
I've rode in "noid93s" CH it jumps to that 30 plus mark within seconds of jumping on the accelerator.

[bts-4120]

My 427 hits 30lbs stock its a 2001 model the air to air first the check the boots and clamps (simple stuff) the air to air can be pressure tested I had my done when I put on a new radiator, also it can be pressure tested on the truck, if you have the correct guages and plugs

[jzack]

Someone will have to post a .com for this thing.

So is this something you'd recommend to a guy who's got 630,000 un-touched miles on the motor?

After fixing the charged-air leak the mileage upped noticably...going from 22-25lbs boost to 30-33 lbs. Got a personal best 7.65 mpg while working one night.

Mine had 750,000 un-touched when I added the Blixxton and now has 790,000. Of course adding more fuel probably doesn't extend the life of my moter but the increased power and milaege is worth the trade-off IMO. The nice thing about the Blixxton is it adds more fuel in the lower RPM ranges where the electronic E-7's are usually weak. Probably from EPA breathing down Mack's neck. Although if you are already getting 30+ lbs I'm not certain the Blixxton will help (guessing you have a 427 or 460HP). They were designed to work for the 300HP - 400HP E-7's with the electronic Bosch in-line pump.

[theakerstwo]

All you guys are asking for is to get to overhaul your engine before it is time to overhaul. The deals you are using is only shorten the life of your engine. saw it many times. If you had enough gauges like a pryometer and boost you may run some longer but most people will mash on their motor not relizing that it is over fueling and bumping the timing up and that increases the exhaust heat and it increases the cylinder pressures. The first sign of trouble is excessive blow by and then you will find it smokes more on start up from weak compression and then oil consumpion is next or a burnt piston.I have set HP up as much as any one ever will in my younger days but now with engines costing up to 16000.00 for a inframe with a dropped valve and bad turbo i cant see that it is worth it. If one is low on power i think the problen needs repaired and then think about a mack engine. It is not a big cube engine to start with but puts out more HP than most other engines that size so that means they are on the edge of destuction any way. I have alot of respect for a small cube engine that works like it does never complains about what you do to it. My 2 cents and 40 years of working on engines glenn

[bts-4120]

It is not a big cube engine to start with but puts out more HP than most other engines that size so that means they are on the edge of destuction any way. I have alot of respect for a small cube engine that works like it does never complains about what you do to it. My 2 cents and 40 years of working on engines glenn

Are you serious a E7 a ticking time bomb? there are marine versions set at 900hp so 500hp on road is not too much to ask I have seen some E6 300 & 350 have serious engine failure do to too much fuel and what not but I even ran a manual E7 350 pretty hot with no problems I have 3 cat motors 2 3406E's 435 and a 3406B 425 (fuel turned up) my 427 out pulls the 435's and about the same as the 425 and about a mile to the gallon better on fuel you can inframe them for around 3k 15k gets you a factory reman with warrnty I know which one grosses more payload on less fuel and stays out of the shop and its not yellow

Edited by bts-4120, 13 October 2008 - 09:23 AM.

[theakerstwo]

Are you serious a E7 a ticking time bomb? there are marine versions set at 900hp so 500hp on road is not too much to ask I have seen some E6 300 & 350 have serious engine failure do to too much fuel and what not but I even ran a manual E7 350 pretty hot with no problems I have 3 cat motors 2 3406E's 435 and a 3406B 425 (full turned up) my 427 out pulls the 435's and about the same as the 425 and about a mile to the gallon better on fuel you can inframe them for around 3k 15k gets you a factory reman with warrnty I know which one grosses more payload on less fuel and stays out of the shop and its not yellow

I am not here to say you cant do that or the engine you had did not do that because i way not there. But i can tell you that i have seen for years a patteren how the engine go down when juised up and it is not the engine to be blamed. I have seen drivers that can take care of them and when they are paying the bill that helps but i have seen it happen so many times were the driver has set it up and it cut the life. The engine manufactors meaures the life of a engine from the lbs of fuel it burns in its life not by the miles. If you can get more HP with the same or less fuel then you can get rich by showing the builders of engines how to market more HP on less fuel. If that dont work then train drtiver to drive and get more HP with less fuel. I have run a truck some for my self on the road and i know you may help fuel mileage some by setting the fuel up some but you have to get out of it at some point or it will burn more fuel. May not that much to get more
hp if you need it but it will still shorten the life of a engine. I have been around fleets enough to know that they spec low HP for a dollar reason. Not for any ones safty. Longer life and less fuel burn. I see if you are a heavy haul you can justifi the change of a earl engine failure because you need it. But like a dry box operation or a dump truck needing 500
hp is not a money making move. It is fun tho to be able to be in front on a long hard pull. Me and my self have seen too many truckers have to walk away from a truck and leve it because they dont got the money to bail it out with and i dont want to be in that postion so i had to take care of my truck when it was on the road. I had a 470 DD and with 80000 i could stay with the ISX 600 the co had untill we go in the mountains. I tryed to run 70 mph because our loads was in most cases late when we got them. The ISX was better on fuel and they were open up on speed. What is shocking is when one of the E7 breaks a piston for no nreason and breaks a block. If under waranty that helps but i have never had a new mack and will never be able to own one. I am not down on a mack because i started working on macks when the B model was in the last two years of production so i love a mack . I have a B61 my self that i hyave a 320 horse in it and it is set hot on top of that but it was only a play truck and never stood in it very long or it could burn. glenn

[Rob]

Are you serious a E7 a ticking time bomb? there are marine versions set at 900hp so 500hp on road is not too much to ask I have seen some E6 300 & 350 have serious engine failure do to too much fuel and what not but I even ran a manual E7 350 pretty hot with no problems I have 3 cat motors 2 3406E's 435 and a 3406B 425 (full turned up) my 427 out pulls the 435's and about the same as the 425 and about a mile to the gallon better on fuel you can inframe them for around 3k 15k gets you a factory reman with warrnty I know which one grosses more payload on less fuel and stays out of the shop and its not yellow

I don't think there is too much wrong with turning an engine up a bit, but to get it to survive for long, and not destroy itself, requires proper cooling of the cylinder heads, and combustion cylinder. In marine applications it is moderately easy to extract a lot of horsepower due to the use of fresh water cooling, and no parasitic drag from a cooling fan. My experience is not so much with on highway service vehicles but rather standby power generation. My 12V-71 is rated and optimized this use and uses a remote cooling tower that is sized for the output power, (585hp @ 1800rpm). To put enough of an electical load against the engine to not be able to sustain 1800rpm, will get the temperature to about 190 degrees on the analog meter. The pyrometer will show about 1075 degress on each cylinder. It is part of my annual checks to overload the gensets temporarily. This engine is now a toy and will be installed into an R795 this winter and I have contracted a radiator manufacturer to ensure proper cooling.

I also have a 1693TA Caterpillar that is rated for 620hp, (intermittent) and the radiator from the airport crash truck this engine is from, was huge and would never fit into a conventional truck. Both of these engines with properly engineered cooling systems have performed well for many years when operated within their service parameters.

I do know from being around Mack engines that to go above 350 hp from an ENDT, or E6 series is about borderline to deliver a respectable service life in truck usage. I've not been around the E7 series of engines but to be able to get upwards of 460 delivered hp from something displacing 738cid sounds pretty good to me. As said, I've never been around the E7 series but a lot of them are out there.

I guess in summation I think that a greater quantity of fuel injection requires more air to burn it, ignition at the proper time of the power stroke, easy exit of the expended exhaust gasses, and adequate cooling to rid the engine of heat. This is due to the extra power developed that needs entered into the equation also. When sound engineering practices are followed, any engine will develop substantial amounts of power and useable torque. Then the area of space constraints come into play. A heat exchanger that will deliver the performance required needs to fit within available space. All this power has to fit under the hood of a truck and deliver acceptable fuel economy, and deliver a long service life.

Somewhere a balance has to be struck, and current emmision standards met. If one gets to not balancing the parameters to maintain equalibrium, something will be short lived. Usually a driver that is not responsible for repair expenses, and drives by the "seat of the pants" feeling, has a reletively short lived engine. This is not 100%, nor a blanket statement, but fairly accurate. My limited experience is proof enough to me. Many of my friends are line mechanics at heavy truck dealerships, or private garages and I seen many times the results of a "turned up" engine without the other factors considered.

Rob

[theakerstwo]

Rob on a E7 engine and i am talking about the late
vmack and the Etec the problem with setting up the HP is you start to move the liners around on top of the counter bores and that is what makes the counter bores drop in height or fret and then when you are trucking down the road doing good your liners are losing liner protrution and now you start to blow head gaskets and if the counter bore is not restored back then head gaskets keep on blowing. The E6 had a good life in them as long as they were not pump up on fuel. What would happen on them they have a small bottom end and after alot of miles the line bore gets twisted and the crank is in a bind and can break a crank or sping a main brg. The hi torque low rpm engines do that offten. The problem with setting the fuel up on a mack engine and it being a low rpm engine to is it will make more torque at low rpm than it is made to do and the block can bend at the bottom and that is what pulls the line bore off center. Some dont know this but you can put a line bore test bar which most guys dont have but it is to check line bore on a stripped block with caps in place and torqued and you can put the test bar in the block and check the alinement and find the problems . But if you find one that is good you can take your hand and bend the block and lock the test bar while you have pressure on it. The blocks are pliable to a certain amount.But when you start to pull a lot of torque thru the engine then the block begines to bend oppsite to the way the crank turns. I have started to put main brgs in and found that they will not go back in the top because there is not enough clearance to get in with out locking the crank. This happens over a alot of miles not over night so that is the reason play trucks can blow smoke and burn rubber with out a lot of troubles. But i have had drivers come to me because i have worked the fuel systems for a long time want there engtine set up as soon as they got the truck ready to hit the road. Not giving it a chance to show him what it can do. I have been a o/o two times in my working days and that made up of about 220000 mile and ever time you run west you will see one truck that has to be in front and if you listen long enough you will hear that he has his fuel set up and as he says come on and try me. The first time i was on the road i was flat beding for 14 months before i went back to the shop and i had a NTC 365 and it is easy to get more HP out of it but iset it 15 psi over specs and it did help some but on the
pa turnpike with a gross of 80000 i would pull down to 45 mph on some hills but i did not have to worry about what i know could happen to my engine not from that pull but from the years of abuse before that that could happen to me today. I could be on time but did not get to stop as much. Its like they say you have to inside of your truck to get there.

[jzack]

I understand that more fuel = less engine life. But I also think how a truck is driven can be an even bigger factor. My MPG actually went up a few ticks since turning up the pump. Now I actually spend LESS time in the throttle trying to accelerate or maintaining a cruising speed. I only give it enough to reach max boost and I start backing off when the pyro hits 1000F on long pulls. The only thing that concerns me is the higher factory compression ratio of a 350HP vs. the 400HP and up. So adding 460HP fuel to a 350HP could create even higher cylinder pressures then intended for an E-7 from the factory. But again, excess heat can be controlled by your right foot. Mack engineers have to design their engine packages from the factory to be able handle anything an inexperienced or uncaring driver can throw at it. I, on the other hand, like many O/O am experienced and care about the maintenance of my truck. My E-7 has 790,000mi and 26,000hrs. with out ever cracking a bolt on it other than for valve adjustment. So spending $380 to turn my 350 up to a 450+ on an engine that will need a rebuild at some point anyway was worth risking some engine life in my circumstance. I actually would have traded this truck in for a 427 or 460 if not for the performance gain from the module. The cost of even a 5 year old truck is much greater than a rebuilt engine so the decision was a no-brainer for me. Besides, if I'm getting BETTER mpg with the module, how much harm could it be doing? However, I don't disagree with the overall fact that turning up the fuel can mean shortened engine life in most circumstances.

Jeff

[Gambi80]

I could not find a blixxton website and came across the rochester diesel during the search. I switch my toggle so it was away fomr the wiring and got the boost to about 21 lbs. coming from the field tonight. Since I am running a straight truck and weighing about 58-60,000 lbs, I am guessing that is why my boost is lower than you guys running 80,000 lbs. The only negative thing I can say about this truck and is no fault of the Blixxton, is that the 8LL tranny seems a little long legged in the high side gears. It would be nice if the high side could be split, like the 13 speed in my Pete.
Gambi80 how did you know of your charged air leak?

I knew it leaked because I could hear it. Every time I'd hit the gas it would sound like you pulled a valve core out of a tire. Since I have a boost gauge that showed only 22-25lbs(25 on a good day, that is) and knew it should be around 30+...figured something was amiss. Anyway, it sounded all along like the air was leaking behind the motor somewhere...the intake hose running from the intake manifold to the air compressor had about a half-3/4 inch diameter hole in it.

I wasn't planning on getting one of those blixxton deals. I was just curious. I realize that most of the engine failures/problems result from someone just plugging it in and going...."woo hoo...look at that smoke!"

[Rob]

Rob on a E7 engine and i am talking about the late
vmack and the Etec the problem with setting up the HP is you start to move the liners around on top of the counter bores and that is what makes the counter bores drop in height or fret and then when you are trucking down the road doing good your liners are losing liner protrution and now you start to blow head gaskets and if the counter bore is not restored back then head gaskets keep on blowing. The E6 had a good life in them as long as they were not pump up on fuel. What would happen on them they have a small bottom end and after alot of miles the line bore gets twisted and the crank is in a bind and can break a crank or sping a main brg. The hi torque low rpm engines do that offten. The problem with setting the fuel up on a mack engine and it being a low rpm engine to is it will make more torque at low rpm than it is made to do and the block can bend at the bottom and that is what pulls the line bore off center. Some dont know this but you can put a line bore test bar which most guys dont have but it is to check line bore on a stripped block with caps in place and torqued and you can put the test bar in the block and check the alinement and find the problems . But if you find one that is good you can take your hand and bend the block and lock the test bar while you have pressure on it. The blocks are pliable to a certain amount.But when you start to pull a lot of torque thru the engine then the block begines to bend oppsite to the way the crank turns. I have started to put main brgs in and found that they will not go back in the top because there is not enough clearance to get in with out locking the crank. This happens over a alot of miles not over night so that is the reason play trucks can blow smoke and burn rubber with out a lot of troubles. But i have had drivers come to me because i have worked the fuel systems for a long time want there engtine set up as soon as they got the truck ready to hit the road. Not giving it a chance to show him what it can do. I have been a o/o two times in my working days and that made up of about 220000 mile and ever time you run west you will see one truck that has to be in front and if you listen long enough you will hear that he has his fuel set up and as he says come on and try me. The first time i was on the road i was flat beding for 14 months before i went back to the shop and i had a NTC 365 and it is easy to get more HP out of it but iset it 15 psi over specs and it did help some but on the
pa turnpike with a gross of 80000 i would pull down to 45 mph on some hills but i did not have to worry about what i know could happen to my engine not from that pull but from the years of abuse before that that could happen to me today. I could be on time but did not get to stop as much. Its like they say you have to inside of your truck to get there.

That makes good sense to me Glenn. The E7 series of engine is much too new for me to have any experience on. Every engine I've ever rebuilt, (be it gasoline, diesel, or other fuel gas) has been line honed, and balanced to ensure the crank spins free in the block. I've never done the block work myself, and always left that part to the machine shop. Proper fitting of liners is part of their work.
I guess I've never thought about the block having a minute amount of flex, or twisting but it would stand to reason along with the extremes of hot and cold playing a factor also. The only engines I have seen melted in the piston area(s) are due to overfueling without regard to the other parameters that must be met for survival.

Rob

[Noid93]

PLEASE keep in mind that the blixxton itself is not the core issue. Its the operator. Guns can be dangerous too, if put in the wrong hands. Yes, you may be shortening engine life, twisting the block and so on, BUT with a full dash of gauges, proper knowlege, and paying close attention to your truck, This is a safe alternitive to OEM HP hikes. I've looked at how my turbo specs compaired to a 460, max boost ratings, Injectors(400-454 all the same tip), etc. Baisically, other than a larger turbo, my factory 400 has the same injectors and compression as the 454, but by my choise i can run 10%(440hp+/-) or 30% (520hp +/-) AT MY OWN CHOISE. Just as i would be responsible for pulling the trigger. It is as simple as plug and pay with this chip, but it is wise to even call your dealer and see what max hp the recommend from factory, without any other mods. For example- you can only push so muh fuel thru a small injector. Try pushing excessive fuel through and pump fatigue may be the price you pay. THE BEST PART IS THAT THIS CHIP HAS NO EFFECT ON THE 427 AND BIGGER MOTORS. YOU WILL NOT SEE EXCESSIVE SMOKE AND WILL NOT HATCH A MOTOR 3 DAYS AFTER INSTALLING SOLEY BECAUSE OF THE BLIXXTON. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!

Props to Jzack- THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DRIVER AND AN OPERATOR!!!!! I would never put these on a fleet. Too many drivers. But i like to think of myself as an operator.


I too have had better fuel economy with this because i can maintain a set speed and not always accelerating back to 60 mph after a hill. I do recommend this product based on my personal experience.

[Noid93]

Oh yeah, here are some links...
Turbos, injectors, and blixxtons---
http://www.rochester...ck-c-2_107.html

Best price on blixxton
http://www.performan...e=Blixxton Mack

[Gambi80]

THE BEST PART IS THAT THIS CHIP HAS NO EFFECT ON THE 427 AND BIGGER MOTORS. YOU WILL NOT SEE EXCESSIVE SMOKE AND WILL NOT HATCH A MOTOR 3 DAYS AFTER INSTALLING SOLEY BECAUSE OF THE BLIXXTON. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!
.

Ah ha...answers my questions then. I've got a 427 w/the in-line pump.

I'd like to upgrade a couple years to the E7...preferabbly the 460...but it's not easy to find another truck set up identical to what I have now...