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Dieselsite Wicked Wheel 2 Install


Megatron

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Well as usual this is not a 100% how-to install, but I will share as much as I can remember ha-ha.

 

 So for those of you asking what's the Dieselsite Wicked Wheel 2?? Well let me bring you up to speed... The Wicked Wheel 2 is a replacement compressor wheel for your stock turbo. It is slightly redesigned to increase air flow throughout the compressor MAP area. It utilizes your stock compressor housing and no modifications are needed. It really is a DIY project for a bit more performance. 

 

  The Wicked Wheel 2 is about 230$ depending your application. For those of you that don't know me, my application is a 2006 Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Cab with the world famous 5.9 Cummins lol. My truck year model runs the HE351CW turbo. I think somewhere in 2007.5 they went to the Variable Geometry style for the 6.7. I think these turbos share a similar compressor wheel, just more magic in the turbine wheel end of the turbo (more than we are going to discuss in here).

 

 Okay, where were we.. O that's right Wicked Wheel 2 for your Gen 3 truck. So for 230$ plus shipping and a 3 day wait you get this little gem in the mail.

 

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 That's pretty huh? As you can see its a CNC machined compressor wheel that's light as air. Compared to the stock wheel you can see the additional groves machined into the base portion and slightly altered blades. Nothing to crazy but every bit helps. For those of you wondering what those little groves do let me tell you.. I have no idea ha-ha. Sorry I don't design them nor am I an aeronautical engineer or turbo master. I assume it helps with getting the air off the blade and perhaps stabilizing it into a set direction, or perhaps its more complex than that. Maybe someone can add to this post with more detail??  

 

 Installations always start with removal so let me touch a bit on removal. After your general safety rundown like wheel chocks, battery disconnect I know you never do, and letting the vehicle cool down, we can start the removal. Now someone reading this may try to be a smart cookie and attempt this with the turbo attached to the engine, why not I did lol. Well in a minute you will see the problem with this.

 

 First remove your air intake and filter, second remove the exhaust at either end of the cast elbow (If your truck has that). Third remove your boot from the turbo to the hot side intercooler pipe. Fourth unplug your electronics (command valve pigtail), Fifth is oil supply and return. Be careful not to get anything in your turbo or the oil lines. Nothing some tape or caps cant cover. At this point is tempting to just remove the compressor cover and have at it. Well the big problem is the waste gate actuator assembly. In order to remove the cover you have to remove the rod from the waste gate itself. Its between the block and the turbo and is held on with an e-clip. While getting it off isn't real complicated, getting it back on is. Trust me, pass on the shortcut and just remove the turbo from the exhaust manifold.

 

 Going on with the removal, 2 bolts and 2 nuts.. sound simple right?? The 2 you can see are, the other 2?? Not that easy. They can be removed but your going to bust a couple knuckles and maybe bend a wrench to fit. Take your time and don't round anything off. Give them a bath with WD-40 rust release and they will come loose..

 

 Now, the turbo looks small but they are pretty heavy. The bent neck on the compressor housing is already all but touching your shock mount and frame rail so you don't have much wiggle room. Take your time and wiggle it around and hold onto it. It will come out with some finesse.

 

 Onto the work bench. First up give an overall inspection for oil leaks, shaft play or housing cracks. Shaft play is the amount of movement the main shaft can move in either direction or front and back. If you have major front to back I would say your trust bearing is worn out, if it has major play left to right I would say the shaft or shaft bearings are worn out. I do not know the real specs to give you as far as measurements go. I assume there is a minimum distance the compressor blades need to be from the compressor housing. If you see in damaged compressor blades perhaps this turbo should be replaced. Keep those air filters on kids... Some turbo's are known for getting cracks where they mount to the manifold and where the waste gate valve seats inside. Should you have any of these I would suggest a new center section. Or at least get it inspected and signed off by a professional. At this point if you have some serious leaks or shaft play you can go the route I did and order a rebuild kit.

 

 Once you have determined your turbo is a good candidate for the Wicked Wheel 2, you can proceed with the removal of the old blade. With the turbo somewhere you cant drop it and not scratch it up, start with removing the waste gate actuator rod. 1 E clip and pry it loose from the waste gate valve assembly.

 

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 Next you can remove the V-band clamp from the turbine housing post-33-0-02897500-1422568630_thumb.jpg

 

 Next you will need a manly set of snap ring pliers to remove the compressor housing snap ring. post-33-0-66585400-1422568718_thumb.jpg

 

  Now when removing ether the turbine housing or compressor housing take care not to damage the housing alignment pins. These pins are here to help clock the turbine housing and compressor cover side so that it sits in your truck properly and lines up with your exhaust and intercooler boots. They are very tiny and will break easy. When removing either end pull it straight off the center section, do NOT twist or spin either side.. We clear??

 

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After the center section is out you can now remove the compressor wheel. NOTE*** confirm your turbo shaft thread orientation. Some are reverse thread some are not. It only takes a little bit to break them free and it only takes a little bit to stretch the shaft or damage it****

 

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Mine was reverse thread and I believe that is noted with a 12 point nut, the 6 point nuts are standard, I believe lol. Out with the old and in with the new. Be careful not to drop it, once you unseal the box it has not warranty.. You have been warned.. Once the nut is off the old compressor wheel will slide off pretty easy. So putting the new one on is just as easy. It should slide on interference free and seat nice and close to the center section. No hammers required. At this point, if you where going on with the rebuild, now is the time. I will make another post about that on another day. Its really easy, but use the term rebuild lightly, you are just replacing bearings and trust washers for a tighter turbo..

 

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Now its time to install the nut and tighten it up. The internet and local shops all have an opinion on this part. Why I don't know. The supplied instructions say like 124 inch pounds.. that's like just past hand tight. Don't get crazy, snug it up and move on. For the record I had a local diesel performance shop tell me face to face he does these installs with an impact gun????? Maybe he got the inch pounds and foot pounds thing wrong?? Either way never taking my truck to that shop.

 

 post-33-0-68917000-1422569190_thumb.jpg post-33-0-04633500-1422569191_thumb.jpg post-33-0-87038900-1422573240_thumb.jpg

 

 From here on its just a reverse of the removal. Be careful butting the housings back on the center sections. Don't want to damage any blades. Make sure they align properly with the guide pins. Get your snap rings in and hook up your waste gate actuator rod. Don't lose that e-clip cause you wont find that at Autozone.

 

 When you go to put the turbo back in the truck take your time. For some reason it will fall out but its not going to fall in lol. Get some help to hold it into place while you get the hardware started. Its also a good time for a new flange gasket. Getting the oil return hooked up leak free can be a challenge but if you put a new seal in you should be fine. Your going to want to pre lube the turbo before you put the supply line. I used a ketchup type bottle and filled it with oil. Squirt some in and spin the turbo with your fingers. Make sure it is full so you don't have a dry start. After that, hook everything back up the same way it was before you started.

 

 If you didn't do a rebuild then there is no real break in. If you did rebuild I would treat it like a new turbo and follow the break in procedures. Start the vehicle up and listen for any exhaust or boost leaks. Address those issues if you have any. If not hit the streets and enjoy a little bit more power. No tuning modifications required..

 

  As for power increase?? You will notice a bit but your not going to break any dynameters at your next truck show. MPG increase?? if you say so. Hard to say with my driving style lol.  In the end its an easy DIY project that has a slightly noticeable power increase. Its worth the trouble for the experience in my opinion..

 

For those wanting to know, Elf on the Shelf works for me in the off season..

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Megatron, I began reading this topic with great interest, as I have the same turbo on my '05 5.9L Cummins...The concept is very interesting, and I promise that I'll read the content carefully.  However, I began reviewing your photos, started laughing at the ways you enlisted the help of the winter guy, and couldn't read any further....

 

Years ago, 1990 to be precise, our youngest son came home from school with a Domino's Pizza Noid in hand.  I took one look at the Noid and knew he'd make the perfect helper for technical photography.  He wore a red outfit and had white gloved hands that could point out details underhood or on the benchtop, showing off mechanical subjects, just the perfect pointer outer guy for photo close-up projects!  He could do things like your bright eyed helper and even stood on his head well—it was the long ears. 

 

I was on a roll when the editor (happened to be Duane Elliott at Argus' OFF-ROAD Magazine) put the kibosh on the Noid.  Duane was certain that if we published any of my technical photos with the Noid pointing out parts or demonstrating safe shop practices, Domino's would sue the magazine for trademark infringement.  I thought this was nonsense.  If anything, we might have gotten fined for violating Noid labor laws.  I had the Noid tagging along on my feverish pitch assignments and hadn't considered the overtime involved.  I took it for granted that he was supposed to buck up... 

 

In fact, this seemed like incredible advertising for Domino's, but I had no choice and was forced to crop the photos and retire the Noid before his debut in the magazine...He's still atop my bookcase with his long rabbit-like ears, silly grin and, unfortunately, idle hands.

 

Will read your Wicked Wheel 2 details with earnest...as soon as I stop laughing at your helper in action...

 

Moses

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Ya I did a little photo shoot this past Christmas for a diesel parts group. It started with my 4 year old trying to give me a hand all the time and turned into some funny pictures. As you probably know, Its actually complicated to do everything and then stage a simple picture like this. I promise it added days to my overall build but it was fun and my kids got a kick helping me with it.

 

 As for the Wicked Wheel 2, if your intensions are to stay with a stock turbo with air and fuel supplies to boot, I think you would fair well with this. If I recall right, I remember you saying you had a box type tuner on your truck that has already increased fuel delivery. So a little more air should be in order. But be careful, making more power is addictive ha-ha.

 

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This is their performance graph. Not sure what you can take from it given we all know the variations involved with the accuracy of dynameters and the user. I believe it is an improvement, but how much I will never know. 

 

 This part had a very short life in my truck. I knew I was planning other things so this turbo has since been removed and donated to a 2nd Gen friend of mine for his first upgrade. He should see more from it and maybe one day I can get him to review it for me and post it here.

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Wow, Megatron, significant gains with both stock and performance tunes!  Where did the EGT go?  Was this usable power, and how did it help your truck's drivability?  Trailer pulling ability?

 

We'll have to arrange a get together for Elf on the Shelf and the Noid...

 

Moses

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As for the big three (EGT's, MPG's and Power) it did fine. I didn't see any noticeable changes in EGT's. I think the extra airflow helps keep a cooler EGT by design. I cant really speculate on MPG because I didn't build a long enough database for comparison. It didn't get any worse, but MPG's take a tank or two before you can build reliable data. Power was noticeable in the mid range to upper. Unfortunately I didn't run it very long so durability is questionable. Its very well made so I doubt its going to come apart. For the 230$ its worth it.

 

   A lot of people will argue to just get a larger overall turbo. Well that's not always in the cards for some people. And with bigger turbos comes bigger problems and expenses. This is truly an entry level upgrade to a diesel. you will see performance with your investment. Even in a 100% stock truck. Of course with stock air intakes and exhaust you may not see the power shown in the earlier graph, but an increase non the less. This with a handheld tuner like Smarty or EFI Live will be enough extra power to break parts if you wanted.

 

 Oh, it also has a more noticeable turbo whistle if you will. I know some people enjoy the noise and some don't. Its not enough to scare the neighborhood children, but if you already have a CAI (Cold Air Intake) it will be a bit louder. We all know noise doesn't equal power, but maybe it will catch that special girl's attention when you drive by ha-ha..

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