[Archived]

From what I’ve read they do work. It sends a modified signal
that makes the ECM think the engine is operating at a high altitude. At high
altitudes the EGR does not function. A similar product has been on eBay for a year
or so. I also doubt a 2 MPG increase, that’s tough to do even with timing and
fuel map modifications.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Detroit-Diesel-Series-60-EGR-Barometric-Performance-Module-/190849548254?pt=Other_Vehicle_Parts&hash=item2c6f84ffde&vxp=mtr

Clifford, is you freind’s H model that had the throttle problem doing OK since the ECM was repalced and do you know if his fuel mileage is any better?

Ken

[Archived]

Yep it sure did Ken his mileage went up 1.5 mpg he told me his engine is preforming the best it has ever been better than when it was new

[Davy]

Has anyone actually tried one of these modifications?

[jack]

Jack, I wasn’t going to say anything until I had a good base of data, but I have one on order and I have recorded every gallon of fuel I ever put in my bus since I got it, so after about 5000 miles I will report the results.

Ken shared with me a thread on the diesel forum and I read all thirteen pages. There were some comments about the instalation and changes to resistor sizes, but the bottom line is everyonhe that posted had better performance with less stumbling and the reported increase in mileage was none to about 1 MPG. Most were at least 1/2 MPG. Doesn’t sound like much but it will buy a Happy Meal with the savings at every refueling.

[Archived]

That will be great,there are two on eBay which one have you purchased?

[Archived]

I would like to know which one also. The one looked like a simple plug in, the other maybe needed wires attached too??

[Jerry]

I bought the ugly one.

I am going to be doing this at the perfect time. I reset my oil change reminder every 5000 miles along with my mileage so for the 14 months I owned the coach my 5000 mile fuel economy has been 5.9 MPG. I compare that to the fuel purchases and track generator hours so I have a good handle on what is happening over broad mileage ranges.

So having just done a routine 5000 mile service the device is going to be installed and everything reset to zero again.

I always drive at 1500 RPM, I tow the H2 Hummer, and I always have the OTR air on. So I will quickly know if this does provide the fuel savings claimed, but after 5000 miles I have enough tanks of fuel so I can cross check what the information display reports.

But after that I think there will be some reprogramming of DDEC in my future as well, but that is a long range plan that I will not go into detail reporting unless I am given permission.

[Archived]

Hi Jon;

It’s been over a year since you installed the “Uglyfix”. Does it work? Did your fuel economy improve? Did the performance improve?

Thanks!

[Peter]

The apparent savings is .3 MPG.

While that doesn’t sound like much it is a 5% improvement. Or to put it another way, I just got a 5% discount on my fuel purchases which currently is about 17 cents, and that is on top of the 10 cents I have been enjoying via the fuel discount program. Pretty soon I can convince myself that owning a coach actually makes sense.

Since that change I have plugged my EGR so no exhaust is entering the intake manifold and the DDEC was changed to eliminate any possibility of EGR operation. I began another phase of my plans to see if I can improve mileage. I only have refueled twice so I will not comment further until late spring in 2015 when I will have another 9000 miles of data collected.

I already have a final and more radical change planned and it is contingent upon the results of my most recent phase.

Anyone claiming 1 MPG or more improvement with the Ugly Fix or disabling of the EGR is likely not using a large enough base of data or refuelings. If I were to calculate fuel mileage based on one trip, one refueling, or one section of roadway it would not accurately reflect the true impact of a change. Our fuel tanks have varying amounts of fuel in them when the nozzle clicks off. This is due to the slope of the fuel islands, the sensitivity of the fuel nozzle, and the phase of the moon. Our performance is substantially impacted by headwinds or tailwinds, if we are towing, if we have to run the air conditioning, if we adjust for generator fuel use, outside temperature, etc. We need to develop data over the broad range of driving conditions. As a result my next 6 months of driving is going to closely match the same period last year including destinations in TX, FL and NV to eliminate as many variables as possible.

[Archived]

Thanks Jon!

We’ve put just over 4000 miles on our coach since the end of August.
Our fuel mileage is averaging 5.5mpg. So far all our travels have
been under time constraints, but I try to keep the speed down to 65mph. The coach seems run very well at that speed
and we don’t seem to be the rolling roadblock that occurs at 55-60mph. MPG drops down to 4.5-5 at 75+mph. This coach appears to have enough power and
gearing to pass anything on the road but a diesel pump, so an increase in mpg
would be appreciated.

We’ll be awaiting the results of your latest mods next spring.

[Archived]

I am sure you have a comfortable speed so whatever it is try to be consistent and to record your refueling totals. Then if you do make any changes you have a good baseline for comparison.

When you do make a change that has the promise of better mileage it is very tempting to change your driving habits so you can see the results you are seeking show up in the data. So if you drive at 65 constantly, and then make a change, just reducing the speed to 62 for example will make a significant change which will make you believe it was the change that was responsible for your new and improved mileage.

As your post demonstrates speed plays a big role in mileage. Headwinds are the equivalent of driving faster. Hills show you that you can never recover the mileage lost from going up a hill, even if you shut off the engine and coast down the other side, so expect driving on hilly terrain to cost performance. Cold weather will cause you to burn more fuel than warmer weather. Towing or running AC off the engine also impacts mileage.

Also, whatever method you use to measure performance stick with it to be consistent. However, the message center mileage display can be in error, so measure it against actual fuel purchased over a number of refills. I have determined through 170 hours of generator operation (and less than 2 miles of driving) that my generator uses about .4 MPG so when I am gathering data I also keep track of generator hours and adjust my calculations to reflect the fuel used by the generator.

So far I do not know of any silver bullets regarding improving mileage. I am not discounting the .3 MPG I gain by not having the EGR function, but I do not know of anything that will deliver 1 MPG or anywhere close. But I am trying one change at a time to try to measure the impact of various changes. Maybe in a year or two I can squeeze 7 MPG out of my coach.

Just so everyone knows, my normal driving speed is around 62 MPH. I set the cruise so the tach needle is on 1500 RPM, but slightly to the left side of the mark. For my coach the GPS shows 61-62 at that setting. The coach weighs around 53,000 pounds and when I tow it is our Hummer and it is 6700 pounds. Lighter weight is going to deliever better mileage. I have not tried a different speed because all my data collected is at the speed listed above. I have the OTR on all the time, although it manages itself and only engages the compressor when AC is called for.