[cudakota66]

hello i am new here but i am a long time reader. I am getting ready to install a kenne bell setup on my 5.2 dakota and I am trying to figure out if I should put different head gaskets on. I am going to have the intake off to install hughes plenum kit and I have read that alot of ppl recomend the felpro head gaskets. My truck has 80k miles on it. I plan on running 6-8#'s of boost. Also any other advice for my install would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[WeezyRT]

Id probably change the headgaskets if I were you.

Get a wideband and a good tune on that thing too. I've also read countless times that the optimizer that comes with the kit is garbage. I have no experience with Kenne Bell though, Im sure others that do will chime in and be a little more helpful.

 

[homer135]

Yeah if you got the Optimizer put it in the garbage :jester:
My truck was running rich as helllll with it.....
Even had black smoke...
Then like a month later, it wouldn't start, got a CEL... The optimizer losted the crank signal....

So, Ditch the aux injectors, get bigger injectors all around, and get a good custom tune with a wideband reading and you'll be good!

Those kenne-bell give some good torque below 3000rpm, but over 4000rpm, it dosen't pull that hard....

And, I never had issue with my stock headgasket with it at 6# of boost...

And if you do install the optimizer, don't forget to connect the knock sensor with it and all the ground!, i've tried my supercharger without the knock sensor, and as soon as you go in boost, it pull 15* of timing or something around that from what i can remember....Had my face in the dash everytime and i was wondering what was going on lol

Have fun with it!, the whine that it make is so nice :mullet:

 

[SLT kota]

Yeah if you got the Optimizer put it in the garbage :jester:
My truck was running rich as helllll with it.....
Even had black smoke...
Then like a month later, it wouldn't start, got a CEL... The optimizer losted the crank signal....

So, Ditch the aux injectors, get bigger injectors all around, and get a good custom tune with a wideband reading and you'll be good!

I agree! When the CEL pops up with a lost crank signal it means the optimizer it toast so it won't be giving any more fuel.

The best thing the optimizer is for is being used as a paper weight.

 

[cudakota66]

thanks guys. Im hopefully going to start ripping into it this weekend. What is a CEL? What did you use in place of the optimizer? I would like to start out using the optimizer mainly due to funds and eventually upgrade to something else. Unless of couse it doesnt work at all then i will have to find some other way.

 

[WeezyRT]

CEL = check engine light.

Not sure what they did, but when I supercharge mine again... Ill be running larger primary injectors rather than the stock ones with the extra aux injectors like mentioned above and then using the SCT tuner I already have to tune.

 

[thirsajohn]

Yeah, I'm in the process of going the sct route with a kenne bell too. I've had it on for years. But I don't notice a whine at all. I thought I'd have a jet engine sound.

 

[thirsajohn]

Oh yeah, as far as head gaskets, I had let my engine builder decide that one. (not sure if different thicknesses change your compression ratio or not) but the kit originally came with a beefier plenum gasket (If you're using the "beer barrel" intake) Hughes sells a nice plenum gasket. Yeah, the optimizer couldn't understand what was going on when you went in to boost so I had a guy from NJ hook up a piggyback computer unit (smt6) to make it run better. But like I said, I'm looking into sct tuning via internet

 

[cudakota66]

I wonder why some people get the infamous whine and some do not? Either way as long and i get the boost i will be happy How long did it take you guys to get it all installed and runnin right? Sorry for all the questions and thanks for your responces. Im just trying to get an idea of what everyone has learned with their kenne bell.

 

[thirsajohn]

Originally, I had a guy do it for me $1000-1500. Then after a few problems with header gaskets... this that and the other thing. (got tired of paying for others to do it. Finally, when I blew a head gasket last year. I labeled wires, took pics for myself and tore that dag thing down myself. I was amazed that it worked when I put it back together. I feel much more confident about doing it myself.