I have a 1990 Grand Villa with a 250 hp CAT 3208T. Looking to get more hp out of it to pull hills a little better. What kind of performance upgrades do you guys recommend? Thanks, Jim
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You can use the Forum search tool (top right corner of page) to look for pertinent info. Put "CAT 3208" in the search box. Here's a couple links to get you started:
Cat 3208 - small??? (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=13096.0)
Cat 3208 t (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=35525.0)
Do the basics. Remove the muffler
Add 1/3 click of fuel. Etc.
I did all of the little things and went back to stock fuel settings.
The fan removal was by far the best improvement speed wise for me. But note that I added a small fan back on for pulling my trailer in the hills.
Jim I live in the Rockies and just did Arizona to BC with my 87 3208 last summer pulling a heavy 4 door jeep. Never once did I wish for more power in the hills. The little engine climbed wolf creek pass no problem. Might want to make sure you don't have something else going on limiting yours. When's the last time you changed your fuel filters?
I went back and forth over doing some of these upgrades and decided I'd rather err on the side of keeping engine temps down for longer climbs.
Had a bunch of 3208s in the fleet I took care of. Good motors, about the only thing that would kill em running hot. IMHO turning up fuel and hot rodding old diesels never ends well. Keep the fuel and air filters clean.
I think we all had more power when climbing grades. The big thing is to watch your engine (and turbo) temperature.
My 1981 Foretravel had a 210 HP 3208 and I learned to just get in the right hand lane and put on my flashers while I kept an eye on the temperature gauge. .
Sometimes going slower as you approach the top of a hill is a safety feature. Easier to stay at the lower speed going down.
I drove a 85 250hp 3208 35' coach that had a 375hp twin turbo marine system bolted onto the stock lower end. The owner never used it hard until the trans was in high gear. I would have that in a heartbeat if i owned a 250 cat. Stock 643 Allison trans. What hills. I was sales manager at Foretravels ca store in the late 80's