Getting started with a 2005 Volvo with the ISX.

[superbug]

Hi Guys,

Been awhile, been busy with the move. Got the truck back to Wyoming with all of our stuff and the trip was great. Learned some more about the truck. Had 18K in the box and got 7.1 for the trip. Stopped by Mr Hagg's and had the program checked to see if the engine was still a 400hp, It was and I had him reprogram it to a 435hp. Was a great visit talking to the family. Very nice folks.
I'm not planning on adding the top fairing to the tractor, I want to put the nose cone fairing on the trailer and a rear cab spoiler that come on the newer trucks. I added extended side fairings before leaving Florida and put air tabs on them.   

[DKenworth]

LOOKING GOOD VOLVO Mate! 7.1mpg is not that bad, do you think air tabs really works? I was thinking to put them on truck aswell a while ago.

[Volvo8873]

Nice! The Volvo 630 rides like a Cadillac going down the highway. I love mine!

[superbug]

Hi everyone,
Finally on the road with this truck making some money and have real info to add.
Long process getting out here. Last thing I had to do was have the hood replaced. Was doing some work I needed under the hood and went to close it and the left hinge area on the hood broke completely out. Come to find out Volvo uses a torsion assist system to help open the hood and it is under lots of tension when the hood is closed. Rough roads do damage bouncing against the stress on the hinge area.
Anyway had a Jones brand aftermarket put on and its all good now.
The pyrometer and boost gauges make a huge difference in running the truck.
Looks like 34 pounds of boost is the normal top end and having the pyrometer probe pre turbo is a good thing.
If you run any more than 20lbs of boost it will consistently put the exhaust temp in the red and I'm finding there is no reason to do that as the engine pulls almost as well at 20lbs as it does at 30lbs. I was running a load the other day trying to do the Rawze thing at 10lbs but it doesn't work well with just a 10 speed. Running some rolling hills on I-80 I did better at easing up to 20lbs just to crest the hill without the downshift and I could keep the lie-o-meter at the same mpg over the day's run.
Right now just finished an 850 mile run at 78800 and got a hand calculated 6mpg. I'm not running as slow as I should so it's not great but I think not bad with no fairing on top of the tractor yet and no belly fairing on the trailer. Hood replacement killed those additions for now.
Overall real happy with the engine at the 435 HP setting. Just need to get some final adjustments from Unilevers whenever we can set up a time to have him remote in to my laptop after I figure out the correct items to do a stealth de-mandate on it.
I'm wondering if there isn't 1mpg lost just in the mandate stuff and maybe another five tenths in the fairings to be had. If I could get this truck to 7.5 mpg loaded to full weight I'd be real happy.

[Waterloo]

I'm going to throw something at you, how old is the motor's ECM? I am only saying this through personal experience. I just replaced my up until a few weeks ago working perfectly ECM. Well, I thought it was working perfectly, and according to Insite, it was. Well, she took a dump on me the other day, I had a new one, tuned by Rawze, sitting in a box at the house, so I was not stranded long and not far from the house when it failed.

The truck has been getting terrible fuel mileage since around 800,000 miles or so, but I have had two in frames in that period. Truck now has 989,000 miles on her, and I blamed these new motors and break in time.

Well I was wrong. The new ECM with the identical Rawze installed programming took my fuel mileage on paper from 6 to 9.5 mpg. This is a mid roof, no fairing or skirting, huge gap between tractor and 53' dry van, 3:42 gearing, very heavy tractor with steerable lift axle, Herd Moose Slayer Defender Bumper, Tri-Pac, Wet Kit, Lockers, and not that fuel efficient tires on the drives.

That new ECM has already paid for itself in a matter of weeks in fuel savings alone. I don't know how old your particular ECM is, but I would take a look at it it. If it is the original OEM from 2005, and still working, well it may not be. I would seriously think of replacing it with a new Cummins unit, or one of their remans. I have a reman, no issues in the past couple of weeks. Just something to think about, as I had the same Volvo in 2005, only difference, 3:55 gears, 13 speed 500 hp. I was getting consistent 7.5 to 8 mpg pulling a dry van. And I was not driving it like I drive today.