Hey, Mike, been following your odyssey, and YES, EGT is a major concern. Sustained loads at >1000F can easily melt pistons. And, just a few continuous minutes will do it.I personally believe the EGT's need to be monitored to ensure engine health and longevity. I say this because when mowing steep hills through tall grass, tilling, running a wood chipper, snow blowing, or spinning a 15kW PTO generator we're recording fluctuating loads and EGT's ranging anywhere from 600-1,100 degrees.
The highest EGT we recorded was actually on the PTO dyno which was 1,185 degrees.
I don't feel this mod is a 'set it and forget it' type of modification especially considering it'll be 'self tuned' and folks are messing with their factory fuel delivery settings. I believe it's good practice to continue to monitor EGT's when the fuel settings have been changed (Turbo or N/A).
Now, if you're installing the Turbo Kit solely for altitude compensation and you're not adjusting the factory fuel settings, then yeah, you're probably okay not monitoring EGT. But, I'd still recommend it just for the sole reason...it's a wise thing to do.
Mike
The most obvious 'first step' in dealing with that issue is to impose an intercooler.
At that auction I was at last week, that L2550 was MOST tempting, as it offered up the D1402-DI motor to the world's turbocharging wisdom... <sigh>
Thanks,
-Paul