Diesel Engines: Dino Fuel or Bio Fuel?
Though they lately seem to be going the other way, with rising fuel prices, consumers are constantly looking for inventive ways to cut fuel costs and consumption. That’s the American spirit: we love to look for ways to beat the system. There is nothing wrong with this attitude, because this is where inventive minds
Benefits of Water/Methanol Injection
Some companies such as Snow Performance and AEM are now offering easy to install water/methanol injections systems that are available for naturally aspirated or forced induction gasoline and diesel applications. These systems inject a roughly 50/50 mixture of methanol and water into the engine using a high-pressure pump. This mixture allows for more ignition timing,
Diesel Engine Glow Plugs: Not Just For Starting Anymore
Since diesel engines ignite by using the heat of combustion, they usually need help when the climate changes to the cold of winter. Veteran owners of “old school” diesel engines understand what I’m talking about when I mention the “one-minute of silence.” This was the time every morning when you would turn the ignition switch
Competing for Diesel Dollars with OEM?Dealers
About 13 years ago we – like many members of this industry – our business was struggling because our focus was only on machine work – our sales basically imploded and we needed to change. In our internal discussions, we put this dramatic change to two things: First, efficient engine design (including things like electronic
Causes of Melted Piston Top and Ring Land on Diesel Engines
Signs of melted piston or ring land damage include: • Erosion at the piston crown is visible. • Melted areas can be seen at the piston crown (Fig. 1) – right up to a completely melted off top of the piston (Fig. 2). • In extreme cases, there are seizure marks all along and around
Diesel Engine Oils: Today and Tomorrow
Why are diesel engine oils different than any other engine oils? The Lubrizol Corporation, the world’s largest oil chemistry supplier, just created an excellent website (www.hddeo.com) that explains diesel engine oil composition very well. Diesel fuel combustion (or incomplete combustion) is accompanied by the production of soot (unburned carbon). Prior to exhaust emissions legislation this
How to Time a Perkins Diesel Engine
Removal: First, before removing the injection pump make sure you can still see the scribe mark that Perkins put on the engine block. This can be found on the engine block just under the injection pump flange. Having a hard time finding this mark? Locate the other scribe mark on the ear of the injection
Can Diesel Performance Help Boost Your Business?
Most people associate diesel engines with truck and tractor pulling events, not traditional motorsports. There are no diesel-powered NASCAR races or Indy cars. But diesels are making inroads in other types of racing. Diesel-powered race cars and trucks are setting land speed records at Bonneville, winning endurance races at LeMans, and running over 200 mph
Diesel Performance: Camshafts, Lifters and Valvetrain
Diesel performance is nothing new. What is new is the level of interest in diesels for all kinds of racing; everything from traditional truck and tractor pulling to drag racing, even sports car and endurance racing. Diesel engines are a different type of animal when compared to gasoline engines. While both use the same four-stroke
Rebuilding The 6.6L Duramax Diesel
It was really no surprise, since GM had single-handedly alienated the American buying public against the diesel engine beginning back in the late ’70s and early ’80s with the 5.7L V8 and 4.3L V6 diesel engines that were, let’s just say, “less than stellar.” While there’s no point now in rehashing mistakes of the past,
Diesel Engine Seminars Highlight 2010 BIG R Show
The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) and their co-sponsor for the event, ENGINE BUILDER magazine, are proud to offer a technical track for the diesel engine market. “Today’s engine builders continue to look for ways to expand and improve their businesses,” says Dave Wooldridge, publisher of ENGINE BUILDER magazine. “The technical seminars we are hosting
Fuel For Thought About Diesel Formulations
Being in the diesel business the one complaint I hear most often from diesel owners is the famous question, “Why is diesel fuel so expensive?” After all, diesel fuel is not as high up the refinement ladder as gasoline. Consumers understand this and often wonder why there is a difference in price. The question can
Fueling the Future – Can You Fill Up with Alternative Fuels?
Currently gas prices have stabilized at around $1.83 a gallon, a price at which most Americans feel comfortable driving their SUVs, trucks, race cars, tow vehicles and other motorized toys. But when gas hits $4 and $5 a gallon, driving guzzlers becomes a challenge for many. It was only a few months ago that a
Diesel Cylinder Head Rebuilding
If you have ever tried to start most diesel engines in cold weather, you know that you have to have an engine heater, or you have to have a starting aid like starting fluid. These engines most commonly did not have a computer, and the fuel pressure would be in the range of around 3,000
Diesel Pistons
The diesel engine market has been rapidly changing in recent years. Higher fuel prices and changes in emission regulations have brought about a whole new generation of clean diesel engines in both the light and heavy-duty truck markets. According to the Diesel Technology Forum (www.dieselforum.org), particulate emissions from new on-highway diesel engines have been reduced
High Performance Diesels: ‘Black Smoke’ Tractor Pulling Market
If you’re a lover of horsepower, dirt and "black smoke," you may also have a passion for building engines in the thriving diesel tractor pulling market. These engines aren’t just for working in the fields anymore – they’re full blown, smoke billowing, brute force racing machines – and building them can lead to a bountiful
Diesel Drag Racing, Compression Ignition Engines Smoke The Strip
It is one of the purest forms of American motorsports. One guy pulls up next to another guy at the starting line and revs the engine. A simple glance over, a nod and a green light. In a fury of sound and smoke, the two racers take off down the straight stretch of pavement. If
Coretalk: House Approves Bill To Increase Ethanol Fueling Pumps At Gas Stations
At this time, only 800 gas stations have E-85 pumps installed, less than one percent of all gas stations. Automakers incur about $20 million in CAFE fines annually. Supporters hope this money could double the number of pumps available to dispense ethanol or other alternative fuel. The bill would provide grants of between $30,000 and
Coretalk: Cummins, Scania Joint Venture To Produce Next-Generation Fuel Systems
Cummins-Scania XPI Manufacturing LLP is a 50/50 joint venture, which builds on Cummins-Scania partnerships in fuel systems development and manufacturing that date to January 1992. The two companies currently produce the HPI fuel system, which eventually will be replaced by the XPI (Xtra-High Pressure Injection) system. The XPI common rail fuel system is expected to
Common Technologies, Uncommon Fuels, New Challenges
There is a “shade tree law” from the 1970s that states that computing capacity doubles every few years. In fact, computing capacity for the size of the computer or device has outstripped that by several orders of magnitude in the last five years. As evidence of that, we now see cell phones that were only