We continually hear of modern low emission, heavy duty truck engines having to be rebuilt at only 600,000km or less, and many stories of long periods out of service. One of the biggest issues in maintaining reliability is keeping the emission control equipment working properly. Normally, this just means keeping everything...
According to the laws of physics, power is the rate of performing work. When applied to a diesel powered coal mining fleet, an increase in power results in an increase in production. Of course, a production drive is a little more complicated, but never-the-less, more power is one method of...
The key to this is minimizing operational stresses within gearboxes, differentials, planetaries, etc, since the less stress and loadings placed on each individual part within components, the longer everything lasts. In this article, driveline maintenance and lubrication enhancements will be discussed. Stress reduction will require a lowering of the coefficient of...
Clean up & keep all systems clean. Maintain full lubrication. Protect against corrosion. Reduce component stress. The less stress and loadings placed on each individual part within engines, transmissions, etc, the longer everything lasts. Admittedly, while that’s easier said than done, it’s actually not hard at all! Let’s look at the...
There’s always been a lot of scepticism surrounding the use of fuel and oil additives, and a lot of this has its beginning with “snake oil” salesmen making claims that they simply could not deliver on. Yet today, there are more problems with deposits in modern, precision, high performance engines, than...
If you think that new vehicle performance is as good as it gets, then you’re in for a pleasant surprise! As advanced as modern petrol and diesel engines are, there are still substantial inefficiencies that prevent more power and torque from reaching the wheels. Most notable is internal frictional losses, and...
Vegetable oil can be used as diesel fuel just as it is, without being converted to biodiesel. However, it is some 11 times thicker than diesel fuel, and it doesn't burn as easily in the engine. It also has very different chemical properties and combustion characteristics, and can damage engines....
Automatic transmission overheating problems can lead to an expensive repair situation if not address. In many cases damage to the transmission can be happening without the drivers knowledge. Many of these problems occur while towing, transmission temperature can increase quite quickly, friction reduces and transmission fluid begins to break down. <a...</a...
Cold weather starting becomes increasingly more difficult as engine deposits build up over time. Types of operation, such as excessive idling, short run time, light work and city type driving, all contribute to deposit formation which can result in poor cold start. All these operating conditions do not allow efficient...
Diesel exhaust particulate matter (DPM) is known to cause cancer, and while much blame has been put on aging truck and bus fleets, Brisbane based firm, Cost Effective Maintenance has concluded that the single biggest contribution to diesel smoke is due to the compounding effects of city driving cycles. General manager,...
