Heating Element Ruptured

Cause:

• Use of non-Duraterm glow plug in post-glow system

Effect:

• Short circuit due to overheating
• Tube may burst or split

Corrective Action:

• replace with Bosch quality glow plugs

What happened to my glow plugs this time?  Southwest Diesel has come across another unfortunate glow plug issue.

The stud is damaged.

Cause:

• Excessive terminal-nut tightening torque
• Use of incorrect wrench

Effect:

• Terminal stud shears off, damage to hexagon, short circuit.

Corrective:

• Use appropriate torque wrench
• Torque glow plug according to specifications
• Replace with Bosch quality glow plugs from Southwest Diesel

No glow-plug continuity

Cause:

• Annular gap between plug shell and heating element constricted or blocked by carbon deposits and the regulating coil remains cold allowing excessive current to reach the heating coil.

Effect:

• Break in heating wire, premature failure

Corrective Action:

• Check injection system
• Check/reset injection timing
• Torque according to specifications
• Replace if necessary

A Garrett Turbo for your vehicle?

Engine power is proportional to the amount of air and fuel that can get into the cylinders. If we want our engine to produce more power the ultimate objective is to draw more air into the cylinder. Installing a Garrett turbocharger will increase the power and performance dramatically.

How does a turbocharger get more air into the engine?

• Ambient air passes through the air filter before entering the compressor.
• The air is then compressed which raises the air’s density.
• Many turbocharged engines have a charge air cooler(inter-cooler) that cools the compressed air to further increase its density and to increase resistance to detonation.
• After passing through the intake manifold, the air enters the engine’s cylinders, which contain a fixed maximum volume.  Since the air is at an elevated density, each cylinder can contain an increased mass of air.  Higher air mass flow allows a higher fuel flow rate.
• After the fuel is burned in the cylinder, it is expelled during the cylinder’s exhaust stroke into the exhaust manifold.
• The high temperature gas then continues on to the turbine. The turbine creates back-pressure on the engine  which means engine exhaust pressure is higher than atmospheric pressure.
• A pressure and temperature drop occurs across the turbine, which harnesses the energy of the exhaust gas to provide the power necessary to drive the compressor.

And that is how a turbo system works.  Thanks for reading, if you need to purchase a turbo please click here or call us at 800-658-5806 we are happy to answer all your questions.

Diesel Diva

http://dieseldig.com/2011/11/11/jaguar-xf-diesel-crossing-usa/

The first diesel Jaguar to enter the US.  The Jaguar XF 2.2L diesel’s journey is being driven by two independent UK test drivers who will be tracking the trip through facebook and twitter; including posts and pictures from the trip.

Despite being the most fuel efficient Jaguar ever created, the XF 2.2 produces 190 HP and 332 lbs ft of torque, to allow the XF to accelerate from rest to 60mph in just 8.0-seconds before reaching a top speed of 140mph. The XF 2.2 emits just 149 g/km of CO2.

It will feature a water-cooled turbocharger with low-friction pistons, new injectors, and a new crankshaft. The new configuration allowed Jaguar engineers to add a new oil pan and new electronic systems which affect the crankshaft to allow the new intelligent Stop-Start system to operate more efficiently. The new engine will be mated to an advanced eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, with the seventh and eight ratios effectively acting as overdrive gears.

Watching the diesel engine transition from heavy duty trucks and light -medium trucks that were for “work and the rugged”, to the everyday vehicle is exciting.  The diesel vehicle is growing and changing, to fit the needs of the everyday customer,  now if we could just grow the acceptance and lose the bad 70′s image of the diesel here in the USA the diesel could grow.

Diesel is taking on the look of luxury in the recent years; BMW, AUDI, Mercedes and now Jaguar.

Tip 3…

Water in Fuel

The greatest enemy of diesel fuel injection components is water.  Once the water enters the system, it will rapidly wear and oxidize steel components and lead to:

• Rusting and corrosion of components
• Governor/metering component failure
• sticky metering components (both pump and nozzle)
• Injection component wear and seizure.

Water contamination can exists in diesel fuel in three forms:

1. Emulsified water, where the water is suspended in the fuel like oil and vinegar.
2. Free water, where the water is separated from the fuel and usually found on the bottom of the fuel/storage tanks.
3. Dissolved water, where the water has been chemically dissolved in the fuel, like sugar in liquid. *The warmer the fuel, the more water will be dissolved, but as temperatures drop, the water will come out of the solution in the form of free water.

Free or emulsified water must be removed from the fuel to prevent corrosion and damage to the fuel system.  The best way to do this is with a Stanadyne Fuel Manager filter incorporating a water separator.  Be wary of certain additives which claim to “remove water.”  In fact, they dissolve the water, which eventually will pass through the filter and attack the injection components. Stanadyne additives demulsify the water, pulling it out of solution so the filter/water separator can more effectively remove it.

What Is A Diesel Vehicle?

A diesel vehicle uses an engine that has a different combustion cycle than a gasoline engine. In a gasoline engine, fuel is mixed with air, drawn into the cylinder, and ignited by a spark plug. In a diesel, air is drawn into the cylinder and compressed first without fuel present. This compression heats the air to such a high temperature that when fuel is then injected into the cylinder, it combusts. By using higher compression ratios and higher combustion temperatures, diesels operate more efficiently. As a result, diesel vehicles attain better fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts. In addition, a gallon of diesel fuel contains about 10 percent more energy than a gallon of gasoline. These two factors help modern diesels achieve roughly 50 percent higher fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts. Diesel vehicles now account for nearly half of all new vehicle sales in Europe, and a small but growing market share in the US.

Diesel Benefits

1. Higher fuel economy (20-40 percent more than gasoline)
2. Diesel engines last longer, and fetch higher resale values
3. Diesel engines can be run on biofuel (biodiesel)
4. Diesels provide greater torque; great for rapid acceleration and towing
5. Driving range on a tank is longer

Diesel Drawbacks

1. Diesel fuel is more expensive in the US (In Europe, it’s taxed less heavily.)
2. Few models are available with a diesel engine
3. Diesel fuel is available at about half of all service stations
4. Diesel vehicles are usually more expensive
5. Particulate matter and NOx tailpipe emissions are usually higher

From: http://www.hybridcars.com/diesel-efficient-cars

Tip 2

Basics of Fuel Filtration

Every diesel engine should come with a factory installed “secondary” or final fuel filter.  Often, this is the only fuel filter on the vehicle.  However, for complete protection, and especially for applications where water, dirt and other contaminants are possible, a primary or pre-filter separator should be installed. It should be located upstream of the existing fule filter, between the fuel tank and the fuel lift pump. 

Leading OEM’s such as General Motors, Caterpillar, John Deere and Perkins specify Stanadyne’s Fuel Manager to protect their engines.  Follow thier lead and fit a Fuel Manager filter/separator to your vehicle for additional protection.  An added benefit of the Fuel Manager is its modular design with see-thru water collection bowl, fuel heater, electronic water-in-fuel sensor and other options.

The particles that a secondary or final fuel filter must remove, for example, are in the range of 5-10 microns(.0002-.0004). To illustrate how small these tolerances are, consider that:

• The naked eye cannot see particles smaller than 40 microns.
• A grain of sand is approximately 100 microns.
• A human hair is approximately 70 microns.
• A single grain of talcum powder is 10 microns.

Diesel Owners!!!

Your diesel vehicle is important to you. It is your means of transportation and sometimes apart of your livelihood.  Much like someone in a relationship; if one is happy than the other is as well.  Your diesel engine is not happy with low sulfur diesel fuel, it makes things a bit dry in there.  It wants and needs to be lubricated.

Not only does Stanadyne Fuel Additive add lubricity to your engine it offers many other values.  Below is a list of benefits from using the additive:

• Cold weather protection- reduces diesel power point up to 40 degrees F (22 degrees C), and cold filter plug point by up to 25 degrees F (13 degrees C), depending on base fuel.
• Hot weather protection- lubricants and cetane improver help when fuel is hot and “thin”
• Increases horsepower- with up to 5 point cetane gain to improve combustion, resulting in better acceleration, power and torque
• Reduces fuel consumption- independent tests show gains up to 9.6% in MPG
• Easier and Faster starting-in all conditions.
• Reduces smoke and particulate emissions
• Cleans and protects- detergents and deposit modifiers help protect injection pumps, injectors, nozzles etc…
• Reduces wear – lubricity improvers restore lubricity to ultra low sulfur.
• Stabilizes fuel – antioxodants keep fuel fresher.
• Contains no alcohol – avoids corrosion and accelerated wear.
• Helps remove water – special demulsifiers cause tiny water droplets to come out of suspension/emulsion, so the filter/separator can more effectively remove water.
• Can be used with Bio Diesel fuel – up to B5, or 5% bio content.

Stanadyne fuel additive is made by a fuel injection systems manufacturer, it is tested and approved by major diesel engine and vehicle manufacturers.

Then bottom line is; you need to go back to the shopping page and purchase some stanadyne additive for your diesel vehicle.

Diesel Diva!