Diesel Engines

Electronic engines get a bad rap in the heavy duty diesel engine world due to the amount of issues that can go wrong with them. However, the good news is that if you have an electronic Caterpillar engine you can easily obtain more horsepower and torque via the ECM. Re-rating an engine is an electronic process of powering up or down the default horsepower via the electronic control module (ECM). Re-rating a diesel engine is the easiest way to beef up an engine without digging into the hard internal parts. You can do modifications to the engine by changing out the pistons, injectors, the camshaft or damper. Adding an updated turbo is also another way to increase HP. However, these modifications are expensive and may not work as required which we will discuss later in this article. ... read more »

The Cummins N-14 is a great engine; quite possibly the best Cummins engine ever produced. These engines are the stuff dreams are made of if you’re an old school guy looking for reliability. No doubt, the N14 is part of “1,000,000 mile club”. The engine features the best of engineering fundamentals mixed with one of the first electronic control system. First designed in the late 1980s it was sent into full production in 1991. The N14 engine is the follow up to the vastly popular Cummins 855 Big Cam which was produced 1976-1985. Cummins listened to it customers and designed a more powerful version of the 855 while maintaining a similar profile and bore/stroke architecture. Overall, the biggest structural difference between the 855 and N14 is the air-to-air cooling system changes but both engines are very similar. ... read more »

We all know of the emissions issues that surround the diesel engine community. It has been a battle between the EPA, Manufacturers and Consumers for well over 20 years now. Physics.org has just broken a story that might revolutionize the industry in terms of emissions control. Scientists at Loughborough University’s School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering have developed new technology that further converts NOx exhaust into harmless nitrogen and water. The problem with current emissions technology is that it doesn’t fully burn emissions particles a lower temperature points. The standard Selective Catalytic Reduction System (SCR) takes exhaust gas and further recirculates it through the combustion chamber to burn off larger hydrocarbon chains. ... read more »

We sure our proud of master engine builder, Ben Gunn, take a look at this brand new Caterpillar 3116 engine he built this week here at Capital Reman. ... read more »

Wednesday was a very big day for us at Capital Reman Exchange our upgraded diesel engine block surfacing and boring bar equipment was delivered. ... read more »

A brand new diesel engine running at full load will experience a little bit of blow-by upon startup. Blow-by is a condition where diesel fuel, air and vapor are pushed past the rings into the crankcase of the engine. Correct pressure should be maintained in the cylinder chamber in order for proper combustion to occur. In a new diesel engine the rings need time to seat properly and develop an air-tight seal. After a short period of break-in hours under load, the blow-by problem should correct itself. Consequently, a proper running diesel engine should produce no visible smoke from the exhaust. If there is smoke coming from the exhaust it could indicate a more serious problem with the engine. This article will help diagnose the underlying causes of diesel engine smoke. ... read more »

Big news dropped today in the diesel engine industry today as the Kubota Engine Corporation announced the arrival of the V5009 Engine. This is significant news for the company as this is the first ever Kubota engine to ever exceed 200 HP. Kubota is known for its small and mid-ranged diesel engines primarily for forklifts, skid steers and wood chippers. The V5009 is a five-liter inline diesel engine and part of its new 09 Series. The engine will begin production starting 2020 and is consistent with Europe’s Stage V emissions mandates. ... read more »

In the heavy duty equipment world there has always been an unspoken battle between the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and the Aftermarket and/or Independent Dealers. The rift goes back roughly 100 years when the first automotive dealers began popping up in mass. Ford, GM, Chrysler as well as long gone brands like Plymouth, Auburn and Hudson all kept an efficient supply chain including the service department, dealership, wholesaler and manufacturer. ... read more »

More than 5 months ago the State of Colorado made history with the debut of the first self-driving tractor trailer test drive in the U.S. The test paired up infamous beer produce Budweiser with Uber Technologies. The tractor trailer was packed with 50,000 beers and drove successfully from Fort Collins, CO to Colorado Springs, CO a trip that encompassed over 120 miles. The journey was accompanied by the Highway Patrol and encountered no problems. ... read more »

At the turn of the century there was a lot of buzz around a new diesel engine being produced at Caterpillar, one that could meet the growing emissions requirements enacted by the EPA. The Caterpillar C7 Engine was supposed to be the “golden child” in Caterpillar diesel engine lineup; one that combined raw horsepower with computer controlled clean emissions. However, sometimes things don’t go according to plan. The engine was produced from 2003 to 2009 and was installed primarily in over the road medium duty class 8 trucks. All of the big players in the trucking industry hopped on board hoping the CAT C7 was going to live up to the hype. Paccar Freightliner, Ford and GMC all purchased the engine in droves ... read more »

The most common place for the diesel engine builder to look for leaks, on the outside of the engine, is crankshaft. If nothing is found you can then then work your way up the engine. First, look for any oil leakage at the seals at the end of the crankshaft. If everything looks fine the next logical place to look for leakage at the oil pan gasket and all lubrication connections. If there are still no leaks you should inspect the crankcase breather. This is a very common spot for oil leaks which are caused by a combustion of gas around the pistons. ... read more »

Diesel is big business internationally. The vast majority of places outside of the United States continue to use diesel in passenger vehicles nearly as much as gasoline based engines. Despite recent emission scandals with Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler sales continue to rise across the world. ... read more »

On Thursday, January 12, 2017 the Environmental Protection Agency set forth motions to open an investigation against automaker Fiat Chrysler over allegations of cheating emissions regulations with their diesel engines models. The EPA stated that the automaker knowingly used undisclosed software that allowed excess emissions on 104,000 diesel powered Jeep SUVs and Dodge Ram Trucks between model years 2014-2016. ... read more »

The key to the remanufacturing business is core supply. As the years roll by the supply of older CAT, Cummins, Detroit, International and John Deere Cores will slowly dwindle. Many of the diesel engines still on the road today such as CAT 3126, C7, C13, Cummins 855, N14, and the Detroit Series 60 Engines are now 25-30 years old. Even the popular dual cam Cummins ISX engine is 16 years old now, first introduced in 2001. ... read more »

Moving around 500-1000 lbs diesel cylinder heads around the machine shop is an arduous and oftentimes dangerous task. Safety is our number one priority here at Capital Reman and we have taken some unique precautions to moving cylinder heads from workstation to workstation. For larger cylinder heads we use an overhead crane or forklift. For small movements or lifts we have created some proprietary tools to get the job done. ... read more »