High Performance Diesel Engines

Andrew Wilson and Bruce Mallinson
May 2019

I, Andrew Wilson, the marketing guy at Pittsburgh Power attended the 2019 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville for the first time and wow, what a show it was this year. With over 1,000,000 Sq.-Ft. of show space, it would be a challenge to see everything there. There was almost too much to see, from the major truck and powertrain manufacturers in the North Wing, to the hundreds of expertly modified and restored trucks in the show n’ shine, it was a lot to take in. With over 18,000 owner-operators in attendance, we were quite busy talking with our clients and answering their questions in person. It was a great opportunity to connect with fans of the Road Dog radio show who were able to meet the people behind the voices they hear every week. We received a lot of compliments on our new display setup which featured three workbenches we built in our shop. We also unveiled a few new products, the Max Mileage Fuel Catalyst, and the Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer. Overall it was another successful year and we appreciate meeting with our fans and customers at the show.

For those of you who are dealing with aftertreatment system issues due to excessive soot, we have gotten feedback from a customer who tried our Max Mileage Fuel Borne Catalyst and the results are astonishing. Bruce Luke, an owner-operator from Hartsfield, GA, owns a 2013 Cummins ISX CM2350, 550HP engine. His troubles started with fault codes and a severe lack of engine power due to DPF issues. It cost him $6,000 to have the DPF baked and the codes cleared. Six months later he had to pay for the same repair. At this point he decided to try Max Mileage. After using it for a month he inspected his DPF and instead of seeing the usual black oily soot, he only saw a small amount of dry loose powder. He also noticed an increase in engine performance and fewer DPF regens. Now the truck only needs the occasional passive regen while driving, saving him time and money. Between this, and the increased fuel mileage, Bruce Luke’s business is now more profitable. At Pittsburgh Power, we have a three-pronged approach to dealing with DPF regen issues. The first is a Diesel Force complete engine cleaning to give the engine a fresh start and clean any existing carbon deposits. Then install Dorothy, the cyclonic EGR filter, to help catch soot before it enters the intake. Finally, a continual use of Max Mileage to reduce the amount of soot the engine is producing and burn off soot in the DPF. We feel that a new emission equipped truck could run between 1.2 to 1.6 million miles with no or very little emissions related problems. Our though is to install the Dorothy immediately, and add 1 oz of the Max Mileage Fuel Borne Catalyst per every 25 gallons of fuel purchased. If you want to make super fuel, also add the Lucas Fuel Conditioner which is 1 gallon per every 400 gallons of fuel. Think about this, the Max Mileage Catalyst comes in 1-gallon containers and will treat 3200 gallons of fuel. This catalyst eliminates most of the soot generated in the combustion chamber, and the Dorothy catches the remainder of the soot before it gets back via the EGR system to the intake manifold. If there is no soot going through the EGR valve, Variable Geometry Turbine Vanes in the turbocharger, no soot in the DPF filter, re-gens are almost eliminated, and the use of Diesel Exhaust Fluid greatly diminishes. The savings alone in DEF fluid will more than pay for the Catalyst and Lucas. This Catalyst could very well change the world for diesel engines, be our saving grace, make it possible to enjoy a new smoke free semi-truck, pickup truck and anything with a Tier 3 or 4 diesel engine. In fact, I think we should be up for the Nobel Peace Prize for this combination of products.

Another new product we introduced at the Louisville Truck Show, the Safe-T-Plus steering damper. This is not a new product, however you probably never heard of it unless you’re in the motorhome industry. Back in the mid 1980’s the Safe-T-Plus was mandatory on all of the Great American Truck Racing semis. The reason for the damper was the amount of right front tires we blew out on the asphalt circle tracks was astounding. When the tire blew at well over 100 miles per hour the truck would rip through the wall, needless to say we were destroying race tracks. There needed to be a cure, TL Sexton a 31-year owner operator from Atlanta Georgia came to our rescue with a steering damper that would keep the truck going straight during a blowout. The other benefits of the damper are eliminating of wandering when the roadway has grooves, jarring of the steering wheel when crossing uneven over passes, swaying when being passed from a fast-moving truck pulling a reefer or van. This damper has 270 pounds of force holding the steering wheel straight. You would be shocked at the driving pleasure the Safe-T-Plus will give you. Yes, it’s expensive, $699.00 and that includes the installation kit.

We have a special announcement from one of our owner-operator customers, Bill Reeves. Bill is selling a very nice 1965 Ford Mustang coupe and would like to find it a good home. He doesn’t have time to drive it and is moving out of the country for his retirement in a few years. He bought it at the Cleveland Piston Power show in 2010. It had a recent frame-off restoration done by the previous owner and comes with a 289, 4bbl carb, automatic trans, and headers with dual exhaust. Some unique features include rear air shocks, custom front grill, side scoops, cobra air cleaner, and extra wide rear tires. It’s in good running and driving condition with no mechanical issues except some dash wiring that might need attention. It comes complete with new window cranks, new interior door cards, and a custom fit car cover. He’s asking a very reasonable $25,000 for it. If you’d like to contact Bill, please call and leave a message at (732) 620-5256.

Written by Bruce Mallinson and Andrew Wilson, Pittsburgh Power Inc.

3600 South Noah Dr. Saxonburg, Pa. 16056

Phone 724-360-4080

Website: Pittsburghpower.com