High Performance Diesel Engines

Be careful, plan ahead. The shortages our country is experiencing are making their way to diesel fuel and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF).  If the current shortages of mechanics, trucks, and drivers does not improve then shortages may continue to get worse.  As an owner operator you should have oil and filters for at least 2 oil changes, a spare set of tires, and you should also stock up on a few extra gallons of DEF as well.  Since all new diesel engines in semi-trucks from 2012 use DEF, a supply chain shortage of DEF could cripple an independent truck transport business. The general public has gotten a taste of how the recently exposed fragility of our global supply chain can affect them directly. If major cities only  have a 3.5-day supply of food on hand, then grocery stores would get depleted very quickly if there was a severe shortage of DEF that limits truck transport operation.

Most of us living today were born after the Great Depression when there was massive unemployment which peaked at 25.6% and took over a decade to resolve. This resulted in widespread shortages of supplies, raw materials, and food. In contrast, during the Covid19 pandemic the US unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April 2020 and has now dropped to just 1% higher than the half-century low of 3.5% reported in December 2019 just prior to the pandemic. Even so, supply chain disruptions caused by the “self-inflicted” business furloughs and layoffs during the pandemic of 2020 have expanded throughout 2021 and may well continue well into 2022. The owner operator should leave nothing to chance or as the saying goes, “hope for the best but plan for the worst”.

Can a 2012 and newer diesel engine run without DEF?  If the driver is using the Max Mileage Fuel Borne Catalyst, then the 10% on average increase in engine thermal efficiency is known to reduce DEF consumption by 20% or more. Conserving DEF by helping your diesel engine run cleaner and more efficiently with the help of the Max Mileage Fuel Borne Catalyst is always a smart strategy. Also, our engineering department can turn off the DEF system electronics so the engine will NOT go into de-rate or shut down if it senses that the DEF is depleted. Just keep this in mind as this could be your answer to continue to haul freight if you can’t get DEF.

Please help yourself, do not delete the emissions system from your truck.  If you are having emissions problems with a 2012 or newer engine, get to a DPF Alternatives location, we will be on board with them by the end of January. Once you have  the emission equipment removed many of the dealerships and garages will not work on the truck. The fines are heavy, $25,000 or more to the shop, plus the mechanic working on the truck will get fined if the EPA happens to visit the shop while the truck is there. The EPA is out there visiting shops.  Emissions systems are running trouble free if you purchase a truck new and run  Max Mileage Fuel Borne Catalyst from day one.  If you purchase a used truck, have the Diesel Force cleaning done, then have one of the DPF Alternative shops perform an ultrasonic cleaning to the Diesel Particulate Filter, start using the Max Mileage and you now have a lifetime warranty for any future DPF cleanings. 

DPF Maintenance

When it comes to preventative maintenance on your modern semi-truck you must plan ahead to have your DPF filter cleaned. A DPF filter collects soot from the exhaust stream and burns it off during a regeneration cycle. Ash is a waste product from the regeneration cycle and builds up inside the filter. Ash is non-combustible and will not burn during the regeneration process. The DPF will need to be removed and cleaned through a proper procedure or replaced with a remanufactured DPF. Otherwise, ash will continue to build up and will need to be cleaned to keep the system working properly.

The aftertreatment system should be inspected on the OEM specified schedule. A typical DPF maintenance interval is around 200,000 miles. A qualified technician should remove and physically inspect the DPF. They should also look through the stored parameters in the ECM. Most modern ECMs provide an estimated ash load percentage that can be viewed via diagnostic software. Aftertreatment history can also be reviewed, and issues can be sometimes caught early before further damage occurs.

Here at Pittsburgh Power, we can physically inspect, review stored ECM data, and now clean DPFs with excessive ash load. The process includes removal, inspection of the filter and an ultrasonic deep clean in a proprietary solution. This is the best method to remove ash and restore your filter. We provide two types of aftertreatment system cleaning, each with their own benefits and especially beneficial if you combine both. The first is our Diesel Force cleaning. This involves running a foam cleaning solvent through the engine, turbo, manifolds, exhaust, and aftertreatment system. It does a great job at removing carbon deposits all throughout the system. However, it does not remove ash. Our new service, DPF Alternatives, will thoroughly clean your DPF and SCR and remove ash. It’s a multi-step process that involves first removing the DPF, a flush, an ultrasonic tank, a kiln, and a flow bench. When you combine the two services, you have a clean engine and exhaust, and DPF and SCR that will be almost as clean as when it was new.

Written by; Bruce Mallinson, Andrew Wilson, & Leroy Pershing, Pittsburgh Power Inc., 3600 S. Noah Dr., Saxonburg, Pa. 16056 Website: PittsburghPower.com, Phone 724-360-4080