High Performance Diesel Engines
When people think of Pittsburgh Power today, Max Mileage is often the first thing that comes to mind. But our legacy extends beyond that, rooted in our decades-long reputation for specialized repairs and technical expertise that can solve even the toughest challenges. A big part of that legacy is one of our best-kept secrets: Pat Sharp, our Cummins injector and pump technician. Pat has become a legend in our shop for his ability to restore and rebuild fuel pumps and injectors for classic engines like the Cummins NTC Big Cam and N14. With nearly 40 years of experience, he has probably rebuilt more Cummins Big Cam fuel pumps than anyone else in North America.
The Cummins Big Cam fuel pump holds a crucial role in these older engines. It precisely controls fuel flow, optimizing performance, fuel efficiency, and emissions. After years of operation, these pumps naturally wear down, and a full replacement can be costly. That’s where Pat comes in. He meticulously disassembles, inspects, tests, and rebuilds each pump to factory specifications, restoring performance and reliability while saving customers the high cost of new parts. (if you can even find those these days)
In today’s economic climate, keeping older equipment running isn’t just practical—it’s essential. With the high cost of new engines and ongoing supply chain disruptions causing long wait times, maintaining legacy equipment is an effective choice. By expertly rebuilding the Cummins Big Cam fuel pumps, we help extend the lives of these engines, allowing owners to maximize their investment, reduce operational costs, and prevent costly downtime.
Though Pat is often busy with a backlog of projects, if you have a classic engine like the Big Cam or N14 and want to give it a new lease on life, Pittsburgh Power is just a phone call away. Pat has the knowledge, skill, and experience to get your fuel pump running like new, and we stand behind his work with a quality guarantee.
What an interesting business this performance diesel engine world is! We never know what the next call is all about. Today, Mark Orndorff, formerly from Dunbar, Pa, moved to Spartanburg, SC, in 1991 and purchased a farm. He called me several months ago, telling me how much he loves the Max Mileage Catalyst in all of his farm equipment, Harley-Davidson, and trucks. Then he tells me he has a Challenger Hell Cat producing 790 horsepower. The stock boost from the supercharger is 11 to 12 psi. With the work that he did to the engine, it increased to 18 psi. When they say “ Old Guys Rule”, Mark is 67 years old, works at the local feed supply daily, then his farm and toys in the evening. He asked me if he could run the Max Mileage in a HellCat. Even a stock Hellcat isn’t a stock engine, so needless to say, I was hesitant, so my suggestion was one cc per two gallons of gasoline. Today, the phone call came, and he told me the Hellcat loves Max Mileage, the throttle response is quicker, and the Challenger accelerates quicker. I was glad to hear the catalyst works in Hellcat, especially in his because of the 790 HP. Phone calls like this will make it hard to retire from the semi-truck diesel engine business completely.
Having grown up on a farm, the makeshift shop always housed a 5-gallon pail of grease. Where you would refill the grease gun, and after the fall season of plowing, you remove the lid from the 5 gal pail, and with either a gloved hand or an old paintbrush, you would put a coat of grease on the moldboard and the landside pads. Putting a light coat on the coulters. So maintenance and greasing are the lifeblood of any metal-to-metal contact point.
My farm equipment was greased every 10 hours of operation. In form and function, many of the front-end components on a farm tractor or the rear steering components on a combine are very similar to those found on a semi-truck.
Only some would contend in a much dirtier environment. Which may have held true up and until many of the deiceing agents were introduced to the world, and found their way into the trucking industry. For even after they dry they create a corrosive dust, contaminating moving parts. I personally grease my truck every 5,000 miles. Some would say that is excessive; I DO NOT over-grease by pushing the grease out and beyond the rubber seals nor past the seals on the u-joints; I want to maintain the internal integrity of these components.
I had 1 new truck in 1975 , 2 In 1977, 1 in 1979, 1 in 1984, 1 in 1989, 1 in 2006 and at present 1 in 2022. I have logged in excess of 6 million miles; I have never replaced a Kingpin, u-joints, or any steering-related component, whether it is farm equipment or trucks. I use a hand pump grease gun and a high quality grease. With the advent of aerodynamics on the truck I use some 2 X 4 to gain some additional clearance. Obviously the trucks got lower, not that I gained weight to reduce ground clearance. My grease gun and I are accompanied by blue shop towels, a can of WD-40, and a can of brake clean along with a trash bag.
Excess grease is wiped clear, brake cleaner is used to clean the excess grease and grime off of the backside of components, the WD40 is to lub many of these components.
The top side on the truck, all latches and hinges are lubricated, including the 5th wheel slides, and 5th wheel saddle mounting pins. The 5th wheel is greased between each and every load as we do not incorporate a poly 5th wheel plate due to some shipper and receivers, and shag tractor intervention. I do not allow any 5th wheel build-up of grease. I even apply a thin coat of WD40 on the exhaust flex tubing. I use a light coat of silicone on the rubber components used in conjunction with the aero side skirting on the tractor. I lube up the pins and slide rail on the trailer.
In closing, I encourage drivers to stay on top of their maintenance as well as under it. . .if it is a moving component, maintenance matters.
Written by: Jordan Greathouse, Bruce Mallinson and Mark Orndorff, Pittsburgh Power inc., 3600 S. Noah Drive
Saxonburg, PA, 16056. Phone (724) 360-4080 Email: [email protected] Website: www.PittsburghPower.com