How to Read Diesel Smoke Signals

In early April, XDP published a useful tech talk article on how to diagnose what's going on in your engine by what your smoke is telling you. This article is a brief summary of the highlights from that story. We'll include a link at the end here so you can read further.

The article begins by stating flat out that there should be no smoke coming out of the tailpipe of a properly running diesel engine. The exception might be a small burst of black smoke upon acceleration in older diesels.

If you do have smoke, it will be either black, blue or white.  

Black Smoke is indicative of a problem with the air/fuel ratio. The culprit is often the fuel injectors, though not always. Fuel injector issues can include damaged nozzles, worn parts, over-fueling or incorrect injector timing. Sometimes there's a problem with injectors sticking open too long with common rail diesels.

Other areas to explore with a black smoke problem include clogged air cleaner, malfunctioning turbocharger, faulty injection pump, low compression, sludge buildup, excessive carbon in the intake manifold, and even low quality fuel.  

White Smoke will signal a different set of issues. Often it means that not enough fuel is being burned, or that unused fuel has slipped through to the exhaust. It could also mean that your engine is too cold on startup, or that coolant has somehow seeped into the combustion chamber.

With white smoke you may also have an injector issue, either damaged or incorrect timing. Other potential issues can include damaged rings or cylinder liners, water in the fuel due to a head gasket leak, low cylinder compression, malfunctioning glow plugs, or even a fuel pump issue.

Blue Smoke is the least common of the three.  It means you're burning oil in your engine. Not good. Underlying causes can include damaged, worn or sticking rings, damaged or worn cylinders, oil too thin for your application, worn seals, too much oil in the engine or a damaged lift pump. 

Whatever the cause, excess smoke is not something you really want to see. Here's the full article at XDP: Diesel Smoke Diagnosis

Related Link
Looking for Blue Flame Diesel Oil? Now Available at Xtreme Diesel Performance

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Today is Memorial Day. To all veterans, current service members, and their families – thank you.

Memorial Day: A Day for Honoring Those Who Have Served

Memorial Day, which usually falls on the last Monday of the month, falls this year on the very last day of the month. Most of us are aware that Memorial Day was designed to honor the men and women who have died in the service of our country. Did you know that the entirety of May is National Military Appreciation Month? It is a season for honoring our veterans and military communities for their service to our country. 

This holiday, which began after the Civil War, was originally called Decoration Day. On the first official Decoration Day, General James Garfield gave a speech at Arlington National Cemetery. 5000 people helped lay decorations on the graves of 20,000 Civil War soldiers who were buried there. 

It wasn't until 1971 that it became an official national holiday, making this year the 50th anniversary of this official designation. Many Americans observe this day by visiting cemeteries, holding family gatherings and participating in parades.

Throughout this last weekend of Military Appreciation Month we want to make time to honor our veterans and all those associated with the military for their service to our country. 

We're grateful for your dedication to preserving our freedom and making this world a better place. To each and every one of you: Thank You.

Champion DOT 5 Brake Fluid is Purpose-Built for Classic, Antique and Collector Diesel Vehicles

When we think about the vehicles we've loved over the years, a host of memories might pop into our heads. Speed, style, cruising, drive-ins, exploring trails, drag racing and a host of other memories compete for attention. 

I'm willing to bet, though, that brakes were not part of most of those reflections. Yet, brakes are as essential as the diesel engine that rumbles under the hood. When you want to go, you gotta know how to stop as well.

This week Champion Brands announced a DOT 5 brake fluid specifically designed for classic antique and collector diesel vehicles. Here's the story I saw.

Champion DOT 5 Brake Fluid is Purpose-Built for Classic, Antique and Collector Diesel Vehicles 

Champion, a globally recognized industry leader in specialty products for over 65 years, has recently introduced Champion DOT 5 Silicone-Based Brake Fluid.

The new fluid is a polysiloxane-based fluid designed for use in non-ABS hydraulic braking applications. It was developed to be used in older gas and diesel vehicles where moisture will be prevalent and unavoidable due to lack of use.

Brakes run on a hydraulic system that requires fluid to make them work. Placing your foot on the brake pedal transfers pressure through the brake fluid to the brake calipers which then apply pressure to the brake pads and rotors or the brake shoes and drums.

This process creates friction that stops the vehicle and, in some applications, creates heat. Different brake fluids react to heat in different ways, which is why there are different types of DOT brake fluids available. Dot 5 has a very high boiling point and has more compressibility than most glycol ether-based fluids.

Champion DOT 5 Brake Fluid (Part #4055) is a silicone-based high-temp brake fluid used primarily in applications like gas or diesel classic, antique and collector vehicles which are primarily kept in storage or used only occasionally. It will not blister, peel, or harm painted surfaces and acts as a weather barrier for your brake system, preventing rust.

Unlike glycol-based fluids, Champion's silicone-based brake fluid has a much more consistent viscosity profile, thereby providing excellent lubrication of brake system components -- leading to more consistent brake feel and longer component life. A Champion DOT 5-filled brake system will last longer and works well in cold temperatures.

Do not use Champion DOT 5 Brake Fluid in ABS-equipped braking systems. When DOT 5 brake fluid is used in an ABD system it will become foamy and unreliable. This is a result of the pulse high-pressure action that ABS brake systems exert on air bubbles, greatly reducing the reliability of the brake fluid.

There are some other systems that may not work with silicone brake fluids because of the chemical composition of silicone rubber external components, such as caliper piston boots. DOT 5 brake fluid could break these down. 

Champion DOT 5 Brake Fluid does not mix with DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1 or racing brake fluids.

Champion DOT 5 Brake Fluid Properties
Purple liquid
Dry boiling point: 530 degrees
Viscosity: 900cSt @ -40°F 
Conforms to FMVSS 116 (DOT 5) and MIL-PRF-46176B
Contains Polydimethylsiloxane, Tribultylphosphate and Dioctyl-Sebacate

2021 Champion New Products
and Announcements

Champion Brands Celebrates 65 Years in the Lubricant Business

Champion Oil's Winter-Blend Diesel Flo Fuel Additive Gets an Upgrade

Highlighting A New All-Season Air Brake Anti-Freeze from Champion Brands

Champion’s Classic & Muscle 15W-50 Motor Oil for Vintage Trucks

Blue Flame Contingency Program for Drag Racers: How to Get Your Piece of the Action

Champion Oil Seeking Diesel Vehicle Builds for SEMA 2021

Special Offer For New Champion Diesel Oil Distributors

Champion Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oil Recommended for Limited-Edition Shelby F-250 Super Baja Pick-Up

Champion Oil Introduces a Professional Grade 80% Ether Starting Fluid
Champion Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oil Supports OOIDA Members
Champion Offers Power-Shield Assembly Lube & Oil Booster to Diesel Engine Builders

Champion’s Limited-Slip Friction Modifier Additive Formulated for Diesel Pick-Ups

Champion Launches API CK-4 Premium Heavy Duty SAE 10W-30 Diesel Engine Oil

 

Hauling Away Garbage with Clean Diesel in Miami-Dade County, Plus Four Takeaways

EPA to upgrade Miami-Dade County waste removal fleet.

Garbage disposal is a big part of our lives that we pretty much take for granted. It's hard to imagine where we'd be if we simply piled up our trash in the back yard. Apartment dwellers would be in an even bigger predicament. 

Waste removal is as old as civilization. Before motorized transports, people hauled their solid waste to the dump in wagons. The first motorized dump truck was produced by the Thornycroft Steam Wagon Company in England in 1897. Garbage trucks saw increased deployment in the 1920's. Initially they were open on top. The foul odors soon led to the revolutionary enclosed style that we're all familiar with today.

Here's an interesting story from Waste Today. Miami-Dade County has won a grant for $1.9 million from the EPA to upgrade their a portion of their waste removal fleet to cleaner diesel. The grant will enable them to purchase 25 new vehicles, 23 of them side-loaders, the article said. The grant will be used for replacing older vehicles that cough pollutants into the atmosphere. The new clean diesel technology will significantly reduce emissions. 

For decades garbage removal vehicles have been diesel-powered beasts of burden. Their muscular ability to haul tons of trash to landfills, as well as their durability over their long stop-and-go lifespan, made diesel the logical power plant of choice for these vehicles. 

This specific grant was awarded through the EPA's special program called the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) with its ongoing mission for a "clean and healthy environment and clean air." 

“This grant from the EPA is an important step forward to build a more sustainable Department of Solid Waste Management, reducing emissions and protecting our environment as we serve our neighborhoods," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. 

Diesel-powered trash removal vehicle in Poland. Whether 
loaded from the rear, the side or the front, these work vehicles
are recognizable because they revolve around a single basic concept. 

TAKEAWAYS  
There are a number of important takeaways for the diesel community in this story.  

1. The EPA recognizes that diesel continues to play an important role in our world today and that diesel will continue to do so. If the EPA is investing in the employment of diesel technology today, it is sending a signal that diesel will not be suddenly gone tomorrow.

2. Local politicians like any help they can get from Federal government to make their communities cleaner. Clean diesel reduces toxic emissions and politicians like to be associated with progress of this type. 

3. While EVs capture headlines in the larger media, diesel power remains the humble, unheralded workhorse that keep America going -- delivering vaccines, transporting our necessities, removing our trash. Fans of diesel tech have much to be proud of, nothing to be ashamed of.

4. When you hear that there's money on the barrelhead for upgrading equipment, go for it. You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.

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For those interested in reading further, here is the story in Waste Today Magazine.

The Diesel High Performance Truck Market Is Still Growing

President Biden puts F-150 Lightning through the paces.

It has to be fun to be a president. Fun might not be the most apt word when you think about hostile critics and the need to have a thick hide. Nevertheless, there are some perks that come with the job. For example, last week President Joe Biden took a ride in the new EV Ford F-150 Lightning. His little cruise on the Ford test track made headlines across the country.

That news story brought to mind another story that got headlines when Teddy Roosevelt was president at the beginning of the last century. Roosevelt had approved the development of a new submarine for the U.S. Navy. It was called The Plunger. Some people were critical of the submarine as a weapon because it seemed un-American to use stealth to sneak up on enemies rather than fight face-to-face.

When the submarine was completed and tested, the president used his executive authority to go take it for a spin. That is, President Roosevelt wanted to see what it was like to be submerged underwater, to check it out and experience it first hand rather than simply get reports from the captains. The day he went out there was a storm, but with the Plunger twenty or forty feet underwater (depending on which account you read), it was a perfectly smooth excursion, ever though the surface was turbulent.

There were critics (this is where the thick skin is useful) who castigated him for risking his life for a unique nautical expedition. Nevertheless, he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

ALL THIS CAME TO MIND as I read about a new report on the global growth of the diesel high performance diesel truck market. EVs are making headlines, but analysts who look at what is really happening (as opposed to what is generating buzz) acknowledge that the diesel market is still in a growth mode. 

An April MarketWatch report states that the diesel engines market was $7,921 million in 2019 and will be $9743 million in 2025. Part of this growth is driven by a surging demand in construction and auxiliary power equipment. 

Another report by Industry Growth Insights is projecting continued growth through 2028. Though their data analysis sees a tapering of the growth rate, the diesel engine market will not see a decline for quite some time. A report by The Shot Caller has similar expectations. Their report predicts growth to the end of 2026, with an implied continuation into 2027. 

No one can say for sure how quickly the adoption of EVs will occur. For now, there's limited infrastructure and a multitude of hurdles for EVs. 

The news stories regarding the unveiling of the EV Ford F-150 Lightning have focused on Ford's bold embrace of the EV future, making a risky bet on their number one selling truck. There's another side to the story, however, which we covered earlier this month. Ford engineers are developing a new diesel engine design utilizing an old-style concept. (See The Next Ford F-150)

In other words, Ford management is preparing for a future that can go either way. For now, the need for diesel power is continuing to grow, and the leaders recognize this. 

Related Links
President Roosevelt's Trip Aboard The Plunger
A Lot is Riding on F-150 Lightning Electric Truck

How to Get Maximum Service Life Out of Your Diesel Engine

Diesel engines have historically been respected for their longevity and reliability, as well as their towing power due to their torque-monster status. With the ever-increasing focus on emissions in more recent year there has been a trade-off. 

According to an article in Driving Line earlier this month, the result has been that to reach the absolute minimal emissions engine builders have had to nominally sacrifice reliability and fuel economy.

So the question this article strives to answer is this: How do you make today's diesel-powered trucks last as long as possible? The short answer is to not neglect routine maintenance, not skimp on replacement parts and knowing how your emissions control system works. The rest of the article offers the following tips.

1. Run Quality Fuel
Today's ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) isn't great, but engines manufactured since 2006 were designed to run on it. Unfortunately, diesel fuel is fairly unstable. Over a relatively short time period diesel fuel will degrade. The Driving Line article asserts that within four weeks after being refined, "diesel fuel can degrade as much as 26-percent. For this reason they recommend using "quality fuel from a highly-frequented filling station." When you think about it, it makes sense. This will prolong the life of your injectors and injection pump as well. Fuel additives will help as well. 

2. Don't Neglect Filter Changes
Filters exist for a reason. It's assumed that a certain amount of contaminants will get into the fuel tank. You need to keep these from being pushed into the injectors. Fuel filters remove the debris that would give you headaches later if you need to replace injectors. Similarly, oil filters keep your lubricants clean so that the engine runs optimally as designed. 

The author also mentioned the water separator. Fuel filters capture debris, but what about that other pesky contaminant: water. Diesel fuel absorbs water and can thereby become contaminated in that was. Therefore many diesels feature a water separator that extracts water from the fuel. This needs to be maintained as well.

3. Perform Regular Oil Changes
This is a Vehicle Maintenance 101 type of thing, yet people disregard it to their peril. The author notes that it's not necessarily a matter of changing the oil at "x" number of miles because there are other variables that factor in. A lot of diesel work trucks spend a high amount of time idling. The odometer does not adequately reflect how much time the engine has been running. According to this article, one hour of idling is equivalent to 25 miles of driving.  

4. Replace Your Air Filter, Too, As Needed
This could have been included under the Filters category above, but it's worth underscoring here because of its relationship to the turbo. If you're only driving on highways and other paved surfaces, you simply need to check the filter periodically. Many engines are used in work trucks in gravel pits and other dusty terrains. The air filter is your "last line of defense" in protecting the turbocharger's compressor wheel. Replacing a turbo will make your wallet skinnier. Driving Line states that the number one cause of turbo failure comes from swallowing debris from a dirty air filter. Keep it clean.

5. Emissions Issues
Emission control devices and sensors can be a problem. This article states that "EGR coolers and valves, DPF's, diesel oxidation catalysts and SCR/DEF systems are problematic--along with all the sensors that go along with them." How you address this seems to be a gray area. The author shows support for using OEM parts, but then seems to suggest here that you may choose to work with your independent mechanic for an aftermarket solution. Your goal will be minimum downtime with the aim of maximum service life. Servicing these components is infrequent but essential for long-term reliable performance.

6. OEM Parts
The author suggests that the manufacturers of engines know what is best for the engines they have designed. He also notes that certain kinds of non-OEM parts can jeopardize your warranty. We certainly want to exercise care in that regard. Nevertheless, the aftermarket exists because there are smart people who have created solutions for issues missed by the manufacturers.  

The article closes by citing examples of pickups that have travelled far beyond their expected service life. A 6.0L Power Stroke that had hefty numbers, a 6.6L LMM Duramax V-8 with 600K miles towing campers, a Chevrolet Silverado 3500 with 740K miles... They're out there. They're designed to go the distance, but taking good care of your baby is up to you.

Related Link
Champion Launches API CK-4 Premium Heavy Duty SAE 10W-30 Diesel Oil

Diesel-Powered Vehicle of the Week: Stainless Diesel Sets New Pro Street Record in the 4s

There are people who try to tell us that competition is bad. It hurts people's feelings when they don't win, they say. 

One of the arguments to counter this is that competition makes people dig deeper, work harder to achieve success. "Winning" is meaningless if it isn't achieved the old fashioned way, through competing with rivals. When everybody wins, nobody wins.

When Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile in 1956, he was able to achieve this because he was in a foot-race with someone else and he wanted to win. Even though he did it by only six tenths of a second, the world went crazy because pundits said it couldn't be done.

Today's "Diesel Vehicle of the Week" is the new record holder in the Pro Street class, Team Stainless Diesel. The event took place this weekend at the Ultimate Callout Challenge where their diesel powered Ram 1500 clicked off a 4.96-second pass to break the 1/8th-mile record previously held by Firepunk Diesel, also a Ram 1500 pickup. (The record for a diesel dragster is a much snappier 4.10 seconds and 181 mph.)

You can be sure that there will be more tweaking by each of these teams this year as they strive to best one another's times. 

The Ultimate Callout Challenge in Brownsburg, Indiana, has become a major battleground for these kinds of 4-wheel ground wars. Still ahead, there will are plenty of other events coming up this year to test their wits and their resolve. 

The truck's sponsor is Stainless Diesel, a company that provides products for diesel powertrains. According to autoevolution.com they've been upgrading this truck for a couple years now. 

It's apparent that High Fives are a thing of the past for diesel pickups. We have at least two teams now giving us High Fours.

AS THE COMPETITIVE RACING SEASON RAMPS UP be sure your lubrication needs are taken care of. Check out our Champion Racing Oil Contingency Program, which covers a full range of motorsports racing events.