WRESTLING

WITH
MODERN
DIESELS BY THOMAS MARCY
Winning a bout with a diesel engine means
using some heavy-duty skills. And as with
any tough match, it pays to know the
strengths and weaknesses of your opponent.

W
e don’t know
much about alli-
gator wrestling
(which looks
dangerous) or
mud wrestling
(which looks like tons o’ fun), but we do
know something about diesel wrestling.
We say “wrestling” because work-
ing on diesel engines is different from
working on gasoline engines—you
don’t get as many in your bays, so
you’re less familiar with them. This
article is meant to change that. Next
time you “go to the mat” with a diesel
engine, you may be able to demon-
strate a few new “holds.”
As you know, a diesel engine requires
no spark plugs to fire the fuel, although
glow plugs are typically used to assist
engine starts in cold weather. Often, the
fuel accumulates slightly before light-off
occurs. This is called the delay stage.
Once the delay stage concludes, the fu-
el mixes with the hot compressed air in
the cylinders and ignites, causing
crunching blows to occur inside the en-
gine. It’s because of these crunching
blows, plus the fact that the engine pro-
duces far greater cylinder pressures
than its gasoline-fed cousin, that the
diesel has long been the burly power
champ that produces high torque.
Two Cummins Entries
Several contenders have climbed into
the ring on the diesel light truck card.
One is the Dodge Ram truck’s 24-
valve Cummins turbo diesel, an inline
Six. Featuring big breathing, this en-
gine produces 245 hp with the six-
speed manual transmission, or 235 hp
for automatics. Peak torque of 505 ft-
lb comes in at 1600 to 2300 rpm.
Cummins says the 24-valve cylin-

30 January 2002
der head design increases airflow and
improves low-speed performance.
The head also features vertical, cen-
tered injection nozzles, which are
claimed to boost combustion efficien-
cy, cleanliness and fuel economy.
Weigh in some electronic fuel control
and you’ve got a tough opponent.
A diesel engine’s fuel injection sys-
tem must possess several characteris-
tics to deliver maximum perfor-
mance. These include accurate injec-
tion control, high-pressure atomiza-
tion, fast fuel ignition and fuel tem-
perature adjustment capability.
Fuel’s fiery entry into the cylinders
in the Cummins comes via a Bosch
VP44 electronic injection pump and
electronically controlled timing. First,
the engine is cranked up for the
match with an electric-powered lift
(or supply) pump. Fuel flow begins as
the lift pump pulls fuel from the tank
and delivers it to the injection pump.
As the engine spins over, the rotary,
high-pressure injection pump is driv-
en at half the engine speed by a sim-
ple front gear train. This simplicity
helps cut operating noise.
The Cummins-developed ECM re-
ceives information from various sensors Photo: Paul Weissler
and controls on the engine, then trans-
lates that info into specific fuel quantity
and timing commands that are sent to
the injection pump metering control.
Note that the injection pump used
on earlier (1994-98) Cummins-
equipped Dodge turbo diesel pickups
is a Bosch P7100 inline design—what
we sometimes call the jerk pump.
The cam-operated six-plunger pump
in the jerk pump sends fuel to the in-
jector nozzles. The newer VP44, how-
ever, is a rotary job with the ability to
vary fuel and injection timing based
January 2002 31
 WRESTLING WITH MODERN DIESELS
on input from the ECM. This pump
incorporates a fuel pump control
module (FPCM), which contains fu-
eling, timing and diagnostic data. The
FPCM communicates with the ECM
to obtain information on desired fuel-
ing and timing. The FPCM responds
by consulting the fueling data and
timing in its memory, then commands
fueling and timing solenoids.
The VP44 has a fuel temperature
sensor inside it. The pump also con-
tains a speed sensor that gives the
FPCM information on the position
and speed of the pump shaft. A crank-
shaft reference pulse that marks TDC
For Dodge Ram trucks, the 24-valve Cummins diesel provides improved block
strength and durability, with reduced noise. Also, the water pump, oil pump, cooler
housings and coolant bypass are all integrated to eliminate potential leak points.
of cylinder No. 1 is also sent once
every pump revolution. By comparing
this reference pulse from the ECM to
the position signal from the speed
sensor, the FPCM can reference the
pump’s position to that of the engine.
This allows the FPCM to adjust pump
timing to compensate for small posi-
tion differences between the fuel
pump shaft and the engine cam. If the
difference becomes too great, a fault
is logged in the FPCM.
The FPCM controls the timing and
fueling through two solenoids located
in the pump. The timing solenoid
32 January 2002
controls the position of a cam ring in-
side the pump by varying internal
transfer pump pressure to a cam ring
piston. The cam ring has evenly
spaced lobes around its inner diame-
ter. The pumping plungers ride on
rollers that rotate around inside this
ring. The rollers follow the inner di-
ameter of the ring and push the
pumping plungers inward whenever a
cam lobe is encountered. This builds
injection pressure on the fuel trapped
between the plungers. By rotating the
cam ring with the timing solenoid,
the FPCM is able to advance and re-
tard the injection timing by making
Photo: Thomas Marcy
the rollers contact the cam lobes ei-
ther earlier or later in their rotation.
As its name implies, the fuel solenoid
in the pump meters fuel to the injec-
tors. It does this by opening a metering
valve to allow fuel from the supply
pump to flow into the pumping cham-
ber. Once this chamber is charged with
fuel, the solenoid valve closes, trapping
the fuel in the chamber and allowing
injection pressure to build.
The fuel is routed to the correct in-
jection nozzle via the pump distributor
head. A port on the distributor rotor
aligns with one of the six pump dis-
tributor head outlet ports to distribute
fuel to a given nozzle. In the cylinder
head, the high pressure opens the in-
jector nozzles, allowing fuel to pass in-
to the combustion chamber. Once the
desired amount of fuel is injected, the
solenoid valve opens, causing the pres-
sure in the pumping chamber to bleed
down, which ends injection. The injec-
tion nozzle then snaps shut.
When the high-pressure fuel
reaches the nozzle, the pressure lifts
the needle valve against the spring’s
preset “popping” tension. At the de-
sired pressure, the nozzle pops open
to let the fuel spray into the combus-
tion chamber. A minor fuel leak past
the nozzle needle valve enters the fu-
el drain manifold in the cylinder
head. The fuel in the manifold then
exits at the rear of the cylinder head
and is routed to the fuel tank. Fuel
return from the injection pump is al-
so routed back to the tank.
Breathing and Belching
Both Cummins engines—the older
Bosch-equipped P7100 and the newer
VP44—feature direct injection, sans
precombustion chambers. Cummins
claims that direct injection produces
more power than precombustion
chamber-equipped engines, while
lowering internal heat stresses. High
compression heat and fuel swirl for
good combustion develop in the pis-
ton’s symmetrical combustion bowl.
In the late-model Cummins turbo
diesel, the valvetrain has wider lobes
on the tappet face and cam, with
longer push tubes. To reduce
camshaft wear, an electric lift pump
eliminates the need for a mechanical
lift pump lobe. The standard valve
springs are compatible with engine
braking equipment. Top off the en-
gine with an engine-matched Holset
turbocharger and wastegate and you
have a unit ready to rumble. For
Cummins, a no-smoke entry into the
fray is gained with an Integrated Air
Intake Grid Heater. Using this
method, white smoke is eliminated
and cold-starting is improved. After
warmup, compression and combus-
tion efficiencies are improved by pro-
viding aftercooled air to the engine.
 Also, new electronic devices allow
monitoring of critical engine data and
diagnostic information from the ECM.
For example, with the RoadRelay 4
(RR4) system, you can tap into the
ECM while driving. Then if a problem
develops on the road, the system will
display the appropriate fault code. Al-
so, RR4 can remind the driver when
service is due on specific items and
can record up to 12 service events.
Also new for the Cummins 24-valve
turbo diesel is QuickCheck II, a diag-
nostic read-only application that runs
on Palm devices and lets you view such
items as engine sensor and diagnostic
information, including boost pressure,
oil pressure, fuel rate, percentage en-
gine load, engine hours, output torque
and intake manifold pressure. The
QuickCheck II kit contains a custom
data link adapter, cables, connectors GM growls in V8 style with the new Duramax 6600. The engine features many
and the diagnostic software applica- aluminum components and an electronic common rail fuel system.
tion. Load the software, plug it in and
you can view data in real time or the injector tip and into the cylinder. This pump mounts similar to the old-
download it to your shop PC. The PCM operates the injector so- er-design injection pump.
lenoids through an injector driver The fuel enters both the left and
Ford’s Power Stroke module. The fuel comes to the sole- right cylinder head high-pressure feed
Ford enters the ring with an old noids from an injection control pres- hoses. During a cold start, the high-
hand, but with new tricks. In its Pow- sure sensor, a sensor in the oil rail at pressure oil pump receives unfiltered
er Stroke Garrett-turbocharged the front of the driver’s side head. An oil from the low-pressure lubrication
diesel, such as found in an F-250 we injection pressure regulator (IPR) pump through the left-side valve lifter
recently drove, a mechanical fuel rides in the high-pressure oil pump. oil galley and through the antidrainback
pump nests in the valley behind the
fuel filter with its plunger riding on a
special engine cam lobe.
In older models, the feed pump uses
a diaphragm to draw fuel from the tank
while a piston-type positive displace-
ment pump increases the 4 to 6 pounds
of pressure to around 50 psi, regulated
by a spring and plunger in the filter
housing. The 50 psi is delivered to the
lower chamber inside the injector
through a common rail passage in the
cylinder head. The tiny fuel chamber
plunger’s oil-pressure-driven head is
seven times the size of the bottom of
the plunger, where the fuel is delivered.
Photo: Thomas Marcy

The head forms the chamber floor that

receives a burst of high oil pressure.
This happens as an electrical solenoid
valve opens and lets the pressure in.
The high oil pressure pulse drives
the plunger down, multiplying the
pressure by a factor of seven at the Diesel engines need and consume large quantities of air. Always check the air
injector tip. The trapped fuel blows out filter and examine the manometer gauge to look for restrictions.

January 2002 33
 WRESTLING WITH MODERN DIESELS
located in the center of the combustion
chamber in a stainless-steel holder. The
valve arrangement forms a twisting in-
take airflow. The intake ports are de-
signed to maximize tangential flow for
optimum intake swirl. In this head, ade-
quately and evenly cooling the valve
seats helps minimize any change in the
valve gap.
The Duramax fuel system has a sup-
ply pump, a function block, common
rails and injectors. An eccentric shaft
drives the three-plunger supply pump,
which is driven at crankshaft speed. The
pump’s inlet has a gear-type feed pump
and a rail pressure control valve, which

Photos: Thomas Marcy

is governed by a sensor attached to the
function block, on the high-pressure
side. The valve is controlled in response
to driving conditions. Each injector has
a PCM-controlled solenoid in the injec-
tor’s upper portion.
When servicing a diesel engine, always check the maker’s specs to see what type According to GM, one advantage of a
of oil and fuel filters the engine uses. Because of the stresses of compression-ig- common rail system is that injection
nition, diesels require oil with a unique lubrication character and additive package. pressure can be raised regardless of en-
gine speed. This means the size of the
check valve. Once the engine starts, or gine is available in 2500 HD and 3500 nozzle hole in the injector can be small,
during warm engine starts, the check GMC Sierras, and in Chevrolet Silvera- which when used in conjunction with
valve closes and the high-pressure oil do pickups and chassis cabs. high-pressure injection, makes for a fin-
pump receives filtered oil from the The Duramax cylinder head is made er spray and faster combustion. This, by
pump reservoir. The high-pressure of gravity-cast aluminum and has four the way, makes a good case for offering
pump then supplies the oil under ex- valves per cylinder. Each fuel nozzle is timely filter services.
tremely high pressures through the left
and right pressure rails. A relief valve in
the high-pressure oil pump regulates
the available pressure.
The control pressure actually deliv-
ered to the oil rails is regulated elec-
tronically by an injector control pres-
sure (ICP) regulator, controlled by the
PCM. Once in the oil rail, the oil is fed
to the head’s fuel injector bores
through four galleys drilled and ma-
chined in the cylinder head. The high-
pressure oil then activates the fuel in-
jectors based on PCM commands.

The GMC & Chevy Tag Team

GMC and Chevrolet enter the ring with
a new 6.6-liter turbocharged diesel V8
called the Duramax 6600. Although no
lightweight in power, the Duramax
weighs only 836 pounds. It uses alu-
minum extensively in such key compo-
nents as the cylinder heads, crankcase, Don’t let your customer get pinned to the mat. Battery condition is a very im-
accessory drive brackets, intake mani- portant part of any diesel’s performance, especially during cold-weather
fold and flywheel bellhousing. The en- months when glow plugs help supply initial combustion chamber heat.

34 January 2002
 The Duramax 6600 is a relatively
high-speed engine as far as diesels go,
with a rated speed of 3100 rpm. Faster
combustion makes possible shorter in-
jection times, which means optimum
fuel economy and exhaust emissions
even at those higher speeds.
Using short-duration, high-pressure
injection improves performance in the
final exhaust emissions rounds. Howev-
er, because there are higher levels of
NOX (oxides of nitrogen) with high-
pressure injection at the start of the
process, injection timing must be re-
tarded. But GM says that if the timing is
retarded without pilot injection, NOX
reduction is limited while particulate
matter increases. GM claims that pilot
injection overcomes these limitations.
Injecting a very small pilot amount of
fuel before TDC makes it easier for the
main injection to ignite. This makes it
possible to retard injection timing and Always check for proper turbocharger and wastegate function. Although
reduce both NOX and particulate levels. tucked far beneath the cowl on this Ford pickup truck, a simple vacuum pump
Another benefit GM claims for pilot test can reveal a wastegate servo knocked out of the match.
ignition is reduced noise. Generally,
combustion noise becomes louder as in- The engine management system and new software for diesel injection control
jection pressure increases. According to control module of the Duramax are ba- items. Other new software was devel-
GM, pilot injection makes it possible to sically the same as with gasoline en- oped for self-diagnostic items, such as
prevent a rapid increase in injection gines, with vehicle-related control items injection volume, injection timing, pilot
pressure during main injection, which also being similar. However, the com- injection control, rail pressure control
greatly reduces diesel knock. mon rail system required developing and injector dwell. The ECM drives the
injectors by way of an electronic driver
unit (EDU), which also senses and ig-
nores abnormal injection requests. The
engine management system also per-
forms all OBD II functions.
In servicing these new diesel engines,
you can easily see that a technician first
needs to know the basic operation of
these “oil-burners.” But he must also
know the quirks applicable to each
powerplant. Also, training in the DTCs
that an ECM/PCM can throw into the
ring becomes very important.
You’d be well-advised to get a ring-
side seat and do some serious manual
studying on the art of diesel wrestling.
Who knows? You could be called on for
the next match!

Visit www.motor.com to
download a free copy of this
article. Copies are also available
by sending $3 for each copy to:
With a stumbling Cummins-equipped Dodge, some technicians crack open an in- Fulfillment Dept., MOTOR Magazine,
jection nozzle line to check for cylinder power output. Instead, we suggest using 5600 Crooks Rd., Troy, MI 48098.
a contact pyrometer on the exhaust manifold to isolate the offending cylinder.

January 2002 35