September 2009 - Performance Zone
DON’T WAIT ANY LONGER
By Performance Specialist Bruce C. Mallinson
During many of the phone calls we get each day, owner operators will say, “My engine has a lot of miles on it and I’m going to wait until I have it rebuilt before I give it more power.” Now think about this – the better a diesel engine runs, the more free it runs, and the less it has to work to pull 80,000 lbs. up the hills and mountains, the longer it will last. If it runs good, you don’t have to run it wide open on the hills and you’ll push less on the throttle. We have been building high-performance diesel engines for 31 years, and it is a proven fact that the better an engine runs, the better the owner operator will take care of it, and the longer it will last.
Here is something to think about: it will cost about $10,000 in basic parts and about $3,000 to $4,000 in labor to do an in-chassis rebuild on a Class-8 truck engine. It really doesn’t matter what engine you have because the price of all the parts needed to rebuild it is about the same. So, let’s assume it will take $14,000 to do a basic in-chassis rebuild. Then, you want to add some performance items – after all, you did wait until your engine wore out to build the engine of your dreams. Now you want to add a ported and Jet Hot coated exhaust manifold, a performance turbocharger, the Pittsburgh Power Performance Computer, the FASS Fuel System, a new crankshaft damper and mercury-filled engine balancer, straight through performance mufflers, turbo boost and exhaust gas temperature gauges, ceramic and Teflon coated pistons, balanced connecting rods and high-flow injectors. Now you just took that $14,000 rebuild and made it a $22,000 job. You might think it’s crazy to spend that kind of money on an in-chassis rebuild, especially if you don’t think your old truck is even worth that much.
You might not think your old truck is worth much, until you listen to the guys with the brand new ones with all the EGR and DPF problems. Did you know that the turbocharger on an MBE 4000 Mercedes engine rated at 450 hp is $6,145? And that doesn’t include the labor to install it! Do you know how expensive EGR valves are that fail every year? The variable geometry turbochargers, used on the newer EGR engines, cost as much as $3,200 (plus labor) to replace. Compare that to the performance turbo we sell for the Detroit DD4, which is only $999. Even the Holset turbo conversion kit for the single turbo Caterpillar that is $2,395 doesn’t seem that expensive, compared to the twin turbos on a newer ACERT.
So, now here you are with your older truck that has served you well over the years. She has 750,000 or more miles on her and you don’t want to put any money into the engine until its rebuild time. Are you prepared? Do you have $20,000 set aside for the rebuild? Do you have a way to get this rebuild financed? If you have been reading my articles or listening to Kevin Rutherford on Sirius and XM radio, you would know that the crankshaft damper is only good for 500,000 miles, so why haven’t you changed it? I know, I know, you’re waiting for the in-chassis and then you’re going to do everything! Wrong, wrong – it’s too expensive to wait to build your engine and do everything all at once. The parts will eventually fail and the engine will shake you and the truck apart.
Another excuse I often hear is that you don’t want to spend the money right now, or you just don’t have it. If you don’t have it now, when will you have it? I know I’m being brash, however we hear this every day – lots of talk, but no action. As items wear out on your truck, you have got to replace them. I tell our new mechanics to buy one new tool every week when the Snap-On Tool truck comes. After just two years, they will have 104 new tools in their tool box that will help them to do their job even better. Mechanics need tools, and tools are expensive. Owner operators need great running trucks, and yes, the parts can be expensive. But, these performance parts will give your engine more longevity and fuel mileage, and you’ll love how your truck runs. I know I have preached this many times before, but the better your truck runs, the better you will take care of it.
About a month ago an owner operator with a 2000 Pete 379 called me. His truck, which he had purchased new, was powered with a DD4 Detroit with 500 hp, and he hated it because it had no power. Needless to say, he did not give this Pete a lot of attention during the first nine years of its life. Now, after purchasing a Pittsburgh Power Computer and a 15% larger turbocharger, guess what – he loves his truck! He can’t believe how well she runs now, and all he wants to do is polish her and do all the proper maintenance that he ignored for nine years. His father said, “Son, you should have thought about that nine years ago.” Now he has nine years of catch-up to do on his Pete that he now loves dearly.
The point that I’m trying to make is if you give your truck one performance part each month, for about five months, you will be way ahead of the game when it comes time to rebuild your engine. Maybe you can’t afford everything right now, but how about just one thing? That “one thing” might make all the difference in the world. Plus, depending on what you purchase, you could increase your truck’s efficiency by up to 1 mpg or more. And, maybe, you could take that money saved and set it aside to help pay for the full rebuild in the future.
Did you ever stop to think about the rate at which a new truck wears out and how much it costs per mile? Let’s pretend it’s about five cents-per-mile, and that you drive an average of 3,000 miles per week. Would it be possible to put aside $150 every week in a separate account for a truck repair fund? That would give you $7,800 per year to keep your truck on the road. Now, a new truck should not cost that much, but it’s going to take over three years of that money to save enough to rebuild the engine and trans, and get a new clutch. Think about all of the oil changes, tires, injectors, filters, air conditioning work, and all of the other little things it takes to keep a semi truck on the road. Maybe saving five cents-per-mile might not be enough!
I drive older vehicles – a 1995 Dodge Cummins-powered pickup truck and a 1996 Saab Aero – and yes, they do require a little more maintenance than new vehicles. But today, a new diesel pickup can cost as much as $60,000, and most of the nicer new cars are $25,000 and up. And God knows I don’t want to own a diesel pickup truck with a DPF! We hear the nightmares every day about all this new machinery – no thank you. I’ll continue to own and maintain my great-running older vehicles, and when one of these vehicles needs a part, I’ll give it to them!
Take a look at our website (www.pittsburghpower.com) and look at the first movie – it’s about Mr. Dawson and his DD4 Detroit 500 in his Freightliner Classic. He came into our shop with an engine developing only 15 psi of turbo boost, but when he left it was producing 48 psi of turbo boost. Do you think this guy from New Jersey is happy? Look at the movie and you tell me. By the way, I heard today from another owner operator that Mr. Dawson was going to get rid of this truck if we couldn’t make it run. Now, I don’t think you could ever get this truck away from him. Power makes everybody happy (not just politicians).
In closing, I want you to think about the performance parts and what they can do for your fuel mileage, engine longevity and your happiness. You drive your truck every day – shouldn’t it make you happy? So, start spending a few bucks, here and there, and before you know it, you will have a great running truck that won’t have to be rebuilt so soon, and it will put a smile on your face every time you push down on the throttle. If you have any performance-related comments or questions, I can be reached through Pittsburgh Power Inc. in Saxonburg, PA at (724) 360-4080 or via e-mail at bruce@pittsburghpower.com. Be sure to check out our new website, too. I think you will find it very informative and easy to use.