Diesel Articles

Several years ago we rescued a red 1986 Jaguar XJS V12 two-door coupe from a barn in Kentucky. The Jaguar originally caught my eye in an internet auction. Weighing in just shy of four thousand pounds, the car was more than a little taxing on our standard car hauler.

Diesel Articles

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood and redoubtable components of any diesel engine is the diesel fuel system. The electronically controlled, high-pressure, common-rail diesel fuel systems of today render most owners lost when attempting to comprehend just what occurs under the hood.

Diesel Articles

With a powerplant that only operates at 35% efficiency, losing three percent to diesel timing issues – a common occurrence – represents nearly 10% of available output... that is BIG. By itself, that three percent can reduce the speed of your truck on an extended grade enough so that the cooling system no longer receives sufficient air to fulfill the heat load rejection requirements of the cooling stack.

Diesel Articles

What a year it has been for Heath Diesel! In spite of global economic conditions, we have continued to grow in support of the beloved 6.5L diesel and you, its owner. The 6265 6.5 diesel performance land speed racer was built to champion both this vintage truck and the 6.5L diesel engine which powers it for our customers around the world.

Lubrication

In previous Lube Notes we looked at the role lubricants play in overcoming the effects of friction. In this installment, I want to examine one specialized type of lubricant: grease lube. Looking at previous civilizations, we can see that man has tried several methods to provide basic lubrication to load-bearing surfaces; axles have presented one of the most challenging applications. As far back as 1400 BC, mutton fat and beef tallow were used on chariot axles to reduce friction in order to allow for more speed and to slow down wear. One can only imagine the pressure on the maintenance men to make the chariot go faster and to avoid axles catching on fire from the continuous friction. While there is evidence of lime being added to these fats in order to make their lubricating properties last longer, few other improvements to the composition of grease are known to have been used until we reach the magic year of 1859.

What happened in 1859? Colonel Drake drilled the first ever oil well in Pennsylvania; since then, the world has not been the same. In petroleum oil, man found a lubricant that could be manipulated in a variety of ways to produce greases much superior to the lubricants that preceded them. In turn, more advanced and effective greases have been produced in recent decades with the advent of synthetic greases.

The word grease is derived from the Latin word crassus meaning fat. We can see where the name came from (mutton fat, beef tallow); however, grease lube, for modern purposes, is not to be construed as fat. The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) defined grease in 1916 as: A solid to semi-fluid product of dispersion of a thickening agent in a liquid lubricant. In plain English, this means A lubricant composed of lubricating fluids (oils), thickened by mixing chemicals to produce a semi-fluid to semi-solid consistency.

6.2/6.5 Issues and Answers

I have a question regarding our 1998 K3500 6.5 diesel truck. I have posed this to many service people, many of whom have made suggestions, none of which have helped. Here is the problem; the truck starts fine and runs well until I shut it off. Then it is difficult or even impossible to restart, unless we leave it sit for four to five hours. When we are traveling, we just cannot stop the engine, unless we are stopping it for 4-5 hours. Service people have already replaced:

• Computer,
• Injectors,
• Batteries,
• Starter motor,
• Glow plugs,
• Glow plug control box,
• Fuel filter
• Etc., etc.

Any ideas?

Tom, Austin TX

6.2/6.5 Issues and Answers

I think I have a problem with my 6.5 L diesel tachometer. I think it reads higher than it should. It seems to have changed since the alternator was replaced, but I cannot understand how this could have caused any change. Can you help me understand?

6.2/6.5 Issues and Answers

I was thinking of buying a '98 GMC dually with a 6.5 turbo diesel that has 138,000 miles on it. I was reading your article on the suburban build up and was wondering, did GM improve any of these reliability and power issues on the later year models? Thanks, Chad H.

6.2/6.5 Issues and Answers

I hope you can help me out with my ’95 6.5 L diesel Suburban. When least expected, all lights on the vehicle will go dim then bright, flickering up and down. Then the transmission shifts down to 3rd ? gear. If I shut it off and restart, the transmission works fine again, until the flickering happens. I have had it checked out by the dealer who tells me he can find nothing wrong. Any ideas?

Pam, Modesto, CA

Duramax Issues and Answers

An issue that you could cover, especially for us salt belt folks, is the corrosion of the alloy wheels. I have corrosion getting under the clear coat on the aluminum. GM has a service bulletin on how to refinish these: it involves having the clear coat stripped, repolishing and re-clearcoating the aluminum.