Diesel News 4-6-20

Project of the Week

Ultimate Old-School F-Super Duty

Stuck indoors? Time to finish that long overdue project vehicle, once and for all. Avid OBS Ford addict, Chris Rutledge, got busy with his full-on nut and bolt restoration over the weekend. Modeling the build on the Quigley four-wheel drive converted old body style Blue Ovals from back in the day, his ’97 should be pretty sharp once it’s complete. And when it’s finished, the truck will sport fresh paint, a matching-paint flat bed, custom bumpers, 19.5’s, and cleared cab and headlights.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/CompletePerformanceLLC/

Empty Roads Lead to Street Racing

Is it proof that modern problems do require modern solutions, or that gear heads are creatures of opportunity? In late March, quieter highways due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the greater Toronto, Canada area became the breeding ground for impromptu street racing—lots of it. In fact, according to an article from narcity.com, in one weekend local police charged 18 drivers for “stunt driving,” revoking their licenses and impounding their vehicles as a result of the shenanigans. Keep this in mind as you navigate temporarily quieter highways: there have been no changes made in traffic law enforcement, in Canada or the U.S.

Source: https://www.narcity.com/news/ca/on/toronto/toronto-highways-are-empty-and-toronto-drivers-are-using-them-to-street-race?fbclid=IwAR152NqyRxmVGn_gcXR_yZfvttc11yKHYG-QOFr-qZebEv7iHJQyHpio4rg

OEM News

2020 Jeep Gladiator Earns Truck of the Year Honor

Rocky Mountain Automotive Press has given the 2020 Jeep Gladiator its “Truck of the Year” award. After testing, votes from the organization’s 95-member team of expert automotive journalists from all over the central United States were tallied and the all-new Jeep pickup came out on top. 2020 marks the 14^th annual Rocky Mountain Vehicle of the Year awards, where jurors factor attributes such as performance, fuel economy, and value into their final decision(s). For us, we can’t wait to see the EcoDiesel version of the Gladiator, and how well it stacks up against other competitors in the midsize truck segment, namely the 2.8L Duramax Colorado and Canyon from GM.

Source: https://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=21682&mid=1

Ford to Produce 50,000 Ventilators (in the next 100 days)

Putting the full weight of the UAW behind it, Ford (in collaboration with GE Healthcare), will leverage the design of Airon Corp.’s FDA-approved ventilator and produce thousands of ventilators in Michigan. In the first 100 days alone, Ford plans to build 50,000 ventilators to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. White House Defense Production Act Coordinator, Peter Navarro, said it best: “just as Ford in the last century moved its manufacturing might seamlessly from auto to tank production during WWII, the Ford team is working with GE Healthcare to use its awesome engineering and manufacturing capabilities to voluntarily help this nation solve one of its most pressing problems.”

Source: https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2020/03/30/ford-to-produce-50-000-ventilators-in-michigan-in-next-100-days.html

Tricky Common-Rail Issue

As common-rail engines continue to age, issues with cracked injector bodies may be a concern. Luckily, good diesel shops like Illini Outlaw Diesel are great at diagnosing these kinds of issues. Recently, a customer brought his Ram in for a fuel-in-oil issue. With no return leaks, no problem getting the LB7 Duramax to start, and nothing out of order in any of the normal locations, the guys at IOD dove in a little deeper. With the valve cover pulled, rail pressure turned up, and the proper safety precautions in place, they were able to deduce that the injector body was cracked. At idle, zero leak detection. Under load, it leaked like a sieve.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/Illini-Outlaw-Diesel-591824544166842/

Parts Rack

Guardian 6R140 Converter

Now available, Sun Coast is offering the brand-new, Guardian 6R140 torque converter for ’11-’19 6.7L Power Stroke equipped Fords. Billed as the perfect replacement for its customers who do a lot of heavy towing and who need reliability to be top priority, the Guardian features furnace-brazed fin construction, utilizes a factory damper assembly for refined lockup strategies, and an improved spring system for increased durability. Additionally, the Guardian boasts Sun Coast’s anti-drag captured clutch technology, a custom turbine and pump angle, and the company’s rigid blocking plate for reducing deflection and improving apply conformity. The Guardian is priced at $1,595.

Source: https://suncoastdiesel.com/

L5P Duramax Oil Pan

Duramax L5P engines have a complete oil drainage problem. The factory pan simply will not allow all the oil to be drained. About half a quart of the nastiest oil is left in the bottom of the pan immediately contaminating that fresh new oil you put in at every oil change. PPE has a fix. Their new pan allows for full drainage plus it holds another two quarts of oil for a little increase in thermal stamina and extended service life. Plus the cast aluminum pan helps reduce engine temperatures. The PPE L5P pan also includes a tapped port on the side for sensor installation should one choose to add a sensor, plus a neodymium magnet equipped drain plug to catch any ferrous debris.

https://www.ppediesel.com/shop/deep-capacity-cast-aluminum-oil-pan.html