2015 DD13 Rebuild, part 2

This week we returned to our 2015 DD13 engine which we are still in the beginning stages of disassembly. The special tool recommended by Detroit Diesel Power Service Literature was unavailable to us, so we had to improvise with a lady foot pry bar, ground down on the back of the head to fit in the small space we had to get into, to gently pry the injectors up. The result? Success.

Our work was cut short by an invitation to another class where fellow Auto/Diesel students were giving power point presentations on the political events of the upcoming election.

#5 injector, ready to be removed.

#6 injector bore following removal of injector.

My reflection:

Everyone has a passion, or something that gets them excited, motivated, engaged, or simply fired up. For some it is high performance vehicles or classic cars. For others it may be sports. This week in the shop, it was politics.

My passion is the work we do in the shop and the career I am trying to make out of it. I find it enjoyable, and love nothing more than to get my hands dirty and fix something on a vehicle. Whether it is an old VW, or one of the class-8 trucks in our shop.

At the end of the day I have a sense of accomplishment doing something I enjoy, and something that is needed by everyone from Grandma to get to the store to the truck drivers that deliver freight across the country. To be able to make a living doing this is an opportunity I am always thankful for. And as always, I am constantly learning!

The Future of Auto/Diesel?

This week we once again did not turn a wrench, instead we invested a little time in the future generation of automotive and diesel mechanics.

In place of our Thursday class, we parked the 2016 Freightliner on loan to us from Matheny Truck Center outside the Arts and Sciences building, and I helped my class mate, Brittany Reed, introduce the truck, and the opportunities available in truck repair as a career path, to several groups of 7th and 8th graders. We also had another truck in our shop and out-of-chassis running engines to show them.

The truck we introduced the 7th and 8th graders to, 2016 Freightliner.

Another truck they got to play around with.

Baby Cummins, 37hp 3-cylinder diesel. They got to start it with a remote starter.

The big brother, Series 600 Cummins ISX. They got to rev it on the way out.

Some reflection this week:

These kids are the next generation of potential automotive and diesel mechanics. They are being introduced to the opportunities of this career path, and how to get started on that path. The level of engagement from these students was astounding. We opened a valve on one of the air tanks and let them find the air leak, which they did very quickly. Some of them had a lot of good and interesting questions.

These are opportunities and ideas I wish I had been introduced to at their age. One can only hope that they will take full advantage!

Cookout in the Shop

This week (following midterms) we had a cookout in celebration of our teacher's, Jeffrey Starkey's, birthday the following day. We cooked up some bratwurst and cube steak sandwiches on a propane grill right in the diesel shop next to our FLD Freightliner. We had some onions cut up and sautéed, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce, horseradish, buns and some soft drinks. And of course cheese!

Food has been cooked and is ready to be served.

Some reflection on our day:

We didn't turn any wrenches this week, instead we spent the class period grilling, eating, and sharing stories in good company. There's a lesson to be learned even here, about the benefits of getting to know those you work with and having a little camaraderie like we did sharing a meal. One day they could be the ones offering their hand to pick you up off the shop floor when you need it. And of course, sometimes a little food and a little bonding, even if just once in a while, can go a long way to making those hard work days go by a little smoother and a little more pleasantly.

Don't expect to see this sort of thing in your English or math classes, we do things a bit differently back here in the Auto/Diesel shop!

2015 DD13 Rebuild, part 1

This week we officially began disassembly of our 2015 DD13. This engine uses an amplified common rail fuel system. Following our midterm which involved tagging parts on this and other engines in our shop, we began disassembly.

Service information was helpful determining how we were to remove the fuel system. The high pressure fuel feed lines running from the rail to the injectors needed to be removed as well as electrical connections. The lines are fitted to the head with a line nut and a bracket. Unfortunately this setup does not accommodate us easy access, much like our coolant line fitting at the water pump on the N-14 Cummins in a previous post, here we once again break out the crow's foot wrench and ratchet.

Following the removal of electrical and fuel lines, the next step is removal of the actual injectors. Detroit Diesel Power Service Literature recommends a special tool be used for this, but we do not have this tool so we are looking into other options.

Below are a few of the pictures I took of the fuel rail and lines, these will aid in reassembly so we know where everything goes.

Valve cover off, getting ready to remove fuel lines.

Loosened the fittings, paper towels help keep fuel spillage to a minimum.

There's the fuel filter module.

Some reflection:

I have always appreciated and been an advocate of service information since the first day I started using it. I have used it extensively in both our school shop and on my own personal projects. Without it, there are many times where we would spend an hour figuring out what we could have had done in 5 minutes, or worse, guessing at something.

With that said, there are certain times when the "text book" approach will not get the job done, or the tool required is not at hand. Perhaps the wiring diagram gives you wire colors which don't quite match what's in the vehicle.

Service information is a guide and a road map, one which usually puts us where we need to be, or very close to it. But we also have to be prepared to improvise, because sometimes we encounter situations where it's simply not in the text book.

It has been one of those weeks.

The International Runs, and Coolant Everywhere!

This week we finished getting our International with the N-14 Cummins running. It was supposed to run last week, but we had a coolant leak in a bad spot which had to be repaired, and we ran out of time in class before we could finish the job.

With our International finally running and out of the shop, we moved upstairs to bring one of our out-of-chassis Caterpillar engines down, the results of that and a bit of reflection about that project are posted below.

Additionally, we took a look at our 2015 DD13 which is needing a rebuild. We have had this engine for some time but have only now had any time to even take the valve cover off and take a look. I have also gone ahead and printed out service information pertaining to the removal of the injectors which will be our first step.

Now, returning to our Caterpillar engine...

Coolant everywhere!

Drain pans were a bit late.

The actual engine, note floor dry being used to soak up the coolant.

Some reflection:

Could this have been avoided? The hose was removed at the water pump with the tank more than half full of coolant, and the results are pictured.

A little poking and prodding prior to removal would have revealed a drain valve at the bottom of the tank which could have been used to drain the system with less of a mess. Though not easily accessed, a rubber hose with drain pans at the other end might have fulfilled our needs.

 Something for us to remember for next time. Lesson learned!