Search Results

When Were Turbochargers Invented? Looking back in history to find out when were turbochargers invented, you’ll find two major events that gave the turbo its rise to prominence. The first is WWII, when turbochargers were used for warplanes to help plane engines cope with flying at high altitudes. The second is the release of SAAB’s 99 Turbo in 1978, which really helped popularize the technology around the world. Goldfarb & Associates is a family-owned and operated auto parts company. With decades of experience in the indus...

5 Reasons Why You Should Consider an Exhaust Brake If you have ever hauled a large load down a mountain, you know what kind of nightmare scenario this can present for your brakes. Trying to slow down for a sharp curve with thousands of pounds riding your tail isn't exactly fun for you, either. And while downshifting can help ease the wear on your brakes (and your nerves), your diesel would do well with a supplemental braking system to halt your momentum on steep grades. Enter the exhaust brake. The exhaust brake is a butterfly valve that ...

Low Fuel Pressure Problems and How to Prevent Them Nearly every diesel engine on the road today uses fuel injection technology of some sort. That means the fuel injected into your combustion chamber must first undergo a process of pressurization before it's delivered to your injectors. Unfortunately, a lot can go wrong along the way to cause you to lose fuel pressure. How Your Fuel System Works First things first, though. Let's talk about how your fuel injection system operates. Since many high-performance diesels use a common rail de...

Why Balancing Will Save Your Turbocharger One could argue that every diesel engine should have a turbocharger. They increase engine performance, boost fuel efficiency, and deliver more horsepower and towing capacity. In addition, turbochargers give your vehicle the functional power and capacity of a much larger engine without the actual size, allowing for reduced emissions. Size Doesn’t Matter An engine’s power, or the strength of its combustion, depends on how much fuel and oxygen it can burn. When you have a smaller engine, the amo...

A Quick Guide to Replacing a Turbocharger If your turbocharger is dying and you have some extra time to save some money and tackle the project yourself, you have come to the right place. This guide can help you understand why your turbocharger may be failing and then walk you through the steps to replace your faulty turbocharger with a new one. Read through all the steps before you dive in to make sure you have all necessary parts and understand what you’ll be doing. Main Causes of Turbocharger Failure Before you start loosening the ...

Smoke Signals: What the Smoke is Saying About Your Car Exhaust from your diesel engine should be a light or thin white. If it is anything else, that may signify you have a problem going on somewhere. Luckily, the color of the smoke can be a clue in helping you figure out what is going wrong. Here is a quick guide to understanding what the smoke from your diesel engine is trying to tell you. White Smoke As mentioned, a thin, white smoke exiting your vehicle when you start the engine (especially on a cold day) may not be cause for concern. It is li...

How to Avoid Injection Pump Failure When you stop at a gas station to fill up your vehicle, that fuel goes into the fuel tank. But, for your vehicle to utilize the fuel you just put in there, it needs to be moved from the tank to the cylinders in the engine, where air and fuel are mixed and internal combustion occurs to create the power to move your vehicle. How does the fuel get from the tank to the cylinder? The diesel fuel injection pump, or diesel fuel pump, is responsible for transporting the fuel to your engine. This pump...

A Quick Guide to Degrading Engine Power If you take your diesel-powered vehicle up a hill regularly and notice one day it doesn't seem to handle it as well as usual, you might rightfully be concerned. A number of factors could contribute to the degrading of your engine's power. Here's a quick guide to help you troubleshoot the reason your engine isn't functioning at its best. 1. Check Engine Light. The first place to check is your check engine light. If the light is illuminated, run some diagnostic software to dete...

How to Run Dry and Wet Compression Tests If your diesel engine has not been providing adequate power lately, you may want to consider running a compression test. A compression test will help you determine the condition of your valves, cylinders, and rings, and it can be completed by following some simple steps. Tips Before You Test Before beginning to run a compression test on your engine, you will want to take note of these tips: To run the test you will need to remove the spark plugs. Spark plugs are commonly made of aluminum. Be...

Seven Cold Weather Tips for Your Diesel Engine Have your fingers ever been so cold you can't seem to move them? They might still wiggle, but they move with less accuracy and much more slowly than when they are warmed up and pumped full of blood. Your diesel engine is just like your fingers. In extremely cold temperatures, it may take a little bit of time and work to get your engine up and running to its fullest capacity. Modern diesel engines are designed to be used at extreme temperatures, so owning a diesel engine while living in a ...

12 Ways to Reduce Noise from Your Diesel Generator It's no secret that diesel generators can generate not only power but also a lot of noise. Whatever your need for a generator is, it's safe to say that it can become annoying rather quickly. We have gathered some tips to reduce noise from your diesel generator. You can find and implement one or more to fit your needs. 1. Buy the Right Generator. The first way to reduce noise from a generator starts before you even buy one. The larger the generator, the more noise it is going to produc...

10 Tricks to be Fuel Efficient with Your Diesel With gas prices creeping upwards every day, it's natural to want to get the biggest bang for your buck in your diesel-powered vehicle. Here are a few tips to help you achieve maximum fuel efficiency while driving. 1. Use Cruise Control. Letting your vehicle maintain one speed instead of allowing it to fluctuate between higher and lower speeds actually makes your vehicle more efficient. If you are constantly recalibrating your speeds and driving inconsistently, you are wasting gas. The onl...

How to Find a Clogged Fuel Injector Diesel fuel injection is a key part of any diesel engine system. Diesel fuel injection parts are the parts that ensure the engine receives the correct amount of fuel at the correct time by delivering the fuel to the cylinders as a fine mist (so it is easier to burn). Keeping fuel injectors unclogged is critical to a functioning fuel-injected engine. If a fuel injector is clogged, it can't inject fuel, and you face a number of problems. These problems can manifest themselves in different w...

Get Fluent in the Language of Diesel Engines If you are unfamiliar with how diesel engines work, the parts and terminology can seem like a foreign language. Let’s break down some of the common components of the diesel engine. Original engine manufacturer (OEM): The OEM is the original producer of a particular car’s parts. OEM parts will be identical to the original ones installed in the car. OEM products are typically sold through branded car dealerships and the automaker directly. Since these products are guaranteed to be compatible wi...

Honoring the Best 60 Tractor C. L. Best, who is known for his work as a pioneering tractor company executive, used to say, “When you sell someone a tractor, you’d run that check to the bank before it broke down and they’d complain.” That was not the case, however, for the crowning achievement of his tractor career: the Best 60 tractor. What’s Different about the Best 60 Tractor? The Best 60 tractor changed the tractor world. But what exactly did this tractor do that no other tractor had done before? Transmission. The B...

How the Diesel Engine Came to Be Diesel engines seem to power the world. They can be found in nearly every type of machinery. But how did diesel engines get their start? In the 1870s, a young Rudolf Diesel sat in a lecture given by Carl von Linde on thermodynamics. Delivered at the Royal Bavarian Polytechnic of Munich, that lecture would change the world as we know it. In this lecture, Diesel learned that it was conceivable that one could make an internal combustion engine that would turn all of its heat into useful work. To...