Trucks at Work Blog

“The complexity of diagnostic codes has gotten tremendous – even technicians struggle with them. And there’s only going to be more of them developed over time.” –Tim Tindall, director of component sales for Daimler Trucks North America’s Detroit subsidiary

I always find the “back stories” about how a particular piece of truck equipment or technology came into being at times pretty interesting, as almost nothing in this industry ever follows a straight line from idea to development and on into reality.

Take the “Virtual Technician” real-time diagnostic system service that comes standard on all EPA 2010-compliant Freightliner brand trucks equipped with Detroit diesel engines (it’s an optional feature on Western Star trucks).

Tim Tindall, director of component sales for Daimler Trucks North America’s (DTNA) Detroit subsidiary (which makes not only Detroit diesel engines but heavy and medium-duty truck axles and possibly an automated mechanical transmission or “AMT” as well in the near-future) told me at a media event DTNA held here in Miami that “Virtual Technician” got its start back in 2008 as the company’s engineers struggled to find a way to keep tabs on the inner workings of the company’s selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emission control system during field tests. more

“The carpet underfoot in homes sometimes ends up in strange places, and now [it’s] landed in another unique spot – the cylinder head covers on some Ford engines.” –Brett Hinds, manager, engine design for Ford Motor Co.

Here’s a rather unique (and somewhat bizarre) recycling story – taking old carpet and turning it into engine cylinder head covers.

And not covers for some underpowered one-liter lawn mower engine, either – we’re talking about cylinder head covers for the 3.0-liter Duratec engine powering Ford Motor Co.’s Fusion sedan and Escape sport utility vehicle (SUV), along with the big 5.0-liter monster found under the hood of Ford’s new Mustang and F-150 pickup truck.

The stuff in question is called “EcoLon,” a nylon resin made from 100% recycled carpet by Wellman Engineering Resins used as the raw material to craft cylinder head covers for Ford by Dana Holding Corp.

By using EcoLon within these engine models last year, Ford saved over 4.1 million pounds of carpet from landfills – the equivalent of nearly 154 football fields –saving more than 430,000 gallons of oil in the process as well. more

“We expect the efficiencies to continue to climb as modifications are made and new simulations are conducted.” –Sal Scuderi, president of Scuderi Group, after fuel efficiency gains of 25% to 36% were identified via computer models developed by the Southwest Research Institute for his company’s new engine designs

I’ve written about the Scuderi Group’s revolutionary engine designs in this space before; designs that the company claims produces up to 80% fewer toxins than a typical internal combustion engine while posting big gains in fuel efficiency – all done without expensive aftertreatment systems.

Originally conceived and designed by Carmelo Scuderi (seen here at right; the namesake of the company, engine, and thermodynamic equations powering it), the Scuderi “split-cycle” engine design divides the four strokes of a conventional combustion cycle over two paired cylinders: one intake/compression cylinder and one power/exhaust cylinder.

By firing after top-dead center, it produces highly efficient, cleaner combustion with one cylinder and compressed air in the other, according to the Scuderi folks. Also, unlike conventional engines that require two crankshaft revolutions to complete a single combustion cycle, the Scuderi engine requires just one; all while purportedly producing more torque than conventional gasoline and diesel engines, the firm said. more

“The Shell Eco-marathon challenges students from across the globe to design and build energy efficient vehicles with the ultimate goal to see which team can go the farthest using the least amount of energy.” –Mark Singer, global project manager, Shell Oil Company

Sometimes, the best way to figure out new solutions to old problems is to toss a challenge to a bunch of eager high school and university students, stand back, and see what they come up with. That’s the thinking behind Shell Oil Co.’s annual “Eco-marathon” event, which the company holds in the Americas, Asia and in Europe.

The next U.S. running of the Eco-marathon competition takes place April 14-17, 2011 on the streets of downtown Houston, TX, and to keep it relevant to current automotive and energy trends, Shell has expanded the vehicle technology categories to include plug-in electric vehicles. The ultimate goal, however, remains the same: design a vehicle that can go the farthest distance using the least amount of energy.

Now, do any of these vehicles even remotely resemble something that could haul freight, much less be a practical source of transportation for the average motorist? Hardly; just look below and see for yourself some of the strange things these teams of students came up with during this year’s Eco-marathon back in March.

The key, though, is not so much the initial “practicality” of what these student teams design and build, but what their initial technological forays might lead to down the road. Some of these students work with diesel-based designs: maybe something they come up can be used to improve diesel engine fuel economy a few years from now.

That’s how this contest actually originated, way back in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the U.S. as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon from their vehicle. The winner of that contest barely achieved 50 miles per gallon, but from these humble origins, a more organized competition evolved.

In 1985 in France, the first “official” Shell Eco-marathon was born, followed in April 2007, the Shell Eco-marathon Americas event in the U.S. and the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia held in Malaysia last year.

The contest works like this: student teams are encouraged to participate in one or both of the “Prototype” and “Urban Concept” categories.

The “Prototype” category invites student teams to enter futuristic prototypes – streamlined vehicles focused on maximizing fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction.

However, the “Urban Concept” category – introduced at the 2009 event – focuses on more “roadworthy” fuel-efficient vehicles. Aimed at meeting the real-life needs of drivers, these vehicles are closer in appearance to the higher-mileage cars seen on roads today.

[Here are some more of the designs entered in the 2010 Eco-marathon Americas event in Houston.]

For both categories, teams can use any conventionally available energy source – including fuels such as diesel and gasoline as well as alternative fuels such as hydrogen, biomass, solar and, now, electric plug-in. For the 2011 “Eco-marathon,” though, plug-in electric vehicles can now be entered alongside hydrogen fuel cells and solar vehicles in the Electric-Mobility energy division.

To enter, the plug-in electric vehicle must be fully electric using lithium or similar type battery; therefore acid lead batteries are not permitted, Shell stressed.

Shell will hold a total of three Eco-marathon events around the world in 2011:

• The 5th Shell Eco-marathon Americas held April 14-17 on a street track around the Discovery Green park in Houston, TX;

• The 28th Shell Eco-marathon Europe held May 26-28 at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz track in Germany;

• The 2nd Shell Eco-marathon Asia held July 6-9 at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

One thing is for sure: no matter which team wins, all motorists could potentially get to share in the victory if the winning technology leads of improved fuel efficiency in everyday cars and trucks.

“Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?” –Frank Scully

There’s a large slice of human philosophy predicated on the maxim that if the fundamentals are sound, don’t fiddle around with them – a line of thought given voice in a myriad of different sayings, from “don’t reinvent the wheel” to “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

However, there’s another school of thought that goes roughly like this: if you don’t constantly break down the basics and reinvent your business or products on a continual basis, you’ll find yourself on day left in the dust on the side of the road. Silicon chip maker Intel provides and excellent example of this: they’ve spent decades literally re-inventing the computer chip to keep making it smaller yet more powerful.

That brings us to the lowly diesel engine piston – about as basic a component as you can get in the world of trucks these days. Yet pistons are now the focal point of a bevy of re-design efforts – some as part of an entire revamping of the diesel engine structure itself – as engineers seek ways to make the venerable diesel a more efficient and cleaner fuel-sipping workhorse.

Let’s start with Federal-Mogul Corp.’s new aluminum piston design, one the supplier touts can reliably withstand the mechanical and thermal loads produced by heavily boosted engines. This new piston, called “DuraBowl,” strengthens the crown of a piston by locally re-melting the alloy around the bowl, significantly improving the fatigue strength of the aluminum where it is most needed. The result is an extension of engine life to between four and seven times that achieved with a conventional cast piston, the company said.

[Neat idea – but couldn’t they have come up with a better name than ‘DuraBowl‘? Sounds like a line of ceramic foodware for toddlers!]

Frank Doernenburg, Federal-Mogul’s director of technology, noted that combustion in a diesel engine takes place in a hollow bowl in the top of the piston, where temperatures can reach over 750 degrees Fahrenheit (400 degrees Celsius) and pressures over 200 Bar. Under these increasingly difficult combustion conditions, the risk of failure of the rim of the piston bowl increases significantly, he said.

One reason for the thermal and mechanical failures of the piston bowl can be traced to the presence of free primary silicon particles distributed throughout the aluminum matrix, according to an analysis conducted by Federal-Mogul’s engineers. Silicon is a necessary constituent of the aluminum alloy used to make diesel engine pistons, offering favorable properties such as low expansion and good castability, so it cannot be eliminated.

However, the engineers found that aluminum expands eight times as much as silicon; therefore stresses are set up within the piston every time the temperature fluctuates. Furthermore, repeated mechanical loads, each time the cylinder fires, could result in fatigue failure from the corners of the silicon particles. The only potential solutions to this problem, until now, have been fiber-reinforced pistons, Doernenburg said.

“Fiber-reinforced pistons increase manufacturing complexity as the molten alloy has to infiltrate the fibers during casting,” he added. “But there is not yet a reliable, non-destructive way to test the integrity of the finished part. However, with our DuraBowl process, we can do an Eddy Current test to ensure the quality.”

Federal-Mogul’s solution is to pre-machine the cast piston and then re-melt the alloy around the rim of the bowl. “The strength and efficiency of our solution is that the process is physically simple,” said Doernenburg. “The sophistication is in the control of key parameters, which ensure consistent quality. The result is a technologically advanced, high-performing and very cost-competitive product when compared to both fiber-reinforced and steel pistons.”

He added that the re-melted alloy cools a thousand times faster than it did when originally cast, which leads to much smaller silicon particles; only one tenth of the previous size. Metallurgists refer to this as refinement of the microstructure – a technique known to increase the strength and durability of metal alloys.

Combined with a rapid cooling process, this re-melting technique significantly changes the alloy’s microstructure by reducing the size of hardening phases such as silicon particles and inter-metallics, Doernenburg pointed out – and the result is a piston bowl rim whose first few millimeters provide significantly improved aluminum strength, further enabling engine manufacturer’s efforts to downsize or turbo-boost engines for greater specific output.

“The re-melting process certainly increases piston life and performance substantially, while at the same time, serving as a contributor to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide,” Doernenburg said. “A conservative estimate would be a fourfold improvement in the life of any cast piston which suffers from bowl rim failures.”

Re-designed pistons also play a key role in a new thermodynamic engine process developed by the Scuderi Group – a process that “fires” the pistons after top dead center. Originally conceived and designed by Carmelo Scuderi (1925-2002), the Scuderi engine is expected to produce up to 80% fewer toxins than a typical internal combustion engine while posting gains in efficiency – without all the aftertreatment systems.

I wrote about this unique design not too long ago. In a nutshell, the Scuderi split-cycle design divides the four strokes of a conventional combustion cycle over two paired cylinders: one intake/compression cylinder and one power/exhaust cylinder. By firing after top-dead center, it produces highly efficient, cleaner combustion with one cylinder and compressed air in the other, the company noted – and it uses re-designed pistons as part of the process to achieve these gains.

[Watch the video below for more details on the Scuderi engine design, including how the pistons and cylinders can be reshaped to deliver more efficient power.]

This all goes to show that when it comes to improving the efficiency and cleanliness of diesel engines, nothing is impossible if you are open to re-designing even the most basic of its components.

“Do you think that the future of propulsion lies in the modification of the internal combustion engine? I think, at least for the long term, [we] are spitting into the wind. We already have an efficient IC [internal combustion] engine. I think we should be looking at other means of propulsion.” –Steve Grantham, maintenance supervisor for Allied Waste Services, which is now mergered with waste giant Republic Services

A long time reader of this blog and a frequent, insightful commentator, Steve Grantham posed the question above in reference to my post yesterday on the joint efforts by the Dept. of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and private industry to spur vehicle innovations.

Steve’s question – submitted within a longer comment – raises a very interesting point; for all intents and purposes, has the internal combustion engine, specifically the diesel model, run its course as an efficient method for vehicle propulsion? Is it time to replace it with something else?

I don’t think so – especially where the diesel engine is concerned, even though its invention dates back over a century. The diesel, of course, takes its name from its inventor – Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel, a German engineer convinced there had to be a more efficient form of vehicle propulsion than the steam engines used by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz to power the automobile they invented in 1887.

By 1893, Rudolf (seen here at right) worked out his own engine design, one that cleverly used extremely high air compression ratios — creating over 1,000 degrees of heat — to ignite fuel injected into the cylinder.

That’s a critical feat of engineering, I might add, because it totally eliminated the need for a “spark” to light off the fuel. That also makes a diesel engine extremely versatile in that ANY type of material can be used as fuel, Glenn Lysinger, chief compliance officer for Detroit Diesel Corp., told me a couple of years ago. “It’s the quality of the fuel that is important,” he explained. “If the fuel is made correctly, is of a consistent quality so it’ll burn evenly and not leave residue, the [diesel] engine is insensitive to where it came from.”

Yet at the end of the day it boils down to efficiency – especially in terms of fuel consumption. Rudolf Diesel got out a blank sheet of paper back in the 19th century because even the very best steam engines of his day (at the time, the only major power source for vehicles) were only 10% to 15% thermodynamically efficient – meaning up to 90% of the available energy in the fuel used to produce the steam to power the vehicles got wasted.

Rudolf’s invention, of course, did much better – and engineers over the more than 100 years since the ink dried on the patent for the diesel engine have made significant improvements. But emission controls of late are sending the diesel’s efficiency numbers in reverse. A few years ago, I talked to Jules Routbort about that very issue.

A senior scientist with Argonne National Laboratories – the DOE’s research arm – and technical program manager for heavy vehicle systems, Routbort explained to me that the peak thermal efficiency of a heavy truck diesel engine reached 54% in the late 1990s, but dropped to 40% by the time EGR [exhaust gas recirculation] were introduced to control diesel pollution back in 2002 and 2007. Though OEMs using selective catalytic reduction [SCR] technologies to meet the 2010 round of emission rules say it will allow engines to gain back some of that lost efficiency, they won’t get all the way back to that 54%.

So back to Grantham’s question – what’s next? Do we scrap the diesel entirely? I just don’t think so. I mean, the diesel is so interwoven into our daily life – powering trucks, cars, backup generators, you name it – that It would be hard, if not impossible, to replace. Nothing else has the efficiency and durability of the engine (though, as Grantham mentioned, that durability and ease of maintenance is way, WAY down compared to earlier models).

Different fuels seem to offer a better path – as do some new designs. The Scuderi Group, for example, is in the midst of testing out a new thermodynamic engine process called “Firing After Top Dead Center” which (obviously) it’s dubbed the “Scuderi Cycle.” Originally conceived and designed by Carmelo Scuderi (1925-2002), the Scuderi engine is expected to produce up to 80% fewer toxins than a typical internal combustion engine while posting gains in efficiency – without all the aftertreatment systems.

In a nutshell, the Scuderi split-cycle design divides the four strokes of a conventional combustion cycle over two paired cylinders: one intake/compression cylinder and one power/exhaust cylinder. By firing after top-dead center, it produces highly efficient, cleaner combustion with one cylinder and compressed air in the other, the company noted.

Unlike conventional engines that require two crankshaft revolutions to complete a single combustion cycle, the Scuderi Engine requires just one. Besides the improvements in efficiency and emissions, studies show that the Scuderi Cycle is capable of producing more torque than conventional gasoline and diesel engines, the firm said.

Right now, the company is testing a naturally aspirated, 1-liter gasoline-powered prototype is currently which the company says is expected to reach efficiency gains of 5% to 10% more than any conventional gasoline engine on the road today. When fully developed with its turbocharged and Air-Hybrid components, Sal Scuderi (seen here at right), president of the Scuderi Group, told me the engine is expected to achieve efficiency levels of 25% to 50% percent higher.

Sal also told me in an interview a few months back when testing got started that his father’s new design is definitely applicable to diesel engines, and that once testing is completed on the gasoline version, a diesel engine prototype is next.

“Preliminary test results are very encouraging,” he explained. “The pressure curves produced from the combustion process of firing after top dead center are showing excellent results and torque levels remain very strong.”

Is something like this the key to revitalizing the future of the diesel engine? At the moment, only maybe, for as we all know what works well in the lab doesn’t always perform as well on the road. But the Scuderi Cycle and other innovations – the diesel-electric hybrid powertrain, for one – seem to offer some good options for boosting the efficiency of the diesel engine, thus keeping it a viable option for future transportation needs.

“Diesel power is working for us today – in our everyday lives – in key sectors of our economy like trucking, freight rail, industrial applications, passenger transportation, construction, agriculture, back-up emergency power and emergency response. Diesel technology is working 24/7 to keep our economy strong and to enhance our quality of life.” –Allen Schaeffer, executive director, Diesel Technology Forum

This week at the Clean Diesel Technology Showcase held here in Washington D.C., Allen Schaeffer (seen below), executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum (and the main sponsor-slash-organizer of the event) put together a nice little story illustrating how the diesel engine impacts daily life here in the U.S. – using a plain loaf of Wonderbread.

Now, before we get started, for the most part I know I’m largely preaching to the choir here – most folks reading this are involved in some way with the transportation industry and understand in their bones how critical a role the diesel engine plays in everyday American life.

The problem is the diesel is taken completely for granted by almost everyone else in this great nation of ours – especially by our politicians. I can’t tell you the number of polemics I’ve seen over the years railing against “dirty” diesel power by people who obviously don’t have a clue how critical linchpin that same “dirty” engine is in their life – how everything from food distribution to trash pickup and mass transit would grind to a halt without the diesel.

That’s what I liked about Schaeffer’s story – it clearly reveals how tightly the diesel is woven into the fabric of American life. We talk a good game about “electrification” of transportation in this country and increasing the use of alternative fuels, but for now – and for the conceivable future – the diesel is the only engine that gets the job we need done across a vast slice of industries, from construction to farming, fire and rescue service, railroads, trucking, you name it. We’d literally be up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle if the diesel engine up and disappeared on us.

“Though these are vastly different applications of diesel engines, the diesel value proposition is the same: the unmatched combination of proven fuel-efficiency, power, performance, durability, reliability and versatility,” said Schaeffer. And this is where that loaf of Wonderbread comes into play.

“If you’re still wondering about the connection between all these different kinds of technology and how it could possibly fit together, consider this loaf of bread,” Schaeffer said. “It started out as a grain of wheat – and that grain of wheat, of course, began as a seed. An Iowa farmer picked up a full pallet of seed bags in his GM Chevrolet Silverado heavy duty pick-up truck powered by a Duramax diesel engine. He then planted, cultivated and harvested the wheat from a field using his diesel-powered John Deere tractor.

When he harvested the wheat, he took it to the local farmers cooperative where it joined other grain headed for a mill downriver. That river barge got pushed by a marine work boat powered by a Caterpillar diesel marine engine. From the mill, the wheat got processed into flour and shipped in a freight train hopper car pulled by a diesel-powered locomotive to a bakery.

The bakery got the wheat and other ingredients that go into making bread – even the packaging for the finished loaves – delivered by the diesel-powered truck. Though a nasty thunderstorm knocked out the electrical power, the bakery fortunately had a back-up diesel generator in place to keep production and refrigeration equipment operating.

The finished loaf of bread then went by diesel-powered tractor-trailer to a regional distribution center 500 miles away. That truck made the trip in record time because of the new highway interchange construction project finished just in the course of the last week by a new Caterpillar D7E diesel-electric hybrid-drive bulldozer and other diesel-power equipment.

The loaf of bread arrived at the regional distribution center where it was then loaded on to another diesel-powered tractor trailer and taken another 150 miles of bread to its final destination – your neighborhood grocery store.

You, of course, began your day by watching a diesel-powered recycling truck on its morning route. At breakfast, you notice you’re down to your last slice of bread so you make a note to hit the grocery store today for a loaf of bread. You see your daughter off to school, climbing aboard a diesel-electric hybrid school bus and then jump in your new Volkswagen Jetta TDI diesel sedan and head off to work; noting the fuel economy meter in the dashboard is showing 41 mpg as you drive along the highway.

Later you go out to lunch with a co-worker in her new Audi Q7 TDi diesel sedan and you both remark about the fuel economy and pick-up from both of your diesel-powered cars – and that neither of you ever imagined yourselves as driving a diesel, but you love how far you can go on a tank and how peppy it is and talk about trying biodiesel the next time you fill up.

After work, you’re headed to the grocery store for the loaf of bread, but get delayed by a traffic accident – one where diesel-powered emergency rescue vehicles and an ambulance are on the scene, ready to quickly transport the injured to a hospital. You make it to the grocery store, get that loaf of bread, and remember to pick up your son from the nearby city bus stop, as he rides a diesel-electric hybrid transit bus to his high school every day.

As you get home and start putting away the groceries, your daughter notices the loaf of Wonderbread and asks innocently: Where does bread come from?

So here’s our loaf of bread – and it’s an example of how diesel power is working for all of us today. From farm tractors, river barges, railroads, commercial trucks, power generation, construction equipment, fire and rescue services and public and school transportation, and now your own car, diesel power – and today, it’s clean diesel power – plays an important and ongoing role in many aspects of our lives.”

That’s something worth remembering, even for those like me where the diesel is an ongoing part of daily discussion.

“Developing the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel engine was an awesome endeavor.” –Adam Gryglak, lead diesel engine manager, Ford Motor Co.

Well, it might be an awesome endeavor, and from the looks of it, Ford Motor Co.’s new diesel engine may indeed make some waves in many segments of the light- and medium-duty truck market … but the company is sure being cagey about the big important details when it comes to this product; cagey to the point where a lot of key information won’t be released until the end of this year or maybe even early 2010. And such delay might at least in the short run generate more questions than answers about Ford’s new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel.

Now, don’t get me wrong here: I think this engine will only add gusto to Ford’s already popular F-Series Super Duty truck line. The information revealed in a conference call with the company’s lead engineers certainly shows they’ve done their homework, combining a new materials and technology to build an engine that will not only meet the tough 2010 emission regulations, but offer fuel economy, performance, and weight saving improvements as well.

As our lead story today notes, the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel weighs in at 160 pounds lighter than product it replaces (product formerly built for Ford by Navistar) using a compacted graphite iron (CGI) engine block and aluminum cylinder heads. A unique “inboard” exhaust design means the exhaust manifolds reside in the “valley” of the engine instead of outboard, with the intake outboard of the engine – leading to essentially “flipped around” cylinder heads in comparison with previous V-8 engine architectures.

Adam Gryglak (below), Ford’s lead diesel engine manager, added that this exhaust design is an “automotive-industry first” for a modern production diesel engine in the conference call late yesterday and noted it offers several advantages.

First, the overall exhaust system volume is reduced, meaning air can be fed to the single turbocharger quicker for faster spool up and reduced lag, resulting in improved throttle response for the customer. Next, the improved packaging also places components that need to be in cooler air away from hot exhaust pipes, resulting in better thermal management and, by extension, better fuel economy.

“The physical size of the system is smaller, but more importantly, the air-handling part of the system is considerably smaller and that translates directly into the responsiveness of the engine,” said Gryglak, noting that the volume of the exhaust system feeding the turbocharger is smaller by about 50% because of the inboard exhaust system architecture.

All of this is being combined with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment system, so the engine complies with the tough 2010 regulations.

OK, good stuff – so good that these features represent but a few of the 111 patents Ford filed in relation to this new diesel powertrain, Gryglak said; again, clear evidence that the OEM is wringing as much power, performance, and efficiency out of the diesel engine as possible while keeping it emission-compliant. Heck, this new engine is going to come to market B20 compatible as well, so it can operate on a maximum biodiesel blended fuel made up of 20% biodiesel and 80%regular petroleum diesel. That’s a big step, as some OEMs only certify B5 biodiesel blends for use in their diesels.

And yet … what are the horsepower and torque ratings for this new engine? We don’t know – for Ford is planning to stay mum on those numbers until the official launch date for the new product early next year. What will the surcharge be to cover the cost of all the emission-control technology required to comply with the 2010 rules? We don’t know that either – Ford doesn’t plan to reveal that until the end of this year. How about warranty coverage? Again, that’s unknown, until at least the beginning of 2010.

These are the big questions in the minds of many fleets – especially when it comes to the 2010 surcharges. A lot of OEMs have already released that information in the medium-duty segment, including Navistar, Daimler Trucks North America (owned by Germany’s Daimler AG), and Toyota’s Hino Trucks.

Will waiting until the end of the year to release this information boomerang on Ford? Or not? It’ll be interesting to see how that decision to withhold such details plays out in the truck market.

Engine oil is no longer considered to be “just” engine oil in the trucking world anymore. In fact, most lubricant manufacturers believe engine oils – and the services geared to support it, such as oil analysis programs – now play an even more critical role in helping fleets keep truck productivity up, minimize downtime, as well as significantly extend the life of the engine.

Within the lubricant world, however, there are many different ways to achieve those goals for truckers – some that are radically different from others.

Let’s start with Mark Betner, product manager for heavy-duty lubricants at Citgo Petroleum Corp. He believes thinner (read as lower viscosity) engine oils can play a tremendous role in giving fleets not only better wear protection, but also better engine “startability” in cold weather. Using 5-weight oil instead of the standard 15-weight oil used in trucking may seem way outside the box for some fleets, but Betner’s long-term field research backs him up, he believes.

Watch Betner explain his thinking as to why thinner may be better in the clip below. I’ve talked to him before on this subject and he’s got a compelling story to tell – one that could benefit fleets in several ways – so it bears repeating.

Another school of thought, though, is the use of a new and unusual additive package – Liquid titanium, now blended by ConocoPhillips into its Kendall brand of CJ-4 truck engine oil. T. Shawn Ewing, technical service coordinator-commercial lubricants for ConocoPhillips, told me liquid titanium helps improve metal-to-metal contact within the engine, alleviating wear and corrosion.

Watch and see what your impressions are in the interview with Ewing that follows.

Of course, it’s no longer just about the oil itself. Every lubricant maker has stressed to me over the years that fleets really need to add in an ongoing oil analysis program to their maintenance practices in order to make sure the oil is not only doing what it’s supposed to do, but also as a way to get an early warning if something else goes wrong.

Shell Lubricants is taking that one step further with its Video Check program, designed to augment oil analysis if a program is detected in an engine. Rather than take a truck down for a few days to perform a time-consuming and expensive partial teardown, Shell’s system uses a thin fiber-optic cable containing a high resolution digital camera to conduct a detailed interior inspection of the engine in a matter of hours, requiring only that an injector be pulled.

Dan Arcy, Shell’s OEM technical marketing manager, showed me how the system works and why it’s a beneficial “backstop” for fleets.

All of these efforts just go to show that engine oils are no longer considered simply black fluids poured in and drained out with boring repetition anymore. They play too vital a role in keeping a fleet’s trucks up, running, and making money to be taken that lightly.

“The combination of Navistar‘s truck design, development and manufacturing expertise and Caterpillar‘s worldwide distribution creates a significant advantage for global customers through the ability to offer the right vehicle for the right application.” -Dee Kapur, president, Navistar Truck Group

Hoo boy. Here we go. By the end of today, we‘ll have news stories galore all over the place detailing the just announced “memorandum of understanding” Caterpillar Inc. and Navistar International Corp. to form a strategic partnership aimed at garnering more share of the global truck business, while cooperating on a variety of engine platforms.

They intend to work together to develop, manufacture and distribute commercial trucks in select regions outside of North America - which includes a full line of medium and heavy-duty trucks in both conventional and cab over designs. Will we see those trucks come into the North American market someday in the future? If I was a betting man, I‘d wager a few bucks that they will.

Caterpillar and Navistar also plan to develop a mid-range engines for diesel applications, such as school buses and utility trucks in the U.S. This engine development would support each company‘s stated path not to utilize urea-based Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology.

(Are Cat’s on-highway products gone for good?)

“There are many opportunities for technology sharing and development that would result in the ability to better meet the worldwide demand for diesel engines in both on and off-highway applications,” said Jack Allen, president of Navistar‘s Engine Group.

Here‘s the big shot across the bow, however: Through this alliance, Caterpillar says it plans introduce a 2010 emission-compliant North American Cat branded heavy-duty truck for severe service applications, such as road construction, large infrastructure projects and oil and petroleum development … but WILL NOT supply EPA 2010 compliant engines to truck and other on-highway original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In other words, no more on-highway Cat engines — period.

“Caterpillar and our dealers will continue to provide product support and service beyond 2010 for all Caterpillar on-highway engines regardless of truck brand,” said Douglas R. Oberhelman, Caterpillar‘s group president. “This new truck–targeted for 2010–will incorporate the legendary quality of Caterpillar‘s construction and mining machines and provide construction customers a one-stop solution.”

(A diesel particulate filter [DPF] Cat came up with to help its engines comply with 2007 emission regs … which may also disappear from the U.S. market too … )

In addition, with nearly 90% of its engine business being off-highway, Caterpillar plans to continue concentrating on opportunities to supply engines in the petroleum, marine, electric power generation and industrial markets–as well as produce engines for its own construction and mining equipment, Oberhelman said.

“In the past 15 years, Cat has become significantly less dependent on the sale of on-highway truck engines in the total contribution of our global engine profitability,” said Oberhelman. “Our global power systems business has grown significantly–in fact we supply approximately 400,000 diesel engines annually outside of the on-highway truck market. We intend to remain the world leader in clean diesel engines, and this collaboration is a key enabler.”

Caterpillar has long faced problems adapting its engines to the emission mandates being put in place for commercial trucks, you know. One reason it did not follow the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) pathway every other truck engine maker did was because that technology didn‘t work in the construction, mining, and other engine markets Caterpillar served - forcing it to forge a different route to emission control.

It’s also not surprising Caterpillar made this decision to get out of the on-highway market - especially as two of the largest users of its on-highway models, Peterbilt and Kenworth, are going to get their own proprietary engines starting in 2010.

In early 2007, Paccar announced it would build a $400-million engine plant in Missouri to manufacture 12.9-liter and 9.2-liter engines for its Peterbilt and Kenworth Class 8 trucks for the North American and global markets. These engines are based off what the company is building in Europe via its DAF and Leyland operations.

“The…facility…positions Paccar to capitalize on growing opportunities in North America, Europe and Asia,” said Mark Pigott, Paccar chairman & CEO. “It will provide the flexibility to supply products and components to Paccar facilities and customers on a global basis.”

This is the trend Caterpillar hopes to navigate with its Navistar partnership, for to comply with emission standards that differ by country as well as to keep production costs in check, many diesel engine manufacturers are tying their global network of factories together more tightly enabling them to use a single engine platform to meet worldwide needs. It’s a topic I’ve written about many times, so I’ll share some of that thinking gained from other engine makers over the last few months here.

“Engines are an international business nowadays,” said Lothar Lemmermeier, head of supplier management and assistant general manager for Daimler AG‘s engine plant and foundry in Mannheim, Germany.

(Detroit Diesel’s new DD15 is built on a global engine platform used throughout the world by its parent company, Daimler AG.)

“There‘s fierce competition in the engine market, added to the demands of emissions compliance,” he noted. “As a result, we‘re trying to better optimize our global production flow - standardizing processes across all our plants, worldwide, while maximizing the benefits of scale.”

To accomplish that, Daimler is creating a “synchronous factory” design to manage its far-flung network of factories - coordinating production and support between the Mannheim plant and Detroit Diesel Corp.‘s facility in Redford, MI and Mitsubishi Fuso‘s engine plant in Kawasaki, Japan, along with Daimler‘s foundries in Capetown, South Africa and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Daimler‘s new HDEP global engine platform is being built via this new “synchronous” approach, said Lemmermeier - allowing the company to build just a single engine product line that can be “tweaked” to meet specific market needs, from emission standards to power ratings.

Under this new program, components are built to be shared among all the factories, rather than have each plant build entire engines specific to the markets they serve, he noted. “For example, our Atlantis foundry in South Africa supplies 14.8 and 12.8 liter engine blocks to Redford, with Mannheim supplying camshafts and head liners for the 12. 8 unit,” Lemmermeier noted. “Redford builds the piston heads, liners, and camrods for the 14.8 liter engine - and supplies camrods to Mannheim for our 10.8 liter engine.”

Other engine makers are also engaging in similar global manufacturing strategies - especially Navistar, which partnered with MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, based in Munich, Germany to forge a “strategic agreement” back in 2004 to collaborate on the design, development, sourcing and manufacturing of components and systems for commercial trucks. That deal resulted in the new big bore line of MaxxForce engines for International highway trucks.

(Navistar is still going to equip its on-highway products with MaxxForce engines … no Cat need apply.)

How that deal gets affected by the new one with Caterpillar we can‘t say right now - we‘ll learn more later. But it‘s safe to say that Cat-Navistar partnerhsip is going to create a large seismic shift in the truck engine market, meaning fleets and owner-operators alike will again see spec‘ing options they used to enjoy in the past disappear completely in the near future.

“This is an important step for Caterpillar and we look forward to working with Navistar for the continued benefit of our customers, ” said Jim Owens, Caterpillar‘s chairman and CEO.

“This relationship is a perfect example of Navistar‘s strategy of growth through leveraging our own assets and those that others have built,” added Daniel C. Ustian, Navistar‘s chairman, president and CEO. “In partnership with Caterpillar we intend to extend our leading-edge product focus that we have in North America into the rest of the world.”

Needless to say, this is a deal that‘s going to create some interesting reactions in the truck and engine market in the U.S., I can assure you of that.