About half of those who attended the day posing for the obligatory group picture.

Our day kicked off with an introduction by Dave Webster of Cooma Diesel Service (CDS). He quickly listed the topics of the day and introduced Scott from Denco Diesel (DD) who was going to ably assist by running some of the workshop sessions. Both these guys were ably assisted during the day by staff from each of their shops who willingly gave up a Saturday for our benefit.

 Dave kicked off straight away getting into the whys and wherefores of diesel stuff. VE pumps?, Yep, had several of those. Cutaway inline pump?. Check!. A heap of items were provided to help assist us to understand the components that go into diesel injection systems over the past 30+ years. Also available were items that are yet to see service in Australia such as Common Rail pumps. Much discussion was had detailing the progress of diesel injection technology and where it was heading. In addition we discussed relevant points about service and maintenance. While a bit techy at times, no one seemed to glaze over except GC and Dazza who arrived [late] already looking that way.

 
Dave Webster shows the gang around the assembly  work area where pumps are assembled prior to heading off to the test benches.

Next we were off to the pump room. CDS's workshop is clean. Very clean. I think it was a surprise to many not to see a dirty and grungy workshop where cleaning up often involves removing the top couple of mm of dirt and grease off the floor. In fact, to service upcoming new injection systems, CDS are installing a Class 10 clean room (cleaner than anything you'll likely experience) in the next few months.

 
Dave showing the operation of a 1HZ injector pump on an early test bench. It also gave graphic demonstration of the nasty affect a pusher pump has on the operation of the injector pump.

Demo's were provided of  a Toyota 1HZ VE (rotary) fuel pump and also a high pressure VE pump from a Toyota 1HD-FTE. The noise was deafening!. Fingers in ears helped, but you could still hear what was happening. Hmm, maybe all that noise under the bonnet isn't combustion noise but rather just the pump rotating and injecting.

A newer High Pressure 1HD-FTE pump on the computerized test bench. A tough environment on the ears...

Some people were so scared of the noise they stood outside the glass walled room.

 
Live display of injector testing on the dual stage injectors like those found on the 1HD-T, 1HD-FT and 1HD-FTE engines.

After the pump room we went into the injector room. A whole room dedicated to just servicing the injectors!. The precision required these days to produce a quality product shows when companies don't use analogue gauges, but prefer to manufacture expensive digital testing equipment. The result?. Exact and repeatable pressures on injectors all the time. This translates into perfectly matched injector sets for maximum power and smoothness. Injector operation was discussed and explanations were provided why lapping injectors is not something to be contemplated these days. (The equipment is there for injectors that specify lapping, but nothing manufactured in the last 30 years is designed for hand lapping).

After a short break for a BBQ lunch it was back into tech talk. Discussions went on covering intercoolers. Designs, construction and fabrication were covered. We had the pleasure of additional input by George C on this topic. His background in thermodynamic modelling and hands on experience at Safari/Air Power systems provided additional reassurance that intercoolers were a good thing for all turbo diesels regardless of where you live. Peoples fears of overheating the coolant radiator (and hence engine) were put to bed with some other myths. Bottom line: If you can afford it an intercooler is an investment in increased reliability with a little extra power to boot.

Dave had a good display of the variety of intercooler construction types found today.

Close up of one of the better intercoolers out there. Internal and external finning substantially increases the intercooler's efficiency.

As part of any service work you want to KNOW that the end result has been worthwhile. With the large volume of work that Authorised diesel fuel shops do, they know exactly how much power and torque your vehicle should be making. The use of a dyno verifies that things are tuned properly, and fine tuning can be undertaken with measurable results noted. One thing I’ve noted over the years is that dyno results in themselves are only part of the picture and may not always show clearly that parts are worn. Experience, specialised training, and proper testing equipment are all part of what is required to provide a quality product and service.

 
Norm's car on the dyno. Norm was doing his best to suck the gut in.

Newer diesel systems incorporate ECU’s and electronic readers are used to verify that all sensors are working correctly. Again, this demonstrates that there is more to servicing than just a quick clean of injectors and adjusting pump timing.

 
Turbo balancing machine.

Turbochargers were also on the agenda. Looking at how turbo’s are balanced to within less than a gram on specialist machinery…. The overheads in a properly equipped workshop sure are high!. Reliability of turbo’s got raised and was duly dispatched. Turbo’s should last the life of a motor in a properly maintained engine. As someone who has had an engine without, then with a turbo, I’d never be without a turbo again.

Talking turbos... A turbocharger's rotating group gets the once over.

All too soon (after 8 hours!) our day ended. The consensus was that it was a great day provided by CDS and DD and everyone went away with new knowledge.

Some of the gang during the afternoon's question/answer session.

Dave Webster (centre) and his team up against the wall as questions were fired at them.

 Well done Cooma Diesel Service and Denco Diesel!.

If you’re interested in attending a DID day then email mailto:dieselfumes4me@yahoo.com and let the Grinch know. These days are only held in Canberra and are not suitable for children or bored spouses.

See you at DID2,

Grinch

Miscellaneous Pictures

People waiting with baited breath as Brian's question about installing an external venting blow off valve on his 1HD-FTE was pondered.

Mazza, Dazza and GC discussing "stuff" during the lunch break. 

Maz sneaking up behind Darren whilst he was giving Ian an earful.

Norm getting his hands dirty - now a rare sight.

What began as a sincere attempt at fixing an under powered Nissan by installing a Toyota 1HZ engine, Daz seized on the opportunity by attempting to make off with the engine to fit to his Prado.

Darren and GC's trip to Canberra

The weekend got off to a side splitting start. After meeting with Ian and a fairly indigestible pub dinner, Ian discovered that he had left the key to his steering lock at home. After a valiant attempt at trying to break the lock's weld with a spanner - only to realize that the lock is stronger than the steering wheel, Ian relented and took Daz's Prado home to retrieve his key. It gave Daz, Norm and GC plenty of time to return back to the pub for some cleansing ales.

Home for a couple of nights. Ian graciously allowed Daz and GC to set up camp in his shed. Daz and GC apologized for the state they left it in.

Daz hard at work slaving over the cooker. Breakfast is one of his specialties.

The trip home included a "spirited" drive over Thredbo and crossing the Murray River. Daz has his foot to the floor in 1st high trying to build speed so that he drenches GC who was on the bank photographing. Luckily Daz drives a 1KZ-TE powered Prado and all he managed to do was to splash GC's "going out" thongs.

Daz laughing like a naughty school girl after GC tried to take a chunk out of him for splashing his good thongs.

Lunch time, somewhere over the Murray River. Daz's Prado looks cute.

Daz contemplating the route home from Limestone Creek camp. He spent more time looking at the maps than was necessary.

After a little reversing incident, Daz had to spend a fair deal of time and effort to get the dirt out of his blocked exhaust. If he'd hit the ditch any faster he would have compressed any carbon based particles into diamonds.

An ideal camp spot complete with background mist - probably from Daz.

On GC's advice, Daz didn't bring any sleeping stuff other than his mattress and sleeping bag. He did a great job of rigging up a couple of tattered tarps to keep the night dew off while GC slept soundly in his cosy swag.

Morning brought out Darren's evil streak. Nothing and I do mean nothing was safe from him.

The morning's tally of destroyed cans, stubby holder and drink bottle.

Limestone Creek hut. This one is on the verge of falling.