Diesel performance tickled by Feather
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Feather Diesel Services claims to cut fuel consumption by up to 6% in just two days thanks to its rolling road dynamometer. Steve Banner reports on one of the country's oldest diesel fuel injection specialists.
• Hauliers desperate to cut their fuel bills will fit aerodynamic aids, have their drivers rigorously retrained, and monitor tyre pressures and wheel alignment every other day. What they will seldom do is have the truck's engine checked to ensure that it is still performing in the way that the manufacturer intended, and take remedial action if it isn't.
Richard Rayner, managing director of Halifax-based Feather Diesel Services, doesn't mince his words: "Give your vehicle to us and we can on average achieve a fuel consumption improvement of 5-6%," One of the country's oldestestablished diesel fuel injection specialists—it was founded in 1954—Feather will take your truck and put it on a MAHA rolling road dynamometer.
"It will produce power, torque, and boost pressure graphs for the engine, as well as a fuel consumption curve," says Rayner. "They can then be measured against the maker's own figures."
If the figures are outside the manufacturer's parameters, Feather will remove the fuel pump and injectors, carry out any necessary remedial work, and refit them.
"After about 200,000km you've got to expect some wear in the fuel injection system, but the parts may not be so worn that they require replacing," he adds. "So what we will do is recalibrate the system to bring the engine's performance back to where it should be."
This will enable the haulier to run his vehicle for a further 12 months—"assuming that he uses good quality diesel, and replaces the fuel filter as necessary"—before another recalibration is required.
Feather needs the truck for two days, and the bill is likely to range from 1700-E1,000. Is it worth it? it all depends how much cash is represented by a 5% out in your fuel bill.
Under the Feather Proven Power banner, Rayner and his colleagues are now offering this service to dealers selling used trucks, complete with a printout of an engine's performance to impress potential buyers.
Renault VI dealer Staffordshire Commercial Vehicles has pioneered this idea through its Elite used truck scheme.
But what if recalibration won't do the trick? If that's the case, then the fuel pump may be badly worn and we'll have to strip it down completely," Rayner replies. "It may need new elements, delivery valves, and bearings. We can replace all of these items, and we'll keep the customer informed about what we are doing at every stage of the process." Once the parts have been changed, the pump will be bench tested, recalibrated, and put back on the vehicle. "Fortunately we don't have to strip down pumps completely all that often," he says.
Which is just as well, because a rebuild can cost up to £3,000, depending on the pump's complexity. Of course the pump may not be the source of the problem.
"The injector nozzles may be suffering from premature plugging, and require replacing," says Rayner. "When they plug up the amount of fuel getting through falls and you find you're suffering from a decline in power output."
Feather currently handles 25-30 vehicles a week at its 1,200m2 site near Halifax town centre; in October it will move to a 2,600m2 site just off junction 24 of the M62.
The company was bought by its management two years ago, has 32 employees and aims to recruit more technicians as business expands. An old-established Bosch diesel fuel injection service centre, it is also an agent for Delphi (formerly Lucas) and Zexel of Japan.
its test equipment includes four KMM EPS 707 benches and two KMM EPS 711 benches which allow it to test Hubschieber H-type pumps. It also runs a Moehwald EPB 2000 licensee Bosch test bed.
"That means we can test every type of fuel system, including VP44, common-rail, unit injection, and unit pump," says Rayner.
He predicts that the emphasis of the business will shift as common rail becomes more commonplace.
"The focus will move away from the pump to the injector, because it's the injector that does all the work in that type of system," he says. "The pump is a bit like a water pump."