1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194 
KEEP YOUR MOTOR RUNNING
Page 62
Page 63
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
As engine technology becomes more complex, so too must the diagnostic and fuel injection systems which service it. Conn
Barnett visits Atkins as it races
ahead of the field.
For many people in the world of road transport, the name of Dave Atkins is inextricably linked with truck racing. He has been involved with the sport from its very beginning in the UK. starting off by helping to prepare the first Mercedes-Benz UK contender and moving on to running a works supported team. Nowadays his allegiance has changed to MAN, with Team Atkins Castrol Racing achieving a promising start to the 2004 European Championship.
But while truck racing takes up his evenings and weekends, there's still the day job to take care of. For 30 years the family firm of P Atkins has been providing a diesel injection service; for the last eight years it's been based in Mansfield, near Nottingham. Dave Atkins is now managing director of the business set up by his father,Pat.
CM'S recent visit to the UK headquarters of Robert Bosch highlighted the rapid increase in sophisticated technology on diesel powered vehicles, both light and heavy. As vehicle technology gets more complex, so too must the diagnostic equipment required to keep it working efficiently. This means that repair centres must invest heavily to keep pace, but so far the number doing so is in danger of lagging behind the race.
However, one of the handful that have invested in plenty of time is PAtkins.With a full complement of the latest test gear for both Delphi (formerly CAV Lucas) and A Dave Atkins-highBosch, it is also one of only three Bosch repair profile MD and well known centres with £85,000 worth of on-site chassis as a truck racing guru dynamometer capable of handling all of the trucks on the road today.The Maha dyno has actually been installed for three years, but it is only in the past six months or so that Atkins has actively been marketing its services. Its user base now comprises operators and franchised truck dealers. Volvo and Mercedes dealers have been among its biggest customers, together with some MAN outlets.
Bad fuel blocks injectors
Three quarters of Atkins' work is on pumps and injectors. Asking various members of staff about the most common causes of injection system problems unanimously revealed one answer: contaminated fuel. On light vehicles there's a growing problem with accidental filling with petrol. On older engines with relatively simple systems, you can often get away with draining the system and refilling with diesel as the engine will quickly refuse to run, before the wrong fuel can do much harm.
On the latest common-rail systems, however, the extra high pressures and much tighter tolerances depend heavily on the lubricity of clean diesel. Even brief periods of running on petrol can cause damage that can easily lead to four-figure bills.
On heavier vehicles it's no surprise that construction vehicles working in harsh environmental conditions have the biggest problems. Real care is needed to keep dirt from entering the system during refilling; even small amounts of contamination at each fill can rapidly build up into a situation that can overcome the filters.
One sensitive area that sometimes arises is evidence of running on red diesel. Although illegal, it doesn't have an adverse effect on the engine as such, but there is a strong tendency for it to be stored and delivered in dubious containers, greatly increasing the risk of contamination. The savings it offers can soon appear insignificant when faced with a bill of a couple of grand for a new pump.
Looking at chips
While Atkins's seven staff are well placed to handle every aspect of traditional diesel injection work, the company is looking to the future. One area it sees potential in is electronic upgrades, or -chip tuning". It is now evaluating various systems with a view to offering a tuning service for heavy truck engines.
Taking advantage of some of the margin built into modern engines to cope with less benign operating conditions than the UK, significant improvements in power and. more importantly, economy, are on the cards. •