CAN POWER UPGRADES AFFECT
MODERN VEHICLE LONGEVITY?
We all want a bit more power out of our vehicles. Even modern
vehicles which are plenty powerful when standard, will feel the
weight of all the accessories and gear we want to fi t to our 4WDs
once they’re decked out. Do power upgrades affect the longevity of
an engine? We asked Andrew from Diesel Care what he thought.
“Can power upgrades effect longevity?” answers Andrew. “Yes,
and No. It all depends on how far things are pushed... I’ve been in the
performance game for a long time. The success of an increase of
performance is measured differently, depending on mindset. Some
owners are intent on achieving the highest possible numbers, and
won’t be satisfi ed with less. There are performance shops and
products that cater for these desires. On the other side there are
owners who have a need for more than standard off-the- show-room
performance but don’t want any nasty side effects. There are
performance shops and products that cater for these desires too.
The reality is you can’t have your cake and eat it. If you are of the
former mindset and are determined to push the limits of
performance you can’t expect your engine to last. The majority of
owners are of the latter mindset; they want a moderate
improvement without compromising longevity. This is most certainly
achievable with a responsible enhancement and quality products.
I’m proud to say that my company have installed many performance
modules since 2005. I know of plenty of those installed in those early
days that are still going strong 13 years later, having achieved high
odometer readings, often towing big weights, without having
suffered engine issues. This is testament to the fact that
performance upgrades done well don’t affect longevity.”
AT WHAT MILEAGE DO COMMON-RAILS
START DEVELOPING PROBLEMS?
What are the most common problems that occur with high-kay
common-rails and what sort of kays do they start occuring at?
We put this to Mitch at MTQ Engine Systems.- “The internal components of the common-rail injector are
precise and operate with very fi ne tolerances, as small as
0.001mm (1 micron),” Mitch explains. “In the nozzle tip, it is
common to see between 6 to 8 spray holes as small as 0.12mm
in diameter. The nozzles and internal components are very
susceptible to wear or clogging from contaminates in the diesel
and the combustion process. The expected life is designed to
be in excess of 250,000 kilometres, but failures have occurred
substantial short of this distance.” - “Injector Seat Washers. In some vehicles the Injector seat
washers, start leaking combustion gases. If these Injectors are
mounted externally to the Valve Cover, this results in a sticky
black carbon substance consuming the immediate area. If the
Injectors are mounted under the Valve Cover, it is possible for
carbon deposits to enter the engine oil. These carbon deposits
can block the oil supply pickup, which can result in oil
starvation within the engine. This could occur from
approximately 100,000 kilometres.” - “High Pressure Pump fuel control valves. Depending on the
manufacturer, these are more commonly known as ZME, IMV,
SCV or VCV. These valves and the associated circuitry are
common problems and are usually accompanied by a logged
fault code for rail pressure. Faults with these valve can occur
at any stage of the vehicles life.” - “Air Flow Meters, particle build up on the sensor can distort the
information supplied to the ECU. This can cause incorrect
operation of many actuators that rely on this information
e.g. VNT turbochargers and EGR Valves.” - “EGR System. This incorporates the EGR Valve, EGR cooler and
associated sensors and actuators. Problems with these
components can result in poor performance. The EGR is
recirculating exhaust gases through the engine air intake
system and carbon build up can lead to restrictions within the
intake manifold.”
MILLION-KAY COMMON RAILSFEATURE
WWW.4WDACTION.COM.AUEngine power-ups like
exhaust and chips are often
blamed by manufacturers
for creating reliability issues,
but is it really the case?