Skimping on maintenance costs fleet owners
CATERPILLAR PUMP CALIBRATION Reef Fuel Injection Services is recognised as a leading remanufacturer of CAT electronic fuel injection systems
While trying to contain costs, it is still essential that commercial fleet owners maintain fuel injection systems to the requisite standards as this will ultimately reduce operating costs.
Those operators that are extending these critical service intervals as a cost reduction exercise are not doing themselves any favours, diesel service centre Reef Fuel Injection Services (RFI) director Andrew Yorke tells Engineering News, as this approach to fleet maintenance will prove to be costly in the long run.
“Fleet owners may see a reduction in operating costs in the short term by skimping on fuel system maintenance but will certainly pay the price with increased fuel consumption and additional wear to the entire engine.”
Yorke explains that, with the sophisticated fuel injection technology in vehicles today, it is critical that the systems are tested, recalibrated and when necessary remanufactured to original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifications to ensure fuel efficiency and engine performance.
The caveat here is that the new-genera- tion fuel injection technology found in today’s vehicles requires specialised expertise and equipment, and the complexities of this should not be underestimated.
“It is essential that any work done on a fuel injection system is carried out by a competent, skilled and OEM-approved service centre,” Yorke says. “Many repairers have not kept up with the latest fuel injection technology and also not invested in the correct equipment to be able to undertake testing, calibration and remanufacture.”
Yorke further emphasises that the new-generation electronic fuel injection systems are specifically designed to be remanufactured, and this is where a company such as RFI plays an important role. “The best approach is to schedule recalibration of the fuel injectors as part of the ongoing fleet maintenance programme. This will allow the service provider to test the components and make an informed decision as to whether recalibration or remanufacture is necessary.”
He explains that remanufacturing of these components is considerably cheaper than simply replacing with new.
“Our major advantage is that, when a fuel injection problem is suspected, our technicians are able to accurately diagnose the cause; and importantly we can do this on site for the customer, and wherever possible provide service exchange remanufactured units reducing any further downtime,” he says.
RFI has invested significantly in the latest generation technology and new trim codes are produced by the test equipment for every injector that is recalibrated. The full benefit of remanufacturing the injector is realised as the engine control unit and injectors’ performance are optimised through the adjustments made by the trim codes. Yorke emphasises that not every service centre can offer this.
“Without the trim codes, the repaired vehicle will seem to run adequately, but it will not deliver optimal performance and the efficiency benefits will be lost,” he says.
RFI is an OEM-approved remanufacturer for Bosch, Denso, Delphi, Standyne and Zexel. Yorke says the company is also recognised as a leading remanufacturer of CAT electronic fuel injection systems. All RFI’s repairs are backed by an OEM warranty, and the company also handles warranty claims on behalf of the OEM dealers.
“We align ourselves closely with the OEMs in each of our diesel injector lines, so that we can offer a remanufacturing process that is officially certified and gives the customer the peace of mind that their remanufactured unit will last as long as a new one,” Yorke says.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation