Detroit Diesel Engine Company (DDC) is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. As a diesel engine series manufacturer with world-leading technology, the company has about 5,000 employees worldwide.
Its main products include various diesel engines and generators and produce hybrid military diesel engines for the U.S. military.
Cummins engine is another diesel engine popularly known for its durability and efficiency.
Cummins engine is one of the diesel engines that people usually remember because of its popularity and efficiency.
Trucks, generators, and other mechanical equipment that use Cummins engines are usually regarded as one of the best.
Cummins manufacturer Cummins Inc focuses its attention on producing on designing solid and durable engines for industrial use.
They’re reliable and balanced, delivering all your desired qualities in an industrial diesel engine. Millions of people know that Cummins is a reliable heavy-duty engine that can be used when a heavy-duty engine is needed.
In the paragraphs below, let us pay close attention to Cummins engine for details analysis to understand why drivers who know diesel trucks love them so much.
What is a Cummins Engine?
Chessie Lyle Cummins was the man that founded Cummins Inc. in 1919. His first diesel engine was based on an engine imported from the Dutch manufacturer Hvid, but Cummins quickly decided he could improve on the performance and design of the engine.
Over the years, Cummins continued to upgrade the engines at Cummins Inc., often showcasing his improvements with widely publicized demonstrations or success on racetracks like the Indianapolis 500.
In 1930, Cummins drove a car from Indiana to New York City using only 30 gallons, a feat of fuel efficiency at the time.
The next year, Cummins installed one of his engines into a Marion truck, which he drove from New York to Los Angeles in just 97 hours.
It is time for us to compare two of them under these four metrics.
Detroit is a two-stroke engine. It is a diesel engine that completes one duty cycle in two strokes.
The crankshaft of a two-stroke engine makes one revolution, and the engine does external work once.
A working cycle of a two-stroke diesel engine is completed within one revolution of the crankshaft. The four steps of Intake, compression, expansion, and exhaust are completed within a 360° crankshaft rotation angle.
The compression and expansion of this diesel engine is a relatively complete piston stroke, so it is called a two-stroke diesel engine.
The Intake and exhaust are completed in a very short time before the end of the expansion process and the start of the compression process (exhaust first, Intake last, and overlap between Intake and exhaust
Cummins Engine Is A Four-Stroke Engine
An engine in which the piston reciprocates four strokes in the cylinder (equivalent to two revolutions of the crankshaft) to complete a working cycle is called a four-stroke engine.
The four-piston strokes in each working cycle of a four-stroke engine are the intake stroke and compression stroke, power stroke, and exhaust stroke.
In four-stroke engines, most internal combustion engines have many cylinders side-by-side, and the up and down movement of the pistons causes the crankshaft to move in a circular motion through connecting rods.
The force generated by the engine is transmitted by one end of the crankshaft because each piston moves up and down four times in each operating cycle.
Advantage Of Two Strokes Detroit Engine
- The power is better than that of the four-stroke diesel engine because its compression ratio is higher than that of the four-stroke diesel engine, and the exhaust emission is better.
- Because the two-stroke machine has two strokes less than the four-stroke machine, the efficiency is higher than that of the four-stroke machine.
- Two-stroke machines mostly use a cross-head structure because the piston stroke is long, the explosion pressure required for the same power is lower, and the mechanical requirements for the combustion chamber components are reduced.
- The piston stroke is long, the impact is reduced, and the vibration is reduced.
- The uniformity of torque is better than that of the four-stroke diesel engine because it completes a working cycle with one revolution of the crankshaft.
- The rotation is relatively uniform.
- The structure is relatively simple.
Disadvantages of Two-Stroke Engines Detroit Engine
- Two-stroke, diesel oil consumption, is because its fuel utilization rate is lower, and a considerable part of the oil and gas is discharged without combustion or insufficient combustion, so the hydrocarbons in the exhaust are several times higher than those of the four-stroke.
- The number of cylinders required to start a two-stroke engine is large.
- The scavenging process time is short, and the scavenging is not as complete as the four-stroke machine, resulting in the dependence on the supercharger.
- The temperature of the two-stroke diesel engine’s piston, cylinder head, cylinder, and valve is much higher than that of the four-stroke diesel engine.
- It has poor ventilation quality and low thermal efficiency.
- The heat load is high
Advantages of Four-Stroke Cummins Engine
Four-stroke engines, also known as gasoline engines, have been studied for decades. These internal combustion engines (ICEs) still power most cars, light trucks, medium to large motorcycles, and lawn mowers.
A four-stroke engine can be defined as an internal combustion engine requiring four strokes to complete a power cycle.
Both the advantages and disadvantages of four-stroke engines need to be considered.
The first gasoline-based four-stroke cycle engine was built in Germany in 1876. In 1886, Carl Benz started the first commercial production of a car based on this engine type.
Later, every car company started building cars and vehicles to reach lightning-fast speeds of 127 miles per hour.
Despite the simplicity, quick acceleration, low pollution, economy, and power of these engines, vehicles based on this engine type are still under scrutiny for various factors.
Many factors have led to the emergence of electric and hybrid vehicles, such as hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Almost every car in use today consists of four-stroke gasoline or diesel engine, making it an important piece of technology.
While electric cars and e-bikes are on the rise, the technology is not yet sufficient to produce high-speed and powered vehicles capable of heavy-duty hauling.
The widespread use of this IC engine is due to its many advantages over two-stroke engines. Here are some of the advantages of a four-stroke engine.
The advantages of four-stroke Cummins are;
1. Higher torque: The engine produces more with the same fuel injection amount as conventional engines. Higher torque is beneficial for smoother running of the vehicle and higher power. High torque enables faster vehicles with less vibration and noise.
2. Longer service life: Four-stroke engine is more due to better lubrication and cooling systems. It reduces the tear and wears on the engine cylinder and its various components, which is relatively more in other variants. Additionally, better damping makes them more stable at higher speeds and power operations.
3. Fuel efficiency: Due to the existence of the valve, the Efficiency of Intake and exhaust is higher, and the fuel loss is controlled. Unlike two-strokes, these engines have no scavenging and only one fuel intake during four-stroke operation.
4. Less pollution: Since the exhaust gas is better controlled, the new charge can only be used for combustion.
It makes this engine a better choice in terms of environmental impact.
Other conventional vehicles, such as steam engines and two-stroke engines, produce more pollutants than four-stroke engines.
5. Separate lubrication: For lubrication and cooling, there is no need to add lubricating oil to the fuel.
It reduces the cost of oil, making it more economical, and other lubrication techniques are more effective at protecting internal parts from friction damage.
Also, power losses are minimized due to better design and technology.
Disadvantages of Four-Stroke Cummins Engine
Although the world relies heavily on four-stroke engines, technological advances will lead to better vehicles in the future.
The future may see flying cars and engines requiring more advanced in-vehicle power generation mechanisms.
The main disadvantages of four-stroke engines are limited fuel resources and pollution, which is greatly increased due to vehicles worldwide.
Here are a few reasons why four-stroke engines need innovation and may become a thing of the past in the coming years.
- Less efficiency than a two-stroke Detroit engine: A four-stroke produces half the power of a two-stroke engine. It is due to the higher number of strokes required to complete a lap in this engine.
It makes them a less powerful engine than their less complex versions.
- Too complex compared to the Detroit engine: The complex parts and various inputs (such as cooling, lubrication, valves, and design) make the design very complex and the construction more challenging.
Even minor changes or defects can cause a four-stroke engine to fail or reduce its efficiency and longevity.
- More expensive than the Detroit engine: Compared to simpler designs, the number of parts involved is higher, and the cost is higher.
Design and production become expensive and time-consuming, adding to the overall cost of vehicles incorporating the technology.
The limitation of a four-stroke engine is that it is more expensive than a two-stroke vehicle, even with the same vehicle design.
4. Regular maintenance: Vehicles powered by these IC engines require regular maintenance.
It also increases the cost burden on consumers. Overall operating and maintenance costs for vehicles are rising, potentially rendering them unusable and increasing the cost of moving products and services.
Summary of advantages and disadvantages of a four-stroke engine
Today, almost everyone uses a gasoline/diesel four-stroke engine in public or private transportation.
Even daily needs are transported to doorsteps from all over the country using these facilities.
So, it may not be possible to acknowledge the benefits of such a powerful machine but understand the pros and cons of a 4-stroke engine.
However, the world needs other resources to meet future electricity demand and reduce environmental damage.
Conclusively, both the Detroit engine and Cummins engine are good.
Both Detroit engine and Cummins have their advantages and Disadvantages.
If you choose the Detroit engine, your decision is good, and if you likewise choose the Cummins engine, you make no error.
Detroit Diesel Engine Year of Production
As part of the engine series headings, often on the right, will be the Detroit diesel engine model and the date of the first production.
Generally, the year of production is indicated on the upper right-hand side of the engine ID tag as you look up the production date.
All two-stroke Detroit Diesels were finally phased out of manufacture in 1998 by MTU, which had acquired Detroit Diesel from Penske in 2006. (The business is still producing the four-cycle Series 60 Detroit Diesel.)
Some users are still using these engines today, powering boats of various shapes and sizes throughout the globe.
History of Detroit Engine
General Motors entered diesel engine development in 1930 when the company acquired Winton Engines – a manufacturer of diesel engines – a producer of diesel-powered locomotives, marine diesel engines, and electric power works.
General Motors’ locomotive engine business was rapidly successful, and the company established its Detroit Diesel Engine Division in 1937 to begin developing smaller engines for industrial and marine applications.
The division continued to produce engines for General Motors through the post-war years and, in 1970, merged with the company’s Allini Division.
Sadly, the dropping in sales in the 1980s landed GM buyers of Detroit Diesel, which Roger Penske’s Penske Corporation acquired in 1988.
Now let us talk about one of the best products of Detroit diesel. The 71 engine series was produced from the 1930s through the 1990s; the Detroit Diesel Series 71 engine is one of the most enduring designs ever developed.
Originally conceived as a highway replacement for GM’s large locomotive diesel engines, the 71 Series proved valuable in numerous marine, industrial and military applications.
Let me gist you the origin of the 71 series.
The Series 71 engine was the first product from GM’s Detroit diesel division. It’s a twin Cycle engine with 71 cubic inches of displacement per cylinder.
Originally intended for use in General Motors trucks and buses, the engine is also designed to utilize a variety of manifolds, mounts, generators, and transmissions, making it useful for a wide range of marine and industrial applications.
When the United States was involved in World War II, the 71 series was suitable for sea landing craft, tanks, and many other military applications.
The 71 series proved to be very versatile. It is used in industrial applications such as power generation, refrigeration, and pumping.
In a marine context, it is often used for marine service power and propulsion of small tugboats and workboats.
After World War II, Detroit Diesel introduced a version of the engine that could be used in road trucks.
Series 71 engines are produced in one, two, three, four, and six-cylinder versions. In the 1950s, the V-Series’ 71-series engines were introduced in six, eight, 12-ratio, and 16-cylinder versions.
The engine’s configuration is indicated by its name, so the 6-71 is an in-line six-cylinder engine, and the 6V-71 is a V-6.
The suffix appended to the name indicates when the engine is equipped with a turbocharger, intercooler, or root blower; 6-71 engines have all this equipment. So to me, the 71 series is the best Detroit engine produced.
How is Detroit Engine Repair?
The Detroit engine is a strong engine known for its durability and efficiency. That never means that it does not sometimes require repairs.
As the engine keeps working, tear and wear affect the important components such as rings, piston, sleeves, water pump, valves, and other vital components.
When this happens, there is a need for repair.
Before a proper repair can be done on Detroit diesel, it requires an expert to carry out this repair.
The main reason is that the engine is a two-stroke engine and needs a mechanic to understand the principle of two-stroke engines.
Let me dissect the repair for you.
Minor repair: (use time: 3000-4000 hours)
1. Check the wear degree of the Detroit engine valve, the valve seat, etc., and repair or replace the engine valve if necessary
2. Check the PT pump and fuel injector of the Detroit engine
3. Check and adjust the torque of the connecting rod and each fastening screw of the Detroit engine
4. Check and adjust the valve clearance of the Detroit engine
5. Adjust the injection nozzle of the engine
6. Check and adjust the tension of the fan charger belt
7. Clean the carbon deposits in the intake manifold
8. Clean the intercooler core
9. Clean the oil lubrication system of the entire diesel generator set
10. Clean the shaker Sludge and metal iron filings in the arm chamber and oil pan.
Medium repair: (use time: 6000-8000 hours)
1. Disassemble the engine except for the crankshaft
2. Check the cylinder liner, piston, piston ring, Intake and exhaust valves, etc. The vulnerable parts of the rod mechanism, air distribution mechanism, lubrication system, and cooling system should be replaced if necessary
3. Check the fuel supply system of the diesel engine
4. Adjust the oil pump nozzle
5. Lubricate the ball bearings.
6. Include the minor repair mentioned above
Overhaul: (use time: 9000-15000 hours)
1. Including engine mid-repair items
2. Disassemble all the engine
3. Replace cylinder block, piston, piston ring, large and small bearing bush, crankshaft thrust pad, Intake and exhaust valves, and a full set of engine overhaul kits
4. Adjusting the oil pump, and injector, replacing the pump core and injector head
5. Replacing the turbocharger overhaul kit and water pump repair kit for the engine
6. Check the connecting rod, crankshaft, body, and other components, and repair or replace if necessary.
7. Check whether the motor stator and rotor are a generator set.
8. Check the insulation properties of stator and rotor coils.
9. Detect and restore the engine control circuit.
10. Detect the engine’s high water temperature and low oil pressure protection functions, and replace the damaged parts.
11. Check the instruments on the control panel and start the switch.
With these few steps, you can carry out Detroit engine repairs.