POWERTRAIN PRODUCTS

September 2004

IN THIS ISSUE

• HOW ABOUT THOSE TRUCK DIESELS!
• DIESEL TRUCK SCOREBOARD
• TORQUE TALK

HOW ABOUT THOSE TRUCK DIESELS!

It’s hard to tell who has the broadest smile today: the NAFTA truck manufacturer, the engine supplier or the component supplier. The only broader smiles seem to be the election pollsters who will be overwhelmed through November into the end of the year with pre-election and aftermath surveys and analyses. Unfortunately or fortunately, the election pollsters will dive back to their normal activity. The truck activity, however, will dive as well but will it be back to normal activity or to an after pre-buy disaster like we saw the fourth quarter of 2002 and first quarter of 2003.

The old traditional economic cycle of a couple years up followed by a couple years down was always attributed to the Fed not knowing when to raise or lower interest rates. The new truck sales cycle can be attributed to the EPA requiring emissions regulations that add significant increases to the engine and truck costs.

By amending the truck emissions regulations on an erratic cycle (1998, October 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2010) with significant changes in NOx and PM, the new truck sales cycle is created.

The cycle discussion primarily pertains to premium class 8 trucks where the greatest amount of difficulty in meeting emissions regulations takes place although the medium duty trucks, especially class 6/7, will be also be affected. Light duty will show some effects as well but increased dieselization and diesel usage below 8,500# GVW will increase sales.

Before we forecast NAFTA on-highway truck diesels, let’s look at the world situation.

(Continued on page 3)

Michigan Custom Machines Introduces Programmable Fuel Injection Module

Michigan Custom Machines, Inc. (MCM), leading designers and builders of custom test and assembly equipment, announces the introduction of the Programmable Fuel Injection Module (PFIM). MCM developed the innovative test solution to meet the challenges of today’s sophisticated and highly efficient diesel fuel injectors. The PFIM provides engine manufactures with a means of firing a diesel fuel injector in a manner that duplicates the vehicle application. MCM’s PFIM module provides OEMs testing accuracy and control for a variety of injectors. The flexible module can be used to fire a diesel injector or group of injectors with a precise waveform fully configurable by the end user. PFIM was designed for OEM future product development, giving extended experimental range over the production ECU; test bench integration for endurance testing a complete diesel fuel system; production test machine integration for in-line and end-of-line testing; lab bench or audit bench integration; expanded use with custom firmware; and for users that test several injector types and brands on the same equipment. Using MCM’s PFIM for testing applications eliminates the need to address proprietary OEM communication protocols. MCM, based in Farmington Hills, Mich. is a leader in the design and build of advanced custom test machinery for automotive and industrial component manufacturers.