How to modify a diesel engine???

[v12]

Petrol engines can be easily modded to give better performance. We have free flow, ported exhausts, air filters, headers etc etc. But what can be done to increase the performance of a diesel engine. I guess Free Flow is out of the question cos it will scare the living daylights [and nightlights] out of everybody.

Anybody's got any idea ?? Pls put it in here.


P.S. I am not thinkin of doin it for my Qualis.

[Dippy]

Hey V12 why dont u ask Team Motor Works

Cheers

[GTO]

Hey V12,

Great topic. Among those that immediately come to mind are:

1. Turbo-charging - diesel engines have stronger materials due to the high compressions used for ignition. It is thus easier to install a turbo charger, and a larger one at that.
2. Crdi - Common rail direct injection. Every diesel car manufacturer worth his salt is talking crdi. Hottttttt Performance, efficiency and reliability.
3. Power chips - Modern day diesels are all electronically controlled. Power chip it.
4. Easy breathing air filters - more air = more oxygen = more power.
5. Fuel injection pump - Most frequently modified are the Bosch ones. Simple tuning will give you loads more power, but at the cost of fuel.
6. Headers - Am not sure about this, but better headers should surely lead to better discharge of exhaust gases.

GTO

[v12]

hey thanks gto,
but what i mean is a standard diesel car like a Qualis or an Indica. TC will have to be done by a very well qualified mech. I mean mods as easy as compared to a pertrol car.

[Rehaan]

Hey V12,

I wouldnt say free-flow is out of the question. A diesel ENGINE is believed to be much louder/noisier i agree...but that doesnt mean the exhaust will be much louder, however diesels have much higher compression ratios...hmmm.....interesting.....

i dont know much about diesels or moddifying them, but as GTO said, moddifying the intake would be an obvious place to start. Then i guess the porting and polishing, possibly some redesigned manifolds... etc etc.

But the most obvious mod for a diesel engine is a TC as its befefits are much greater than with a petrol engine......could be in the region of 50% more power!

cheers

[GTO]

[/quote]could be in the region of 50% more power![quote]

Just like in the case of the Tata Sierra. The NA version pumped out 60 odd horses, while the Turbocharger + intercooler (KKK engineered) helped the new Sierra to unleash 90 horses - Massive!!

GTO

[Rehaan]

wow, i didnt know it was KKK engineered!...cool,..

[Dippy]

The really poplular mod is a turbo charger while like GTO said the Power Chips are a hot topic as well. Me and Revvmaster were just discussing about it the other day

Cheers

[toyota]

Hmm TC is one of the best options of all , but you cannot just fit in a TC just like that on an engine.

If the engine itself is designed for TC then you can fit an Turbo.

But if the engine is not designed for TC , then the engine life will be affected.(It is all metallugy of engine block , pistons , rings and all other parts )

you also need to modify the cooling system

[ported_head]

GTo already listed most of the mods for diesel engines and good ones that too. worldwide performance chips are the most popular upgrades for diesel engine offering as much as upto 25% more power and torque.

talking about turbos...diesel engines at least the recent ones are already turbocharged. so what do you do to that? twin-turbos?? someday..

[toyota]

Twin turbos are also already available in few engines

[ported_head]

well i tried reading up on that..but not for cars. twin turbocharged diesel engines have long been the mainstay for boats. but i couldn't find anything for cars, atleast nothing significant. maybe you could post a link to a site containing more info. thanks.

[toyota]

A diesel with dazzle (Twin Turbo )

AMG, the tuning division of Mercedes-Benz and for many discerning devotees the Holy Grail of super and turbo-charged motors, has added another missile to its impressive array of powerplants - the first true production high-performance diesel engine. Ferdi de Vos meets this top notch oil-burner during a visit to Affalterbach in Germany . . .






Mercedes-Benz C30 CDI AMG Sports Coupe


From the moment we stepped into the new AMG headquarters and factory in Affalterbach, the sensation of single-minded drive and optimism became almost tangible. Since DaimlerChrysler took control of this respected tuning firm in 1999, the company's range of highly-desirable super-fast Mercs has expanded at a staggering rate - catapulting AMG to the forefront of luxury and sporty performance cars.
The latest generation AMG offerings include some of the fastest production cars in the world and the Mercedes-Benz AMG partnership has never been stronger. Better still, it is firmly cemented in the sure knowledge that even faster and more powerful cars are expected . . .

AMG's supercharged 5,5 litre V8 engine, already fitted to special models in the S-, CL- and E-Class ranges, is one of the mightiest motors in existence - taking the E55 from standstill to 100km/h in just 4,7 seconds, out-sprinting many supercars in the process.

And the healthy rivalry with Mercedes-Benz's own engineers brings out the best in the engine specialists at AMG. When Stuttgart introduced a twin-turbo V12 rated at 368kW and 800Nm, Affalterbach retaliated by developing a 6,5 litre V8 that produced more than 400kW and 1 000Nm. The launch of this monster is expected shortly.

While AMG jumped ahead in the power stakes, the next step was to seek new challenges and the focus switched to what kind of performance could be extracted from diesel engines. This was a logical move, with a consumer shift to diesel manifest in the past decade.

For more than 50 years, diesel motors had been associated with workhorse vehicles. Only towards the end of the previous century, largely as a result of finely-engineered turbo-chargers, these engines began to demonstrate their prowess in passenger cars.

Since then, diesel-powered vehicles had made their mark in endurance racing and rallies, but had yet to go into production as real high-performance passenger car options.

A highlight of AMG's 35th birthday celebrations in 2002 was the unveiling of its first performance car with diesel power - the C30 CDI AMG. The fiery model became available in February this year in sedan, estate and sports coupe guises to buyers in its home market.

As a base for its development, AMG took the tried and tested 2,7-litre turbo diesel fitted to Mercedes-Benz's C-, E- and M-Class models (it also does duty in the Jeep Grand Cherokee) and fine-tuned it. Their efforts were concentrated on increased capacity, a higher compression ratio and turning up the combustion pressure.

An advanced, pressurised air cooling system with an air/water heat exchanger and a separate low-temperature channel largely contributes to the engine's impressive performance. Compressed air from the turbo follows a path via a pressurised tube to the intercooler, but with a difference.

Normally, air would flow straight to the intercooler, but in the AMG version it is directed through a water-injected cooling unit. Two low-temperature coolers are mounted in the front engine compartment, away from the engine's real radiator. From this location, they provide the intercooler with cold liquid to reduce the temperature of intake air before it reaches the combustion chambers.

The pump in the low-temperature channel is activated instantaneously - controlled by the engine's electronics. Likewise, the turbo-charger is electronically controlled. By varying its geometry and the pitch of its vanes, more charged air is fed into the system at low revs for improved torque and a higher power delivery when the engine is turning over faster.

The diesel powerplant's architecture has been adapted for durability, with a new crankcase mechanism, reinforced pistons with oil-injected cooling for the crowns, optimised cylinder head and a more effective oil pump which also aids cooling.

As in all AMG-engineered engines, the CDI motors are hand-assembled by highly-qualified engineers. With a capacity of 2 950cc and a 16,5:1 compression ratio, power output is a muscular 170kW at 3 800 revs/min, while peak torque of 540Nm is available from 2 000 to 2 500 revs/min.

Comparatively, the standard Mercedes-Benz 2,7 CDI mill delivers 125kW and 400Nm while the recently-upgraded six-cylinder turbo diesel from rival BMW is rated at 150kW and 410Nm.

To truly appreciate the remarkable performance gains, one has to calculate the engine's power and torque output per litre. The AMG unit's 57,6kW makes the 46kW per litre from the V8 turbo diesel in the Mercedes-Benz S400 CDI look somewhat lame. So do torque figures of 183Nm per litre against 140,1Nm.

These figures firmly put the C30 CDI AMG in the sports car league. AMG claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 6,8 seconds for the sedan and sports coupe, while the estate model follows at 7,0 seconds - only half a second slower off the mark than the already fast C32 AMG.

On the day of our visit, ominous grey clouds cast their shadows on the gleaming silver paint work of the AMG performance fleet parked in front of the imposing reception area. There was snow in the air, but not enough to deter us from a planned test session in the Affalterbach region . . .

At first glance, there's very little to distinguish the C30 CDI AMG from the C32 AMG, the two finely tuned stablemates sharing numerous components. The sedan and estate come with AMG body styling, while the sports coupe is equipped with an Evolution AMG sports package.

As in the C32, the CDIs are fitted with AMG's Speedshift five-speed automatic gearbox with a manual shift function. All models boast double-spoked 17-inch alloy wheels shod with different sized front and rear tyres.

Likewise, the C30 CDI's sports suspension and brakes have been taken straight from the C32 AMG - complete with perforated discs in front and ventilated ones at the back, complemented by ABS, Brake Assist and ESP systems.

The diesel-powered C30s air intake in front is larger with integrated fog lights. At the rear, the twin exhaust pipe tailpieces have been turned to face down. Inside, the layout is similar to the C32's with a 300km/h AMG speedometer, red instrument markings and an AMG gearshift grip with C30 inlay.

The obviously proud AMG guys had prepared two C30 CDI models for our drive, a sports coupe and sedan. We opted for the first as an introduction to AMG diesel power.

At low revs the unit felt just like a normal 2,7 litre CDI, but leaving town invited a brief unleashing of the motor's full potential on an open section of road. With revs climbing to around 2 000, it was as if someone had given the AMG-bred Mercedes a prod in the flanks to set free all 231 horses under the bonnet. The C30 picked up the pace without hesitation, pushing my head back towards the headrest and, with the turbo gulping enormous amounts of air, engine speed rapidly reached 4 600 revs/min - the usable limit.

A quick shift into third of the six-speed 'box saw the car continuing its assault on the senses, so fast that the big S55 AMG in front - also moving flat out - could not shake us off.

A number of fast sweeps proved that I was right about the handling - the high-performance diesel is every bit as precise and sure-footed as its petrol-driven sibling, and almost as well balanced.

For the next two days, on a route from Stuttgart through the lower regions of the Alps to the Italian corner of Switzerland, I relished the experience of driving the diesel-fed AMGs. It is obvious that these oil burners leave nothing to super-fast petrol models when it comes to performance and handling. And, of course, there's the benefit of astonishing fuel consumption - below 9l/100km for the trip, including long sessions in city traffic. Mercedes-Benz claims an average combined figure of just 7,6 litres per 100.

The new AMG diesels are truly remarkable cars, proving that diesel powerplants do indeed have a place in sporty vehicles. The bad news, though, is that South Africans diesel converts will not see them here in a hurry - mainly because of two small problems.

The first is that AMG will make only left-hand drive diesels, for now at least, since a conversion to right-hand drive entails several layout changes in the engine bay, including turbo positioning and location of the intercoolers.

The other obstacle in the way is the quality of South Africa's diesel. The highly-tuned performance motors live on a diet of clean diesel. The still too high sulphur content here means they will not deliver their best. Let's hope both matters will soon be resolved!
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2003/06/26...g/mercedes.asp

[ryanalmeida]

free flow exhaust does help quite a bit .
we have experimented this on a 1958- 60 Mercedes 180 D .
My dad re- designed the exhaust to have a very minimal curves and minimise the resistance and the muffler was a free flow with glass wool to damp the sounds . you can install 2 of these also but they should be through passage ones . No constrictions in between
The increase in power and acceleration is quite noticeable. The problem however is that the Mufflers required to be cleaned every year as they started to get filled with carbon deposits making the glass wool inefective and then you find it gives a roar when you accelerate. Sounds Cool though but not for the pedestrians outside.
The change however was worth the effort. good improvement.

[Rtech]

I guess the reason there is a general lack of info (as compared to petrol cars) on modding diesels is that, until recently, diesels just sucked! You owned a diesel if you want to save some money, but didn't really give a damn as far as performance or NVH goes.

Now ofcourse thats changes with some excellent diesels out there from Mercedes Benz, BMW, VW group and the Peugot-Citreon group. These engines can give a petrol engine a run for its money in the power department, outdo the spark ignitions for torque, mileage and running costs, and are now cleaner as well!

Europe has embraced the new generation diesels, and as soon as India gets low sulphur diesel, we too will get the best engines...and the modds are never too far behind!

p.s. I've already got an eye on the powerchip for my Octi. Raises it from 90hp to 130hp, and is switchable, so you can get either 90, 110 or 130, depending on what you're in the mood of now if that ain't cool, i dunno what is