THE LATEST IN POWERTRAIN TECHNOLOGY-ATS DIESEL

Clint Cannon works tirelessly on improving technology on diesel transmissions. If you have any questions about the performance of your diesel truck, visit them at www.atsdiesel.com

Las Vegas, Nevada- Clint Cannon and his wife,Ranee, have developed the best diesel performance technology on the market today. They are constantly thriving to improve their technology, as well as teach the dieseling public about the performance of our own vehicles.

Recently, Clint and Ranee, developed the ATS University,for those interested in learning more about the diesel engine and what it takes to build up that dieselmotor and run at top performance. Whether you're towing, pulling sleds or using your vehicle on the farm, Clint Cannon is the best person to guide us dieseling friends down the road to outrageous performance.

Because so many people in the off-road community run high performance diesel trucks, it's only appropriate that everyone who slides around in the dirt, has that chance to hear about the easy steps in building a high-performance tow vehicle.

From off-road desert racing to rockcrawling, mud-bogging, or just plain toting your trailer full of toys around the nation, a high-performance diesel is the only way to complete reliability. The Off-Road.com staff has over 20,000 miles on the Stage IV ATS Diesel Performance transmission upgrade and all we can say is, "ATS Diesel kicks ass!!!!" We recently completed a 4000 mile road trip while towing a 15,000 pound trailer over a period of 15 days throughout the West, and their is no doubt that ATS Diesel Performance led the way in our successful trip.

Ranee works side-by-side with Clint daily in efforts to refine high-performance diesel trucks. Visit the ATS Forums for answers to all your diesel questions. Ranee constantly is on the forum answering the toughest questions. Check them out at www.ATSDiesel.com

Clint Cannon recently authored an article titled, "Building the Perfect Pulling Truck." The article was recently published on the ATS website and we'd like to take the opportunity afforded by ATS Diesel Performance to share the answers of hard and previously unexplained questions some of us had about diesel performance.

Clint has provided a complete breakdown of costs associated with various upgrades of ATS Diesel Performance products in his article on the ATS Diesel Performance website. We strongly encourage all of our visitors to link to the ATS Diesel Performance website for additional pricing information as well as an interactive forum section.

Thanks to Clint Cannon and Ranee Elder for sharing everything they know about diesel technology. Visit them at www.ATSDiesel.com

 

"Building the Perfect Pulling Truck"

By Clint Cannon-Founder, President & Co-Owner of ATS Diesel Performance

Combining power, performance, reliability and safety is the goal of ATS Diesel. This section has been designed to aid and educate the consumer in upgrading your diesel-powered truck for a variety of different applications. In this section we will discuss and explain what steps need to be taken to reliably up-grade the performance of your turbo charged diesel engine, along with making suggestions of what areas to up-grade first, helping to ensure you will not have a damaging effect on your vehicle's vital drive train (transmission/torque converter/clutch). The Cummins Diesel power plant is a low RPM, very high torque engine. The massive low-end torque this engine is capable of presents some unique problems when managing power transfer to the ground. The Cummins engine can be easily and inexpensively upgraded to produce more power while maintaining the economy we have all learned to love. We will start with some basic explanation of how a Diesel engine works. This is necessary to truly understand what is happening to your engine internally as the power output is increased. You can use this information later to make informed, intelligent decisions while upgrading the power output of your Diesel engine.

All Diesel engines are relatively the same. The biggest differences we see between the different models are the type of injection used to inject the Diesel fuel into the engine. Over the years, Cummins/Bosch has made advancements in high-pressure fuel injection systems, allowing more efficient injection of the Diesel fuel. This efficiency equates to better fuel economy, higher power output and less black smoke. All of these systems are upgradeable; you just go about it in different ways. The early (prior to 1993) 5.9L Cummins used a VE high-pressure injection pump that was relatively efficient, but has little room for increase fuel delivery. In 1994, the 5.9L Cummins was released with a Bosch 7100 series high-pressure injection pump. This was a major turning point for performance enthusiasts. The P 7100 inline pump had been used for years on much larger displacement motors of all different makes and models. The older P 7100 pump was defiantly a pump capable of tremendous power output, but had no timing control. The older mechanical pump was commonly a black smoking pig when fuel delivery was turned up. Then half way through the 1998 year, the very large P 7100 mechanical injector pump was replaced with the very small, lightweight Bosch VP-44 pump. The 1998.5 production trucks promised a change for Dodge Cummins owners from the past. There was no mechanical adjustment possible on the new electronic pump; all of the engine tuning would take place through the computer. From this time on, the power output would be raised with electronic plug-in devices to achieve the same results. The VP-44 (Electronic) pump really showed promise when trying to achieve increased power output while maintaining a low emissions standard. Just about the time that everyone was used to the electronic injection pump, Dodge released the Common rail high-pressure injection system in 2003. The Common rail injection system was again a step in a very different direction. The new high-pressure Common rail injection system will be more reliable, more tunable, simplified and quieter than any injection system used in the past. The system uses a common, very high-pressure injection pump that feeds all of the fuel injectors equally. The computer manages the injection cycle, electronically controlling fuel delivery and timing. www.ATSDiesel.com

ATS Diesel Performance: It does not matter what type of Diesel injection system you have, the theory of internal engine operation is the same. All of the Diesel injection systems we have discussed here have one thing in common-they all control the power output of the engine by managing the diesel injected into the engine. The diesel engine is a fairly simple system-the more fuel and air you can efficiently burn in the combustion chamber, the more power you will make. When the amount of diesel injected into the engine is increased, the power output will increase with it. There is one negative side effect to building power this way, which comes in the form of heat. The air to fuel relationship is very important. As the amount of diesel fuel injected into the engine is increased, the air must also be increased to ensure an efficient burn cycle. You may be asking yourself, "How can companies sell small bolt on power plates and electronic fuel modules and increase power output by as much as 60 to 100 horsepower without serious overheating damage to the engine?" The secret to this is the turbo charger.

 

The ATS Dodge Hybrid Turbo Charger: This hybrid turbo offers massive top end delivery while maintaining a rapid low-end spool time. Check them out at www.ATSDiesel.com

The turbo charger is driven by heat. The expanding gasses that exit the engine's exhaust accelerate the turbine in the turbocharger, causing it to spin, driving the compressor side of the device. The compressor of the turbo charger creates boost, the boost feeds the intake of the engine, the increased airflow to the engine aids with the efficiency of the burn cycle and the end result is increased power output. Understanding this, you may say, why not increase the fuel injected into the engine a little more? If more fuel creates heat and heat makes more boost and more boost makes a cooler engine, why stop? This is the area that can get a little complicated. Earlier, I talked about the turbo charger. The turbo charger is a variable airflow system. As exhaust pressure is increased through the turbine side (Exhaust side) of the turbo charger, the backpressure increases along with it. As the backpressure in the exhaust manifold increases, air compresses causing heat. This backpressure keeps the exhaust trapped in the combustion chamber; the fresh cool air cannot be fed into the combustion changer and so on. To make things worse, the intake and exhaust systems on these vehicles are usually very restrictive as well. There are a few external items that help with this condition. A few examples would be larger exhaust, larger air filtration systems and, in some cases, waste gate modifications to the turbo charger. We have briefly illustrated above why you can get small power increases without doing major modifications. After we talk about the factory transmission and torque converter, we will make some suggestions to reliably and effectively up-grade the performance of your diesel engine.

TripleLok tackles 5000 mile road trip~hands down!

 

 

The ATS Level 1 Transmission features upgraded components, which allow it to outlast and out perform factory units.The stock transmission is a fairly good gearbox. I know, you are saying that I'm an idiot for saying that. Not surprisingly, the factory transmission does have some major failures logged in its books. Most of the failures however, are not directly the fault of the transmission. The torque converter has been the number one cause of transmission failure since the mighty diesel engine was placed in front of it. You might ask yourself, "How can the torque converter be responsible for the demise of the transmission?" especially considering the overdrive is usually the major failure. It works like this; we must understand the lubrication circuit first. The lubrication circuit is a hugely critical element in the transmission. The lubrication oil (ATF-Automatic Transmission Fluid) starts in the sump (Pan) of the transmission. This oil should be an average temperature of 140 degrees F. The oil is pulled from the sump to the high-pressure pump and distributed to the valve body. The valve body separates the oil into two different oils, providing the working pressure that is used to apply clutches, bands and other pressure circuits that are necessary for transmission operation along with sending lubrication oil to the torque converter. This lubrication oil is used by the torque converter for two different operations; one to push the hot oil from the converter to the cooler and the other to apply the torque converter lockup clutch when commanded by the computer. The lubrication oil that goes from the sump to the pump to the valve body to the converter to the cooler then to the rear of the transmission is the lifeblood of the transmission. The transmission gear set, bushings, bearings etc. relies on this oil to keep the components from welding together inside the transmission due to heat. The cool oil that is returned to the transmission from the transmission cooler must be below 250 degrees F and free of contamination in order to lubricate the gear set properly. As you may be beginning to see, there are two possible risks here, because the torque converter is under such high stress in high power conditions there is a good chance the converter could cause damage to the transmission. When the torque converter is in a fluid coupling (out of lockup), the fluid is churned between the impeller, turbine and stator. This fluid coupling slip generates tremendous heat. As long as the stock converter is not pushed too long in the fluid-coupling mode, the cooling system is usually effective. This is one area we improve on with our TripleLok? Torque Converter.

ATS TripleLok ? Converter Three clutches along with billet components give TripleLok an edge over any converter on the market Check them out at www.ATSDiesel.com

Three clutches along with billet components give TripleLok an edge over any converter on the market. The fluid-coupling portion of the converter is redesigned to be more efficient, the stall speed is better matched to the engine's torque curve and the torque multiplication is increased. The other way to reduce the heat generated by the converter is to engage the lockup clutch more frequently. When the lockup clutch is engaged, the torque converter will not generate any more heat, and there is a 100% mechanical power transfer through the converter (1:1 transfer). This works out to an extent on the stock (non-modified) Diesel engine. If the factory converter clutch is engaged with a turned up engine, there can be, and usually are catastrophic results. The single disc lockup that is present in the factory converter and most after market converters is only capable of around 550 to 600 pounds of foot torque. The stock Cummins produces torque near that. Now that we understand the two different modes of the torque converter we can see what we have to work with (excessive heating and shearing of the transmission fluid and/or a slipping converter clutch.

If the lockup is forced to the off position during high power output, the heat that is generated from the fluid coupling is enormous. The problem is, in the non-lockup mode, the heat generated from the converter overworks the cooling system. As this happens, the oil returning from the cooler can be in excess of 250 to 300 degrees F. This hot oil cannot lubricate the gear set properly and this usually results in overdrive gear set damage. The other side effect of this on the Cummins engine is engine overheating. The Cummins engine uses a heat exchanger on the side of the motor to extract the majority of the heat from the transmission fluid before it is sent to the ambient cooler on the front of the engine. This heat exchanger (cooler) is placed on the engine from the factory, due to the inefficiency of the factory converter. Yes, there is a reason the factory designed the stock converter to be inefficient. This is talked about in the stator section of converter operation on our website. www.ATSdiesel.com/ATSU/ATSU-Stator.html

Scenario 2

If the lockup clutch is forced to the on position (in Lockup), the factory converter clutch will begin a slow slip around 580 to 600 pounds of foot torque. As the torque is increased, the single disc converter clutch will continue to slip increasingly until the oil barrier between the clutch and lid is either over heated or gone. Once there is actual contact between the converter clutch and the clutch surface, the clutch glazes, and then eventually burns off. When this is allowed to happen over a long period of time, the clutch material is slowly rubbed off and lodged into the transmission. The material is caught in the gear set of the transmission and there is usually, once again, overdrive gear set damage. These two scenarios are the most common cause of transmission failure on the Dodge automatic transmission.

There is a fix for this. ATS has developed a torque converter, valve body and electronic package to eliminate these failures and optimize the performance of the power train and drive train. The converter can be used independently of any other add on devices. The TripleLok? Converter is designed for use with an exhaust brake, high power conditions or factory applications. Unlike other after market converters, the TripleLok? Converter is designed to work with any power level, from stock to the most extreme power upgrades.

ATS High Torque Stator 47RE The stator design controls stall speed and determines torque multiplication. Visit ATS Diesel at www.ATSDiesel.com

The TripleLok? has a high torque multiplication stator that is designed to be most efficient around the max torque band of the Diesel engine. Along with the three-clutch lockup section and full billet cover and piston construction, the three clutches of the TripleLok? Converter are designed to transfer any power level to the transmission without slip. The lack of slip in the converter eliminates the heat and contamination that exist in the factory converter.

When other features are desired, like engine braking with an exhaust, enhanced shift strategies, upping the power capability of the transmission etc., you will need to add a few more products. An example of this would be an exhaust brake. The exhaust brake does an excellent job of slowing the engine, but it does nothing to transfer the retarding force (Braking effort) of the engine to the wheels. In order to effectively use the retarding force of the transmission, you must lockup the torque converter clutch. To lockup the converter clutch, you must send the signal to the valve body in the transmission. Using stock electronics, the lockup signal to the transmission will not be sent when the accelerator pedal is at the idle position, creating another problem. The ATS TripleLok? Commander comes in handy for this; it sends the signal to the converter clutch via the valve body to turn on the lockup clutch of the converter along with sending the signal to the exhaust brake. The TripleLok? Commander also automatically releases the brake and lockup clutch when the desired release speed is reached. There is one more catch to this. The factory valve body will not hydraulically allow the converter clutch to engage in 1st or 2nd gear, nor allow it to perform a 4th to 3rd gear down shift while maintaining the lockup clutch apply. This is a very safe and valuable feature when navigating heavy loads down a steep grade. The 5 or more seconds it takes to release the converter clutch, go from 4th to 3rd gear, then re-apply the lockup clutch while increasing speed due to lack of engine braking can be nerve-racking (not to mention dangerous.) You can easily see a few of the disadvantages with the factory valve body. There are many other benefits and improvements to the ATS valve body that can be learned by reading the valve body section. www.atsdiesel.com/products/products-dodge-transmission-valvebody.html

 

 

-Understanding how the Diesel powertrain and drivetrain work together & Building the perfect pulling truck-

With a basic understanding of the operation of the turbo Diesel engine and the transmission/converter, you will be in a better position to build a package that best suits your needs. Increasing the power output of your Diesel engine can be achieved with very simple performance upgrades. Remember, when performing these power enhancers, while the high-output power modules do supply the engine with large increases in fuel, the large fuel improvements make a great deal more heat. The higher money items, like larger exhaust, will not give you the big power enhancements you may desire, but they will give the engine the air it needs to keep harmful exhaust temperatures down, along with a very good building block for fuel enhancements. After the air requirements have been achieved, you can safely move into the larger fuel modules or pump upgrades. Something else to remember; if your engine has the air necessary to burn the increased diesel from the larger exhaust and intake system, you will get the full effect from the fuel enhancers along with maintaining the miles per gallon economy. The grid below is a basic cross-reference that can be used to help calculate basic power improvements. The need for torque converter, valve body and transmission modifications will appear rapidly. We have prepared a grid to help with the decision making process to better match the drive train requirements needed. Along with the descriptions, we have supplied a number to indicate the approximate horsepower and torque increase of the "add on" part. There is also a recommended torque number that is best to follow when making torque converter, valve body and transmission upgrades. The torque numbers provided represent the area that the stock components begin to show slip or failure, and at what torque we recommend upgrading certain drive train components. All of the numbers listed are estimates of power increases; the actual power increase will vary with your particular combinations and altitude. We have tried to be as accurate as possible when preparing the numbers. The recommendations of components listed below are designed to work together. We have taken out the fear of over heating the exhaust causing severe engine damage, while maximizing the total amount of power available. The transmission and converter are necessary building blocks that must be dealt with when building a reliable and properly working system. Along with reliably accelerating the vehicle and trailer, the retarding (Braking effort) force is equally important. We have started with the drive-train for this reason.

OFF-ROAD.COM RELIES UPON ATS DIESEL PERFORMANCE

Stay tuned for more adventures with Off-Road.com and the ATS Diesel Performance transmission.

Team ORC is traveling across the West providing live coverage at off-road events, off-road races and rock crawling competitions. For a close up look and discussion of the ATS performance parts, look us up at one of the many events we are at.

Baja Express Off-Road Adventures - Gonzaga Bay, Baja California May 2-May 8, 2003.

May Madness - Turbo Diesel Registry May 10-11, 2003, Las Vegas, Nevada

UROC RockCrawling Nationals, May 17-20, 2003, Cedar City, Utah

RCAA RockCrawling Extreme Series May 24-27, 2003, Moab, Utah

SCORE-International Baja 500- Ensenada, Baja Calfornia, May 30-June 2, 2003.

BITD Vegas to Reno Off-Road Series, Las Vegas, Nevada, June 26-30, 2003.

For More Information on ATS Diesel Performance Products

ATS Diesel Performance
4295 Kipling St.
Wheat Ridge, CO. 80033

800.949.6002
www.ATSDiesel.com

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