Stop Doing This With Engines!

All engines inevitably fail, and when they do, it is rarely a convenient time. If it’s a work truck, down time is a major issue since money is lost by the minute and hour. If it’s a daily driver, the headache is also severe. Added onto all this is lack of parts availability and backorders from the OEM’s. So when one does fail, and a replacement is ready, the trouble isn’t over.

Choate Engineering Performance is a leading manufacturer of Cummins, Duramax and Powerstroke short and long blocks. Cass Choate, the founder, joined us on this episode to discuss trends they see during installs (or immediately after) that lead to catastrophic failure. We were surprised by how common the issues can be so we jumped into the subject with an open mind.

Common problems that can immediately damage a new engine are lack of cleanliness, debris from failed turbos not being removed from intercoolers/piping, failed fuel systems contaminating the new engine, and even debris in the fuel tank. Proper removal of contaminated oil/coolant, can also be overlooked. The result of these failures are damage or complete failure of the new short or long block.

How does Choate Engineering Performance verify the issue is after the engine leaves the facility? Cass explained to us that during the engine assembly, pictures are taken of all key components, from start to finish, so they have a record of quality control procedures being followed. This allows them to isolate if the issue happened in shipping, during install, or to reference a component if the shop has a question. This allows them to control quality past the engine leaving the shipping dock.

Another technique they are using is certifying install shops around the country. This allows them to build relationships, extend quality control procedures, and streamline the process from manufacture to install, and ultimately, to a happy truck owner. If you’re tackling the engine swap yourself, a tip is to make sure any contaminated fluids or parts from the original failure are, ideally, replaced. It can be nearly impossible to remove metal flakes from oil coolers, or other debris from water pumps, heads, etc. Taking the extra time during install will not only ensure a strong running engine for years to come, but also save tons of money having to redo it again.