Isuzu Diesel Engines

UPS tries to save fuel by cutting weight

The delivery giant is testing a pilot fleet of five trucks made from lightweight composite materials. They are about 1,000 pounds, or 10%, lighter than today's familiar brown truck — called "package cars" by UPS — which is built to UPS specs by multiple makers.

Because they weigh less, they can have smaller diesel engines that save 40% on fuel use — without the complexity of high-tech batteries, hybrid systems or other advanced technology issues that can run up total costs.

"This technology is available to us today," says Dale Spencer, UPS' director of engineering. "We don't have to worry about plugging it in or getting propane or CNG (compressed natural gas)."

The test trucks were built by Indiana company Utilimaster using a chassis and 150-horsepower clean-diesel engine from Japan's Isuzu. To cut weight, it has body panels made from composites. Even though composites can be costly, UPS says it thinks the price for the trucks will be competitive.

The fuel savings don't come entirely from the lower weight and smaller engine. Breaking the traditional look of a UPS package truck, the CV-23, as the prototypes are called, is 13% more aerodynamic than other trucks in the class, Utilimaster says.

The prototype truck is slightly smaller than the UPS mainstay, and the maximum payload is 4,200 pounds vs. 4,800 pounds today. But Spencer notes that more packages these days are smaller and lighter, as the mix shifts from bulkier business-to-business shipments to more consumer goods that people have ordered online.

UPS is testing the trucks through December in Lincoln, Neb.; Albany, N.Y.; Flint, Mich.; Roswell, Ga.; and Tucson. Rival FedEx is testing some, too.

Isuzu, which maintains a vigorous truck operation in the U.S. even though it no longer sells cars here, saw an opportunity to trump hybrids by applying common sense. Isuzu has used the tough little diesel elsewhere in the world but didn't consider it for the U.S. until fuel-economy concerns became paramount.

"We took a new direction and brought a new diesel engine to the (U.S.) marketplace," says Brian Tabel, retail marketing manager for Isuzu Commercial Truck of America. "We didn't think people were going to be able to afford a hybrid or electric vehicle.

Isuzu diesel engine w/ zexel inline injection pump.

I'm not an expert on Zexel pumps, but I'm near certain you're describing a delivery valve (barrel) that is height adjusted for proper flow timing. This is done at an injection shop by spotting the pump timing for each delivery valve and adjusting each valve by screwing delivery valves in or out to achieve proper timing. Once proper flow timing is achieved, the clamps that lock two delivery valves are fitted to prevent timing from being upset. I was always under the impression too that delivery valves were height specific to delivery timing, flow, etc. I was working on an air compressor with an isuzu and I believe a zexel pump that needed a head gasket. When I took off the injection lines one of the DV's turned with the line and I thought I had really screwed the pooch. I turned it back to where I thought it was before and continued. After I got it running that DV leaked fuel. I told the boss and he told me just to tighten it down- it wouldn't matter. I gave it a little turn and it snugged up. Long story short this one just tightened down and it ran like a champ when i got done. I guess I would like to know which pumps use a specific height to the DV like ATCO said and which ones just thread in and bottom on a seal. Thanks Atco. Yea I got to searching a little deeper into it and found a parts manual only so I looked up the nozzel. I saw all the different thickness shims! I think I'm gonna take a torque wrench and find out what torque it starts to break loose, note it down and put a mark on the barrel and the fuel injection housing to try to put everything back where it was in addition to the heighth. Yep, the shims are how you adjust the flow timing for the whole injection assembly for TDC of #1 cylinder. But each of those delivery valves are set by an injection shop for proper flow timing of each individual delivery valve. The height from base of delivery valve housing to a given point of delivery valve is the best metric you can work with in the field.

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