Category: Blog – All HHP Blog Articles

In a previous post in this series, we talked about what to do if your bays are full but you’re not making enough money. Closely related is something else you might be experiencing—lost money due to work delays.

We’ve said it before, and I’m sure you’ve heard it—there’s a shortage of qualified diesel technicians out there. But that shouldn’t be a reason to hire just any candidate who walks through your door. You could be doing more harm than good!

When’s the last time you were able to take a vacation and not have to worry about getting phone calls from your diesel repair shop? You might feel like without your presence, the entire operation would fall apart.

Most diesel technicians assume a brand-new cylinder liner comes out of the box perfectly round and ready to install.

However, advanced dimensional analysis shows that even new production liners contain small amounts of geometric variation throughout the liner surface.

While these variations are often microscopic, they can still influence:

• ring sealing,
• oil control,
• blow-by behavior,
• and long-term rebuild reliability under operating conditions.

That is exactly what Highway and Heavy Parts explores in Black Series Lab– Episode 1. In this episode, we examine:

• cylinder liner roundness,
• dimensional stability,
• storage conditions,
• advanced measurement technology,
• and why standard inspection methods may not always reveal the full picture during a diesel engine rebuild.

When it comes to gaskets, the material can make all the difference. Most current gaskets are made of a combination of metal and a composite material like graphite or asbestos, although asbestos has been losing popularity due to safety concerns (HHP only sells asbestos-free gaskets!). In recent years, though, a newer type of gasket has been developed to meet the increased demands modern engines place on them. These multi-layer steel (MLS) gaskets, while not standard on all engine models yet, have been growing in popularity, due in part to their better handling of increased temperatures. But they come with their own set of issues that aren’t shared by graphite gaskets.

We’ve all said it before: I’m just too busy! And there’s no doubt that you are busy, but are you the right kind of busy?

So you notice your oil pressure is low. Your automatic response might be to have your oil pump looked at, or to replace it altogether. A lot of times this might solve your problem, but what happens if you get a new pump and your pressure is still low?

If you’re like most repair shop owners, you’ve got your eye on your bottom line, and you always want it to be a little higher.

The internet has swiftly invaded the way we interact in our everyday lives. Most people access the internet daily now, for shopping, news, social media, and entertainment.

So you’ve decided to focus on the way your diesel repair shop handles its marketing. Maybe you’ve even considered a few channels for how best to market your shop. But have you thought about who you’re going to direct your marketing efforts at?

Are you having trouble getting the right parts? Are your orders getting mixed up? Markups not making you enough?