MBE ENGINES READY

Detroit Diesel will launch three re-developed engines in 2007: the Series 60, MBE 900, and MBE 4000. Come the January 2007 rollout, 79 MBE-equipped test trucks will have accumulated over 14 million design-validation and test miles. And that doesn’t include thousands of dynamometer hours during the early redesign stages. Freightliner and DDC have invested heavily in the development and reliability testing of the MBE product line, and they are more than ready to launch their ’07-compliant medium and heavy-duty engines.

Work began on the 2007 engines back in 2003, when the first MBE engine prototypes hit the test stands in Redford, Michigan, Stuttgart, Germany, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Much of the effort since then has been directed toward strengthening the product line, says DDC, not just gearing up to meet the ’07 EPA rules.

Formerly available in four distinct configurations, the MBE 900 will now be offered as an inline-six, 7.2 L medium-duty engine in standard or ‘high performance’ trim. The standard configuration features a single-stage turbocharger and cast-iron block and head, with ratings from 190-250 hp at 2200 rpm and 520-660 lb ft of torque at 1200 rpm. Its high-performance brother features a dual-stage turbo and compact graphite iron (CGI) block
and head, with power ratings from 260-350 hp and 800-860 lb ft of torque at (the 350 hp version is for fire, EMS, and RV applications only).

There are two engine brake options; an exhaust brake producing up to 110 retarding horsepower, or a combination compression/exhaust brake that can make up to 215 hp available to slow the vehicle.

Look for DDEC IV next year, the latest generation of electronic controls, to manage turbo response, multiple injection events, aftertreatment service, and much more.

The oil-change intervals: severe service 6000 miles; short haul 15,000 miles; long haul 20,000.

The newest feature of the MBE 4000 is the exhaust aftertreatment device. The basic engine platform hasn’t changed much, save for what’s required to meet EPA 2007. The EGR rates are higher, which forced enhancements to the cooling system, and the engine now has a two stage aftertreatment device – a diesel oxidation catalyst and a particulate filter. It remains the lightest engine in its class, tipping the scales at only 2270 lb.

DDEC IV electronics provide more precise injection timing and allow multiple injection events as well as better monitoring and managing of all engine systems.

The MBE 4000 is an inline-six, 12.8 L engine available in five ratings; 370-450 hp (1900 rpm) and 1250-1650 lb ft of torque (1100 rpm). The standard exhaust brake provides up to 370 hp of retarding power, but an optional compression brake can bring the total auxiliary braking power up to 580 hp.

The oil-change intervals are: severe service 10,000 miles; short haul 15,000 miles; long haul 30,000 miles.

In terms of the exhaust aftertreatment devices on both engines, passive and active regenerations will be required on a daily to weekly basis – depending on the engine and the application — and may require driver initiation or inhibition. Physical cleaning may be required between 200,000 and 400,000 miles. Stage 1 cleaning is an on-vehicle compressed-air cleaning that could take between two and three hours. Stage 2 cleaning involves flushing the filter in a liquid cleaning solution off the vehicle. In most cases, a reman filter will be exchanged at the time of service.


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