The Weekly Waffle

 The Rise Of The AUTO! The ZF TraXon is a highly advanced and efficient modular automatic transmission system that is designed for use in DAF trucks. This gearbox was introduced in 2017 (MY17) and with the introduction of NGD is the only gearbox available.....good bye manual! It offers a wide range of options and configurations to meet the specific needs of the haulier such as 12 and 16 speed variants with overdrive available as is a wider gear set in the 12 speed for higher toque transmission The TraXon gearbox also has software that enables precise control over the transmission, including gear shifting, torque distribution, and energy management. This advanced software means the ecu is able to calculate vehicle mass very effectively which consists of inputs of engine speed, torque and vehicle acceleration to ensure the correct drive off gear is selected every time, which allows for even more efficient operation resulting in improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. The TraXon tra

Let's talk back pressure valves  Following on from my diagnostic and replacement here. We can waffle this week about the BPV or Back Pressure Valve fitted to DAF Mx-11 and mx-13 engines.  Once apon a time we use to have the exhaust brake and it's only job was to create some back pressure on over run.  How things have changed! With the introduction of euro 6 came smart actuators such as the VTG (you can find a bit about that here ) the EGR and the BPV. Now tasked with a multitude of different operations the BPV must now assist the PCI ECU in different operations such as: warming the engine up from cold achieved by creating a lower opening percentage of the butterfly valve. Assist and work in unison in creating backpressure for the EGR valve  Decreasing exhaust gas flow in the EAS system in order to heat up scr and the dpf element Adapt pressure situations in the turbo for better turbine rotor control.  create back pressure for engine braking.  Why is it s

FRAME CAN FUN Sorry bit of a long one in this week's waffle, as it will be about the advancements from euro 6 to model year 17 which I touched on at the end of my video anyway let's talk about the components involved in making this happen. Frame CAN or F-CAN to the uninitiated, is yet another system to go wrong in some people’s eyes, yet the ability to operate inputs and outputs at the rear of the vehicle with only two wires is AMAZING! VEHICLE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT We will start at the front of the truck in the cab where VECU is located. The centre of all vehicle data communication and the location of key control operations is the VECU (Vehicle Electronic Control Unit).  The vehicle cannot be driven if the VECU is not operational. DAF introduced VECU to vehicles from specification week 2 2017-25. VECU replaced VIC-3 (vehicle intelligence centre) and the CSM (cabin switch module) which I won't talk about today as we don't have all day!  The VE

OUT WITH THE OLD TURBO, IN WITH THE NEW TURBO How Turbos Have Changed In this week’s waffle I’m talking about the actuator used on the turbocharger on DAF mx-11 and mx-13 since euro 6 Variable Turbo Geometry plays an important part in efficiency and this was one of the big factors for replacement of the old internal waste gate turbocharger. NO SMOKE WITHOUT POKE We have a few components fitted to the turbocharger to enable correct operation as without a waste gate it can literally produce boost till it fails from oil starvation due to shaft speed or in bits from compressor surge, but in this week’s waffle we will focus on the actuator. One of the major components of the turbo is the VTG actuator. This component controls the direction of air via a nozzle ring at the turbine wheel How this operates is to increase the turbo rpm lower down in the rev range or slow it down higher in the rpm range, such as to control exhaust back pressure during exhaust BRAKE application . But having mechan

  Welcome Well this is my first blog post, where I can go more in-depth into the content posted on my YouTube channel.Here I can explain the how's and why's, where on my YouTube channel it needs to be short and engaging. The How And Why As I always say to my apprentices, understanding the how and why of a system is critical to diagnosing a fault. It’s no good changing part after part without evidence of a failure or at least a bloody good educated guess on the component you’re about to replace. Which brings us onto how an EMAS system functions hydraulically Electronically Controlled Multi Axis Steering Truck Running - No Steering Input The first critical component in the system is the pump.This is a high capacity geared motor and takes oil from its own power-steering reservoir. The pump self regulates the oil pressure and supplies fluid to the control valve. From the motor oil gets pumped into the control valve (labelled SP201 in the diagram). This literally does