Significant work is under way at Detroit Diesel to prepare engines with exhaust gas recirculation systems for the 2002 model year.

EGR is widely touted as the best solution to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's next exhaust emission requirements for 2002. EGR mixes exhaust gas into the intake air stream, helping to lower combustion temperatures as less air and fuel are burned in each cycle.
Development work at Detroit Diesel includes dynamometer durability testing plus some early field testing. A city bus with a Series 50 engine with EGR has been on Detroit streets nearly every day, rolling up miles and hours while engineers gather data. Part of the development work includes use of a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) for the first time. All Series 50 bus engines will get EGR this spring to comply with urban bus emissions.
Increased cooling requirements will require either larger radiators or more tubes in same size radiators, plus increased coolant and air flows, Detroit expects. Testing with truck manufacturers is scheduled for this spring and summer.
Detroit says that its EGR engines are not being treated as "new" engines but rather an ongoing part of the Series 60 evolution. Engineers are confident they can meet 2002 emission levels without the use of catalysts or other add-on systems. Focus is now on engine performance, fuel economy and durability testing.
Detroit Diesel's new 14-liter Series 60 is now in full production after a year or so of limited production and customer evaluation, much of it in construction and in Australian road trains.
It's offered currently only at 550 horsepower and 1,850 pounds-feet of torque here. The company does not want to hurt the popularity and strong resale value of its 12.7-liter workhorse by offering the larger displacement engine with multiple horsepower and torque ratings. The top 12.7-liter rating goes to 1,650 pounds-feet of torque.
Last spring, the company quietly discontinued assembly of its two-cycle 71 and 92 series and phased them out of its engine line. With over a million two-cycle Detroits running worldwide, there will continue to be a strong aftermarket for parts for decades to come.
Dropping two-cycle assembly made room for an additional assembly line (now four in all) and increased capacity to 345 engines a day. Replacing part of the two-cycle line, which was very popular in marine applications, is an about-to-be announced marinized 60 series engine which produces 700 horsepower at 2,500 rpm.