Engine City Technical Institute
Encyclopedia
Engine City Technical Institute is an accredited, diesel technology school located in South Plainfield, New Jersey
, a short distance off of Interstate 287
. It is currently the only such school in the Northeastern United States
, and, as such, its graduates are in high demand amongst the area's industrial centers.
or Mack Trucks
beyond Mack sending several second-hand transmissions and rears to the Drive-Train shop.
training facility, while purchasing a larger building to house the heavy-duty facility, as space is quite scarce in the current facility's bays.
The second direction would be to become a CAT affiliate and a major training center for Caterpillar technicians, which would render most of the current curriculum to be moot as it deals with non-Caterpillar technology, but at the same time provide CAT with a golden source of trained and refined techs.
As of January 2009, Engine City Technical Institute - Diesel Mechanics School and Training Center has been acquired by Lincoln Education Corporation
. This Corporation operates over 100 schools throughout the U.S. This acquisition will serve as Lincoln Groups diesel mechanics school for the tri state area. This acquisition will also allow Engine City Technical Institute to purchase more equipment to service its growing student population.
South Plainfield, New Jersey
South Plainfield is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 23,385....
, a short distance off of Interstate 287
Interstate 287
Interstate 287 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York...
. It is currently the only such school in the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
, and, as such, its graduates are in high demand amongst the area's industrial centers.
History
Engine City was founded in Union, New Jersey, in 1969 as a training center to accommodate the need for diesel mechanics in New Jersey and the surrounding areas.Curriculum
Engine City uses a nine-week "phase system", where a student will attend the same class, five hours a day,(morning or afternoon) five days a week, for nine weeks before moving onto the next class. Program length is typically about 13 months. The classes are as follows (not all students take the same classes in the same order):- Drive-Train: The student trains on various transmissionsTransmission (mechanics)A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
and rear-end carriers for light- through heavy-duty applications. Transmissions typically worked on are New Process, Spicer,and Eaton-FullerEaton CorporationEaton Corporation is a global diversified power management company with 2010 sales of $13.7 billion. The company is a leading provider of electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment;...
Road-Ranger transmissions, the most common in the heavy-duty truck industry today.
- Basic Engine: The student learns about the all basic components of a diesel engine, such as the cylinder block, cylinder head, pistons, and crankshaft,(to name a few). In the shop, the student will completely disassemble,clean, measure, reassemble, and run a four-cylinderStraight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
IsuzuIsuzu, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
Thermo-King generator/refrigeration engine, as well as do minor tune-up tasks on standard straight-6Straight-6The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
heavy-duty engines.
- Chassis: A heavily shop-intensive course, the student will learn safe tire removal and replacement,hub service and types, wheel bearing service and adjustment, brake service, clutch replacement, front and rear suspension repair and maintenance, air-system maintenance, and preventive maintenance schedules used by many well known transportation fleets.
- Electrical: A more classroom course than the other phases, the electrical class reviews basic electric theory, teaches use of multimeterMultimeterA multimeter or a multitester, also known as a VOM , is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several measurement functions in one unit. A typical multimeter may include features such as the ability to measure voltage, current and resistance...
, starting and charging systems, engine and non-engine related electronic troubleshooting, schematic tracing, and sensor and actuator theory and operation. Trucks in the shop are used for real time projects.
- Fuel Systems: A continuation of the Basic Engine course, this class requires both Basic Engine and Electrical as prerequisites. The student will learn in-depth information on fuel system troubleshooting on both all-mechanical and electronically governed diesel engines, performing both basic maintenance and advanced troubleshooting tasks on Detroit DieselDetroit DieselAs a corporation, Daimler Trucks North America has decided to rename the company "DETROIT".Detroit Diesel Corporation is an American-based diesel engine producer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, USA...
, Caterpillar, and CumminsCumminsCummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
engines, both on separate engine stands and in actual trucks.
- Advanced Shop: An almost entirely shop-oriented course and typically the student's last stop before graduation, Advanced Shop sets the student on live trucks and extremely advanced tasks, such as removing, overhauling, and reinstalling the engine successfully into a truck. Live projects are also used for training. Transmission, suspension, hydraulic, etc. projects are available. Students are also given some degree of freedom in learning how to cut and weld. Stick welding, gas welding, wire feed welding, as well as the proper use of a gas torch and plasma cutter are covered. Students fabricate various stands, (for engines and other devices).
Affiliations
Engine City currently employs as instructors two former Cummins Techs of the Year, and as such have an extremely strong relationship with Cummins. Engine City also has a strong relationship with Binder as a result of Binder's head trainer being a graduate of the school. Only one individual teaches training programs at Foley CAT, a major Caterpillar dealership. Unfortunately, Engine City has not been able to secure any relationship with Volvo TrucksVolvo Trucks
Volvo Trucks is a global truck manufacturer based in Sweden, owned by Volvo Group - AB Volvo it is the world's second largest heavy-duty truck brand....
or Mack Trucks
Mack Trucks
Mack Trucks is an American truck-manufacturing company and a former manufacturer of buses and trolley buses. A wholly owned subsidiary of Renault Véhicules Industriels since 1990, Mack Trucks is currently a subsidiary of AB Volvo. The company's headquarters are located in Greensboro, North Carolina...
beyond Mack sending several second-hand transmissions and rears to the Drive-Train shop.
The future
There are two major potential directions that Engine City's administration is considering taking. The first direction would be to convert their current facility in South Plainfield into an automotive motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
training facility, while purchasing a larger building to house the heavy-duty facility, as space is quite scarce in the current facility's bays.
The second direction would be to become a CAT affiliate and a major training center for Caterpillar technicians, which would render most of the current curriculum to be moot as it deals with non-Caterpillar technology, but at the same time provide CAT with a golden source of trained and refined techs.
As of January 2009, Engine City Technical Institute - Diesel Mechanics School and Training Center has been acquired by Lincoln Education Corporation
Lincoln Group of Schools
The Lincoln Group of Schools is a group of for-profit vocational institutions consisting of 43 campuses in the United States. Each campus is owned and operated by Lincoln Educational Services Corporation...
. This Corporation operates over 100 schools throughout the U.S. This acquisition will serve as Lincoln Groups diesel mechanics school for the tri state area. This acquisition will also allow Engine City Technical Institute to purchase more equipment to service its growing student population.