Re: Novak Still Lying -What Goddamn Balls!

I know this is probably going to get me in trouble here but:

I has always heard diesel engines had more low-end torque and diesel gets better MPG. If that's true why couldn't they just add a catcon or something to bring the emissions in line?

-Bill (remove "botizer" to reply via email)

Jerry McG did pass the time by typing:

Actually it's mostly because of the seasonal switch to production of home heating oil instead of diesel. Both are essentially the same process and you can't split one from the other like you can diesel/gasoline they are just too close. Also diesel is under pressure to go "botique". Special blends for every damn jurisdiction.

Basically because of the loss of gulf platforms we are farked for the next few years till they can rebuild. Lost a lot of oil production when those platforms were sunk.

Wblane proclaimed:

A diesel is inherently more efficient simply because it is a better heat engine.

As for adding a cat convertor, the problem with diesel is that even the cleanest modern high pressure Euro styles have a problem with producing aerosol emissions that have a worse greenhouse effect than the CO2/CO from gas engines. The filter would be more of a particulate trap than anything else. The high voltage style of trap used on smelter chimneys would be a bit of trouble to implement in a vehicle--but not impossible. A simple mechanical trap would work if the issues of detecting clogging, operation at exhaust temps, and periodic service can be solved.

A diesel has more torque due to the higher combustion pressure...you *could* do the same with a conventional 4 cycle engine but would have a bit of problem controlling the flame front.

Excuse, me, but when I bought gas last night at $1.81 per gal(for reg unleaded), I happened to notice that the diesel was 3¢ higher than premium @ $2.04/gal. Why would I want to pay higher prices for stinkie fuel?

-- Old Crow '82 Shovelhead FLT 92" 'Pearl' '95 Jeep YJ Rio Grande ASE Certified Master Auto Tech + L1 TOMKAT, BS#133, SENS, MAMBM, DOF#51

because you dont use so much of it.

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

Since the advent of a process called catalytic cracking they can make heavy fuels into light ones, but not the other way around.

Gasoline was a byproduct of kerosene, in effect, until the mid-1920s, not the

Today all oil products are in continuous and rising demand. There just isn't any cheap product out there.

The Europeans have gone diesel in a big way and rightly so because they generate less total volume of pollutant gases, and give very much better economy. This is because as Carnot predicted the higher the differential of heat the more efficient a heat engine is. That's why steam has been pretty well run out of business everywhere except where fired by a reactor or by some cheap random burnable such as coals or trash. Natural Gas and heavy oils are much more efficiently burned in piston internal combustion engines or in split cycle (steam/gas turbine) plants.

We've established Mr Hughes has no interest in the environment per se, else he'd be behind Clunker Junker.

The very belated introduction of the excellent and proven VM common rail high pressure diesel is a very good thing even if it's not in the platform I'd buy. Historically Mercedes engines have been better than the American pushrod ones in terms of TBO and sudden failures...but the parts are a lot higher.

Here in New England diesel is cheaper than regular gasoline all summer, and more expensive all winter.

Biodiesel rocks. And any diesel can be converted for about $100 worth of parts. Get with the true future of eco-fuels. And for those of you that don't think diesels in general can be clean, powerful, and efficient, look at today's VW's. They offer almost every model of their cars in diesel format in the US market. And they're popular. You just don't notice them on the street because they're badged as TDI not "diesel".

15 gal @ 1.819=$27.30

That's based on 2 days of me commuting to work and back. For $1.16 per day, I'd rather not mess with diesel, thank you. I'll just switch from fru-fru coffee to plain ol' hot-n-black.

-- Old Crow '82 Shovelhead FLT 92" 'Pearl' '95 Jeep YJ Rio Grande ASE Certified Master Auto Tech + L1 TOMKAT, BS#133, SENS, MAMBM, DOF#51

Jerry McG did pass the time by typing:

At least one was, several were torn from their moorings and were presumed sunk till they were spotted floating in the gulf. What remains to be seen is the damage at the ocean floor. That's a lot of deep cleanup and removal of twisted pipe before the rigs can be operational again.

At $2.50/gal for Methanol and $2 for a can of Lye it costs roughly 40 cents for the Sodium Methoxide to convert, on average, one gallon of biodiesel. Lye in industrial quantities is very much cheaper and methanol is somewhat cheaper. The labor in small batches is the gotcha unless you look it at it as a hobby. It's got to be more entertaining to suit up (sodium methoxide is horribly disfiguring on contact so you have to wear full hazmat gear) and make a batch than to hang out with 'Nutter' Llwellyn ,though.

In production I think using raw base stock is cheaper than the recycled stuff and commercially I think it's bringing roughly $3 a gallon. I just heard we are expecting a monumental bumper yield of soybeans and corn this year, so prices may converge or at least come much closer.