This is a public apology ot Jim Beam, whose previous assertions that there is a conspiracy to keep diesel passenger cars out of the US populace reach I was promptly ridiculing. I apologize to you, Sir, and now AM a believer there is a conspirancy against small diesels in the US of A.
Not surprisingly, you've failed to understand (should you not have been kidding): "irrefutable evidence keeps diesel passenger cars out of the US ...". That evidence is that they are simply too inherently dirty, but when configured to actually meet US standards, become too underpowered and expensive to attract an audience.
Perhaps, but I think more significantly, the mind of the American consumer is still reeling from the experience of the GM diesels of the 1970s, which were so terrible they gave not only diesels but automobiles in general a bad name.
Ask anyone of my generation about diesel cars and they will have a story about their neighbor who bought an oldsmobile that exploded.
I drove a 2L turbo diesel in the UK. It was just wonderful with a big, flat, torque curve that felt like a bigger engine. Passing at 65 MPH was a piece of cake. It got 40 MPG too. What's not to like?
I was surprised that most people in Wales were driving diesels. OTOH, with performance like that, who needs gas? As they say, what you can't see can't harm you. ;)
I'm not so sure, that was almost 40 years ago after all. I didn't give a second thought to issues with cars built in the 20's when I bought and drove vehicles in the 60's.
But the the problem wasn't the engine so much as it was the lack of a water/fuel separator and contaminated fuel.
"." wrote in news:mv0i9p$7d1$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
no the problem was they built a diesel out of a gas eng block that couldnt handel the pounding and by being cheep they runed the market for many years to come. KB
It wasn't a conversion, it was purpose built. With replacement fasteners, a water/fuel separator, good fuel, and diligent maintenance, the Olds 350 diesels last (and the blocks make great hot-rodded gas and alcohol race engines too).
"." wrote in news:mv0m08$gm7$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
Wrong yourself, it was deff a converted 350 gas eng design. I had to work on those pieces of crap. They had more problems than you could beleive. All the maintance in the world wouldnt solve those design problems. KB
No, you're quite obviously not an engineer but simply a lazy grease monkey that unsurprisingly doesn't know what you're talking about and won't even take the short amount of time necessary to find out.
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The Olds diesel V-8 displaced 350 ci and was based upon the small-block Oldsmobile 350. This engine
was not simply the gasoline powerplant converted to diesel, but rather an all-new assembly based upon
an incredibly beefed engine block just for the purpose. The diesel program ended in what might be
considered a failure, with complaints of inadequate reliability and poor power. Ironically, these Olds
diesel blocks are just the ticket to massive power on gasoline.
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Contrary to popular myth, the Oldsmobile 350 diesel was not a gasoline engine that GM hastily threw some glow plugs into. On the contrary, GM designed a block specially for the diesel 350, which was heftier and made of a different alloy than the block used in the gas-powered Rocket 350. Unfortunately, GM did cut some corners - the most egregious of which was the lack of a water separator.
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The 350 Diesel is a Converted 350 Oldsmobile Gas engine Right? Wrong! The 350 Diesel Is not a converted Gas engine..it is a completely different block..It isn't a gas engine with different heads or a gas engine sleeved, etc etc..There was no gas Oldsmobile engine sharing the same block. The Diesel block is specific to the diesel, it is a heftier, more solid block with stronger mains and a port in the valley for the injection pump adapter. The block is cast with a high nickle content. The 350 Diesel is not a converted gas block but can however be converted into a gas engine.
and more particulars here:
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Learn to educate yourself, these quick facts took no more than a minute to find.
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