Matt Macchiarolo wrote:
> Right, and my point was people remember this, and assume modern passenger
> car diesels are the same GM abortions of the 80's.
>
> the failure rate of GM's engines ruined the reputation of
> > Diesel engines in general in the United States market.


No. Contrary to opinion they didn't.

Even the first of the Olds 350 diesels usually went a hundred thousand
miles before they died, unless blatant owner ignorance killed them. By
the time the last 5.7 diesels, as they were then, were made, they were
a surprisingly durable engine. If you didn't "turn them up" as diesels
and if you kept the oil clean they would go longer than the chasssis
they came in except in sunny California.

GM was irresponsible in that they marketed the diesel to unsuitable
owner groups and also spent their budget consumerizing the diesel
instead of ruggedizing the engine. They also failed to put in
diesel-class filters and electrics.

They would have been far ahead to use a foreign engine such as an
Isuzu or GM Bedford Diesel and target limited markets at first. But no,
they wanted a splash.

The real anti-diesel forces in the USA are the car dealers. They hate
diesel, and all alternative fuels, because they "restrict inventory".
They are why Ford has had such tough sledding with its alt-fuel
programs.

 

L.W. ------ III (ßill) wrote:
> Yes we should subsidize the trucker dollar for dollar like
> railroad.

We do because trucks pay only 10% of their road wear costs. When I buy
gas or diesel or propane-and when I pay income tax-I subsidize trucks.
We all do.





It maybe too late already as I don't know any independent
> owner operators, they're all gone.
> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
> mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/


The OO has no place in commodity dry van or reefer linehaul trucking
anymore, unless he leases out to a big fleet, and then he is just a
company driver who loses money to call one truck his own. OOs do have a
legit place in some specialized hauling businessses, but you have to be
sharper than the average OO to succeed in them.

We are at war, supposedly, for oil. Figure out the distance one pound
of fuel will move one ton of freight by rail, and by truck. Figure also
the manpower-one driver per truck which can carry less than 25 tons vs.
three guys to run a train stretching a couple miles. Throw in the
asphalt and construction workers for superhighway vs. rail maintenance
(and we don't use our highways to deploy jets, as the Euros do, to
justify the supermodel-***-smooth highways Americans demand). Trucks
are what necessitates the constant road maintenance we need.

Way, way, way too much freight goes by truck in America.

 

L.W. ------ III (ßill) wrote:
> Yes we should subsidize the trucker dollar for dollar like
> railroad.

We do because trucks pay only 10% of their road wear costs. When I buy
gas or diesel or propane-and when I pay income tax-I subsidize trucks.
We all do.





It maybe too late already as I don't know any independent
> owner operators, they're all gone.
> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
> mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/


The OO has no place in commodity dry van or reefer linehaul trucking
anymore, unless he leases out to a big fleet, and then he is just a
company driver who loses money to call one truck his own. OOs do have a
legit place in some specialized hauling businessses, but you have to be
sharper than the average OO to succeed in them.

We are at war, supposedly, for oil. Figure out the distance one pound
of fuel will move one ton of freight by rail, and by truck. Figure also
the manpower-one driver per truck which can carry less than 25 tons vs.
three guys to run a train stretching a couple miles. Throw in the
asphalt and construction workers for superhighway vs. rail maintenance
(and we don't use our highways to deploy jets, as the Euros do, to
justify the supermodel-***-smooth highways Americans demand). Trucks
are what necessitates the constant road maintenance we need.

Way, way, way too much freight goes by truck in America.

 

L.W. ------ III (ßill) wrote:
> Yes we should subsidize the trucker dollar for dollar like
> railroad.

We do because trucks pay only 10% of their road wear costs. When I buy
gas or diesel or propane-and when I pay income tax-I subsidize trucks.
We all do.





It maybe too late already as I don't know any independent
> owner operators, they're all gone.
> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
> mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/


The OO has no place in commodity dry van or reefer linehaul trucking
anymore, unless he leases out to a big fleet, and then he is just a
company driver who loses money to call one truck his own. OOs do have a
legit place in some specialized hauling businessses, but you have to be
sharper than the average OO to succeed in them.

We are at war, supposedly, for oil. Figure out the distance one pound
of fuel will move one ton of freight by rail, and by truck. Figure also
the manpower-one driver per truck which can carry less than 25 tons vs.
three guys to run a train stretching a couple miles. Throw in the
asphalt and construction workers for superhighway vs. rail maintenance
(and we don't use our highways to deploy jets, as the Euros do, to
justify the supermodel-***-smooth highways Americans demand). Trucks
are what necessitates the constant road maintenance we need.

Way, way, way too much freight goes by truck in America.

 

L.W. ------ III (ßill) wrote:
> Hi Bill,
> I know of many times as the gas station started switching over, the
> tankers would accidentally dump a nine hundred gallon compartment into
> the diesel storage, destroying ever diesel car that fueled there.

What it did was make the station owner buy a new pump, injectors, and
sometimes pistons and liners for a few diesel car owners. If the car
was high mileage you got a major O/H or a crate engine for free. Of
course the station owner would deal with the truck driver later.

I always smelled my fuel carefully and if it smelled like there was a
lot of gas in it I quit fuelling, and threw in a can of motor oil I
carried. Bosch pump engines unlike the GM RoosaMasters would tolerate a
lot of gas in the fuel, long enough so you could put in some diesel
fuel to dilute it out to a safe level. Turbo engines were less happy
with any gas in the fuel, but even so if it was unleaded 20% you could
get away with if you kept your foot out of it for long stretches.

Diesel engines can run on some surprising things if you get in a jam,
at least short term. K-1 or Jet A as long as you have a little oil in
there, ATF, or Wesson oil are all preferred alternates.

I will be very happy when we get Euro spec ULSD fuel in this country.
In fact I hope they just make it all JP-8, it's the same price
basically, and the recovered vanadium will be good for the steel
industry.

 

L.W. ------ III (ßill) wrote:
> Hi Bill,
> I know of many times as the gas station started switching over, the
> tankers would accidentally dump a nine hundred gallon compartment into
> the diesel storage, destroying ever diesel car that fueled there.

What it did was make the station owner buy a new pump, injectors, and
sometimes pistons and liners for a few diesel car owners. If the car
was high mileage you got a major O/H or a crate engine for free. Of
course the station owner would deal with the truck driver later.

I always smelled my fuel carefully and if it smelled like there was a
lot of gas in it I quit fuelling, and threw in a can of motor oil I
carried. Bosch pump engines unlike the GM RoosaMasters would tolerate a
lot of gas in the fuel, long enough so you could put in some diesel
fuel to dilute it out to a safe level. Turbo engines were less happy
with any gas in the fuel, but even so if it was unleaded 20% you could
get away with if you kept your foot out of it for long stretches.

Diesel engines can run on some surprising things if you get in a jam,
at least short term. K-1 or Jet A as long as you have a little oil in
there, ATF, or Wesson oil are all preferred alternates.

I will be very happy when we get Euro spec ULSD fuel in this country.
In fact I hope they just make it all JP-8, it's the same price
basically, and the recovered vanadium will be good for the steel
industry.

 

L.W. ------ III (ßill) wrote:
> Hi Bill,
> I know of many times as the gas station started switching over, the
> tankers would accidentally dump a nine hundred gallon compartment into
> the diesel storage, destroying ever diesel car that fueled there.

What it did was make the station owner buy a new pump, injectors, and
sometimes pistons and liners for a few diesel car owners. If the car
was high mileage you got a major O/H or a crate engine for free. Of
course the station owner would deal with the truck driver later.

I always smelled my fuel carefully and if it smelled like there was a
lot of gas in it I quit fuelling, and threw in a can of motor oil I
carried. Bosch pump engines unlike the GM RoosaMasters would tolerate a
lot of gas in the fuel, long enough so you could put in some diesel
fuel to dilute it out to a safe level. Turbo engines were less happy
with any gas in the fuel, but even so if it was unleaded 20% you could
get away with if you kept your foot out of it for long stretches.

Diesel engines can run on some surprising things if you get in a jam,
at least short term. K-1 or Jet A as long as you have a little oil in
there, ATF, or Wesson oil are all preferred alternates.

I will be very happy when we get Euro spec ULSD fuel in this country.
In fact I hope they just make it all JP-8, it's the same price
basically, and the recovered vanadium will be good for the steel
industry.

 

Explain the "restrict inventory" bit, please, Bret.

--
Dave Milne, Scotland
'91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
"Bret Ludwig" <bretldwig@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1130271770.528491.141660@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...

> The real anti-diesel forces in the USA are the car dealers. They hate
> diesel, and all alternative fuels, because they "restrict inventory".
> They are why Ford has had such tough sledding with its alt-fuel
> programs.
>

 

Explain the "restrict inventory" bit, please, Bret.

--
Dave Milne, Scotland
'91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
"Bret Ludwig" <bretldwig@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1130271770.528491.141660@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...

> The real anti-diesel forces in the USA are the car dealers. They hate
> diesel, and all alternative fuels, because they "restrict inventory".
> They are why Ford has had such tough sledding with its alt-fuel
> programs.
>

 

Explain the "restrict inventory" bit, please, Bret.

--
Dave Milne, Scotland
'91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ
"Bret Ludwig" <bretldwig@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1130271770.528491.141660@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...

> The real anti-diesel forces in the USA are the car dealers. They hate
> diesel, and all alternative fuels, because they "restrict inventory".
> They are why Ford has had such tough sledding with its alt-fuel
> programs.
>