Posted by Charlie on Wednesday, December 27, 2000 at 4:24AM :
In Reply to: Gasoline Additives posted by Charlie Smith on Tuesday, December 26, 2000 at 6:29PM :
I know it's tiring to hear me constantly beating Dr. Diesel's compression ignition drum, but....
the complaints about modern diesel fuels are trivial compared to complaints about gasolines. They complained when they went to low sulfur (dropped from 0.50% to 0.05%) but nothing happened, not to any engine I'm familiar with. People complain about low cetane fuels (late ignition) but low cetane fuels are heavier and oilier and usually supply more lubricity to the pump and if heavier have more BTUs. The only real complaint about diesel fuel that's heard consistently is fuel that gels at low temperatures. That always will be an issue with diesel in some areas. Usually temperate areas in the lower 48 that are prone to occaisonal cold snaps, like the Southwest, lower Midwest and mid Northeast. The really cold places like Alaska and Canada use half jet fuel in the winter and we don't ever have gelling problems.
Truthfully diesels are much more tolerant to variations in fuel than gasoline engines. A gasoline engine WORKS because the fuel vaporizes in the carburetor and it also refuses to ignite till the spark. Normally a volatile fuel that will vaporize at subzero temps will go BANG when compressed 8:1, that's the basic problem in refining gasoline. With diesel just about any old medium or heavy distillate will do, the oilier the better as long as it stays liquid and as long as it can squeezed thru injector nozzles.
Hate to say it, but if you expect to be driving your M37 or Power Wagon in 2030 (I'll be 81 years old) better think about an engine swap. Pretty soon "gasoline" engines will go to direct injection into the combustion chamber, possibly part or all of the fuel just before ignition, and we'll start to see blurring between the two types. As that happens we'll see gasolines coming out that are crummier and less suitable for old carbureted engines.
Have any of you tried running your PW/M37 on kerosene? I think they'll run on it - barely.
Charlie
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