Had GM used a Chevy 350 block for their V8 diesels they wouldn't have had head gaskets blow out- the 350 has a 5 bolt pattern around the cylinders- the Olds motor has a 4 bolt square pattern- 10 bolts per head- the heads leaked between the cylinder. The small 4.3L V-6 diesel was based on that Chevy 5 bolt pattern and it was a reliable engine-- FYI- with the changeover to ultra low sulfur diesel in 2007 all diesels that were in service before that are subject to shrinking O-rings and injector/pump leaks- it costs about $200 to get a TDI injector pump resealed.- R&R labor extra.
Was that what you were told back in the '80s? For a dealership that doesn't deal in heavy duty trucks, keeping a diesel tech on for a few cars would be a drain on profits. Part of the reason for high diesel prices now is that the refineries sell it overseas for a profit. If diesel demand shot up that much now, they'd just ship less diesel to Europe, and maybe more gasoline to other parts of the world. Though I think they'd adjust their output quickly enough that any price spikes or drops would be over in less than a year.
I have been told that many times when I worked at Chrysler- in employee meetings somebody would always ask when we were getting a diesel minivan or car and that is what they told us-- the dealers won't support them- the sales won't justify the service expense. They shipped diesel minivans overseas, diesel Patriots, diesel Journeys, etc-- and they refused to sell them to Americans. I was in Moscow in 2003 and saw Dodge diesel minvans running all over- taxi cab work. We shall see how the diesel Jeep grand cherokee and diesel ram 1/2 ton pickup sell.
Didn't they sell the Jeep Cherokee diesel in the US around 2005 time? I understood it sold very well.
It was a Liberty, the Cherokee replacement, back when Daimler controlled Chrysler. It used a Mercedes CRD. Maybe even had two size offerings. Dealers not supporting it is one of the reasons Toyota gave for not expanding BEV availability. With the Diesel Cruze and more models from BMW and Audi, I think dealers need to change their mindset.
A lot of people saw the MPG numbers on our Chrysler diesel stuff that went overseas- wow, those imperial gallons sure confused some of us- until we figured out that their 55mpg was more like 45mpg in the USA- well, some of us figured it out.
It isn't just imperial gallons that inflate those numbers. More optimistic fuel economy test definitions are also a major factor. US-EPA is more pessimistic than all the other systems around the world.
Toyota already fixed this "problem" with the EU Auris HSD MY2013. The powertrain is almost the same as Prius MY2012, the improvement has to be somewhere else, maybe a better catalyst ? Noise Level [dB(A), moving] 71.0 CO Emissions [g/km or mg/km under Euro 5/6] 124 HC Emissions [g/km or mg/km under Euro 5/6] 18 NOx Emissions [g/km or mg/km under Euro 5/6] 6 HC+NOx Emissions [g/km or mg/km under Euro 5/6] N/A Emissions Particles [g/km or mg/km under Euro 5/6] N/A
There are plenty of Diesel cars that I would drive, Touareg V10 TDI, Q7 V12 TDI, a lot of te Audi V6 and V8 TDIs, TDV8 RAnge Rover.....there's quite few ore too. Loads of power and better fuel economy that their petrol equivalents.
For hauling and towing my diesel truck is a work horse. It never fails to pull the camper and the enclosed M/C trailer. I tried doing the above with a gasser - it moaned and groned. I knew if kept the gasser, the engine would not last long. So I went to diesel 14 years ago and never looked back, The truck is not a DD - that's left to the Prius, wich does a great job! DBCassidy
If I am still hauling and towing and I can work another diesel truck into my budget - yes, I would buy another diesel. Currently with 113,800 miles on the ODO, the current diesel is just broken in. I would like to see 500,000 - 750,000 on the current engine before shopping for a new one. I keep up on the body wirk and do all the required maintenance (owners' manual). I also don't abuse the truck. It is a reliable, hard working machine. Yes, it consumes fuel (14 - 16 mpg towing, 21.5 mpg solo), but it is paid for. Also using the truck keeps me from over taxing the Prius with heavy loads. So, The diesel serves a special need for me. If I were to consider a diesel car - no way, not when the Prius does that perfectly. DBCassidy
