Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 12:50:06 -0700
Reply-To: Ryan Mark Shankland <mark.shank@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ryan Mark Shankland <mark.shank@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: User friendly fuels (was you fixed it..)
In-Reply-To: <02b901c40c56$679d0140$0300a8c0@donald>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I agree with Donald, the emissions benefits are mixed except with bio--
but look at the biodiesel studies and in addition to the mileage gains
there are production and refining gains (environmental) for diesel-- and
you have to produce less, with different processes.
Mark in Den see http://www.biodiesel.org/ for distributors/ info
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Donald Baxter / Iowa City, Iowa
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 12:31 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: User friendly fuels (was you fixed it..)
I pretty much smelled like diesel the entire time I owned my 52 hp
Dasher
(Passat) Diesel from 1981 to 1984. It was a running joke. The fuel is
ubiquitous and although i think VW has done an admirable job isolating
the cabin from the smell in the newer cars--i still smell diesel and my
friend's 2003 Jetta TDI.
As far as the environmental benefits are concerned, I still think
they're mixed. Particulate matter is still significant and we don't
really know what that does to the environment and animal (including
human) health. We suspect particulate from diesels is
carcinogenic--specifically, it may cause lung cancer and that's usually
a terminal illness. Granted, diesel drivers are generally consuming
less fuel at least--but does that mean it causes less polution of a
certain kind? I just don't know.
One of the things that concerns me is fragility of the rubber timing
belt on such a high tolerance engine. What's the replacement interval
for these things? It was 40,000 miles, then 60,000. I broke a rubber
timing belt on a 16V gas (at 38,000 miles, mind you) and got lucky--no
damage (happened on decellaration). There is no such thing as luck when
these things break on a diesel given their high compression ratios.
Noise? Well, it's less of a problem on new diesels. Anyone remember the
old Isuzu I-Mark diesel ads in the early 80s showing a VW Rabbit
starting up with its fisherman driver waking up the whole neighborhood
(all the neighbors house lights go on) to take off at 4 a.m? The next
scene showed the same fisherman in an Isuzu I-Mark driving away with no
lights going on in the surrounding houses: "the Isuzu Diesel: it's how
to keep up with the Jones while not waking up the Smiths."
My '81 Dasher was sufficiently loud enough that my roommate told me that
my cats would go to the window when i drove up because they knew it was
me from the sound. My neighbor had a five-cylinder Volvo 240D (VW-Audi
engine with the same characteristics) and the cats ran to the window
when she drove by too--regardless of whether i was home or not. I guess
they thought I had a clone.
Still, if my municipality of Iowa City would enforce our noise
regulations against motorcycles, specifically our very loud Harley
community (and how obnoxious are they? Loud pipes don't save lives--but
they may just wake the
dead.) maybe someone around here might get sensitive about diesels.
Donald Baxter
'85 Vanagon GL
'96 Passat GLX (and not a rubber timing belt among these
vehicles--pushrods and chains!) Iowa City
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Keezer" <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 11:38 AM
Subject: User friendly fuels (was you fixed it..)
> For all the merits of Diesel, it has some big drawbacks still. I like
> the economy and versatility(ie, veg oil etc.)
>
> However, it is not popular here in the US for several reasons that
> have nothing to do with economy or big oil conspiracy.
>
> I don't work for big oil, but if it wasn't for "big oil", we wouldn't
> be having this discussion I might point out.
>
> First, the fuel. It is not user friendly. It evaporates slowly and
> stains permanently. So if you spill some on your shoes or dress you
> will smell it all day .I don't like the smell of Diesel fuel-maybe
> it's an aquired
taste.