Info needed on Diesel vehicles

[venum]

What are the options on the used car market for diesel powered vehicles?

I know there were diesel B13's, Medalists

plenty are taxis and some are privately licensed

what is the maintenance like on these?

what are the key maintenance points\issues that one should be familiar with?

are they worth it?

what is the mpg like?

educate me on diesel cars and engines

[steffali]

I'd never recommend you buy a diesel vehicle over 5 years old. Reason being the majority of diesel vehicles tend to be taxis (if they are cars) or pickups and tend to be very high mileage. If you're lucky to get a Diesel vehicle with less than 40,000kms then you shouldn't run into problems too soon.

Diesel vehicles are generally not all THAT high maintenance. Key issues are the fuel pump (can go out of adjustment), fuel sedimenter (that's what separates the water from the diesel before it goes into your engine). When a diesel vehicle is working good, you shouldn't have so many problems, but once it starts to give trouble, watch out. Diesel engine parts tend to be rather expensive (piston rings, injectors etc).

MPG is generally the same as normal small displacement engines, but the reason it's more economical is due to the cost of diesel is half that of Premium gas, so a full up is cheaper.

I would personally suggest you go with a low mileage diesel vehicle if you HAVE to buy a used one, if not, go brand new.

Get a turbo diesel also, N/A tends to be frustratingly slow. With turbo diesel vehicles, you have the same maintenance issues with the turbo system as any turbo vehicle I guess.

IMO, a used (over 80000 kms) diesel vehicle is not worth it. Go for 40,000 kms or less.

My opinion.

[venum]

thank you Ms. Ali

[equipped2ripp]

I'd never recommend you buy a diesel vehicle over 5 years old. Reason being the majority of diesel vehicles tend to be taxis (if they are cars) or pickups and tend to be very high mileage. If you're lucky to get a Diesel vehicle with less than 40,000kms then you shouldn't run into problems too soon.

Diesel vehicles are generally not all THAT high maintenance. Key issues are the fuel pump (can go out of adjustment), fuel sedimenter (that's what separates the water from the diesel before it goes into your engine). When a diesel vehicle is working good, you shouldn't have so many problems, but once it starts to give trouble, watch out. Diesel engine parts tend to be rather expensive (piston rings, injectors etc).

MPG is generally the same as normal small displacement engines, but the reason it's more economical is due to the cost of diesel is half that of Premium gas, so a full up is cheaper.

I would personally suggest you go with a low mileage diesel vehicle if you HAVE to buy a used one, if not, go brand new.

Get a turbo diesel also, N/A tends to be frustratingly slow. With turbo diesel vehicles, you have the same maintenance issues with the turbo system as any turbo vehicle I guess.

IMO, a used (over 80000 kms) diesel vehicle is not worth it. Go for 40,000 kms or less.

My opinion.

first of all, why won't you buy a diesel vehicle over 5 years old? there are plenty diesel vehicles over 5 years old and are working good and even better than diesel vehicles which are 2 years old or so.

secondly, it is commonly known that diesel engines are more expensive than gasoline engines. hence the price of parts would therefore be expensive.

thirdly, a diesel vehicle would give better mileage as compared to a gasoline engine. not only is diesel seen as economical because it is $1.50/litre as compared to $2.85 & $3.00/litre of gasoline, diesel is an oily fuel. therefore it takes longer to burn as compared to gasoline, thus resulting in better mileage to a tank.

in my opinion, mileage should not be the only factor in purchasing a diesel vehicle. engine maintenance is a key factor in a diesel vehicle in terms on changing oil, plugs, filters and fluids. also, the quality of diesel is a concern. there are many gas stations here which have old diesel tanks which are known to have water in them due to the tank's old age and storage facilities. as well, the diesel produced by NP is of poor standard, so diesel treatments should be used periodically.

in my household we have 3 turbo diesel vehicles, one with low mileage and the others with 83000 and 138000 on them. the 83000 has 2.5yrs old and the 138000 has 7.5yrs old. the one with 138000 works really well for its age with no problems. the only problem we had in the past was a black smoke problem, but that was rectified by toyota. at present, it's working like a charm.

my personal vehicle has 83000 on it with ABSOLUTELY no problems. the only minor problem i ever got was water in the fuel filter, which is expected.

[cacasplat3]

changing oil, plugs, filters and fluids

for ppl who dont know, he's refering to glow plugs.


most old diesel engines(above 10 years) like in those old pick up's and old taxi's can be a headache.we have 2 diesels at home, one is ld20 turbo and the other an ld28 non-turbo. the ld20 runs a lot better than the 28, (mabey cuz the 28 in ah heavier vehicle) but we changed both engines already. the 20 was changed cuz the timing belt stripped and we tried to start the engine with out knowing the belt was stripped. turns out we caused some serious damage by doing that. the 28 was changed cuz the engine actually seazed after being down for 3 months. fuel economy on these engines are a dream, although they old they burn very little fuel. as equipped2ripp, mentioned the diesels are more efficent, not only fuel wise but because they turn more energy into useful energy, when compared to gasoline engines. turbo diesels need a dedicated cooling system, for some reason they tend to generate a lot of heat when under load or hard running. diesels are usually less complicated engines than gasoline engines, cuz they tend to rely on less electronics than modern gasoline engines, diesels can be your best bet on reliability, since they are less prone to failure of parts, since the parts are usually made quite strong from the factory. but like every thing else it needs a good maintainace schedule to keep running well, do this and u will be a happy person.

[venum]

So what are the main service points to consider in a diesel engine?

air filter, fuel filter, what else?

[equipped2ripp]

oil and oil filter every 5000kms,
fuel and air filter every 20000kms.

use original oil and air filters as aftermarket ones do not provide as good protection as original. those cheaper air filters tend to collapse after awhile.

the sakura fuel filter works just as the original.

[Val]

a diesel vehicle would give better mileage as compared to a gasoline engine

....therefore it takes longer to burn as compared to gasoline, thus resulting in better mileage to a tank.

Not really, it depends on the engine (displacement etc). Check your actual mileage and you will see (for different diesel engines, not just the Frontier's 2.5). My mileage is somewhere around 27mpg, for an equivalently powered (not by size I'm comparing eh, I'm comparing performance), it's just about the same mpg or less than modern engines. A 2.9 N/A Diesel engine performs comparably to a 1.5 n/a gas engine. I compare those mpg's. If you want to compare a 2.9 Diesel to a 2.9 Gasolene engine, then there is no comparison, the Diesel is more efficient. I compare performance, but thas just me.

[bleedingfreak]

Diesels are well worth the money, IMO... having driven pickups for the past 8-9 years... But your reference is to cars. But there shouldn't be much difference...

Diesels are made to take jamming and pressure. Diesels are made to run ALL DAY and don't worry about higher mileage diesel engines. Diesels usually go for 300K km before you need to overhaul or do any major work, once it is MAINTAINED properly...

The things you need to be careful about are:

Maintenance - Do not lapse on this! Diesels suffer from lack of maintenance. Change your oil timely, clean/ replace your air filter regularly. Same with your fuel filter. If you're buying a used diesel, problems could stem from the lack of maintenance by the previous owner.

Fuel - Given our piss-poor fuel, you WILL need to use an additive. Red Line has a Cetane booster that works wonders for a diesel engine. Don't ignore it. Have the fuel filter changed regularly. And occasionally you will have to clean the strainer...
Be careful where you fill up as equipped2ripp said.

Hope you joining the diesel club soon

[bleedingfreak]

made this run yesterday:
Arima to Sangre Grande to Arima to POS to Tunapuna to POS to Sando to Tunapuna

Then Tunapuna to Chaguaramas this morning

That's about 350 - 400 kms

Fillup cost: $41.00 diesel - that's 27.33 litres of fuel.

I would have used about 40 litres of gasoline if I was using my car.

[bleedingfreak]

Oh and lastly:

Be careful with cooling system issues. Diesels put out ALOT of heat! We did a change out for the radiator - from a dual core to a triple core just to be sure there would be no problems with heat dissipation.

[Val]

And occasionally you will have to clean the strainer

Ah yes, I forgot about this yes.

[cacasplat3]

Quote:
a diesel vehicle would give better mileage as compared to a gasoline engine

....therefore it takes longer to burn as compared to gasoline, thus resulting in better mileage to a tank.


Not really, it depends on the engine (displacement etc). Check your actual mileage and you will see (for different diesel engines, not just the Frontier's 2.5).

if performance or displacement were equal in a petrol and diesel, the diesel will always have better fuel effeciency. one majour reason for this, is that fuel in a diesel is injected, at almost TDC. this makes a lot of difference, when compared to a gasoline of same displacement, and mpg. ok as equipped2ripp, said, the fuel is oily, actually it is oil. and it will take longer to burn, and it will therefore produce a longer lasting force acting down on the piston, and not as sudden and short as the gasoline. in this, the longer combustion time provides more economy from the same stroke, when compared to gasoline.

[equipped2ripp]

Val, i drive a 3.0 and not a 2.5

[wagon r]

...once you go diesel you can't go back. interesting read, but i agree with not discriminating against high mileage vans.

i bought my van doing 238,000 +/- ah few and had my mechanic go it over and everything works great. it had a few things to sort out but i can't complain.

i get a reg. 570-630km per tank depending on how much a/c i use and how fast i drive. also, i don't see the big deal in turbo to non-turbo. yes the turbo will be faster but speed isn't everything, not to mention, i don't belch half the smoke most turbos do.

....and speeding is not only is against the law but doing it in something that big and high.....

i sold my first car that i cherished for my van and i haven't lived to regret it, and prob. never will.

[Val]

equipped2ripp, sorry there.

I didn't know that higher mileage diesel engines could work so well, I learn something yes.

[solo]

Very interesting read here. considering joining the diesel fraternity in the not too distant future, so ah soaking in this info...

[SmokeyGTi]

nice infor folks, allyuh makin meh want to go diesel now...if only i coulda afford a 4x2 van...

[equipped2ripp]

Val, no scene bro.

[venum]

what is the differencein performance and fuel consumption of a manual diesel 4x4\4x2 opposed to an automatic one?

[Val]

Automatic only makes sense if its a turbo diesel. N/A auto would be real slow. Manual N/A is not that bad.

[bleedingfreak]

what is the differencein performance and fuel consumption of a manual diesel 4x4\4x2 opposed to an automatic one?

Adding to what Val said:

Auto Diesels are good for running around, pushing a damn clutch in traffic is a real strain...

I don't know the feel of an auto diesel, but I know with the manual I regularly pull off in 2nd gear with little or no load. Because the auto is a 4 speed, you might have a lil issues if you're carrying load. That's my concern with the auto. But like I said, I ain't never driven one, so I can't say.

But I seen em move and WAY they move fast! The 1st on the auto seems alot closer to the manual 2nd gear than the 1st

BTW, I am comparing the auto Rangers to my manual Mazda... basically the same vehicle.

[bleedingfreak]

Weekend I changed out the fuel filter and cleaned out the fuel strainer at the pump...
Then added a bottle of Red Line

Pickup working like first time! Accelerating like when she was new! No smoking (or little... I ain't seeing none) Fuel comsuption? Hybrids eat your heart out!

See, other times I would only clean the strainer, or replace the fuel filter. Like an idiot, I never thought to do both...

[Val]

Rangers have bigger engines afaik. Mazdas come with the 2.5, Fords come with the 2.9

Where did u get the Red Line treatment for it?

[bleedingfreak]

^^ There is a Ford 2.5T man... what wrong wid you Val?

[bleedingfreak]

85 Plus

Designed for use in all diesel engines. Contains extremely powerful lubricants, detergents, seal conditioners, fuel stabilizers and rust preventatives, but without smoke suppressant. Red Line 85 Plus contains additional cetane improvers which boost the fuel 5-9 cetane numbers and additional lubricants which reduce wear in low sulfur fuel by 75%. This improvement in lubricity and cetane will reduce detonation, assist starting, help reduce smoking, help prevent fuel system wear and leakage and can provide 5% additional power and efficiency.

This diesel fuel additive complies with the latest federal low sulfur content requirements for use in diesel motor vehicles and nonroad engines, including 2007 year-model diesel engines.

[bleedingfreak]

Oh and I got it from TJ's Auto Supplies in Arouca... Dunno where else has it...

But I sure it's around

$40 a bottle

And you KNOW it good... it from Red Line

[Val]

oh ho, nice info.

[cacasplat3]

This diesel fuel additive complies with the latest federal low sulfur content requirements for use in diesel motor vehicles and nonroad engines, including 2007 year-model diesel engines.

diesel engines can suffer massive damage due to sulphur build up. if the sulphur content, is too high it could cause some serious damage to valves and linings.

[wagon r]

.....gots to get me a bottle.