[W126 Coupe] OFF TOPIC - 126 CHASSIS DIESELS 300SD VS 350SD

[a figment of the imagination]

Hi!

My only comments regarding diesels follow.  First, I
think diesels are great engines (especially
Mercedes-Benz) and, if tuned right, can accelerate and
out-run some gas engines.  I say this because a friend
of mine tunes Mercedes-Benz diesel engines and owns a
300 CD.  His car was so fast that it out-accelerated
my 380 SEC and probably could keep up with my G35
(ouch).   Watching his car take off made me feel flat,
but, hey, I am glad that he helped turn me onto diesel
engines.

Second, diesels have great fuel economy, especially
within city traffic, where they can run at higher
gears and burn up 50% less fuel than a gas engine.  

Third, they can propel you at higher torques and allow
you to "pull" heavier loads, better than regular gas
engines. Indeed, they provide grossly equivalent power
at the same or lower rpms as a gas engine would.  For
instance, quoting from Robert Bentley's Rabbit diesel
manual, "the 1981 diesel is rated at 40 kWatts (52
horsepower SAE Net) at 4800 rpm, compared to 57 kWatts
(74 horsepower at 5000 rpm) for the 1981
spark-ignition engine.  This enables the diesel to
propel the lightweight Rabbit to a top speed well
above the legal limit, with acceleration akin to that
of a spark-ignition engine."   [While I don't fully
understand this logic, I think the author means that
diesel engines give you a 'good' amount of power at
lower rpms than a gas engine would....but someone else
can help explain this.] 


Fourth, most people are ignorant (including myself)
about the diesel engines and as result, shy away from
them, especially when it comes to repair.  The truth
is that they are actually *EASIER* work on and are
*SIMPLER* than most gasoline engines.  Diesel engines
don't have the complication of spark ignition, spark
plugs, breaker points, condenser, ignition cables,
distributor rotor, and other components that have to
replaced over the lifetime of the vehicle.  Each of
these components magnifies the number of potential
problems that a gasoline engine can have and that can
go wrong and be a nightmare (as it was for me with my
SEC on Friday the 13th, during the heavy downpour].  

Fifth, diesel engines are more economical to own and
maintain because of not only the fuel economy but also
by the fact they don't have a carburetor (older cars)
or emission controls to service periodically to meet
inspection requirements.  At $2.97 per gallon of gas,
you can get 2-3 times the distance. That's simple
math.  (It is too bad that it's actually cheaper to
refine diesel and that they charge more for diesel to
the point it is equivalent with lighter, more refined
gasoline than is reasonably justified.]

It is a myth that diesels are intolerably slow
automobiles; those cars are actually not tuned right! 
MBZ diesels are as amazing as VW diesels, when they
have been serviced correctly.

I hope this helps.  

Cheers.

-figmented on diesel power

I just purchased and had delivered (thankfully) the
first 2006 VW Beetle TDI (Turbo Diesel Injection) in
my state.  Woo hoo.  (These guys don't even make it to
the lot before they are sold out).  I also just got
done fixing up our 1981 Rabbit diesel and sold it for
4 times its previous worth.  Both cars get 45/55
(city/highway) mpg, easy.  Trust me, diesel engines
are a lot simpler to work on than regular gas engines;
it is a tragedy that most mechanics do not know this
fact, but use an incorrect (ignorant) cliche that they
are actually more complicated to work on. 

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