Quote:
Originally Posted by Oliveguam
Cheese-Wagon, as always this is a good read, I too am a dinosour hung up on "dirty diesel" I understand the the days of easy to work on engines are numbered. This is a compelling arguement as to why on a personal level. I apreciate you writing more into this as being aware of risks and bennefits make to inform better decision making. Much of my life has been spent focusing more on saving of time money ect through ease of build or service. Sadly not putting much proirity onto my personal health. The weak link in electric based systems is in the batteries, but we live in intiresting times as things on that front are rapudly evolving at present. In the meantime adapting to solar wind and thermal barier techology as it is for now is atill worthwhile. Also I have wondered about propane or natural gas as prime movers with diesel. Using injector system as timed ignition system to ignite metered intake fogging system. It was a crossover system that was being proposed in port of Long Beach when I last lived in commiefornia. I feel that may be worth your looking into. Personally in spite of bus dreams I feel as long as I am living in the tropics I feel wood gas and fisher troppe processes have my intruige.
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I can't even be around a campfire, so not sure wood gas would be viable for me. However, diesel to LPG / CNG conversions are certainly viable, I have seen quite a few hub-to-hub UPS and FedEx trucks powered by CNG. They are easy to spot, they have a tall cabinet on the back wall of the cab containing the workings, and usually carry the familiar CNG blue-diamond label somewhere.
The trouble is that converting a diesel for this requires extensive modification. First, compression must be dropped drastically, as LPG and CNG need more in the range of 10:1 compression as opposed to a diesel's range of 14-21:1. This requires replacement pistons, or on inline engines, a spacer can be fabricated to extend the cylinder, thus dropping compression. However, then the engine must be modified for spark-ignition, easier said than done on most. And the most important part, modifying the fuel system. I rather think that a gas V-8/V-10 crate engine package or similarly powered motorhome frame swap would be far more cost-effective and less time-consuming as well. But who knows?
At any rate, I certainly don't want to see others saddled with the health problems I have when it is entirely preventable with the right information and a few better choices. I don't mean to get graphic, but I have a productive cough that either keeps me running to the toilet to spit out phlegm, or has been known to half-fill a 20-oz water bottle in a week. I have insane allergies and need a cool, closed, preferably air-conditioned environment. I frequently don't feel like getting out of bed these days and even taking the trash out destroys me for an hour or two. I am a veritable prisoner to whatever vehicle or building I am in, and I have to literally run for my life if someone lights a cigarette in public unless I am in my car or inside a building, because I can't be within 200 feet of any kind of smoke. Even vapes, or just the smell of smoke or vapes on or around someone is enough to start me coughing.
Like I said, I wouldn't wish these problems on my worst enemy. I consider most, if not all members here friends, and I don't want to see any of you unknowingly slowly poison yourselves and develop emphysema just trying to have some fun on the weekends. Think of your lungs as DPFs. Eventually they clog slam up and take no more, requiring replacement. Replacement DPFs are as simple as your dealer parts department. Where are you going to get new lungs? For those just tuning in and unfamiliar with this thread, the most important part of this thread is post #59 on page 3.
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