Diesel Question

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chrisrice

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May 27, 2007
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Hi All,

Is there any big difference between name brands of diesel engines? The two RV's I'm looking at have Cummins or Cat engines. I'm wondering if there is a reason to choose one over the other?

Also - one of the sales people told me that 'you have to run diesels' meaning that you don't want it sitting very long... Is there any truth to that? Is it wise for a weekend / part time user to go diesel if it will be sitting most of the time?

Thanks!
Chris
 
Chris,

We have a Cummins in our RV and a pair of CATs in our boat. Personally, I don't see much to choose between them, provided you compare apples with apples. Check torque as a key parameter that will move that RV along and push it up the hills. There are of course other brands of diesel engine that do an admirable job e.g. Detroit and Mann.

All our diesels sit for several months each year. The one thing I do is to put biocide (or an alternative) in the fuel tank if it's going to sit for a long period - to prevent the growth of algae which could gum up the fuel filter(s). I also try to take them out for a run periodically, but don't always succeed.
 
Tom said:
The one thing I do is to put biocide (or an alternative) in the fuel tank if it's going to sit for a long period - to prevent the growth of algae
Click to expand...

What is a long time?  What do you consider a long time before you will add biocide?

We store ours in the yard and can empty the tanks into our sewer, but getting it out of the back yard and to the right spot, then back inside the fence means I have to drive it a few blocks to circle around.  This is done every 2-3 weeks.  At least once/month during this process I'll take it for a 20-30 mile drive.  On those trips I'll be gone a couple of hours and run the diesel generator the whole time.  At least every other month we drive it 100-200 miles or more.  Is that enough driving to not need the biocide?





 
Kathy,

I've gone a couple of months or more without adding biocide, but the longer I leave it the more chance of algae growing. I sure don't sweat it for a few weeks, although I used to. I have to believe that hotter months are worse for algae than cooler months.

BTW my "time" is really talking about time between fill ups, not just time in storage. I have no idea if merely driving around every few weeks without refueling helps the algae situation in any way.
 
Although as a Caterpillar employee I have to say I am biased towards our product, I also wanted to provide you some information related to our on-highway engines.  Check out this link.  http://ohe.cat.com and decide for yourself.  I am an IT guy and not directly related to our sales function; however, when we were looking at Class A pushers, I really only looked at Cat and alot of that was based on what I learned through discussions with others.  Again, decide for yourself and good luck. 
 
Thanks for all of the info. I never knew alge could grow in diesel fuel, go figure!

I was curious about the difference between the engines, and if there are any compelling reasons to choose one over the other. From  what I'm reading it sounds like either is fine.

Thanks again!

Chris
 
The idea of not leaving a diesel sitting dates back to the GM 350 auto diesels of the late 60's.  The injector pumps used carbon steel parts, and if there was water left in the pump, it would rust in a few weeks and become inoperable.  I have no idea if the newer design diesels have the problem, but since I have not heard of it, I guess not.
Art
 
Either Cat or Cummins are excellent diesel engines and I would not worry about either one.  There is no more damage exposure in letting a diesel set for a few months than there is letting a gas engine set.  The big concern over either is water getting into the fuel and in the case of gas it has a tendency to go bad if a stabilizer is not added to the gas when it is to be setting for a long period of time.
 
Good point re moisture in fuel Ron. One way that folks can minimize that possibility is by keeping the fuel tank full.
 
Another consideration regarding diesel.  If you fill the tank during the warm weather then let it set for a few months and then head south or where ever when the outside temps are below 30F you better add an additive to keep the fuel from gelling.  When traveling during the winter months the additive is added before you pump it into your tank.
 
That's true Ron, as I realized when we refueled in Kentucky while we had icicles hanging from the coach. But I seem to recall the temperature where gelling sets in was lower than 30F  ???
 
Tom said:
That's true Ron, as I realized when we refueled in Kentucky while we had icicles hanging from the coach. But I seem to recall the temperature where gelling sets in was lower than 30F  ???
Click to expand...

As iI recall gelling can occur up to 30F but most frequently it occurs below 30F.  Beter safe than sorry. :D
 
Having sat for a week in sub-freezing temperatures and finding the additive while we were filling up in above-freezing temps, it made no sense to add it at that point, especially since we were headed for warmer climes.
 
I've been giving some thought to a Diesel car or SUV purchase and see that both the Jeep Liberty and the Volkswagon Jetta were made in 2006 but discontinued in 2007 models.  Were they discontinued because of the new low sulphur diesel fuel or were there other problems with them.  Are there any 2007 diesel powered vehicles other than the big Mercedes?
 
It is my understanding that during the cold months all the diesel at truck stops all over the country have the additive already added.  This is not the case during the warmer summer months.
 
Ron said:
... during the cold months all the diesel at truck stops all over the country have the additive already added.
Click to expand...

So, why would they have been selling it as an add-in? Makes little sense to me.
 
For folks like us that filled up in the summer and didn't start traveling until October. I will add the additive anytime there is any chance of traveling in cold weather after filling up then just setting for the summer.
 
In my small Massachusetts town, we put in a large storage tank for all the diesel town vehicles.  The first year the tank was filled in July.  The usage was such that it didn't have to be filled again right away.  When the cold weather hit, none of the school buses (stored outside) would start.
Art
 
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