XPost: alt.home.repair   
   From: @.   
      
   mike wrote on 2/6/2023 2:50 PM:   
   > Read today that almost all vans and half the cars in Europe run on   
   > diesel.   
   >   
   > The only thing I know about diesel is it stinks and gives me headaches.   
   >   
   > I get why a huge truck with a heavy load would run on diesel fuel.   
   > But why would HALF the cars in Europe run on it?   
      
      
   I used to own a VW Jetta diesel.   
      
   Diesel is a grade of petroleum that has motor oil in it. I used to drive   
   an airport fuel truck long time ago. Most aircraft fuel is called "Jet   
   A1" which is a fancy grade of kerosene. Since the fuel truck itself ran   
   on diesel, I just pumped the Jet A1 fuel into the truck's fuel tank and   
   added one quart of motor oil. That converted the kerosene (Jet A1) into   
   diesel.   
      
   That means a diesel engine runs on a fuel that has a high content of   
   motor oil in it. That is the main reason diesel engines outlast a   
   gasoline engine many times over. Many taxis are also diesel because   
   taxis practically run 24 hour shifts. A gasoline taxi will die in one   
   year in New York City.   
      
   A diesel engine has higher torque than a gasoline engine. A diesel car   
   is slower to pick up speed from rest compared to a gasoline car. That's   
   ideal for trucks and taxis.   
      
   A diesel engine doesn't use spark plugs. It detonates the air-fuel   
   mixture by high compression in the cylinders. That means the metal used   
   in a diesel engine has to be strong enough to withstand the high   
   compression. That's why diesel engines are more expensive than gasoline   
   engines. Considering the fact that a diesel engine can easily run over a   
   million miles, it is cheaper in the long run.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)