The diesel controversy

A lot of gas fires come with a catalytic converter fitted so you don't need a flue, the point is that people are knocking the diesel for no reason a well maintained diesel is no more harmful than any other fossil burning fuel engine. The government go with the what ever they think right or wrong some body said about taxis nearly all near us have had the DPF removed and so are some of the buses the government is now saying that log burners are as bad as the diesel but no body minds buying from shops that are delivered to by the diesel powered HGV or flying abroad on planes that burn paraffin also ships bringing things from China and other places chucking out black smoke they would not pass an Mot. I know some of the newer ones have carbon collecting systems but not many and they can be removed and cleaned. As I have said I spent 50 years with diesel engines I also am a member of The Road Transport Engineers I also am a qualified mot tester and know all about the construction and use. And what about diesel trains have you never seen them black smoking and diesel rail cars left idling for hours at a time so lets leave road transport alone until a proper set of rules come out. The government are too quick to jump to the wrong conclusions remember eggs, and finally most of the people that have died from diesel fumes had underlying lung problems, yes I lived through the 40s and 50s and know all about smog and im still here with clear lungs.

Stan

If removing the lead from petrol stopped the emission of carbon monoxide why do people still get poisoned from faulty gas fires and boilers, I didn't know they put lead in the gas supply."

As far as I am aware they don't put lead in gas, The Carbon monoxide is created due to an inefficient burn.

"" So when you say it is illegal to alter a vehicle and run it on the road why is it ok to change the exhaust and fit big bore no baffles and wider wheels and lower the ride height"

All those modifications are also illegal if not approved

And the insurance informed

Whether you like it or not Stan your van is illegal to use on the road without the DPF being intact and it's your responsibility.

Edited By Antony Powell on 12/05/2017 14:48:02

Hi Mark

Yes it is .....Anything the alters the cars / vans Emissions, Brakes, Suspension, Steering etc etc must be approved.

I like it 'Anything the alters the cars / vans Emissions, Brakes, Suspension, Steering etc etc must be approved.'

I wish they would tell that to the authorities that look after our roads or are potholes now approved.

Approved by whom? How would you prove that it is approved? Hell, how would you buy it in the first place?

As with the rest of our lives there are approval bodies set up by the government

CE markings

BSI

ISO9001

etc etc

and yes there are standards for our roads that the government has to stick to !!

Edited By Antony Powell on 13/05/2017 08:38:32

HI, just 2 penny worth.....read till the end please.......

all the salt that eats car's works out just fine for the manufactures.....!!!!!! So when the dam things are eaten away by the rust bug or as the norm these days, nobody can fix the electronic crap, hence it goes the scrappers......

How much extra does it cost the environment to make replacement vehicle......(emissions from the power station)....than rebuild a perfectly good old'un.....

I for one run pre 1990 Diesel vehicles with no electronic's.......infinitely repairable.....luckily cavity wax filled from new.....

When I worked in california, we used to go to the junk yard buy a nice car (not to banged about) then buy a later (new) engine and trans from the factory, rebuild the chassis components, brake and susp, get the Mexicans to replace the upholstery and a repaint .....all this for a little over 1/2 the cost of a new'n.....no contest really....everybody was doing it.....

thats until the FED's offered a price to scrap the older cars that went for trade in.....RING ANY BELL"S......

I had a sweet mid size type EL-Camino pick-up, V8 Diesel (6.3) and was just gonna buy a 60's Ford Thunderbird with a continental pack, (spare in the r/bumper sort) but I had to come back to blighty......

U see it's all crap, the country need emission problems so that the gov can get extra tax's out of us.....if everybody quit smoking where would the tax money come from next...?????....

u get more shxte out of politician gob than u get from a Diesel......Rant over.......hahaha...

sorry, but keep the old car's going..............

Read all about it. The link happens to be for the UK but most National Administrations have similar organisations.

There's a huge difference between large-scale manufacture for sale of a polluting product and what I do in my garage. If I knock up a dirty unsafe run-about and use it on private land, then the environmental damage is very small as is the risk to the public. If I make and sell 10,000,000 of exactly the same machine then the damage is enormous.

Type approval isn't aimed at individuals, it's purpose is to protect the majority.

Dave

Just to throw something in the pile, I remember seeing some years back a power pack, diesel that absorbed it's own exhaust and was used underwater. It was recycling it's own pollution. They must have also fed it air to allow it to run.

The technology to make a diesel pollution free is there but no one seems to want to incorporate it it into present day systems.

Hi Clive,

that system was also used in Submarines.....after a designed time period they had to take in fresh air to re-charge the air top up system but also to remove the Hydrogen (I think) from the huge battery banks......

what upsets me most is those wonderful Gardner 4LK's that went to the bottom ...I wanted one for an antique truck conversion....anyway.......

also, the Diesel engine will run on it's exhaust with just a wiff of pure Oxygen......that's if u can afford it......

I think, if the Yanks said as from Jan 1st, 2020 no petrol, diesel vehicle will be sold to the gen public we'd soon be driving using Hydrogen or such like .....

over to u.......Clogs........

.On the subject of homogation and approval the wider matter of safety to the general public is obvious.

What is less obvious is how this affects the individual and how this impacts on what can or cannot be done to road vehicles. Being able to make a replacement part on a lathe or mill is possible, but introducing the part to a road going vehicle may in the case of an accident have severe legal consequences which the wise should be aware. Finding you are not covered by your vehicle insurance will be the least of your worries, especially if third party personal injuries are involved, the loss of your home, workshop and personal liberty are at stake. Even more worrying is that a vehicle repairer may use non approved parts THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK.

But I guess that a majority will take a chance and you are not guilty as long as no one knows!!!!!!

For type approved parts, the automotive industry could follow the aviation industry, and even that is not entirely fool proof.

Ian S C

Well, I did ask!

What a range of opinion, expertise and discussion.

Thank you to the forum.

My Vauxhall Viva had holes in the wings after 3 years, my last car had no rust after 14 or so (can't quite remember). Yes you could fix old cars on your drive but you had to do it very frequently. With the Viva the prop shaft oil seals had to be changed fairly regularly, and the clutch lasted about 20, 000 miles until I discovered you could fit a van clutch. With my last petrol car (Vectra) all I ever did was change oil and filter every 10,000, air filter every 20,000, plugs every 30,000, and it did 165,000 miles before the scrappage scheme came in. It did many more miles to the gallon than the Viva, went round corners better, stopped better and would cruise much faster. The only unplanned outages were a broken spring, when the pollen filter got blocked and the heater stopped working (answer throw away the pollen filter), and when the alternator died. Even the battery lasted 12 years There is no comparison. Of course if you enjoy crawling about under a car most weekends that's your right, not me.

Edited By duncan webster on 14/05/2017 23:21:31

Edited By duncan webster on 14/05/2017 23:22:45

I know what ya mean Duncan,

but I'm lucky enough to have place with a car lift and room enough to move about.....my current vehicles are a 1989 Reno Extra 1.6 D...the speedo stopped at 380,000klms and still does over 60 to the gall...when I bought it I just dropped out the eng/g/box replaced the clutch, w/pump , t/belt etc etc that was 100,000 klm's ago.....the other is a, 99,T4 5 seater Transporter D, (my forever car) that's got 330,000klms on it, new engine and clutch, replaced all the sus joints, needed or not + the brakes etc etc.....neither of them has any rust holes and the paint aint pretty......u just gotta spend a few quid at the start and usually all will be well..... My other old vehicle is a 1928 Citroen C4 pick up, just made or replaced ALL the wearing items, bearing's, bushes etc etc.......not cheap but she'll be an almost daily driver when the body is finished.....

Old cars are great but u can't do it on the cheap....do the job once but do it properly......besides, mostly these old cars get more valuable with age....not like the newer models.....

if I need to go ball's to the wall on long distance, there's plenty of cheap rental car's that u can drive like u stole it....

No, I'm not rich but have a weird take on life......

Oil on ya shoes, bee's in ya hair......hahaha.......clogs mmmmmm, Castrol "R"...........

I still don't understand why exhaust systems don't rust out these days?

Martin

Very much agree Duncan. Shame it took the Japanese to teach our car industry how to do it.

Most of us use the car as a tool and expect it to work. Similarly with computers.

Martin,

exhaust are "Aluminium'ised" (some sort of electro coated steel ) with some of the special bit's near the engine that are now often Stainless...silencer's are mostly, not welded anymore, just crimped.....on the older but newish types of exhaust they we're made from zinc plated biscuit tins but as soon as they we're welded there was no protection from the water inside or out.....hence rust at the seam's......

And

the Jap's took hold of everything with engines because the Axxx Hole's in management that we're to busy getting pissed or playing golf or believing the gen public don't know any better and will buy what ever crap they produced by like's of "RED LEN" .?????? whatever.....

Note to self, some new things are quite good.........hahaha........

Clogs

Odd things cars - my last two have had new sumps because of rust, the only part that had rust. Even the original exhaust system has less rust.

Clogs, Red Robbo I think you mean?