diesel vs gas

[Dirty Harry]

Interesting observation, I have found that the old 6.2L diesels were severely underpowered but got excellent fuel mileage. We don't have nearly the variety of diesels in the US (particularly small diesels) that you have in Australia though so that is my only real experience with a naturally aspirated diesel.

As for the 12 valve versus 24 valve, yes, the older engines are much easier to work on since they are all mechanical. They have enormous power potential as well, however lacking computer controls you really have to choose between power OR mileage it seems. They are capable of either but not both. For expedition use I would be inclined to get the older 12 valve, less expensive and simpler if you need to fix it in the bush.

 

[TEETS]

It seems to be people like the 12 over the 24 when it comes to the older cummins. They are easier to work and make good power with little effort. Both are great engines I would go with the one I could get the best deal on. You should be happy with either.

 

[overlander]

Go diesel while you can. Tom Sheppard recommends diesel hands down for expedition work. You can't be an off roader for long without having cursed your ignition system to hell at some point. Diesels are also much, much more tolerant of bad fuel. I have a water seperator inline on my 110, and it works.

My NAS 110 has an International 2.8 TGV diesel, and it is consistently getting 20mpg no matter how I drive it or what kind of payload I have. It also runs better than the rover 3.9 V8-hellava turbo kick.

 

[Daniel]

a Latin American perspective

I have a small 2.8 liter turbodiesel here in Brazil (4x4 pick-up) and my average mpg is about 33 (13.9 km/l) during the past 80,000 km. Unlike the US, diesel oil is available in just about every "gas station" in Latin America, so for those planning a long trip, it's certainly the best option. Fuel quality is generally decent, despite higher sulphur contents.

On the drive down to Ushuaia, Argentina (the famous Route 40), for example, there are some 800 km stretches without any gas stations, which makes an efficient diesel vehicle a good thing.

At least in Brazil, comparative operating costs may also be a concern. Due to high taxes, gasoline here is roughly 70% more than in the US, or about 5 dollars a gallon. Diesel is also costing USD 3.50/gallon - due to a combination of taxes and lack of competition (it's a government monopoly).

BF Goodrich and Michelin tires are readily available anywhere in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, or Argentina - though prices vary. I have just paid USD 271 for each 31" BFG AT for my truck. I suspect that this is probably more than twice the cost in the US, though I'd be curious to find out. Paraguay and Uruguay have much more reasonable prices for tires, probably in line with international prices.

Travelers here eschew mud tires due to noise on the long drives. Michelins have the best reputation as "100 thousand km tires", which says a lot on our lousy roads. A have recently read that mud tires are also not ideal on Patagonia's gravel roads because the sharp granite gravel tend to stick to and cut into the tires. I'm not speaking from experience here...

I hope to have contributed a little to the discussion.

 

[travel dodge]

This is the sort of info I have been looking for. Thanks everyone. Keep it coming.
I have always dreamed about the drive down to the tip of south america and want my rig to be ready when I am.
Now if only I can find the truck that I have been looking for. 1998-2001 Dodge Ram ext cab short bed 4x4 cummins with a 5 speed.. Is this too much to ask I find them from time to time on the net but they are on the other side of the country or already sold.. It will work out in the end then I will start my write up. thanks again

 

[travel dodge]

well I got one, everything I have been looking for, slightly more beat up then I was planing but at the same time a bit cheeper then I was expecting. Now as soon as I can get a day off I can start to build it into the new travel dodge. I will get some pics and if I ever learn to post them I will do a bit of a write up.

 

[Rockcrawler]

Definitely need some pics.... Congrats!

 

[travel dodge]

sorry no pics yet. It's a 99 white ext cab (now I got room inside for the dog and a fridge) 5 speed manual (recently replaced along with the clutch and T-case) with a limited slip in the rear. It came with a fairly new set of 33" big O XT tires and an extra set of wheels. It seems to run great, I can't belive the power difference, It has an aftermarket intake and exhust, a very old bully dog programer( so old I need to research how to use it) and a FASS fuel pump and a replaced injection pump. I took it out for a short exploration run it seems to travel great. I can' t wait to start swaping my KORE suspention from my other truck to soften up the high speed bumps. The only things I can find wrong is an oil leak from the drain plug (common problem got the replacment plug in the mail today) and the steering is sloppy (like all dodges) I will have to start another post when the build starts.

 

[Rockcrawler]

You may already be aware, but...

Your Kore springs from the front of your old gasser, are probably going to be too soft for your diesel. They have 2 different spring rates due to the significant weight difference between the gas engines and the diesel.

For the sloppy steering I hear the DSS is the ticket. If I remember correctly that is Darren's steering stabalizer. It is not a traditional steering stablizer, but mounts to your frame rails and has a brace for the steering box that eliminates a lot of the "wandering."

Kyle

 

[travel dodge]

yea I hope that they will be stiff enough.. when I ordered the kit I told them I wanted the heavy spring rate due to the weight of my bumper. I hope that extra nitrogen will make it "good enough." I do need to do something diffrent for the rear springs as the Deavers I had made for the back are diffrent width then for the 2500. I have been looking at lots of sites about the steering, I need to spend an afternoon shaking wheels and check ball joints, tie rods and track bar. It seems that there is extra play in the steering shaft as well. I need to shake the one on the gas rig to see "exceptable play" right now I can rock the wheel back and forth a few degrees before it does anything to the wheels.

 

[cruiser guy]

Other places they mix water with diesel to get more money (but they do the same to gas.) Given the range advantage, I don't think you can go wrong.

cheers

I wouldn't be too happy if my water separator started to light up constantly because of watered down diesel.

Water is one thing that WILL kill a diesel quickly!

 

[cruiser guy]

It seems that there is extra play in the steering shaft as well.

My '89 Dodge Cummins had lots of steering play too. It was all cleared up by replacing the joint down near the steering box. I think it was about $20 - 30 in parts. I can't remember much more than that as it was probably 5 years ago that I got rid of it.

I liked the engine but hated the truck!

 

[chet]

a borgeson shaft from the column to the box will help alot.

 

[travel dodge]

curiser guy, good to see you are out there. I keep thinking about the clinic that you were talking about. Are you there? Do you have any pics or more info on the clinic/town. I think that my first big trip in the new rig might be heading down there to test out the new rig and possibly volunteer for a week or so.

chet, The borgenson shaft might have to happen. It looks well made. I just need to look and see if any of the other things (tie rods, ball joints) also need replaced.

 

[cruiser guy]

cruiser guy, good to see you are out there. I keep thinking about the clinic that you were talking about. Are you there? Do you have any pics or more info on the clinic/town. I think that my first big trip in the new rig might be heading down there to test out the new rig and possibly volunteer for a week or so.

I'm flying back down on Tuesday. There are some pictures of Yalu on the website right now www.wirrell.com but I'll be posting more once I get back and have access to our pictures down there. The current pictures of the village are from my daughters boyfriend (who is also a web designer and who did our site) when they visited a year and a half ago. My wife is at the village twice a week.