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Topic: Cummins & Eaton Joint HD Truck Drivetrain  (Read 1880 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Cummins & Eaton Joint HD Truck Drivetrain

Reply #20 –
Jerry,

I have owned a couple of VW diesels. They worked well and got about 44 mpg at best. Am sure the new Jetta is cleaner aero wise and with the turbo, will approach 50 mpg. The problem with an engine swap is all the electronics that go with them. The 7.3 turbo I installed was a mechanical engine with an aftermarket company remanufacturing and adding the turbo. It only had a half dozen wires or so and the glowplug timer was even mounted on the back of the engine. The new engines are all fly by wire so you have to buy or make up new wiring harnesses. With the price of the new ECUs, you don't won't to make a wiring mistake.

I sold a lot of MBZ products and found their reliability to be very good but have noticed in the later years that all German cars have really gone downhill with lots of problems in almost every category. Our 2005 Toyota RAV4 on the other hand has been 100% trouble free with almost 140K on it now. It does everything extremely well in snow, off road and even pulled a 7700 lb horse trailer full of books, household items from California to Ohio several months ago. Almost had to go into first at the top of Eisenhower summit on I-70. Not bad for an under 3000 lb vehicle. Mileage went from 27 down to 12 for the trip east. Temperature gauge never moved off the thermostat. Hate to say it but the RAV is the best vehicle I have ever owned.

So, for an older vehicle, swaps will still work but it's still a lot of work getting everything just right and not having a few problems now and again. Have never used the Acme adapter company but have used Kennedy Adapters on a Nissan V6 into a Vanagon. In some states, the replacement engine has to be the same year or later. I had to go to a California State referee when I made the diesel conversion on the SOB.

You can bring a car from any U.S. possession like Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico into the states without any kind of EPA/DOT problem, not even any customs duty. There is a Toyota dealer (google) in American Samoa that sells the vehicles and I know others that have shipped a car home. Naturally, you could just drive across the border from Mexico  with Mexican plates but if you got caught, you could lose the car.

I hope Ford does well on their new Focus/Fiesta line even though they make diesels here but export all of them. They look good, doors shut without sounding cheap, etc. but it's going to take a lot for them or anyone else to challenge Toyota for quality and reliability.

Pierce

Re: Cummins & Eaton Joint HD Truck Drivetrain

Reply #21 –
[Snip: I hope Ford does well on their new Focus/Fiesta line even though they make diesels here but export all of them.]

I contacted Ford regards their diesel Fiesta a bit over a year ago, and was told "the engine is manufactured in the UK and even if they wanted to deal with the mountain of U.S. emissions requirements, it would not be cost-effective to sell their line of diesel vehicles in the U.S."

Re: Cummins & Eaton Joint HD Truck Drivetrain

Reply #22 –
VW, Mercedes, BMW have been importing diesels for years. Fiat-Chrysler are about to start installing a Fiat diesel as an option in their half ton pickups and Mazda is beginning to offer a diesel here.

Ford is just giving you a generic corporate excuse. So easy to blame the EPA or DOT. It's just a statement that reflects their profit first, customer last attitude. I exported MBZ products from Germany for years so understand their position exactly. Why is a Mercedes purchased abroad guaranteed throughout the world but not here? Why can't you order the engine, accessories that you want like the rest of the world can instead of what they want to put on the car for the U.S. market? Buying a car in Europe is a totally different experience than here. When a European Mercedes showed up in the U.S., the dealership that sold the car in Germany had to pay the first dealership the car went to in the states, even for a simple oil change, triple the sales commission. They are desperate to control the market under their terms. They will only change when forced to by the competition.

I'm a huge Apple fan but cheer Androids on every chance I get as Apple will only lower prices, offer a better product when pressured to by the competition.

Pierce

Re: Cummins & Eaton Joint HD Truck Drivetrain

Reply #23 –
There's enough room for everybody in the global marketplace; whether it's iPhones/Androids; diesels/gas.  I'm excited about Chrysler's entry with the Fiat diesels in RAM's & in 2014 the Jeep Grand Wagoneer.  I also understand that if all goes well for the RAM & Grand Wagoneer,  that the Jeep Wrangler will get the diesel starting in 2015...Yeepee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Ford's decision to stay away from the diesel market in the North America...for whatever the reason!

Re: Cummins & Eaton Joint HD Truck Drivetrain

Reply #24 –
[Snip: So easy to blame the EPA or DOT.]

Maybe I've missed something along the way, but it's my understanding EPA / DOT regulations requires every recent model-year diesel powered vehicle to also include tank that holds a chemical called D.E.F. or "Diesel Exhaust Fluid" - I believe I read D.E.F. is commonly "Urea" which is injected directly into the muffler of diesel engines and chemically aids in burning-off excess carbon content. (Excepting Cummins powered Dodge Pickups, which apparently don't need the help; don't know the details here, either.) This "environmental saver" is called the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system, and I tend to believe such EPA/DOT requirements are part of some manufacturer's decisions not to market diesels in the USA.
 

Re: Cummins & Eaton Joint HD Truck Drivetrain

Reply #25 –
No idea about the world vs D.E.F. and Cummins, but I purchase my D.E.F. from Cummins a lot cheaper than anyother place I have checked.  2.5 gal $9.00. vs $14.00 to $19.00 eslewhere.
I need about 2.5 gal every 7.500 miles, so not a biggie.
Use it in the 2011 Ford F350 SRW 4X4 6.7 Power Stroke which is far better engine than the 5 Navistar engines before.  Just ordered a 2013 F350 SRW to replace a 2008 Ford E250 work van that is well used and too light and small plus many miles and no 4X4.
Dave M