QUESTION TIME

Southbound wrote: Why did Detroit 4 stroke engines become unpopular?

OK, so most people spec Cat or Cummins engines (in real trucks), well they did before Cat stopped supplying engines to road trucks. I drove an Argosy for a year with a 60 series and it was a good thing. Does anybody have any tales to tell about Detroit modern engines? Good or bad??

We had a Series 60 in an LTS 9000 and it was a very good engine. Had done 1.25 million kms when we sold the truck about 8 years ago (and it's still going), didn't use oil, didn't smoke, was good on fuel, and was an easy engine to drive.

I've often pondered this very question.
In the past, oil companies have swallowed up and stifled any new development in engine design, so how come they have let intercooling, common rail injection and other advances go. I would have thought they would be promoting screamers to ensure a guarenteed ongoing market for their fuel and oil.

Possibly a combo of the 1970's oil crises and a bunch of green senators weilding a club of emissions, throw in toughening Euro 4 and 5 limitations and suddenly the oil companies are getting the message.
Their still on a good thing, no matter how you look at it.
If oil consumption had halved due to more efficient engines, the number of vehicles being produced would have doubled in the past 30-40 years anyway.
What we don't know, or probably never will, is the sweetheart deals between oil producing nations and the Western economies.
Funny thing, look at the amount of oil that was produced in the US just last century alone. What happened to it?
Squandered, big gas guzzling autos with dirt cheap cost per gallon, never mind if we run out, we'll just go and invade some other poor country.
Ah, why bother. Politics was never my long suit.
Dave

i believe there are no 60s because Daimler Benz suspended sales of engines to other makers /competitors.after an emissions case in the US where DB blamed the truck builder for the result......anyway ,thats their story...net results......Cummins or nothing.........Kenworth are using a corporate motor...a DAF in fact.

wee-allis wrote: I've often pondered this very question.
In the past, oil companies have swallowed up and stifled any new development in engine design, so how come they have let intercooling, common rail injection and other advances go. I would have thought they would be promoting screamers to ensure a guarenteed ongoing market for their fuel and oil.

I say that's a conspiracy theory, the amount of fuel used in road vehicles is insignificant compared to mining, power generation or aircraft and sea transport.
I work for a mob who traditionally used American drivelines of 550hp, all three brands, before the latest upgrade to European. The Cummins are standing up better, at high mileage, than the Detroit or Cat.

O'k. I'll get my tongue out of my cheek now.

Question ###
Has any one considered setting up a good set of electric thermo fans automatically operated for cooling
Eg something like modern cars now run and are able to move large amounts of air and keep modern cars with small a radiadtors
running lots of cool ??????

Geoffb,
On what are you looking at?
I run a set of Falcon fans on the F350 with a dual pass cross flow radiator to keep the Cummins cool.
Hi/Lo thermal switches along with Hi/lo manual switches.

Saw a nice hydraulic fan assembly off a Lexus on another site this morning, would be another good option. Just need to find out how much flow and pressure is required, maybe a power steering pump would do.
Cheers Steve

Don't bother with the Lexus hydro fan.

Too hard to fit a pump and then cool it.

The fan has it's own ECU to control it.

I use AU Falcon units on two of my vehicles with great results