By Gail Marsh
My husband won’t even consider buying a different truck to tow our fifth wheel RV unless the truck has a diesel engine. He insists that the power provided by a diesel motor far surpasses any gasoline engine. His loyalty to the diesel engine got me wondering how the diesel engine came to be.
The inventor’s early years
Rudolf Diesel was born on March 18, 1858, in Paris, France, to German parents. His early years were marked by a deep fascination with mechanics and engineering. As a young man, Diesel studied engineering at the Polytechnic School in Munich, Germany, where he honed his skills and developed a passion for innovation.
Diesel’s idea
In the late 19th century, the world was undergoing a major industrial transformation, with steam engines dominating the scene. However, Diesel believed there was room for improvement. He envisioned an engine that would be more efficient, cost-effective, and versatile.
Diesel’s ingenious design involved using a piston within a cylinder. Air was drawn into the cylinder and compressed to extremely high pressures. At this point, Diesel would inject a fine mist of fuel into the compressed air. The heat generated by the compression caused the fuel to spontaneously ignite, drive the piston down and create a powerful force which drove a crankshaft.
Advantages of Diesel’s engine
- Greater efficiency. Diesel engines were significantly more efficient than steam engines, converting a higher percentage of fuel into usable power.
- Fuel flexibility. Diesel engines could run on a variety of fuels, including diesel, biodiesel, and even vegetable oil, making them adaptable for different purposes and regions.
- Durability. Diesel engines were known for their robustness and reliability, making them ideal for heavy-duty applications like industrial machinery and transportation.
- Lower operating costs. The efficiency of diesel engines meant that they consumed less fuel, resulting in cost savings for operators.
Diesel’s legacy
Rudolph Diesel’s hard work and innovation paid off. He was granted a patent for his engine in 1892. Diesel’s invention marked a significant turning point in the history of transportation and industry. Diesel engines quickly found their way into various applications, from ships and trains to trucks and power plants.
Tragically, Rudolf Diesel’s life was cut short in 1913 when he mysteriously disappeared during a voyage across the English Channel. His body was later found, and the circumstances of his death remain a subject of speculation and intrigue.
Despite his untimely demise, Diesel’s legacy lives on. Diesel engines are still widely used today, powering the world’s transportation and industry. These engines have evolved over the years, becoming more efficient and environmentally friendly, but the core principles of Diesel’s invention remain intact. That’s how it happened: the diesel engine.
Note: If you’d like to know more about Rudolf Diesel, check out Doug Brunt’s book, “The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I”. The book discusses Rudolf Diesel and his invention, as well as investigates the intriguing mystery surrounding Diesel’s death.
Do you wonder about how a familiar item came to be? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll research and write about it!
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##RVT1126
Diesels have a disturbing smell. Try following one on a motorcycle! Maybe someday they will create one that is easier on the environment, but not in my lifetime!
Don’t follow one then! Pretty simple math to me.
So, to answer snarky with snarky:
Don’t drive a diesel then. Pretty simple math to me.
The original Diesel engines were way more environmentally friendly. In fact, more enviro friendly than electric. They ran on peanut oil. Sometimes vegetable oil and often rape seed oil (canola).
No rare earth minerals to strip from the planet with millions of gallons of sulfuric acid and no oil to drill for. No fracturing, no tar sands.
Yep, Lithium mining is anything but environmentally friendly.
Saw an interview, not long ago, with a mining executive in charge of establishing a new lithium mine in Nevada. He was brutally honest (surprised me) regarding the environmental impacts of open lithium mining. Sure wouldn’t want one anywhere near me!
Trains filled with sulfuric acid traversing the country and then getting pumped into the open pit mines by the millions and millions of gallons. All in the name of saving the planet.
What could go wrong?
✌️brother.
While many complain about the emission system changes for diesel engines, it has removed the soot, black smoke, and smell. DPF + the DEF injected SCR system have emissions so low that you can swoosh your hand around inside the tailpipe (when cool, of course) and virtually nothing on your hand when you pull it out.
The more recent major issues happened when requirements to have the system monitor the DEF concentration were implemented. One manufacturer of the sensors had major failures. This causes unreasonable engine derate to be basically unusable until the sensor is replaced. The pandemic made replacement parts unavailable.
That issue has been worked through, for the most part.
Here’s the answer:
https://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/ducati/2013-ducati-monster-diesel/
Wow! Alex, I just read everything in this link. I’ve been out of motorcycling since about 2000 when I sold my 82 Honda 900F. Nevertheless, I still periodically read motorcycle stuff. I’ve never heard of this bike! Thanks for the link. It sounds like quite the amazing machine. Unfortunately, I’m now way too old to risk riding bikes anymore, but it was sure fun back then . . .
I own a diesel F 250 , and I have never looked back. That is until diesel, and yes gas p[rices went thru the roof in the swish of a pen, right here in the USA.
My diesel has sat alone in the driveway out back since about a year ago, because of the high cost of fuel. My trailer thankfully sits on our own waterfront lot here in Maine, so no need for the truck.
I fully agree a diesel can pull more and pull cheaper than a gas engine. But now with the added costs of DEF and oil corps scandalously high profits, and our lower buying power, I am dry docked.
Trailer on folks.
It can only get better. Sorry to hear your in drydock. Hoping we all get back into a cycle of peace and prosperity soon.
For what it is worth, the Germans have a bar drink they call ‘diesel’. It is a mixture of beer and cola. It has about the same color as diesel fuel, and at least in my opinion, probably tastes as bad. :LOL
Oddly enough, I bought a bottle of expensive beer called “Old Engine Oil”. It was thick and very tasty. Old Engine Oil is brewed by the Harviestoun Brewery, now part of Heineken, in Alva, Scotland. I only saw it once, and only bought one bottle – because of the price. I just looked it up to see if it’s still around. It sure is, and has a large following. The article says it’s carried by Total Wines. Hmmm, have to look for that next trip to Total.
Rudy, Rudy, Rudy!!!!!
Unfortunately because of emissions regs diesel engines are notoriously finicky and expensive to maintain. I’m giving up my diesel truck and getting a gasser because of being stranded several times in remote areas due to emissions issues. Sad to lose the torque and exhaust brake though.
Diesels are better suited to meet the needs of a heavy load. This is obvious. There is more energy in a gallon of diesel than a gallon of gasoline. It is also cheaper to refine diesel although you would not know it by looking at the pump price.
I seem to recall, decades ago, that diesel cost was in the pennies while gas was considerably more (relatively speaking anyway). And as Bill mentions below, the swish of a pen caused a massive increase in energy prices. But, I’m sticking to my diesel pickup – because I LOVE it!
It was cheaper because was simply diverted from the trash conveyor to a product line. Diesel was a wasted distillate byproduct of oil refining. That’s why it was cheap, any price acheived was better than disposing if it.
Yep, my step dad was a trucker from the early 70’s to ’01, and he always claimed diesel was a byproduct of oil refining. By the 90’s, he complained all the time about the price of diesel fuel considering it was “trash fuel” and the big oil companies were just gouging the truckers and the trucking lines. I really don’t care because, well, I have investments in those big oil companies for quite a while now.
Got our first 6.7 diesel in August 2020. Ford F250, great motor and truck. Have towed our 2021 Reflection 303RLS over 14k miles. Power is fantastic but…… it is expensive to operate. Just finished putting 4k on the truck and 3.2k towing, $1,600.00 fuel and $100.00+ in def. Most paid for diesel was $6.00 gallon in Weed, CA with discount. I bought diesel in Sept. 2020 for $1.93 gallon in South Jordan, Utah. Motor gets 11.7 miles per gallon when towing and 22 miles per gallon when not towing.
I get that with a gasser…no diesel for me thank you.
Gail, this a great topic that deserves some discussion. Your brief history lesson on the diesel engine is great but could possibly benefit from a little fuel contextualization. The engine came before the fuel, which is why the fuel is named after the engine, not vice versa. The engine was not designed to run on “diesel”, it was designed to run on peanut oil and did so for almost decade before someone tried to power a diesel engine with refinery waste. The distillates (diesel) were discarded until that happened and voila, diesel fuel was born.
Cont in reply.
Cont.
Given that all diesel engines are actually vegans that were turned by big oil and went to the dark side (big oil), would putting a diesel engine into every auto instead of gasoline powered engines get the Just Stop Oil folks off our backs? We could all burn peanut oil, filtered/processed deep fryer grease, canola oil, etc and really stop oil in its tracks.
If the “Just Stop Oil” crowd does not agree with this solution, then I guess they are exactly as duplicitous as I always figured they were and could not care less about the planet. Pretty sure canola oil production is easier on the planet than mining rare earth minerals with sulfuric acid.
Canola production is awful. Might be less awful than petroleum though.
Sure, put a slightly less polluting fuel in it, that should satisfy the environmentalists…
Ahh…canola oil. Anyone know the actual name of the plant that gives us canola oil?
Rape Seed oil. Guessing this will need approval.
It was great until the EPA started fooling with it. I’ve had a LOT of trouble with the DEF system. I don’t think I’d buy another one. Last repair was for heater in DEF tank. $1700 for heater to prevent freezing. It was summertime. I don’t think anything is going to freeze. Plus the diesel particulate filter takes a lot of raw fuel to clean. Fuel that takes away miles per gallon
I don’t know that the DPF consumes “a lot” of fuel. I can pull reports of my DP motorhome’s ECM that break down the consumption and the DPF consumption is relatively insignificant in the overall total consumption. Certainly it is there, but not “a lot.”
I have also heard that all the new emissions lower fuel economy. I’ve owned three DPs: two that had no emissions control other than a muffler, and then my current one with EGR, DPF and DEF. I get the same milage, but my current coach has more weight/HP than the others. So, certainly not less fuel economy, and on a weight/HP ratio, better.
If I remember correctly, the original Diesel engine was designed to run on peanut oil, which was relatively cheap and plentiful back then.
Alex, Thanks for the link but I have no idea what I just read. My only question about diesel is, what has been done about its tendency to sludge up in cold weather? It has to me been only why I limit diesel to a fair weather fuel.
General ? to the multiverses out there. My Papa (career USDA economist) once told me that creosote, a desert plant, was rich in hydrocarbons and would possibly become a non-fossil contributor to the presently named fossil fuel supplies? Has anyone ever heard about plants that could become gasoline sources.
Regarding gelling, which I think you are calling “sludging up,” there are additives put into the diesel fuel supply in winter that take care of gelling fuel. If the supply at the pump doesn’t have it, one can get small bottles of additives at fuel stations, big box stores, etc.
I have driven my Silverado diesel in temps well below zero F where I live with no gelling issues.
New diesel technology makes for clean burning. You can put your hand in the tailpipe of my DP motorhome and pull it out virtually clean. The DEF head issues have largely been fixed now, but can certainly still fail.
Net, get what works for you. Certainly not worth arguing over.
Nice story about the history of the diesel engine but stating “it’s more efficient “ does not examine why it’s more efficient, as promised by the click bait.
Gail forgot to list the disadvantages. Smoke, smell, noise and weight.
And cost.
Have a friend who owns a company that manages a fleet of trucks deployed all over the west. He’s had it with modern diesels and is only purchasing gas trucks going forward. Today’s diesels are less reliable than their gas counterparts, more of a pain to deal with because of the sensitive emission control systems & DEF requirements, more expensive to repair, and the high cost of diesel fuel now more than offset their few remaining advantages. They certainly are not worth the 4-to-5 figure premium you now have to pay.
When I purchased my last pickup, I didn’t even remotely consider a diesel option. The only thing they seem to have going for them anymore is the macho image the provide their buyers as they lay out an extra 5-grand or more for the privilege.
dumbest comment ever, once you tow with a diesel you’ll never buy a gasoline truck again.
Well, mik, welcome to our commenting section, where we try to respect everyone’s opinions whether they agree with ours or not. We frown on slamming others for their views, and expect commenters to be civil and polite. So that’s a pretty inauspicious beginning for you in our commenting section. You’ve already made it to my “keep tabs on this person” list.🤔 Just sayin’. Have a good night. 🙂 –Diane (aka “Big Sister”) at RVtravel.com
Don’t worry, Diane. I think he made my point.
I live in place where one’s manhood is frequently judged by the truck one drives, and anything less than a 20-foot long 1-ton FWD 7-liter turbo-diesel dualie means that you are simply deficient in any way a male can be. I have been judged more than once for the diminutive nature of my less-than-full-sized pickup. Whatever. It does the job I need done, and the money I’ve saved can go to camping.
Got it. Thanks, John. I mainly wanted to put him on notice because of his negative comment right from the very beginning, i.e., “B.S. (Big Sister) is watching.”😅 But if he sticks around long enough, he’ll see that I’m not only very fair but I’m also very lenient in my moderating. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
I had a Ram diesel. Nothing but expense and hassles. Left me stranded in too many remote areas. Got rid of it and got a Chevy 2500 gas V8. Simple efficient and plenty of power.
Comparisons of gas vs diesel all seem to conclude that you should buy what you want.
If passing a gasser on a mountain hill while towing your fifth wheel sends a chill up your leg you should stay with the diesel.
Thank you, Gail!
Why would I want to purchase a new truck when I already have the best diesel pickup…7.3 turbo diesel, 225k miles, no DEF, nothing to fix.
I had a 7.3L in my 2003 Ford dually. Loved the engine but a little rattly. I’m currently on my second 6.7L Ford and although I had the 7.3 chipped it was so much underpowered compared to the 6.7. The 6.7 is as quiet as any gas engine.
Lower operating cost is not a diesel attribute. I’ve had 2 diesel pickup trucks and my last 2 trucks were/are gas motors. All more expensive diesel things verses gas – fuel, fuel filters, oil changes, DEF. Diesels do get better MPG verses gas, but that’s eaten up by fuel costs and maintenance costs.
Funny you show a 3-cyl Deutz diesel in the photo. Air-cooled, naturally aspirated, rock solid dependable. Not so clean burning. Common all over the world, too dirty for our EPA. I worked on semis and fire trucks my whole career. I drive a gas pickup because on the weekends I didn’t want to hear the rattle or smell the exhaust. I don’t tow a big trailer all over the country.
We camp in a Super C. Yes it’s diesel. In case of DEF system failure, I carry a DEF system simulator.
I worked on those old Deutz diesels in Alaska…didn’t have to worry about anti-freeze and -40 on the North Slope didn’t bother them
Nothing like sitting out with that first cup of coffee , enjoying the sunrise and listening to the rattle and smelling the exhaust from an idling diesel to get the day started.
Totally agree. No reason to sit and idle. It will warm up fine jockeying out of the campsite and campground.
That’s why I try to sleep in and leave at a reasonable hour. Our DP requires several minutes of idling – or fast idle – to pump up the air bags. Not a diesel issue, but the air suspension needs it.
I think the price of diesel took a jump when the low sulfur requirements took effect. It also is now demand priced, so whatever is most in demand from the barrel of oil will have the highest price, be it gasoline, diesel, tar, or plastic precursors.
After rebuilding diesel engines in heavy trucks and maintaining them in heavy equipment…the only place in my book where they belong is doing work. Not running up and down the highway with pretty boy junk plastered all over a $100,00.00 pickup. If people “think” they need a diesel powered pickup…then one needs to look at downsizing from those 3 axle toy haulers full of kiddy krap…. Going camping is not what it once was.
What happened to the Multi-Fuel Diesels we had in the military? They ran on anything! In the Air Force we used mostly JP-4 Jet Fuel in ours, but they could run on any fuel, or any mixture of fuels. The only concession was, if using only Mogas, (regular gasoline) we would pour about a quart or two of any motor oil into the 50 gallon saddle tank. As I stated earlier, those things ran like a champ on any fuel, or mixture of fuels.
I recall those…gutless but they got the job done.
Let’s review the pros and cons of diesel v. gas. We now drive a Ford Transit Leisure Travel Van. so, 25 feet. We had a Mercedes Diesel Leisure. 1. Diesel fuel is up to $1 per gallon more than gasoline. 2. Diesel maintenance is much more expensive. The Ford takes 6 quarts. Mercedes 14. Mercedes-approved oil only. Ford, whatever That’s more expensive maintenance. 3. Mileage. Mercedes got us about 17.5mpg. the Ford? 16-16.5. The fuel price difference negates any and all advantages there. 4. And BIG advantage Ford here: There is no DEF system to fail. No DEF heater to worry about exposing and overheating by not putting enough DEF in the tank. DEF is another expense, albeit small, but still there
To continue, 5. Mercedes wheel speed sensors, a stupidly simple device that prevents skids, fail. All the time. We had replaced at least 4. Dealers did free replacement, but what a hassle every 20,000 miles or so. 6. Our DEF system failed multiple times. First the heater. Then the pump. Then the pump again, and since it’s all one assembly, the heater too. 7. The EGR valve. It needs either cleaning or replacement regularly because of the emissions system. 8. The NOX sensors, which also are under warranty like the EGR and wheel sensors. But WHY is my question to mercedes. WHY are these failing? And anytime you see a semi limping along the xway, chances are it’s that
had a Ram diesel. Nothing but expense and hassles. Left me stranded in too many remote areas. Got rid of it and got a Chevy 2500 gas V8. Simple efficient and plenty of power. I’ll never go back to diesel. And I tow thousands of miles a year.
A tale of two diesels. As I sit here I am looking out the window and see two dually diesel trucks. Mine and my neighbor.
He just fired his up. We call it the JET. It’s void of any emissions/exhaust/grid heater etc. It’s souped up and loud. The JET roars to life and rattles the windows for about 10 min. In the middle of the afternoon, I don’t mind too much. At 0600, I mind considerably more. I’m not going to lie, the long dormant teenage gearhead in the far recesses of my psyche thinks it’s cool, just not at 0600.
Mine by comparison is mostly bone stock with all emissions stuff intact. No one notices when I start mine. I do love my diesel though. It tows my house on wheels admirably.
Thank you, Gail! Interesting story. His mysterious death especially piqued my interest. I will look for the biography that you so graciously cited. 🙂 Have a great day and safe travels!