I've read on some previous posts that Mercedes makes a pretty solid engine to convert to Biodiesel. But what about a small truck (Ranger Size) to convert. I don't know of any trucks that small that came with a diesel engine. Any Ideas?

 

i think some early rangers and s10s( maybe luvs) had a diesel option. not very popular and prob not very good. this was back in the eighties. VW would prob be the best little diesel truck. do not know what years they were made.

 

My next door neighbor owned a late eighties Ranger with a Perkins diesel engine. He liked it; his wife hated it. He eventually gave in and donated it to the local community college automotive tech program.

 

Some 80's (maybe 90's too) Toyotas were diesel too. There's gotta be a "rice-burner" joke in all this somewhere.

Just remembered that those S10's had Isuzu diesels, which reminded me that I've seen LOTS of Isuzu diesel trucks running around.

 

Ford in Canada offers the Ranger with 2.2 turbo diesel option.

 

You have seen more than you realize. Those rough, tough Chevy DURAMAX diesels ? Made by Isuzu....

 

I've seen a VW Rabbit/Truck go 250,000 miles. The owner was a rural mail carrier. He ended up rebuilding the front end twice.

I think that dang Rabbit/Truck is still running although hes has since retired.

 

Where did you see the diesel ranger Red. I have looked all over for any info regarding that

 

What I don't get is why we don't take that 2.2L turbodiesel and use that to be the second half of those electric hybrid's. Gasoline engines get worse mileage than diesel, so we should just do that.

That's for a Ranger, at least. But my idea is to take the VW Passat which already runs 50mpg+ (one guy I talked to got 52 on a tank, and is always 48+ highway) and use that as the technology bed for an electric hybrid. If a Civic can be taken from 30mpg to 50 or 60, that VW could easily hit 80 with how efficient you can make diesel's.

 

The Isuzu Pup was a very good little truck in it's diesel variation. It was originaly imported by GM and sold as the Luv, but the newer and beter looking ones were sold by Isuzu dealers as the Pup. They stoped making them in the late 80's I believe.

Gene

 

I owned an 86 Ranger diesel. It was good little truck, but parts were extremely hard to come by. Jeep offered a diesel in their Comanche, the same motor was offered in the Cherokee. The Comanche is larger than the other trucks I see listed here, It was nearly the same size as a Dakota. The motor was made by Renault, and was also used in the Winnebago Lesharo.

 

I think the probelm with that is it would probably be every time the thing started you would know. And if the thing geled up(doesn't happen very much , it is denfinetly a what if) in the winter time going down the road you would you might be in the middle of no where The thing would have to have a good fuel heater. and the last problem if its any thing like a train engine is set up the car would never die (I.E. not good for business!). If somthing like the Yanmar 16 hp 2GM20 marine engine with a turbo on it would probably work great.

 

Gelling is not generally a problem when in motion, unless the temp drops fairly quickly. The motion of the fuel in the tank is enough to keep the fuel liquid. The problem is when the vehicle sits still.

BTW, I don't which one's sig it is. But I am a 'Jeep' guy, and I do get giddy about D-44's under lightweight rigs. The sig is funny.

 

In the mid/late 60's Jeep had a 4 cyl. Perkins in the CJ5. Very limited production. Only made a few hundred. I was lucky enough to see one years ago.
Also Jeep put Perkins into their Cab-over pick-ups. Think those were just for Uncle Sugar.
Don't know how efficient (mpg) they were.

 

geling isn't problem when in motion- Bs I geled up my pick-up going down the road two years ago. It was -35 degrees out with the wind chill. if it isn't warmed up under the hood and you go down the road it is more likly to gel. if its sitting in your drive way running it probably will not gel. there is addative in the fuel to stop it from geling in your drive way but when you start it up and go running in to the wind at 70 mph its going to be more likely to gel up. If the thing shuts off going down the road and cools off too much before if starts up again it. its more likly to gel. on the other hand if I had my snow plow on the truck I didn't have to worry about it.