The best Diesel engine

[Rob_Roy]

3406 Cat is tough to beat...durable, and incredibly powerful.

Originally Posted By: RedOak
I can't give a model number or displacement, but the old diesel engines in Cat dozers made in the 60's and 70's with the gas pony engine to start them were way to cool. They were on the D-6's and higher. I was a kid and would watch my dad crank them up and it looked like a shay steam engine smoking. Those were the good old days.


I went to an auction with my dad when I was about 14 years old, and one of the items being sold was a D9 Caterpillar Bulldozer with a pony engine. Someone got the pony engine running and flopped that big diesel over...it blew out a huge smoke cloud and roared to life. It had a piece of aluminum irrigation pipe for exhaust, straight up from the turbo, man was it loud! The operator drove the dozer ahead a few feet then did a complete 360 with it, I will never forget how much the ground shook.

 

[addyguy]

I don't know much about diesels, but in terms of passenger cars/trucks, I'd have to say Cummins diesels in dodge trucks, and MB disels in cars.

The little diesels VW put in the early Rabbits would be up there for reliability as well.

 

[Steve S]

I like the inline 6 configuration over a v8 engine [Diesel] 1 would prefer the Cummins over the Powerstroke of the same year model in the pickup.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: Maritime Storm
Sounds like the annual argument between my father & his brothers. Dad loves his Cummins, N14 or his favorite of the lot his old C444. Uncle Donald would argue the best built was Detroit 60 Series, while Uncle Wallace will shake his head and mutter something about being unable to stop a 500 Mack while cursing his way out of the room.
It would be great to listen about which is best. I enjoy listening to a bunch of truckers or farmers talk equipment .

 

[bruno]

Yup !

 

[Dualie]

Originally Posted By: HM12460
3116 cat.


that actually made me laugh.

 

[Dualie]

The old two stroke Detroit worked well in stationary app's or boats where they could settle into a single RPM range and just STAY THERE all day long. They loved that sort of duty. They did make some higher horsepower engines in their early days but they were low torque compared to their competitor from cat and Cummins.

They were LOUD! the 2 strokes were just that 2 stroke so they sounded like they were going a million times faster than their four stroke counterparts.

The old buzzen dozen was the 12 V 71 12 cylinder V configuration diesel displacing 71 Cubic inches per cylinder.

by the time they started building 92 series Detroit the heyday of the 2 stroke diesel in over the road trucks was long gone.

 

[Shannow]

Dualie, I think that was the "starter motor" when I was testing Gts in the early 90s.

V-12 sitting there ready to go ( pre-warmed and lubed). Starter screams, the diesel gives a couple of big revs, then fluid coupling filled as the diesel loads up.

Then full noise until the GT could be lit off.

Starting was most of the fun of the test day.

 

[Dualie]

sorry double

 

[Maritime Storm]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
Originally Posted By: Maritime Storm
Sounds like the annual argument between my father & his brothers. Dad loves his Cummins, N14 or his favorite of the lot his old C444. Uncle Donald would argue the best built was Detroit 60 Series, while Uncle Wallace will shake his head and mutter something about being unable to stop a 500 Mack while cursing his way out of the room.
It would be great to listen about which is best. I enjoy listening to a bunch of truckers or farmers talk equipment .


It's usually worth sitting and listening too. My Unlce Wallace got handed the first 500 Mack Superliner to come on Cape Breton Island, he said it scared the [censored] out of him. Until that point no truck had climbed Kelly's Mountain with a full load on, without dropping a gear. Far as he was concerned it wasn't natural. Dad loved his C444 for durabilty and it's ability to pull past a 425 Cat on Daye Hill in Maine with the same load. So far as Donald was concerned the 60 Series Detroit had the ability to be lugged up hills, all the way down to 600 RPM all day long, he figures it to be the best low RPM engine in OTR truck.

 

[GenSan]

The only diesel I ever drove and absolutely loved it is the twin turbo Toyota 1VD-FTV V8 in a Land Cruiser.

 

[expat]

Nobody has mentioned Gardner Diesels yet?

 

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Originally Posted By: Troy_Built
Over all the history of them, which engine do you think is the very best of all time? (as in terms of power, reliability, ability to be rebuilt easily, and your IMO)
Cummins ISX
They are good as long as you don't mind replacing turbo's and EGR valves.

 

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Powerstrokes can last a LONG time, but are super complicated. Bordering on silly.
If trouble occurs, get out your wallet.

Reliable?
A NON fuel efficient and pretty dirty running engine that was very reliable was the Electromotive Locomotive V16s [also other V configurations]. I worked there for 7 years.
Would that happen to be the EMD 645 series?

 

[Spazdog]

Just to be difficult, I'm going to throw in the Continental Multi-fuel Military engine. (M35 "Duece and a Half)

It wasn't powerful, it wasn't reliable, but it would burn anything. Diesel, kerosene, vegetable oil, Mo-gas....I've even heard stories of Av-gas.

All this on injector spray, combustion chamber, and piston design. No electronics.

I think it's kinda' cool they could do that 50+ odd years ago.

 

[Steve S]

Diesel engines are "potentially" multi feul engines

 

[Tornado Red]

compared to gasoline engines, they're all good