Diesel's Greasy History

On diesel engines, history, and new inventions...

For outback travel, a diesel will serve you better due to greater power and better fuel economy for long hauls. Also, the lack of electrical mechanisms in diesel engines makes them more reliable because they are simpler, require less service, and contain fewer specialized parts (like spark plugs, for example). Semi-trucks use diesel because gasoline burns more quickly and thus costs more. Diesel is not the most economical, however, for around-town driving.

Interesting fact about diesels: they can run on about damn near anything that has the right viscosity. Rudolph Diesel, aptly enough, invented the diesel engine. It was revolutionary because it was a pressure-ignited engine that needed no spark to burn fuel. The first ones were run on peanut oil, and demonstrated that revolutionary idea at the World's Fair. Mr. Diesel, in fact, envisioned an engine that was designed to utilize whatever fuel was locally available, and could allow farmers to grow their own fuel.

With this invention you start the vehicle with diesel gasoline, warm up the corn oil tank, and then switch over to corn oil. When you're done running the engine, run the diesel tank for a minute or two before you shut it off to clear out the corn oil. Rinse, repeat and start over. You can use corn oil from many places, but many people get theirs for free from local restaurants, especially Chinese and fast food establishments. The exhaust, predictably, smells like egg rolls and French fries. Yum. Just what I want to smell like all day long.