Posted: 12/1/2012 11:44:12 PM EDT
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The wife traded in here VW Passat for a VW Passat TDI *diesel*.
We discussed getting a Mazda CX5 gasser, but I told her to atleast stop by VW to see what they had before she signed anything with Mazda. I figured she might get a little better trade in on her Passat if they had anything she liked. I secretly wanted her to get a TDI but since its going to be her daily driver I figured it best for her to get what she wanted. Now the family fleet consists of, 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI gets 40ish MPG 2006 Chevy 2500 Duramax gets 17ish MPG 1984 Chevy Blazer "M1009 CUCV" which gets 20+ MPG and burns used transmission fluid/motor oil/ect... I also have a 20 foot enclosed car hauler type trailer, so I can self move no problem if the need arrises. Not ideal for SHTF but good enough to bug out early in the game if I can see something coming. All diesel. Now I get to expand my family of NATO Jerry cans when I get home. I have been only keeping around 20 gallons of extra fuel on hand but I think I might up it to 80 or so once I get settled in. Next on the list is a small Diesel Generator to keep a freezer or something going and later on a larger one capible of powering enough of the house to keep me happy during whatever SHTF may come. |
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Negative I live down south right now. My dad keeps some off-road fuel on hand for the farm but I wouldnt use it unless the SHTF. Before I deployed I had several sources for second hand transmission fluid from the local country automotive shops. I mix it 50/50 with diesel and use it as a additive in my CUCV after a quick filtering through a old bedsheet. The M1009 runs like crap on straight ultra-low-sulpher diesel. I also constructed a pump powered filtration rig for used motor oil but the pump I used is slower than I would like. The CUCV runs super smooth on 5 gallons of filtered oil per fill up with diesel, but its alot harder to start when the temperature is below 50 degrees. The initial start up smoke cloud always puts a smile on my face though. Typical shitty GM 6.2 glow plug/relay design never works right and my dad keeps promising to replace everything while I am gone.
I will also add a gallon or two of trans fluid in the Duramax as a additive but I filter it alot more and it takes more of my time. The Duramax seems to prefer silvertech 2 stroke oil the best though. I realllllly miss the pre-ULSD days when fuel was cheaper than gas. Hopefully the new TDI will run fine on ULSD, if not no big deal. |
| 105 gallon bed tank for the Duramax maybe? I picked one up cheap. Just need to get a pump/filter setup to put on it. Self fueling the fleet on the move would be a nice option to have :D Would be easy to rotate fuel storage too since all the vehicles are all running diesel. |
| Congrats on the diesels, I sorta do the same thing. One big piece of advise on that 2013 VW. Check your fuel filler opening to see if you can put in a funnel, fuel jug nozzle, etc. I'm betting you can't, because they now have what is called a "misfueling adapter" in that filler opening, which has two buttons at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions that then allow the metal flapper valve ahead to open and allow the filler nozzle in. I could not fill up my car from my 250 gallon tank with a hand crank the other day, had to get 2 fingers in to push those buttons and then get a third finger in to push the flapper open, hold that open and put the fuel nozzle in. I read how to remove the whole contraption and now looking at finding some thin metal items to depress the plastic tabs at about the 10 and 4 o'clock positions on the OUTSIDE of this device that attach it to the filler opening of the car. If you do a search on tdiclub.com for it, you'll find the same links I have up to take it out. Of course, you could reach in with various pliers and break it apart, but then you risk dropping pieces into the tank, which SHOULD not be a problem. |
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Dilute your oil with about 20% diesel to make it easier to filter. I have been told ATF has friction modifiers that aren't good for injectors. Never thought of adding the diesel before filtering to make things easier.... Damn. I have heard the same and have read endless debates for or against the use of ATF. I have a friend in North GA that works in a Ford Service center and he has pretty much ran straight ATF through his truck for several years now with no issues. Who knows really. If it kills my $2500 CUCV so be it, I will only cry a little. If my Duramax dies I will sob like a little bitch for a long time  but with the little bit of ATF I run in it should be fine.
I need to get a Deuce and a half. My buddy has one and it will run off of damn near any flamible liquid... |
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You can buy a diesel car...there is what one vendor VW You can buy a diesel pickup..3 vendors if you like 3/4 ton or bigger. You can buy a diesel generator...but not a lightweight EU2000i or the HF 800 watt bargain. You can buy a diesel lawn mower...but not a pushmower size I'm trying to think of a diesel weed eater...and just not remembering any |
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You can buy a diesel car...there is what one vendor VW You can buy a diesel pickup..3 vendors if you like 3/4 ton or bigger. You can buy a diesel generator...but not a lightweight EU2000i or the HF 800 watt bargain. You can buy a diesel lawn mower...but not a pushmower size I'm trying to think of a diesel weed eater...and just not remembering any No need for a weed eater or lawnmower in the zombie apocalypse, might get a herd of goats or something. |
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I'm picturing a 300# Kubota diesel powered backpack leaf blower that overturns cars parked on the street when you blow leaves off the lawn... I'm trying to embed the Spongebob Reefblower video but all of them on Youtube are sped up to twice speed. Doing it anyway, because I had to google it to figure out what you're talking about (clearly, I have no kids...). 
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Next on the list is a small Diesel Generator "Small Diesel Generator" is a contradiction of terms... No, there are high quality liquid cooled diesel gensets available under 10KW For most folks, 10 KW is huge. Small Gasoline-Fueled Generator: Honda EU1000i, Yamaha EF1000is, Generac IX800, Champion Power Equipment 2000i, B&S P2000, etc. Small Diesel-Fueled Generator: ??? |
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Next on the list is a small Diesel Generator "Small Diesel Generator" is a contradiction of terms... No, there are high quality liquid cooled diesel gensets available under 10KW For most folks, 10 KW is huge. Small Gasoline-Fueled Generator: Honda EU1000i, Yamaha EF1000is, Generac IX800, Champion Power Equipment 2000i, B&S P2000, etc. Small Diesel-Fueled Generator: ??? I consider generators under about 4KW to be "tiny", not small. 5KW is about the minimum to run a typical house "normally" if it uses gas or oil heat. If you want to run a heat pump or A/C 10KW is the minimum. 6KW prime rating: http://multiquip.com/multiquip/DA7000SSA1.htm 8.5KW: http://www.generac.com/RV/Diesel/Products/QuietPact_Diesel_85/ 4.5KW: http://www.soundmarinediesel.com/yanmar_diesel_generators.html There are plenty of small diesels if you look around. Also note that any of the liquid cooled models can readily be adapted to co-gen, providing safe heating via a remote radiator and hot water with a small investment in a heat exchanger tank. |
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Here's the beautiful diesel that is low HP [2, 3, or 4 or so] but sips fuel for long lived small but steady power output.
They used to be the EA 200, EA300, etc. Now the latest EA330 and EB330 has some fancy EPA mods. http://www.kubotaengine.com/products/pdf_en/01_ea330_e3.pdf There are lot's of you tube vids...
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| Those little Kubotas are great, but if I were putting together a long term power system I'd probably go with something like that small Multiquip, combine it with a battery bank, inverter / charge controller with generator start control and have the flexibility to feed in solar, wind or other sources into the mix. The problem even with a tiny generator built around one of those engines is that you still will not be able to utilize it's full capacity in steady state operation all day. On any sort of homestead, BOL, etc. your loads are mostly intermittent, with only a hundred watts or so of continuous load for lighting and whatnot and even that drops off overnight. |
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500lbs seems like a lot to be considered a "small" generator. It is relative to a gas engine. Diesel engines have always been notably heavier than their gas counterparts, but they also are known to be much more durable as well. 500# for a water cooled, enclosed and silenced generator with a large internal fuel tank isn't really that much, it's around double that of an unenclosed gas generator of similar capacity with a smaller fuel tank. |
