• RedEye FlightControl@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    No they won’t, unless they’re built with a gasoline based engine, which almost no one orders, because the mileage to fuel ratio, cost, and power are terrible for OTR hauls.

    Diesels will run on lots of less refined oils using only the heat of compression, like kerosene and fuel oil, as well as being able to run on their own oil (diesel runaway). However CNG, Propane, Gasoline, and other commonly sparked fuels will, in very short order, catastrophically destroy your diesel engine because they detonate at much lower compression than diesels require.

    Furthermore, you’d ruin your high pressure fuel pump as gasoline doesn’t have the required lubricity. The injectors would probably be fine, but your pump and your cylinders/pistons/crank/rods/mains would be having extremely bad days.

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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      1 day ago

      Diesels get modified to run CNG all the time where I’m from, but I’m not entirely sure how much extra modification they require. LPG conversions on gasoline engines are much simpler, but the diesel CNG conversions exist too - just not for passenger cars generally.

      I assume that have to lower the compression ratio somehow and that’s why they cost so much more than the gasoline to LPG conversions

      • RedEye FlightControl@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Diesels that run CNG/Prop run it WITH the Diesel as an additive/power boost/starter aid. It is not a replacement fuel.

        Propane/CNG injection is done through the intake manifold, not the injectors/fuel system. A diesel cannot and will not run solely on sparkable fuel.

        • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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          1 day ago

          Ah, I was not aware. I always did wonder how they did it on converted equipment, as the factory-built CNG buses here have something like a 13.6 compression ratio not 19ish like the diesels that get converted.

          Kind of misleading then that the company doing the conversions doesn’t mention it.