Diesel Blog

Announcing the Gearloose Diesel Blog

Dedicated to operating modern on-road diesels that comply with applicable emission regulations at moderate cost reliably.

I started this blog because it was evident that there is a need in the blog space for hard nosed, reliable, technical and business information about how to operate light duty truck diesel engines economically and reliably.

Many sites are dedicated to performance, yet very few are concerned with,

a) compliance with applicable EPA rules

b) operating for long term, moderate to low costs.

In the age of $4 a gallon diesel fuel, and stringent emissions regulations, the North American market may have reached the turning point where the only way forward is to take a hard look at the kind of things that drove our previous fascination with diesels, namely, more and more horsepower and torque, and ask if that is really the way to go.

The vice of increasing cost of compliance with EPA regulations, and stricter and stricter regulations and inspections is at present a reality in many jurisdictions for Heavy Duty, and often, medium duty diesels.

It is but a matter of time before the rules and regulations migrate down to light duty diesels.  Owners will be faced with annual inspections, checks for emissions tampering, and stringent operating rules.

In the past, there was an escape --- namely, the "off road" market, where equipment was sold with the nudge, nudge wink that it is not for "on road" use.

However, that escape is gradually being closed as EPAs are gradually moving to regulate "off road" equipment, and ultimately, require that they be retrofitted with emissions gear as their "on road" cousins.

Rather than to fight this trend, perhaps, the diesel community has to ask, why not "go with the flow" and make this community as compliant as every other community of motor vehicle enthusiasts?

There are plenty of scope for EPA compliant mods and upgrades to deliver a fun experience for diesel enthusiasts.

Just as EPA rules did not kill off modding and tuning for gassers, there is no reason for us to think it will do the same for diesels.

That having said, lets at the outset say that my own goals are not necessarily for more horsepower and torque, but for long term durability and reliability.

I am basically after what the pre-2003 diesel market delivered --- rather than current products who have joined the horsepower and torque race.

Others will have different goals, and their tradeoffs will be quite different from mine.

That said, I will begin with a series of posts, starting with the Ford 6.0, and then on the 6.7 as examples of excellence in modern diesels.

I can see many will be upset with me for including the 6.0 in this "classic" list, but I am firmly of the opinion that properly maintained and cared for, the Ford 6.0 is one of the least appreciated, understood, and most maligned product of the last decade in auto engines --- gas or diesel.