Article about your Detroit Diesel engine (2 cycle)

[chessie4905]

http://www.cssims.com/detroit_debate.htm

[CrabbyMilton]

Good article and perspective. Can't deny that those engines sound like no other. Until the mid the late 1990's if you heard one, it was either a bus or fire truck. That sound is not common now but thank to some of you guys and owners of older fire trucks, it's not extinct.

[muldoonman]

Kind of makes me want to go out and shoot my 1991, 8V92TA, 70,000 mile engine!  NOT!

[TomC]

They are pretty much gone out of all the commercial boats here in California because of smog laws. There is a nearly 100 year old commercial fishing boat called the Betty "O" in Marina Del Rey, Ca. Was built with a Hercules gasoline engine. Then a Detroit 6-71N for many years. Recently switched to a Cummins 8.3C Mechanical. Now a Cummins ISL with common rail fuel injection. Why-California smog laws. Good Luck, TomC

[TomC]

What is curious is the most fuel efficient and most powerful Diesel is 2 stroke. Our small Detroits have a bore of 4.25 if it is a 71 series or 4.85" if it is a 92 series and both have a 5" stroke. For the largest, how about a 36.22" bore (over a yard) and a 136.6" stroke-that's 11ft 4.6"! And going 80rpm-which is like our engines turning 2185rpm.  Pretty impressive. Good Luck, TomC

[Iceni John]

Another good article comparing 2- and 4-strokes in a marine environment is this one:  http://www.yachtsurvey.com/comparing_diesel_types.htm
Well worth reading.

John

[Lin]

Both are interesting articles.  I noticed that they did not even mention Detroit 4 strokes though.

[shelled]

http://www.cssims.com/detroit_debate.htm

interesting but...

Origin of cleveland Diesel, renamed GM Diesel during WW2, and then Detroit Diesel was as a smaller lightweight version of the Electro-Motive Diesel developed out of work done at Winton which was bought by GM at the advice of "Boss" Kettering.  These diesels were unveiled at the GM exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair and went on to revolutionize the train industry as well as marine and submarine applications.

Grey was the converter of the small diesel line for small boat applications, not the OEM.

Kettering was, interestingly, one of the founders of Flxible as well as the developer of the electric starter for automobiles.

edward

[TomC]

It is interesting to note that Caterpillar now owns EMD (Electro Motive Diesel). But-they still use the 2 stroke engine in the locomotives since they have such a good reputation. The engines now are a 710 series and Tier 4 compliant. Good Luck, TomC

[shelled]

I first learned about the history of Detroit Diesel from a railfan friend who told me that the State of Texas financed a fleet of EMD/Cat engined locomotives as a major component in propitiating the EPA regarding overall pollution within the state as of about 2008.  Seems the unit injected 2-stroke diesels are inherently low "emissions" even before adding electronic controls.  Now the problem is that biodiesel's long-chain molecules create excess NOx emissions when they burn necessitating the current DEF add ons.

edward