On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 07:56:49 +0200, Martin Hotze
wrote:

"Morgans" wrote:

modern European deisel automobile engines are not seen in the US

Why is that?

hm, maybe a uneducated guess: most (not all) Americans are not really into
innovation, and most are not into anything being not "made in America".

We purchase a high percentage of imported cars. Even our domestic cars
have so many imported parts they now say, "assembled in America":-)).

Most Americans don't have the need to travel outside of their country, so
their point of view is most likely very America-centered (this also backed
up with little to no information on what is going on on the other 70% of
the world)

The above it true from a social standpoint.

. So everything coming from abroad is seen as bad.

30 years ago I'd have said yes, but now most of the imports are
considered moving up to quality compared to US automobiles..

However, the car's name be it Honda, Toyota, or what ever does not
indicate where it's made/assembled. It pretty much depends on the
model. One might be assembled in Middle America and the other
overseas.

As to Diesel engines and fuel here in the states, the fuel, quite
often has high sulphur content and the engines put out a lot of
particulates. Between the two, this in general this has given diesel
engines a bad name for being environmentally unfriendly even though
examples exist that run clean.

Many things keep the precision engines with good economy from being
imported. Some run high compression and those develop nitrides from
the high combustion temperatures. Quite likely some just don't figure
it's worth the effort to go through the testing to be sold in the US.

You will find that many of our engines run rich to keep the combustion
temperature low and then have to pump air into the catalytic converter
so the excess can be burned.

At least a good portion of the reason for poorer mileage over here is
due to some specific anti-pollution measure.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

#m