Volvo diesel for the U.S. by 2010
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Ford Motor Company's Volvo unit wants to launch a diesel car in the U.S. by the end of the decade. The challenge is meeting the stringent emissions standards, which are focused more on regulating oxides of nitrogen in North America. The European Euro 5 standards, the upcoming standard for European vehicles, are more focused on reducing carbon dioxide, where diesel engines have a clear advantage due to their lower fuel consumption. To meet both standards simultaneously with one emission system requires most likely the use of a urea injection system. While urea systems effectively clean up the nitric oxide emissions, they do require periodic filling, a concern to the EPA. Current urea systems under development by DaimlerChrysler require filling every 12,000 to 15,000 miles, which means the fill-up could be done during routine oil changes. Note, the article claims nitric oxides are the black soot coming out of diesel engine exhaust, which is definitely incorrect. Nitric oxides are the precursor of smog, but they are not the soot emissions people associate with diesels. Most modern diesel engines produce very little smoke, due to very high injection pressures. The little smoke that is formed is generally cleaned up with a diesel particulate filter.
[Source: Autoweek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dale Olsen 11:41PM (7/23/2009)
I have a nice 1982 Volvo diesel 4-door sedan that I purchased in Sweden in 1985 and imported to the US that year. It has low compression on one cylinder and has not been drivable for 5 years (kept under a tarp all that time)--230,000 miles on engine. Would it be feasable to have it converted to the new diesel system discussed in this site, or gasoline? Is either doable and would it be worth the cost (how much)? Thanks.
Reply
lorenzo186 11:43PM (11/03/2009)
I don't think it would be feasible. I'm no expert but I think the Volvo diesels of this period were actually VW engines. To use one of the new diesel engines first you'd have to find one that is an approximate fit and then adjust the engine mounts so that it accepted the new engine (which will be a different size and have different mounting points probably). THere will also be different intakes and etc. Better to get the engine you have running again but that will probably be at least a couple of thousand $ to get a diesel mechanic to diagnose the problem and fix it. THis is a guess but the low compression is due to a worn valve or a leaky gasket or a corroded piston ring or something like that. Expensive fix, but the good news is you can use biodiesel for this kind of engine and that is a better alternative to (less smelly than) petroeum diesel. Good luck!