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Switching From Gas to Diesel
Our experience
by Joe & Vicki Kieva
What's it like to switch from a gasoline powered RV to a diesel for the first time? What's the difference between operating and driving a diesel as opposed to a gas vehicle? Do you really have to understand all that techno-jargon to be a successful diesel RVer?
Joe: At one time, we didn't know the answers to those questions. Vicki and I have never operated any kind of diesel powered vehicle. Nobody could ever accuse us of being technical experts. Who, we asked, would be better qualified to find out?
Our first diesel experience was in a 37-foot motorhome powered by a Cummins 230 horsepower 5.9 liter turbo-charged diesel engine.
This is the diesel engine that is most often compared to the big-block gasoline-powered engines when experts discuss gas versus diesel.
Vicki: We spent three hours with a "walk through" specialist employed by a local RV dealer. He introduced us to the motorhome and the diesel engine.
When I turned the ignition key to start the engine a buzzer screamed at me. "This motorhome is equipped with air brakes." the walk-through specialist explained. "That's the low air-pressure warning. Watch the air-pressure gauge. When it reaches 60 pounds per square inch the buzzer will stop and
the transmission will allow you to go into gear."
It took a minute or so before the buzzer finally shut itself off. "Now flip that lever to fill the suspension system's air-bags" he directed. Silently and almost imperceptibly the motorhome rose a few inches.
The brake pedal was hinged at the floor and resembled an accelerator pedal. It took a few practice touches before I stopped throwing everyone into their seat belts. Air brakes are sensitive.
I pushed the accelerator to the floor as we entered a freeway. There wasn't a neck-snapping jolt but the motorhome moved out smartly. We merged into the freeway traffic at 55 miles per hour.
When decelerating on level roads, the diesel engine seemed to slow the motorhome almost as well as the gasoline engines in other motorhomes I had driven.
Just before reaching the freeway offramp, I switched on the exhaust brake. When I lifted my foot from the accelerator it felt as if I had thrown out an anchor. The engine, assisted by the transmission automatically shifting to a lower gear, really pulled the speed down. Wow!
By the time we had driven six blocks through stop and go traffic, I was touching the brakes like a pro. Air pressure remained constant in spite of the repeated use of the brake pedal.
Once the parking brake was set, I flipped the air-dump switch to deflate the suspension air-bags. With a sigh the motorhome sank closer to the ground.
The engine oil, transmission fluid and coolant levels could all be checked by opening an outside compartment at the rear of the motorhome.
An air cleaner indicator is also located in this compartment. This gadget lets you know when it's time to change the air filter. A diesel engine consumes a lot of air so it's important the airway remains unrestricted.
Finally we were introduced to the fuel-water separator. Here, water and sediment are separated from the fuel and settle into the bottom of a transparent bowl. A drain valve at the bottom of the bowl allows you to drain any accumulated water or sediment. The manual suggests this be done every driving day.
I made sure that Joe was paying close attention to these last few details.
Joe: We spent the months of January, February and March traveling and living in the diesel motorhome with a small car in tow. Our coast to coast route took us across mountains and desert. Temperatures ranged from 20 to 95 degrees. We had taken the same route with identical conditions one year ago in a
36-foot gasoline-powered motorhome. It was a fair comparison.
Driving the diesel wasn't much different than driving a gasoline rig. Acceleration was a bit slower in the diesel. Hill climbing speed was about the same. It seemed to us, though, that while the gasoline engine did the job satisfactorily, the diesel rig accomplished it effortlessly.
The exhaust brake took all the thrill out of driving down a long, steep hill. On one 12-mile, six-percent downgrade (with our car in tow) I only touched the airbrakes twice.
The diesel's fuel consumption was a consistent 10 miles per gallon. Last year's gasoline rig got between 6 and 7 miles per gallon.
The diesel's preventive maintenance costs are higher than the gasoline rig's. One of our local RV dealerships charges $185.00 to change a diesel's oil and oil filter versus $54.00 for a gasoline motorhome. Changing a diesel's air and fuel filters would run an additional $130.00 as opposed to $60.00 for a
gasoline rig.
When we added the overall cost of fuel, oil and filter changes, the cost per mile was about the same for both rigs.
We learned that a diesel owner must pay particular attention to the quality of fuel that goes into the RV's tank.
Water can get into diesel fuel from the condensation that results when a fuel station's storage tanks sit partially empty for long periods of time
The presence of water in diesel fuel can corrode vital engine parts. It also permits the growth of microorganisms. This slimy fungus will eventually clog the fuel filter and, if not destroyed, make its way into the fuel injector pump and injectors. You don't want that to happen.
Neither do the commercial truckers. They can't afford nor would they tolerate getting a tank of bad fuel.
It only made sense, then, to get our fuel at a reputable, busy truck stop. A few years ago, we discovered Flying J Travel Plazas, a nationwide chain of busy truck stops that encourages RV business. Flying Js have easy-access RV fuel islands that offer diesel, gasoline and propane.
Diesel fuel is susceptible to cold weather. When temperatures drop into the low teens, the fuel begins to thicken. To help prevent this, refiners blend and winterize their fuel according to the location of the country and its expected temperatures. Cross country RV travelers should keep in mind that if they get
caught in a Colorado mountain freeze with diesel fuel purchased at a New Mexico desert truck stop, they could conceivably end up with a fuel tank full of gelatin.
There are additives to help prevent this from happening. We found it easier, though, to refuel every three to four hundred miles with fuel that had been blended for that area's expected temperatures. Even though outside temperatures dropped to 20 degrees, we experienced no problems.
Going to high volume truck stops also assured us we weren't buying last summer's fuel.
Vicki: We made couple of other observations about the difference in having a diesel RV.
Leaving a campground quickly and quietly in the pre-dawn hours was no longer an option with the diesel. If the roar of the required three minute engine warm-up didn't wake up our neighbors, the scream of the air-pressure warning buzzer did.
I appreciated the fact that the rear pusher design removed the engine noise from the driver's compartment. Conversation could be held in a normal tone of voice.
That and the way the diesel chassis' air-bag suspension system seemed to float the motorhome over the highway made me a convert.
What's it like to switch from a gasoline powered RV to a diesel for the first time? It's exciting, interesting and easy to do.
What's the difference between operating and driving a diesel as opposed to a gasoline powered RV? Not that much, actually. The diesel just seems to do the job with less effort.
Do you really have to understand all that techno-jargon to be a successful diesel RVer? We still don't. But the diesel owner should make a point of becoming familiar with the characteristics of diesel fuel and the importance of maintaining and protecting the diesel's fuel delivery system.
Operating and maintaining a diesel engine (just like a gasoline engine) takes a bit of knowledge and thought. But after you've done it for a while it becomes second nature. Just turn the key, put it in gear, step on the accelerator and go.
Enjoy The Journey!
| Joe and Vicki Kieva refer to themselves as "RV travel junkies". Since 1963, their journeys, in a variety of RVs, have taken them from Nova Scotia to Puerto Vallarta and from the Florida Keys to Fairbanks, Alaska. They have explored all of the United States, driven the length
of the Baja Penninsula, visited most of the Canadian Provinces and RV'd through six European countries.
They have a very informative website called RV KNOW HOW |
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