Fuel economy.

Diesel Westy average cost over 66k miles: $0.127/mile
ABA gas powered Adventurewagen  average cost over 12k miles: $0.189/mile

Diesel avg price: $3.32/gal
Gas avg price: $3.74

If you find a place where you can get �stuck� without diesel, please let me know where it is.  I�ve never found it. In my experience, the further from civilization one gets, the more likely it seems that you�ll easily find diesel.

Jim

On Jun 12, 2014, at 7:30 PM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Jim,
> 
> I've always wondered "Why Diesel?". Back in the day it made since -
> diesel fuel was so much cheaper than gasoline. Back then diesel was not
> a convenient fuel for cars either. Availability is so much better today
> - but  you can still get stuck out somewhere, while gasoline is still
> everywhere. Another thing against diesel - fuel costs. The Oil companies
> have caught on and diesel cost is way up there. Do you really save
> anything driving a diesel Vanagon with  a late diesel engine? (not the
> original diesel in the Vanagons.
> 
> Just curious.
> 
> Any and all are invited respond to my question.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> John
> 
> On 6/12/2014 2:36 PM, Jim Felder wrote:
>> Cam sensor. Mass airflow sensor. Two things that will drive a car wacky
>> that I never even had to mess with on a car until I got a new beetle with a
>> bad head gasket! I tore up the cam sensor and went through coil-like
>> purgatory until I finally broke down and replaced that MAF. No problems
>> since, but it taught me that new engines have a lot more ways to give
>> problems than old ones. And coil packs... though I've never had to replace
>> one, people talk about them like they are disposable.
>> 
>> I suppose that putting a modern engine into a vanagon would result in the
>> same problems. But as least you'd have a scan gauge on your side as a
>> diagnostic tool. My experience on my newer cars with that has been pretty
>> good. The things tend to know what they are talking about.
>> 
>> But, maybe I will just keep painting myself into the "diesel corner" that
>> I'm in now. I own two diesel vanagons, no gas one though I started on them.
>> So demanding to build a good diesel engine, but so rewardingly simple when
>> you do.
>> 
>> Jim
>> 
>> 
>> On Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 2:14 PM, Project Pat <psdooley@verizon.net> wrote:
>> 
>>>   On newer cars that is almost always a crank or cam sensor failure.
>>> 
>>> On an old VW, you may be on to something there.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>  ------------------------------
>>> 
>>> *From:* Jim Felder [mailto:jim.felder@gmail.com]
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, June 12, 2014 2:57 PM
>>> *To:* Project Pat
>>> *Cc:* Vanagon mailing list
>>> 
>>> *Subject:* Re: 88 GL - Failure to Start - but now it does!! Hip Hip
>>> Huzzah!!
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I don't mean to say that coils are the most likely culprit, far from it.
>>> But when a vehicle starts, and won't restart until it cools, that's when I
>>> suspect the coil.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>