In a message dated 96-06-04 10:40:11 EDT, you write:

> All diesels are
>direct injection,  the fuel is injected into the individual cylinders by a
>single (noisey) injector located roughly where a spark plug would be placed
>(1 per cylinder) if the engine were gasoline powered.  My point is this,
>what does direct injection mean?  Quite bluntly, I think that it is nothing
>but add-hype.

  Direct injection refers to engines in which the combustion chamber is not
divided.  In a majority of passenger car diesel engines, there is a separate
prechamber that the fuel is injected into; i.e. not directly above the
piston.  This system is well suited to smaller high-speed engines because it
helps control noise and allows for a better control of emissions.  With
direct injection, as used on larger truck engines and stationary industrial
motors, the emissions problem usually wasn't an issue because of the near
constant RPM these engines would run at.  From what I've read, the DI process
is also more efficient and cheaper to make.  The downside is an increase in
the typical diesel rattle.
  What has made DI more suitable for passenger cars is the same thing that
makes modern gasoline engines a pain to work on -- computers.  Diesel engines
now have electronic fuel injection, oxygen sensors, and catalytic convertors.
 I personally plan to take a look at the new Passat TDI, probably today or
tomorrow.  The performance isn't much different than my old 320i, and the
prospect of 45mpg on the long trek to work does have its advantages...

Ryan