The modern diesels dont have any traps on them. Just a strait shot out of the turbo. There is a tube called an eductor tube that draws crankcase gasses out of the engine. This thing gets really nasty with carbon and if it's not cleaned regularily big chunks of glowing carbon will fly right out the exhaust stack.

The turbo acts as a good enough spark arrestor on its own. Cutaway photo of a General Electric turbocharger for the GE 7FDL16 4400hp 16 cylinder diesel: http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2238234570035040517RuWIsM

However sometimes a few sparks do get out. A few years ago I was riding Amtrak's Empire Builder out of Portland to Spokane. The train is short enough so that there is no need for a separate baggage car, so the first car of the train is coupled right up to the engine. The cars are a bit taller than the engine, so you can go to the end door of the first car and look at the exhaust heat blurred view in front of the engine. At night, whenever the engineer throttled off a little, a few sparks would exit the stack.

Some of the older switcher engines without turbos do put out quite a few sparks if they had been idling for some time. http://www.railroadforums.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=61277

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Dale

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1990 300D 2.5 Turbo -155k
2000 E430 - 103k
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel 4x4 - 11k
2014 VW Passat TDI SE - 7k Bro's Diesel
2006 E320 CDI - 128k Pop's Benz

Pre-glow - A moment of silence in honor of Rudolph Diesel

Hello all

I took the same trip as I did the first time.

But this time the trailer had a 1961 VW beetle baja on it.
And a 400 cu. in. chevy small block.
( the baja was missing a few things, like an engine, transmission, etc )



Went up the same hill as before.
Had the pettal to the floor most of the time.

I even got it up to 100 mph or so after cresting the top of the hill.
(again, I did this at 3 in the morning, with no one around that I could possibly hurt with my stupid shenanagins. )


But this time I did not take the car out of gear and gun the engine to full throtal several times.
( I was afraid of killing the transmission. The stuff it did last time scared me )


I am wondering if not gunning the engine kept it from throwing sparks, or if it is still good and cleaned out ?



I should be taking the trip again soon.
( I have 2 camaros I still need to get down here to Texas )

So we will see what happens with another heavy load.
( and how worried I get about the tranny )

The car amazes me. It acutually runs better after these trips.
I think it likes it rough. :fork_off:


Love you all
RichC

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When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

i just want to clear up some of the manual transmission talk.

in most manual transmission that are driving around the earth today. the gear boxes are in constant mesh. the gears never come apart. NEVER. the way the gears are engaged is with a dog collar. heres a diagram.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manual_transmission

and anyone curious should read the entire webpage

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Current
2006 E320 CDI, 57K bought at 67K "Liesl"
1986 190E 2.3-16, 198K bought at 56K "Brigitta"
1987 300TD (Chuggin Along), 292K "Friedrich"
1995 E320 Wagon, 200K "Louisa"

Past
1987 300SDL, (sold) 125K, bought for 1$ "Kurt"

Personally, I find the Italitan tune up one of the most highly overrated techniques out there. If you have had your diesel out on the highway cruising for a nice 75 mph run you have pretty well cleaned it out as much as you need to, IMHO.

The Italian tuneup came from the days of carburated Ferraris and the cruddy fuel available at the time.

You are driving your multiple carburated Ferrari along and one of the carbs gets a little fleck of crud stuck in the needle valve, so the float will not shut off the fuel flow and too much fuel floods the carb spilling over into the intake. This loads up the cylinders being supplied by the malfunctioning carb. It begins to run roughly. The cure in the old days was to floor it and run as much fuel through the carb as possible in the hope that it would dislodge the crud. It worked sometimes.

What this has to do with a diesel is beyond me.

Now back when I had the 350sdl the intake was full of gooey tarlike stuff and when driving it on the highway for a while that stuff would dislodge and cause a puff of carbon out the back which was quite visible at night.

That was a little like blowing your nose.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

the ONLY time my car ever got hot is on the hill immediately west out of the eisenhower tunnel, got it immediately cooled down at the top of the hill.

Thatsa long pull up outta Dillon.... Plenty time to cool down as you roll to Georgetown...
Surprised it didn't get warm getting up over Vail. That one's a sum***** as well.

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

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