1934 Auburn with Cummins diesel

[engatwork]

Interesting reading. Cummins powered Auburn from 1934

[vstech]

if only auburn had a decent business model like ford did then...

[Stretch]

I think someone should have helped Nash too - nice article by the way!

[SwampYankee]

Very interesting!

3/4 of a century later and the American public still hasn't figured out the benefits of diesel power.

[Renntag]

Nice. Great write up. interesting story.

[babymog]

Originally Posted by DD40AX

Back then the only benefit was fuel economy, still is today. Torque came with the turbo but the same can be said of the gas engine too.

Torque came from the turbo? Power came from the turbo as did BSFE and better efficiency.

The benefits of the diesel are many, not just fuel economy.

[Randy]

look for "My Days With The Diesel" by Clessie L. Cummins.
His autobiography.
There's a pun there, somewhere...

[Lycoming-8]

As a previous member of the ACD Club, I am compeled to set the record straight. Particularly since I still have the edition of the Club newsletter with that exact picture on the cover. The Auburn used by Cummins was a 1935 model as can be seen by the grille work in the hood side panels. The 1934 was a very similar design, but had three slightly curved, raised, sweep accents from front to back on the side of the hoods, and a slightly different front grille.

Unfortunately Auburn would soon exit the car manufacturing business, with the '36 models being the last and the '37 Cords being the last of that marque. The Duesenberg line also exited in '37, which left only the aircraft related parts of the Company (including Lycoming) still surviving. That was all soon reorganized into the Aviation Corporation, which later became known as AVCO. Now you know the rest of the story.

[04 Diesel]

I still dont understand why American car companies didnt keep working on diesel powered cars. My brother had a 198? Ford car that was diesel and got great mpgs, if they would have stuck with that and improving the diesel motor every year they would have a great motor today. Way to go Cummins.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Originally Posted by 04 Diesel

I still dont understand why American car companies didnt keep working on diesel powered cars. My brother had a 198? Ford car that was diesel and got great mpgs, if they would have stuck with that and improving the diesel motor every year they would have a great motor today. Way to go Cummins.

Because, when gas was cheap, and stations selling dieel were relatively rare (still a problem today) the market just wasn't there. By the early '80s, when it looked like diesels would finally catch on in this country, the infamous Oldsmobile diesel helped to kill interest here. When the '80s diesel-fad passed, most manufactureres lost interest and dicontinued their US-market diesel cars. Just try finding diesel-specific parts today, for the surviving diesel Tempos, Chevettes, Toyotas and BMWs that sold here briefly back then.
Today, improvements in gas-engine technology, the weak economy, volatile fuel prices (remember when diesel was $1 higher than RUG recently) and tough new EPA regulations, coupled with the high premium most manufactureres charge for their diesels, make diesels a hard sell here.
I can justify my old Mercedes diesels because they allow me to drive a very durable car that gets acceptable fuel economy - 20 to 30 mpg compared with the 13-20 I got with most of my older gasser Benzes. But if I needed much higher fuel economy today, I'd probably get a used 5-speed Civic or Corolla.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[TX76513]

Originally Posted by 04 Diesel

I still dont understand why American car companies didnt keep working on diesel powered cars. My brother had a 198? Ford car that was diesel and got great mpgs, if they would have stuck with that and improving the diesel motor every year they would have a great motor today. Way to go Cummins.

They are just not in the US Look at Central and S America diesel everything from all the manufactures even KIA and Hyundia.

[rscurtis]

The US is still in the 1970's when it comes to transportation technology and power generation. It's starting to catch up to us as we send $1 billion per day to countries who don't really like us.

[babymog]

As Mark said, mostly marketing decisions.

The GM diesel V-8 was a mess. The block wasn't strong enough, barely enough compression so it wouldn't start without very strong glow-plugs and needed two good batteries to start, an NA so really smokey, not very powerful, and not that economical. The slow black cloud machines really turned US car buyers off to diesel cars, to a point where Mercedes stopped offering diesels in the US in '88-'89 (which was their mainstay for most of their years here).

Ironically, GM had introduced a decent-performing V-6 diesel near the end, which if introduced instead of the V-8 probably would have put GM in the forefront of US-sold diesels, good mileage and good punch in mid-size FWD platforms.

The diesel Isuzu Pup (Chevy Luv), diesel Chevette, diesel Lincoln (BMW), others that would have made it died probably because the V-8 was such a turd.

If we had federal subsidies on diesel technology and buying diesel cars (as some European nations have had) instead of hype-brids, we would probably see more diesel fuel production keeping the diesel fuel prices in line, and more diesel cars on our roads (and not just big noisy-smokey pickup trucks blowing coal). JMO.

[75Sv1]

Originally Posted by babymog

As Mark said, mostly marketing decisions.

The GM diesel V-8 was a mess. The block wasn't strong enough, barely enough compression so it wouldn't start without very strong glow-plugs and needed two good batteries to start, an NA so really smokey, not very powerful, and not that economical. The slow black cloud machines really turned US car buyers off to diesel cars, to a point where Mercedes stopped offering diesels in the US in '88-'89 (which was their mainstay for most of their years here).

Ironically, GM had introduced a decent-performing V-6 diesel near the end, which if introduced instead of the V-8 probably would have put GM in the forefront of US-sold diesels, good mileage and good punch in mid-size FWD platforms.

The diesel Isuzu Pup (Chevy Luv), diesel Chevette, diesel Lincoln (BMW), others that would have made it died probably because the V-8 was such a turd.

If we had federal subsidies on diesel technology and buying diesel cars (as some European nations have had) instead of hype-brids, we would probably see more diesel fuel production keeping the diesel fuel prices in line, and more diesel cars on our roads (and not just big noisy-smokey pickup trucks blowing coal). JMO.

The other aspect is that the diesel engines in many of those cars were from competitors. IE, Mitsubishi, BMW, Isuzu and others. The parent company wants the profits from those engines.
Cummins AUburn was restored in the mid 90's. There are a few other cars at the museum downtown. Sometimes they roll them out for display at other plants.
Tom

[Mark DiSilvestro]

According to a Popular Science article published many years ago, some things that helped sink the GM-Olds diesel was GM's desire to build a diesel V8 that would be idiot-proof. And it wasn't simply a gas engine converted to diesel, but it certainly didn't have the robust engineering of our older Mercedes diesels.
One fatal-flaw with the early GM diesels was the lack of a decent fuel filter-water separator. Unforunately, Unlike the Bosch injection pumps used by Mercedes, the Roosa pump GM chose had no independant lubrication system - only that provided by the diesel fuel itself. It was very vulnerable to any water contamination in the fuel. And there was alot of crappy diesel around in those days. So if water sat in the Roosa pump for any length of time, corrosion could affect the critical timing elements, causing mis-timing and excessive cylinder pressures in a diesel engine that was planned to last like a gas V8, and not overbuilt like older Mercedes diesels. So head-bolt or connecting rod failures became common, fostering class-action lawsuits. I even recall reading how personal-property tax assesments, here in Fairfax County, were much lower for Olds diesels, compared to the gas versions.
Unfortunately, more recently Mercedes hasn't been immune to flawed diesels, regarding the 'rod-bender' 350SDs!

Happy Motoring, Mark