LorenS

Distribution efficiency of electricity is on around 35%, right? So factor that in, and cost it takes to get fuel to the gas/diesel station for IC engines. I still think my 38 MPG Passat TDI (36.5-43 MPG records) is pretty good. And at 210k miles I'm not replacing a giant battery pack. May need a turbo and injector freshening soon, less than $2k, and should go another 100k or more without enriching China or enslaving anyone.

With 400-500 people on board, that ain't bad. That's like a vehicle carrying 4-5 people and their luggage getting 20 MPG. Better than a typical Suburban, worse than a minivan.

Hydrogen isn't a bio fuel, but yes. Of course if we were worried solely about BTUs per pound we'd be running #6 instead of #2. I found a paper written by a college grad student who ran experiments with HHO on a diesel generator. I was mildly surprised at first that he showed the HHO mix actually reduced brake-specific-fuel-consumption of the engine, even when the HHO was generated by grid power - then as I read, I saw absolutely no mention of tuning the engine for HHO (like injection timing). So, as @Mopar1973Manhas explained before in regards to over-advancing the timing and thus getting negative torque, I wonder if that's what happened here, too. Pure hypothesis, but I think the HHO mixture COULD have increased the rate of burn so much that the cylinder pressure rose too quickly, creating negative torque. I would love a follow up experiment where they optimize fuel timing. And I wouldn't dream of using the onboard electrical to make the hydrogen, but more like a small bottle that could be produced by wind/solar/etc. when the production exceeds the demand. I wouldn't bet money on it being feasible, but it would be great if that type of thing (optimized) could cut emissions. I like clean air and water as much as a tree hugger, just am willing to give up less to get incremental improvements!

If they won't send one you can measure the OD of the o-ring material and make one out of o-ring 'cord'. Just a dab of RTV, etc. will seal up the ends come together. Put the seam at the top of the cover where it's least likely to have a steady pool of oil sitting on it - make gravity your friend. https://www.weaverdistributing.com/18-buna-cord-o-ring-material-bulk-p-20900002.html

Not that my opinion counts for much but when I do mine I just plan to follow Mike's article. A $30+ gasket with proper cleanup and careful tightening of the bolts should last a good long while. Now, if someone sold a basic one made out of plate steel that was then machined just for flatness, I might be interested at the right price. I have other things on which I'd rather spend $200 - like that Hot Rod induction heater that Mike reviewed!

At this point we still need to get the hydrogen from somewhere, which requires power to separate the hydrogen from water, etc. It's great for storing potential energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing versus shutting off the wind turbines so as to not overproduce electricity. Hydrogen has to be stored at high pressure and is apparently VERY difficult to keep where you want it; being the smallest atom it tends to leak. So if you park your hydrogen pickup for a month, the tank may be empty when you want to start it. Energy density isn't very good, so like batteries you either have dismal range or a big penalty in weight. The engines still produce NOx, so there's an emissions system to deal with. There was a good article about it in the TDR magazine a couple issues back, by Kevin Cameron.

I would assume for the pressure sensor, but that "tee" fitting looks like a ball valve with the handle removed, and an adjustable needle in place of the valve stem. Inquiring minds want to know!

I would think that in the summer that the 190-210⁰ coolant would be cooling the transmission fluid, but I guess I've not paid much attention to it. And if your coolant is warmer than that, I bet the transmission is HOT, too. Not sure I'd bother with shutoff valves. When mine goes, I will likely try something like this. I was searching for a small shell and tube heat exchanger, and this popped up. Much more economical. https://www.mrcool.us/63832t-mercruiser-engine-oil-cooler.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAwc-dBhA7EiwAxPRylIWuvnw3DGZiyGn15wpnydogyaNnQ4DYegcLRayE8icVje6GVuhQyBoC_J8QAvD_BwE

James Brown got it right, that IS a "bad mother"! I like it. Not sure I'd have gone with those side steps, but I'm not exactly in the income bracket to worry about it such decisions. The matching beer cooler is a nice touch.

I design quite a few underfloor heating systems for slaughterhouse blast freezers and while not an expert on the minutia (W-T of the glycol world I am not!), I am relatively familiar. Here are two documents I have saved to the reference library I have on my laptop. This document is for Propylene Glycol but is provided as it's from DOW Chemical Company. See Page 9. https://www.dow.com/documents/en-us/app-tech-guide/180/180-01286-01-engineering-and-operating-guide-for-dowfrost-and-dowfrost-hd.pdf This document says the same for Ethylene Glycol and is from a Union Carbide Chemical company. https://www.magnumsolvent.com/productdata/Product Literature/Heat Transfer Fluids/Norkool Burst vs. Freeze Protection.pdf Basically if I'm wrong, then so is DOW and Union Carbide, and that's pretty good company to keep.

That's likely the point at which your coolant may turn into a Slurpee, not the point at which it turns into an ice cube. So as the Slurpee gets icier and icier, the remaining liquid is a higher percentage of anti-freeze, thus eventually is protected from further freezing.

A small-engine oil pressure switch at your desired pressure would do the trick. But then what action do you take when the light is on, when it could be 9.5 PSI, or could be negative PSIG. Could use two pressure switches on a tee, one at 5 PSIG, one at 10.

While it does seem to be turning over fast enough to start, I would also expect it to crank faster with some well charged and healthy batteries. If the voltage is dropping too low while cranking, that can make the computers act weird, too. Measure voltage while cranking - I do not know off the top of my head what that value should be. Is it spitting any unburned fuel smoke out the tailpipe? If not, I'd see that as a potential issue, too. P0382 is for the grid heater, so if it was me that's one of the first places I'd start.

Ha! That's funny, right there!

Saw a handful of the reputable stations at $3.99 today here in Kansas City.

If you think oak burns hot, try some Osage Orange, aka hedge, aka about 100 other names. And it's zero fun to spit, very tough. BTU/lb is really up there, and I believe I read the most dense wood native to North America at 60#/cubic foot.

?!?! Blasphemy!

Maybe it's the Kansas City in me, but if oak is rare around there I'd be holding back a face cord - at minimum - for barbecuing!

I paid the big money when I first got my truck 80k miles ago, and bought the Cover Craft brand. They have held up very well to dogs, spilled coffee, tools in back pockets, etc. Haven't washed them much at all, just a damp rag once or twice a year, and spilled coffee still doesn't soak through. I believe they were billed as water proof or resistant when I bought them in 2017.

Down to $3.99 today! For me the big question is WHY is it dropping? Has demand slowed, production increased, or....? Was it the deal made regarding Chevron and Venezuela? Can't help but notice that Buffett is a large stakeholder in Chevron now and also a big Democrat donor. Last I read (several months ago), oil company CEOs were saying that refining was the bottleneck, not a limited supply of crude. No idea who to believe.

Down to "only" $4.19 in KC at the major, reputable stations now.

It's a disappointing thing that the soot buildup is a seemingly necessary evil for reduced NOx emissions. My 2005 TDI gets it bad around the EGR valve. Glad I don't own a DPF anymore - the regens on my '18 Ecodiesel drove me to sell it after only about 4 months.

Fuel prices in KC area are down since Saturday, now around $4.30, but did see one sketchy station at $4.19 today. Prices on my trip were higher in Iowa and Wisconsin but not by much; Minnesota must have some higher fuel taxes.

I know the light throttle advance is only 2⁰ but could the 30% load limit with such large injectors be part of the problem?

Kansas City I'm seeing around $4.40/gal. On Monday I'm heading near Chippewa Falls, WI for workso will see what some others are paying. Hope to grab a fresh Leinenkugel from the brewery! Taking the VW TDI, so at +38 MPG thankfully won't be spending much $/mile on fuel.