You're too stupid to... own a diesel small truck

[duc_fan]

Pd engines are finicky with oil and some have cam lobe issues.  Other than that they get the best overall mileage, have the highest hp, and are highly tuneable.  The hybrid injectors are the key.  They are cam activated but electronic controlled.  So you can put an aftermarket control that increases or decreases pulse interval of the injectors.  The body is the same as all other mkiv models. 

Good to know.    I will add those to my shopping.  Any particular gotchas when buying used?

[DRKWNG]

Sorry for the threadjack.  It's easy to get distracted and start talkin' VeeDubs...  

You need to talk to Ted.  I'll ping him to this thread...

[the_Journeyman]

Ok, so I have one negative opinion and one somewhat defending opinion on the Liberty.  I much prefer diesels so long as they good fuel economy.  Despite diesel being more expensive, most get good enough MPG that it is worth more at the pump for the MPG.

Window motors - I can fix myself, did so on my Taurus.  EGR?  Maybe.  Torque coverter - I can ask for documentation.  Spec oil?  Even my wife's gas Mazda2 requires 0-20 synthetic.  I'm looking for common gross failures.  All an internet search came up with was some kind of injector fitting that caused stalling and occasionally fires.  That was fixed with a replacement part, which I can check on.  I would like some FHE from some owners.

JM

[Popeye the Sailor]

Can you work on it? They aren't common.

[duc_fan]

I wasn't the owner, but a friend of mine had a gas Liberty.  Biggest gripe was a lack of cargo space behind the rearmost seat.  He had some niggling electrical troubles that sent it to the dealer a few times, but no major showstoppers.

Sorry, no actual experience with the Liberty diesel.  Kinda curious myself, because every now and again I go shopping for used ones.  They're rare.

[Artful]

MkIIs are impossible to kill. They prefer the death by a thousand cuts, but even then unless the frame is rusted through you can fix them for a few hundred bucks from almost any condition.

The MkII is the ideal VW. They figured out rust proofing to a reasonable degree, a huge leap from the MkI (which was followed up with an almost equal step backward with the MkIII when they thought they figured out how to do it cheap - spoiler alert: they didn't). It's hundreds of pounds lighter than a MkIII, infinitely less complex than a MkIV and anything that came after, and is arguably the best looking generation. The motor options are endless with nearly bolt-in ease in some cases, and they're absolutely practical workhorses.

Mine makes ~250 whp. It's fun. Way fun.

[ducatiz]

That's not a truck and it ain't even DIESEL!

[DRKWNG]

That's not a truck and it ain't even DIESEL!

But it is a very thorough thread jack.   

[duc_fan]

Holy crap, that is a clean MkII.

Definitely worth the threadjack. 

To add some oil-burning content: I've long wanted to stuff a 1.9 TDI motor in my MkII.  Not sure how to make the electrics work, though.  A tuned TDI mill making over 200 ft-lbs at the wheels, in a 2400-lb car, would be an absolute hoot.

[duc_fan]

<snip> (which was followed up with an almost equal step backward with the MkIII when they thought they figured out how to do it cheap - spoiler alert: they didn't). </snip>

I learned that the hard way.    Loved the motor in my MkIII GTI VR6... most everything else sucked to varying degrees.  Okay, the leather seats were really nice.  And I stole the Driver's Edition shift knob out of it for my MkII.  Otherwise... power window regulators were quirky, the power sunroof started acting funny, the ABS was never great, the traction control sucked in snow/ice (and couldn't be turned off), the shifter was like rowing a boat, the exterior plastic trim required never-ending attention and maintenance to keep it from falling off, it leaked, the vinyl on the door cards started peeling, etc, etc.

It's one redeeming quality was the sound that VR6 made when you wound it through the rev range. That sure was sweet.

[Drjones]

In somewhat related news . . .

Ford goes the CNG route for the F-150 in 2014.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/31/2014-ford-f-150-cng-revealed/

[ducatiz]

In somewhat related news . . .

Ford goes the CNG route for the F-150 in 2014.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/31/2014-ford-f-150-cng-revealed/

CNG is also cool.  Performance is about the same as gasoline and it's a much cheaper fuel than gas..

Diesel is just superior in every way.. :-)

EDIT:

WAIT???  The CNG option takes up 1/3rd of the truck bed??? WTF??

USELESS

[Triple J]

I'd paint that CNG tank like a bomb with a radiation or biohazard sign! 

[duc_fan]

They're working to incorporate CNG for aviation use as well:
http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2013/July/26/First-airplane-powered-by-Compressed-Natural-Gas.aspx

Again, heft and bulk are the two big problems.  They're even more critical on an airplane than in a pickup.

I'm surprised Ford didn't go with multiple smaller tanks under the cab and/or under the bed.  Existing CNG and propane retrofits frequently go this route.  Especially if the traditional fuel tank space is unoccupied... is it a dual-fuel truck?  I know you can order a dual-fuel Chevy or GMC with the 6.0L Vortec V8 that burns gas or CNG.

Reminds me... I need to check the price of bulk propane delivered to our home.  We have a propane backup generator.  I'm wondering if it'd be economical to add propane injection to the Duramax and fill 'er up at home from the home tank... which we'd just have refilled more often.  The guy who installed the propane tank for the generator at my father-in-law's house does exactly that.

An upshot of running propane: I could delete the DPF and still have clean exhaust.

[LowThudd]

I have read of Duramax getting upwards of +50MPG using CNG or propane injection.