Newbie wants an FC but worried about the Cat 3208 engine

[Don Bradner]

I like this quote from http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399
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let me first dispel some myths about diesels. These engines developed their
reputation for reliability and very long engine life beginning over a hundred
years ago, a reputation that, for the most part, no longer holds. That
reputation was based up very unsophisticated, slow turning, low horsepower
engines. Except for sailboat auxiliaries, you won’t find many such engines in
existence today. Today we have a "need for speed," and everyone wants to go
fast. Going fast is what negates the virtues of those engines from a by-gone
era.

The modern diesel is very sophisticated, complex, lighter weight and very
powerful. Hence, their life span is often no more than that of a gas engine,
often times even less. To say that they are delicate is not an overstatement.
There is a very simple rule today that the more power you try to squeeze out of
a given engine block, the less service life it will give. People can argue all
they want to, but that is a fact.
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Don Bradner
90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"
Posting today by satellite from Sedona, AZ