Originally Posted by
Graves
Cummins (by far) > Navistar (aka Powerstroke) > Isuzu...err, Duramax. From a shtf stand point I'd stick to a mechanical type like the 4 or 6BT. They're cheap and easy to work on, parts can be found just about anywhere, and easy as hell to pull a little extra power from. The problem with them these days would be ULSD. Sulfer in diesel aids in lubricating critical engine components (in fact most IP's souley depend on it for lubrication and is in most cases one of the more pricey repairs to a deisel engine), in the ULSD fuel it's obvious that an additive would be needed. The other problem you face with diesel is gelling, this is a problem here in Colorado. If you can get winterized fuel you'll be okay to a certian point, bc it too can gel. My hat goes off to the 6BT, I've had lots of time working on them amongst many others and I have yet to see anything take the abuse they can, I've seen first hand that they're hard to kill. I had one that ran for weeks 10qts low on oil, I repaired the leaks (ft main seal, pan, side cover gaskets) and the thing ran two more years (5-700mi per week), when it came time to pull the truck from service I drained all fluids and pulled it outside and watched it run for three more hours until it quietly died out, I let it cool for another hour and the sob started right back up and idled until it killed the remaining fuel. So long as the fuel is in good shape I never have any cold start issues with the 6BT, and guess what? No battery killing heat grid or glow plugs, every other truck with them does need a little kick in the ass to start in the cold.
I love deisel, it has a longer storage life over gasoline, better at making serious torque, and there are alternative means to fuel diesel engines as the op stated.
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