Hello Zak
If you can bare with me for the best part of next week I'll run it all up on everything I have just recently got back from the Middle East as a mediator with the United nations
Sort of a coincidence but I was dealing with the EPA on emissions in the U.S. through the Eurpoean Justice commision problems with how the U.S was configuring Euro 4 but altering it to save grace on the U.S manufacturing of local vehicles , re class at the moment I'll just leave it untill I PM you lattter on this week coming as it's just hit mid-nite Sunday Local AEST
What I can say is the Diesel both the inline 5 and the new v6 do meet EPA emissions for all so states in the U.S and Canada for 2007 The Sprinter is what is called the orpahan year as to the particle filter exhaust system that has been put on the model for the year 2006-2007 2008 has to run Bluetec and that's where the problem lies it's political so please there is no offence meant I'm not anti-American to the folk on your side of the pond, but I will be honest I am with politics and Companies with collusion to collude Oil companies won't play on a leval playing feild claiming poor or restricted enviromental grounds for development
Fuel in the U.S in both Gas and Diesel are not up to grade major fuel companies are still on exemptions untill 2008 2009 to bring refineries up to grade, the Ron ratings for gas are out of sinc with world standards, Diesel is supossed to be 15ppm but is still running at 22 ppm on exemption this effects the emission rateings for the new mercedes /Dodge and many other makes the VW Jetta has one year to go 2007 and that's the end of the model it can not make the EPA standard on a old engine desinged in the nineties
There is a cross link between DCX one the bluetec model engine or the Sun Diesel concept engine desinged to run on any bio type fuel but they use a differntehaust system the latter is designed to burn off excess fuel inside the engine which reduces horsepower and performance etc, the blue tec system is a unit desinged to wet down the remaing particles inside of the exhaust proir to entering the main particle trap at the rear exhaust, the conflict with this is how can it be distributed throughout the N/Americain sector mail it overnight, to the customers? it seams the fuel distributors are the one to manufacture it,! No any chemicial company can make the golden drop , but try and get distribution rights through the outlets that sell fuel , there is a lot rideing on this at the moment at the highest govenment level , so give me alittle time to sort it out before I start to print.
If for example, think about the problems with vibration on the Sprinters transmission failure torque convertors and blown turbos it's unique to the Americain side only as very few sprinters have this problem else where Australia has a lot of them mostly manual a few autos it's very rare to blow them out FUEL and oil has a lot to do with this.
Australia sells fuel by the lire same as Canada we are a metric country have been since Feb 1966
The sprinters down under or at least mine run 26 miles to the gallon fully loaded with three tons around urban areas on a midland run Hobart to Launceston to the gallon but we do not exceed 65mph speed limited , not the vehicle that is it's the top limit for driveing at , if we are caught speeding there is a three point deduction from your licence of twelve points over three years and a AU $120 00 dollar fine 12 points over three years won't last long if you speed, getting a permit for lossing your licence is almost impossiable to get, unless you are caught on a DUI charge funny isn't it ? It's not OK to speed, but you get a second or third chance for being drunk
All Major refinery's , Shell , BP Caltex same as Texaco, Mobil have totaly up todate refinery's for producing ULSD Fuel between them they spent over 500 millon dollars but were forced by the Australian govenment to do it Caltex or mobil can't remember which at this time of the night had an extension untill late this year to comply or shut down operations, I think they out sourced it to another supplier to overcome the problem.
Soth Austarlia and tasmania have ULSD down to 10ppm well in advance of the 2009 2010 Emission Euro 5 mandates.
Ps if any spelling mistakes , sorry I'm just tired a bit
Richard