Light duty diesels-emission tests now and in the future

[flusher]

I've been looking at 1999-03 vintage 3/4 and 1T diesel pickups and flatbeds for a few months. This will be my first diesel truck purchase.

I'm wondering how CA and EPA emission regulations and testing will affect these older diesels. And, more importantly, whether these PUs are facing expensive upgrades to satisfy the more stringent diesel emission regulations that are coming online in the next few years.

What's the skinny on this issue? Is this a matter for real concern that should be factored into a purchase like the one I'm contemplating?

[Bill_C]

My '94 Ford F250 (with the Powerstroke diesel) gets emission tested here where I live. They look for the catalytic converter, then do an idle opacity check.

I believe all light and medium duty diesels here get tested similarly, the only difference is that they don't check for the cat on trucks that never had one.

I do not believe they will try to make a '99 truck meet 2012 new-truck standards, for example, but they will check to make sure the older trucks still meet some acceptable level. Here it's just an opacity check at idle, some states do a snap-idle check I've read.

Of course, as the EPA bureacrats gain even more power, they may go completely bonkers and make it impossible to keep our trucks on the road. I'd like to see some politicians have the guts to publicly speak up and demand that environmental protection must be balanced with the needs of the public and the economy, not allowed to override all other concerns...but I'm bordering upon a political rant here....

[RobertN]

I'm guessing that it will be like cars. They will need the equipment that was required for the model year, and meet the specs per that model year.

Remember when they started doing this to cars? Lots of people had removed stuff, and had to put stuff back on. My '70 Jeep had the stuff taken off over the years; fortunately I had most of it(family had owned it before me). Had to put it all back on. It had to meet all the equipment and emissions of that model and year.

[jagyzf]

From what I have read at this time light duty trucks have to meet what was required at the time of build the engine. The real wild card is CARB, and what they do because other states sometime follow there garbage lead. Right now light duty truck and farm equipment only have to meet the year they were made. Heavy trucks and equipment have dates that they have to be compliant with current year. This from what I have read has put smaller trucking and construction companies out of buisness. It has also affected the price of used equipment on the west coast. I have read about some of the equipment needed to make the engine meet the regs and it's in some cases more than the machines are worth. Construction Equipment mag just did a story on the 2010 diesels. According to them the air coming out the back is cleaner than the air going in. Lord only knows what they may do in the future. Here is a link to one of the many stories on the subject of older trucks (pre-2007), but again is for larger ones.

CARB Demands Exhaust Update of On-Road Diesels - 10/01/2009 - Construction Equipment

[Diamondpilot]

I am not a fan of California and all the rules. For that matter I am not a fan of the Upper East Coast. Guess its just being a good old Farm Boy from Indiana. Like was mentioned before Cali has done some ridicules stuff that has put some out of business. Can this spread to trucks and cars? I think yes, but not to gas powered equipment. Diesels are open game. Makes no sense to me. Take a vehicle that gets 20 mpg and put a bunch of crap on it to make it cleaner and now it gets 14 mpg. Is this helping the environment or hurting it?

Sorry about the rant. The answer to your question is I would not doubt it one bit. I do love Cali, my dad lives in San Diego and I travel to Fresno and Napa Valley monthly for work. Its simply beautiful but too many rules for a country boy like me from Indiana.

Chris

[RobertN]

They did it in 1966, and then again 25-30 years ago.

In 1966, they had the first real smog requirements. First smog pumps. But, they did not test. Then, about 30 years ago, they started testing. Part of the test, was the proper equipment there, and did it meet the spec for the model and year.

Diesels, and motorcycles have gotten away without testing, even though some emission standards have been required to be installed/met when 1st manufactured/sold.

Other gas engines have had CARB standards for years; chainsaws, lawn mowers, weedeaters ect.

It does make sense, if you are in the greater Los Angeles Basin, parts of the Bay Area, and Sacramento; the smog can be terrible. LA more so though. Very few other parts of the US see the same conditions as these area's. Sacramento gets a double whammy; we generate our own smog, and the smog from the Bay Area blows over here.

In the old days, the Calif smog requirements, at least testing, were in the greater LA area. I remember when Sacramento did not have testing. Then the rural counties did not have it either. The State finally made it blanket testing and regulation.

Originally Posted by Diamondpilot

Can this spread to trucks and cars? I think yes, but not to gas powered equipment. Diesels are open game. Makes no sense to me.

[salopez]

Its coming don't worry. In the equipment world they are starting to make old engines meet new specs! so people are adding DPF's, new engines...allot of costs are coming down the pike, I think diesel is going away again...

[flusher]

Originally Posted by salopez

Its coming don't worry. In the equipment world they are starting to make old engines meet new specs! so people are adding DPF's, new engines...allot of costs are coming down the pike, I think diesel is going away again...

That's my concern--being required to add a diesel particulate filter (DPF) or some other device(s) to an older engine to get it through smog inspection. I see prices ranging from $300-800 just by googlng "DPF". I've heard that DPFs for some engines are more expensive, that they need servicing at 100,000 miles, etc.

[Diamondpilot]

Flusher, for what you are wanting to use the truck for I would seriously look at the F-350 with single rear wheels, 4x4, and the V-10. My uncle has had 2 of them. They are a power house and will pull anything a F-350 can handle, about 17,000# on a GN SRW F-350. Yes they drink the gas but also can be had for $5000 less money upfront. If I only used my F-350 7-8K a year I would go for one but towing 15,000 miles a year the diesel makes since for me.


Chris

[flusher]

Originally Posted by Diamondpilot

Flusher, for what you are wanting to use the truck for I would seriously look at the F-350 with single rear wheels, 4x4, and the V-10. My uncle has had 2 of them. They are a power house and will pull anything a F-350 can handle, about 17,000# on a GN SRW F-350. Yes they drink the gas but also can be had for $5000 less money upfront. If I only used my F-350 7-8K a year I would go for one but towing 15,000 miles a year the diesel makes since for me.


Chris

Thanks for the input. I'll check out the V-10s. I'll be kicking tires this coming weekend.