Thanks to some excellent detective work by Jon [in CT] over at NASIOC
, it looks like Subaru may be calling their new diesel the "BlueBoxer," as FHI has an application in with the US Patent & Trademark Office for that name. Think they may have been influenced by MB's "BlueTec" diesel?A word of caution here in that just because they've applied for a trademark, doesn't mean that they will necessarily use that name. Companies trademark names all the time, and never use them. However, if I were a betting man...
ateixeira says:
06:23 AM, 04/20/07
It's catchy, if it little derivated.
What's with the color blue all of the sudden?
Then again, Subaru's WRC cars have always been blue, and it always seems to be on their color palette for most models, so why not?
I'd love to see a Forester with this engine for MY2009 or so.
saedave says:
07:12 AM, 04/20/07
"I'd love to see a Forester with this engine for MY2009 or so."
juice,
As long as the diesel fuel doesn't gel in below 0 degrees F temperature. As a one-time owner of a diesel I'll be very cautious. What low temperature testing has been done on the new low sulphur fuel I wonder.
Dave
erics6 says:
09:28 AM, 04/20/07
I have a vision... My next Forester will have a diesel and CVT! :-)
ateixeira says:
10:20 AM, 04/23/07
If that's true, it would be a big problem for Subaru because their cars tend to sell in cold climates.
rsholland says:
10:44 AM, 04/23/07
Cold starting has always been an issue with diesels. The fuel in really cold weather tends to get thick and gel, and will not flow like a liquid. That's why a lot of diesels sold in cold climates have special plug-in heaters to keep the fuel warm.
estreka says:
03:15 PM, 04/23/07
Fuel tank warmers? Never heard of those, but I could see it. Block heaters are pretty standard up here though.
rsholland says:
05:54 PM, 04/23/07
I don't know exactly how it works, but they use plug-in heat to allow the fuel to flow. So maybe they heat the fuel tanks and fuel lines? Any cold weather diesel experts out there that help clarify this?
Like I said, this is a longtime issue with diesels in the winter.
bbechtel16 says:
08:22 AM, 04/24/07
I think you're referring to engine block heaters? They just heat the, dun dun dun....engine block, or more specifically, the oil. This allows for much faster startups, and in extremely cold weather (The Yukon, part of Alaska) makes startups possible. It also is much better for your car to use them in sub-zero conditions. These are optional and are also used on gasoline engines.
Diesels also have glow plugs which people seem to think do the same as spark plugs, but not really. They are in nearly all diesels standard. These I would describe as more for "cool" starts and worse. They help any time the engine isn't at operation temp, or if it's not a hot summer day. They are nearly required to start below 30 or 40. They are located similarly to a spark plug and aide compression ignition by glowing hot for a few seconds before attempting to start (not sure if they stay on during starting or not). This is what is going on when a diesel vehicle's dash says wait to start after you turn the key to on.
As far as fuel gelling, there are anti-freeze type fuel additives to combat this problem. Also in most climates where winter is cold, a gelling resistant blend is used. Or you can go old fashioned and mix in about a quarter kerosene with your diesel fuel.
I'm no diesel expert, so feel free to correct me or add more clarifying information where necessary; but that is what I know.