Text 1b. Diesel Engines vs Gas Engines - Reliability, Efficiency

1. Read the text and answer the following questions.

Are diesel engines as reliable as gas engines?

Is a diesel engine more reliable than a gas engine?

Does a diesel engine get better gas mileage than a gasoline engine? Why?

What does the author recommend to avoid fuel gelling?

1. Diesel engines get better fuel economy simply because they do not need to burn as much fuel as a gas engine to get the same power. Diesel engines are also built heavier than a gas engine to sustain the added stress of the higher compression ratio. Diesel engines do not have an ignition system so you will never have to tune them up. Exhaust systems last longer because diesel fuel exhaust is not as corrosive a gasoline engine exhaust. It is not unusual to see a diesel engine with 400,000, 500,000 and I have even seen them go as much as 600,000 miles.

2. The down side is they are fairly noisy. You will get the typical diesel clatter at idle, but that goes away off idle. At normal driving speeds they are as quiet as a gasoline engine. You won't get the same acceleration that you get from a gasoline engine. But a turbo diesel will get up and go fairly quickly. You will need to adjust your driving habits somewhat also.

3. As for maintenance, 3,000 mile oil changes are a must! Diesel fuel is not as refined as gasoline and the oil will get dirtier than a gasoline engine. I recommend replacing air and fuel filters once a year. If you live in a cold climate, you will need to switch to a winter blend fuel to prevent fuel gelling. There are additives you can put in the fuel to help prevent this as well. I also recommend replacing glow plugs every two years as well. If temperatures drop below 10 degrees F, I would also recommend a block heater. This will insure cold weather starts, especially with the heavier grade oil that diesel engines require.

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b) Complete the table.

Characteristics	Gasoline	Diesel	causes / results
fuel economy		better
weight
service life(exhaust system)			to sustain the added stress of the higher compression ratio
maintenance
Mileage
start and acceleration
fuel

Text 1c. Engines and Exhaust after Treatment Systems for Future Automotive Applications

Render the following information according to this pattern:

1. The title of this text (information) is …

2. The text deals with … .

3. At the beginning the author explains (describes, introduces) …. .

4. Then the author pays attention to the issue of ( focuses on ) …

5. The author givesdetails concerning the ….

6. The advantages and disadvantages of …. are described and analyzed.

7. The improvements are proposed for …

8. The improved version of … is compared with (the conventional or analogue design).

9. The explanation is supported by (examples, results of experiments, pictures, graphs and diagrams).

10. In the end the author makes a conclusion that ….. .