You’re in the market for a new truck; you have an idea about what you want but not quite sure if you want a gasoline or a diesel engine. Well, gas and diesel engines are very similar yet different in quite a few ways.
At first glance, someone who doesn’t know much about either of the two engines might ask, “What’s the difference?” To the untrained eye they might look exactly alike, but don’t judge the engine by its exterior look.
Gas engines are mainly used by the individual in personal vehicles whereas diesels are very popular in the commercial and industrial fields. Diesel engines are used by the navy in their ships and by the army in their tanks and big trucks. Some of the main reasons for choosing this engine are that diesels are more reliable and durable than gas engines. Diesels are built to last and built to work. Also the power output is greater in a diesel, thus more economical.
From an environmental point of view a diesel doesn't burn as clean as gasoline. Apart from particulate matter (which modern diesel filters can minimize), burning a gallon of diesel will generate more C02 than burning a gallon of premium gasoline. You'd need a fuel savings of around more than 15% percent to compensate for the increase in C02 output compared to the same car powered with an equally powerful gasoline engine.
The way the gas and diesel engines start are a major difference in the two. Gas engines use spark plugs to ignite the fuel. Diesels do not have spark plugs, they use compression. A gasoline engine intakes a mixture of gas and air, compresses it and ignites the mixture with a spark from the spark plug. A diesel engine takes in just air, compresses it, and then injects fuel into the compressed air. The heat of the compressed air lights the fuel. Both modern engines use Electronic Fuel Injection to inject fuel into the cylinders.
Both the gas and diesels are internal combustion engines. Inside an internal combustion engine explosions of fuel