EGR Valve - how to avoid the problems

[Bellesca]

I was told by the dealer that if you do a lot of short journeys,you should go for a 20 minute motorway trip at revs between 1800-2500 to clear it out every couple of weeks.

 

[Borris]

Well this could all be academic anyway - saw a report on the BBC website that Diesel may run dry in the future!! Would solve any EGR issues - now when is the Petrol Cali Beach and Ocean available again?

I haven't see the BBC website article so probably shouldn't comment but if diesel were to run dry then surely so would petrol? My knowledge on this subject is very limited and I stand to be corrected but as far as I am aware both fuels are derived from the same base product. Petrol just requires more refining than diesel or am I wrong? The UK petro-chemical industry surely knows the current level of demand for diesel so if we are not currently producing enough then take steps now to produce more.
Or was this article heralding the start of yet another attack on the owners of nasty, smelly, polluting, cash cow diesels?

 

[Bluestone]

Read the article which explains it, but briefly, petrol and diesel (and high octane stuff for jet aviation) are all taken from crude and refined in different ways (i.e. petrol is not diesel which is more refined), by a couple of processes - I won't go into the full details (I am a process engineer working in Oil & Gas ) as it's not needed really - unless people want to know

Basically the refineries we have here don't produce much diesel as it' wasn't so popular back in the 60's and 70's when a lot of the refineries were built, the world wide demand for both diesel and petrol has fallen so refineries are closing all over the world (including here in the UK).

It would cost a fortune to change the refiners to produce diesel so we import more than half we use. The report says (it also say most of what I said above) that if the supply dries up (which it easily could for many reasons) then we would be basically stuffed (OK the BBC doesn't use the term 'stuffed'

Yay build more refineries - more work for me

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34262990

 

[Borris]

Read the article which explains it, but briefly, petrol and diesel (and high octane stuff for jet aviation) are all taken from crude and refined in different ways (i.e. petrol is not diesel which is more refined), by a couple of processes - I won't go into the full details (I am a process engineer working in Oil & Gas ) as it's not needed really - unless people want to know

Basically the refineries we have here don't produce much diesel as it' wasn't so popular back in the 60's and 70's when a lot of the refineries were built, the world wide demand for both diesel and petrol has fallen so refineries are closing all over the world (including here in the UK).

It would cost a fortune to change the refiners to produce diesel so we import more than half we use. The report says (it also say most of what I said above) that if the supply dries up (which it easily could for many reasons) then we would be basically stuffed (OK the BBC doesn't use the term 'stuffed'

Yay build more refineries - more work for me

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34262990

Thanks Bluestone for your info and the link,
As you say, it seems that unless our UK capacity to refine diesel is increased, we probably will be stuffed if the foreign supply is restricted or stopped.

It does seem strange that whilst other countries have invested in diesel fuel production facilities to supply not only their home markets but other countries like ours, for some reason, despite the rapid increase in demand, it has not been deemed financially worthwhile here in the UK! Once again we appear to be more than a little reliant on others to supply our energy needs.

 

[GrannyJen]

One of the reasons I turned to diesel was the ability to store it rather more safely than petrol. It was after the tanker drivers strike and I thought "never again" will I be without a few tanks of spare fuel.

I only hope France has a better supply of it as at least I am not too far from the tunnel to be able to pop over and fill up

 

[flying banana]

I drive mine hard. very rarely short journeys. my egr valve has still failed. t6 150 ps beach.update. it was the dpf sensor.egr ok. if diesel runs dry u don't get what we will run the country on...buses.lorries.trains. ships. ferries tractors and farming ...jcb etc all diesel powered. so I don't think we will be out of diesel in our lifetime. even back up generators for air traffic and hospitals are diesel as big engines have to be really