A V-8 Cummins???

[ACerf]

A V-8 Cummins????



When I received my TDR mag a week ago (late because we are on the road again) I read about a V-8 Cummins that they are testing. The other thing that concerned me was the fact that they are also using aluminum heads with a cast iron block!! What are they thinking? The 6 cyl. Cummins is the reason I bought the the Dodge otherwise I could have bought one of the other off brands out there.



DC if you are out there and read this, spare us from being like Ford or GMC! There is enough junk on the road as it is!

 

[KYLE4]

I read the same thing it did frighten me If they do go through with this that is fine I just don't want to see it in a Dodge pickup

 

[DGFoster]

I agree,what are they thinking.



Do they know something we don't?

Why would they follow GM on this?

 

[mberry]

It doesn't scare me at all. It's a Cummins! People that really know how to build a rugged, reliable diesel.

 

[DGFoster]

It doesn't scare me at all. It's a Cummins! People that really know how to build a rugged, reliable diesel.

Hope your right. .

 

[CLAYTON]

Have they ran the V-8 in any of the marine motors or in any other application? Or is it a whole new concept?

 

[Byershome]

It was in a half ton pick-up, if they were to use it that's were you would find it. . that and perhaps the full sized cars and jeep. I'm all for it, they also mentioned a V-6.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Yes it's for light-duty applications. It's rated for 200,000 mile life cycle. I think it's a smart move on Cummins' part and I think they will have an edge if the market continues to push for diesels in lighter vehicles.



I read this V8 may find its way into ski boats and the like, being it weighs only about 30 pounds more than a comparable gasser V8. Vaughn

 

[rotts4u]

I agree,what are they thinking.



Do they know something we don't?

Why would they follow GM on this?

Its pretty simple and is the same reason almost nobody builds straight 6 cylinder gas engines. COST. Even Benz now uses a V6. BMW still uses a straight 6 as does GMC in the Envoy. I think everyone else uses V's.



I have always heard machining a long 6 is a lot more expensive and difficult compared to a shorter V.



Don

 

[RonsRig]

I think the reason for designing V type engines was to save weight and it makes it more compact. It even saves a little weight over the boxer engine design. Everything has a trade off.



I-6 engines are the optimum of design. Less moving parts. Easier to maintain and less costly repair. Less internal dynamic mass. That is why BMW still uses them.



I prefer an I-6 and don't have to worry about this issue because I have one. I would like to see a redesigned head, maybe out of aluminum. As good as the Cummins is, it could always be better.

 

[RonsRig]

Also, about GM I-6 engine. It was designed to be modular. Their plan was to make 4, 5 and 6 cylinder engines. The new Hummer III will have the 5 cylinder version of it.

 

[DWordinger]

When I first read about the V8 I assumed it was driven by marketing. Both Ford and GM are using V8s and some people think there is an advangtage to more parts. Cummins, Cat and others used to make V8 Diesels for trucks, but it seems to me all the new Diesels are inline. I can't understand why Dodge doesn't put the well tested and proven B3. 9 four cylinder version of our engine in the half ton trucks. Using the technology in our 5. 9s, the 3. 9 should produce about 215 horsepower, which is more than the the early Dodge Ram Diesels. I would expect the 4 cylinder to fit the Durango, maybe the Dakota, and some Jeeps. Why is Cummins spending time and resources on a new V8?

 

[SRadke]

I for one would be really scared by a aluminum head on our engine. I trust the Cummins engineers to build a quality product and I'd be surprised if you ever see an aluminum head on a cast iron block in an engine our size. The coefficient of thermal expansion diffrence between the two materiels is just too great, that head would move all over the place. In an application with shorter heads like a V6 or V8, there is a much better chance of making it work.



-Scott

 

[KB0OU]

Think about it this way,,,

International Harvester/Navistar tried to build a V6 for the Ford F-150 and failed!!!

Ford put $140Million or so in the project and scrapped it because IH could not make it work. .

Cummins comes along and builds a V-8 and a V-6 no problem, here it is, has no application to dump it in... ... .

When ya needs a diesel to work,, Who do ya call... ... Cummins... .

 

[nickleinonen]

I for one would be really scared by a aluminum head on our engine

i wouldn't be scared if they changed to a 2 or 3 head design. for a single slab design, i wouldn't want an alloy head on our pretty long inline6... . if the head is designed right, there is nothing wrong with an alloy head on a diesel. gm hasn't had much trouble with theirs on the dmax... the pistons on our engines are aluminum... the aluminum head is water cooled, the piston is only oil cooled...

 

[S.Demps]

I read about it in 4 wheeler mag wt. is around 700 lbs and is being designed just for 1/2 ton light duty application. Although I was sweating it when I first saw the headlines after all the ragging I been giving my buddies with powersmokz and duraminimuns.

 

[JUeckert]

Think about it this way,,,

International Harvester/Navistar tried to build a V6 for the Ford F-150 and failed!!!

Ford put $140Million or so in the project and scrapped it because IH could not make it work. .

Cummins comes along and builds a V-8 and a V-6 no problem, here it is, has no application to dump it in... ... .

When ya needs a diesel to work,, Who do ya call... ... Cummins... .

the project is not scrapped,the v6 engine is in production,ford declined it because of emmission reasons,it would not meet the projected emmission changes for 07,in the light duty segment... .

 

[jsimpson]

I wouldn't be too concerned. Cummins didn't design our I-6 to begin with. It's an Onan design that Cummins picked up when they bought Onan. Cummins may feel that they've developed the old Onan in-line engines to the point of diminishing returns. With Cummins designing new V engines then, the real question would be: who designed the best engines, Onan or Cummins? In my case, it's a moot point. My engine will undoubtedly outlast me!

 

[RustyJC]

Cummins didn't design our I-6 to begin with. It's an Onan design that Cummins picked up when they bought Onan.

With all respect, you might want to read the following:

http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/Facts/diesel_sales.htm



Brief history of the Dodge Ram / Cummins Diesel combination (From TDR #1)



The Cummins B series (3. 9L 4 cylinder and 5. 9L six cylinder) diesel was developed in the early 1980's as a joint venture between Cummins and Case tractor. Cummins was to provide the engine expertise, Case the production volume. In 1984, an active step van/ bread truck repower program for the Ford E350 and GM P30 chassis was successfully promoted by Cummins.



As B production capacity expanded, Cummins began actively seeking a major OEM entry for the 6B 5. 9L engine in a pickup truck chassis. The 6B was seen by Dodge as a possibility for the aging Ram 250 and 350 which had no diesel option. In late 1986, Dodge and Cummins reached an agreement to target the 1998 model year for the ram diesel. Cummins accepted the engineering challenge of mating the engine to the existing Dodge Ram chassis. As unseen technical problems surfaced, the introduction was rescheduled for the 1989 model.



The first year forecast was for less than 8,000 Dodge diesel pickups, with sales expected to grow by 3,000 trucks each following year. Ram diesel sales for 1989 surpassed 16,000 trucks and the numbers have continued to grow.



Cummins data indicates that the life of the B engine in a medium duty truck is slightly over 300,000 miles. Estimated engine life in the pickup is unknown because few engines have failed or worn out, and there are numerous reports of over 800,000 miles.

Rusty

 

[jsimpson]

The key word there is "developed". It was developed from the in-line engine series inherited from Onan.