There is a Hercules 4 cylinder diesel available here locally. Im curious if anybody knows much about them. My guess is that parts are hard to find. Im not a diesel guy but seems like a cool motor with 727. Seems like it would be underpowered for a truck but what about an rc? Just curious what you guys know.
I believe there are several different sizes. Do you know which one it is? Most I've seen where on generator's, marine applications, equipment, etc and very low HP.
I'm not familiar with that engine. Is a 3.7 around 220 cubic inches? How much horse power does it have?
It would probably pull an RC down the road, but it would probably be a SLOW ride!!! I believe the international scouts had a small factory diesel available back in the 70's. I know a guy who drove one about 25 years ago. He said it was painfully slow. Having a vehicle that was slow by 1980's standards would be even worse today!
Now that little diesel may make sense to swap it into a smaller vehicle. It would need to be light weight though. Of course, it it is strong enough to take some boost.....you could install it in a heavier vehicle.
If it has a turbo it could be worth it. Similar power to a 318 or cummins 4.
If it doesnt have a turbo, probably not worth it. Turbo is only a benefit if it can blow dirty smoke at wot. Smoke is the rich lean indicator with "perfect" being a slight haze.
If it blows clean without a turbo, the extra air does nothing but blow out the exhaust. Would have to add more fuel, which is usually done with a different injection pump and injectors. Unfortunately not only can this get expensive, but maybe unavailable for obscure engines.
A lot of people try to use throttled gasoline knowledge in a throttleless timed injected engine. More fuel-more power UNTIL you hit the black smoke limit and have no more excess oxygen left to consume fuel.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Dodge RamCharger Central
1.3M posts
72.2K members
Since 2002
RamchargerCentral.Com is a Dodge truck community built by a vast number of experienced owners. Whatever you're thinking about doing from routine maintenance to full-on restoration, odds are somebody around here already has. Originally focused on the Ram Charger / Trail Duster, our members own, drive and wrench on Mopars from the 40s to the current day. It's not what you buy, it's what you build.