Fitting a 4HF1, a turbocharger and a water-to-air intercooler into a surplus American Ford E-350 DRW ambulance is not so hard as trying to make a 6-cylinder to find its way there, but it's far from being an easy job.

Power-to-weight ratio in small stern-drive boats is not so exciting. I don't understand why those 2-cylinder Yanmar and its Chinese rip-offs are still used for that matter, they should be restricted for the stationary usage they were initially intended for. Might be still OK for a kuliglig but on boats the dead weight is even more problematic. The cheapest is not everytime the best, there are many 4-cylinder engines that are not so heavy compared to the 2-cylinder stationary Yanmars, even though in certain cases displacing the double of them. I've seen the TDI engines from Audi being also available for marine purposes in other places, and due to the modular engine designs from the Volkswagen Group it woldn't be so hard to get them made in China too.

All around the world, people been saying asbestos cause cancer. Canada forbids asbestos usage locally, altough exports a great amount of all the asbestos used worldwide alongside Russia. It's still the most cost-effective material for thermal insulation under extreme heat, being great fort gaskets in general. I'm not afraid to use it to make gaskets in general and using scraps to make EGR blank plates. Using dust-filtering mask when cutting the asbestos pieces decreases the risk of cancer, altough it's usually neglected. I always carry one, in spite of the jokes that I use it to hide my nose deformed after a jeepney crash. And that jeepney got lots of asbestos, at the clutch disc, brake pads, gaskets, and under the body to reduce exhaust heat radiation to the cab...

This week I've blanked the EGR of a Peugeot 5008 with that eHDi engine, and its fuel-efficiency bumped from 17kmpl to nearly 20.

I've once been in Brazil when I was younger, in 2001 when I was still 17 years-old. I spent a few days in Porto Alegre that time, and I still want to come back there someday. Today the people back there might be enjoying their chimarrão tea, affectionally also called matte, and eating inasal to celebrate one of the most beautiful holidays I've ever known. In September 20, an entire Southern province of Brazil, the Rio Grande del Sur, celebrate a day devoted to their rural traditions, which settled the local cultural base, and the most important aspect to note is the value they devote to family, friendship and faith in God. That's basically what the world needs today, that good feeling which bring people together and is very strong in Rio Grande del Sur.

EGR deletes are controversial, but they do enhance the engine reliability and fuel-efficiency. Cleaning a clogged intake manifold of an Audi TDI really sucks. It's hard to overcome the check-engine light without an ECM reflashing after a complete EGR delete, so I kept the EGR valve assembly there, just blanked it with asbestos.

Only in the Philippines we can find a Chevy Tahoe roaming around with a 4JB1 and a manual gearbox to replace a boat-anchor petrol V8 and a slushbox. No speed king anymore, but still runs good and the fuel cost is decreased without the safety harm of LPG.

Cummins: might it challenge Isuzu at a leadership position in the market?

Cummins is beloved by many guys who remember it as the Dodge Ram's engine, a maximum point of the Amerikano truck style, and also has some good market in Europe due to joint-ventures with Fiat S.p.A. to co-develop engines for Iveco medium-duty trucks and Case/FiatAllis tractors, and New Holland tractors too. But now, for the Asian markets, its joint-venture with Foton in China is a possibility to increase its regional market share. With the F-blocks, the 2.8L and 3.8L badged as ISF for vehicle applications, it covers a pretty wide power range for mid-power engines. Maybe only the sophistication of the electronic controls might still be a barrier to get it more widespread for other applications in the Philippines, altough there are already standalone QSF-series versions targeted primarily to stationary and industrial applications. The gear-driven valvetrain and OHV heads push for a compact layout, easy to fit into tighter engine bays, and weight-saving design features make it easy to use in a wide range of repowerings that other engines with suitable power ratings could be deemed a boat anchor. Isuzu is still well regarded in the Philippines, where almost every jeep is fitted with either a C240 or a 4JB1, but maybe in a short to mid time Cummins can challenge Isuzu. It might be time for Isuzu to bring the standalone versions of the 4JJ1-TC already available in the United States as a counter-challenge to Cummins.

Lunch time. With a George Foreman grill I collect the fat from the meats and can use it as a feedstock from homebrewed biodiesel. Animal fat-based biodiesel is usually thicker and with a higher energy content, with enhanced lube properties too, making it more suitable to the older engines.

It was a nice stay in South Africa, but it's time to go back to the Philippines. I might come back again, just not sure about when I'm gonna do it.