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Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

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Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#151

Post by jabl »

bch wrote: post #108
roflchoppa wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coolant sure, my RSX has a radiator leak for the past 2 years. Oil not so much.

I had a friend who had a Honda (edit: actually, Toyota iirc) for ~15 years that didn’t know it had oil; So when they sold it and was asked how often the oil was changed, the potential buyer was met with a quizzical look. Tires and gasoline and window washer fluid was its maintenance.

I coworker of my mother some 20-25 years ago bought a new car. Drove it until it stopped and refused to go further. Called some road service who upon inspecting it announced that she had run out of gas. She was surprised, "Cars still need to be refueled??!!".

Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#152

Post by tim333 »

Animats wrote: post #150
sidewndr46 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's rather peculiar. Was this a project of the CCP or was it derived from some other design?

It came out at a time when Shanghai Diesel Engine Company was totally government owned. Shanghai Diesel Engine Co., Ltd. (SDEC) originated from the Shanghai Diesel Engine Factory, founded in 1947 under the name Wusong Manufacturing Plant of the China Agricultural Machinery Company, where it produced a trial batch of 5 HP gasoline engines. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the factory was renamed W…

Looks like it might have a job with western pollution regs (https://youtu.be/Voev_QmZnYs?t=2803)

Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#153

Post by throwawaylaptop »

bch wrote: post #140
throwawaylaptop wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find that a bit hard to believe. Someone in that family knew and took care of it sometimes. The longest I've seen a used car go without an oil change was 40k miles and it was changed when it started making noise instantly on startup. That was basically 90k to 130k. Sure 0 to 40k would go a bit better.. but not 15 years of typical driving. Between carbon blowby, gasoline dilution, oil burning at the rings/cylinder w…

I wouldn't believe it either unless I heard it directly from my earnest friend who learned at that moment: 1) cars have oil 2) said oil should be changed regularly

Unless they were driving very very low miles per year, they are simply incorrect. A car isn't making it over 100k miles without an oil change IMO, even a Toyota.

Similar to how this person went most of a lifetime without noticing and wondering what oil change businesses, advertisements, coupons, etc were for... They also didn't notice someone in their household or a service provider of some kind (brakes, tires, idk) changing their oil.

Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#154

Post by qingcharles »

amypetrik8 wrote: post #148
qingcharles wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a lot of Minis, so I'll counter with the BMC A-Series: 1951-2000 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMC_A-series_engine

i counter you all with the 70 year legend https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_air-cooled_engine

You win :) That was actually my first engine... would have thought I'd have remembered the Beetle engine.

Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#156

Post by GuB-42 »

skywal_l wrote: post #49
pmontra wrote: post #30

That's a series of engines, not a single model. The FIAT FIRE [1] series has been in production for 36 years from 1985 to 2021 and, maybe you wouldn't expect it from FIAT, those engines were reliable. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fully_Integrated_Robotised_Eng...

I counter you with a Cleon engine[0] with 42 years. ;) But in the end an engine can be reliable but still be an environmental liability. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Cl%C3%A9on-Fonte_engin...

I had the first Twingo model with that engine. Sure, reliability was exceptional, and it also felt nice to drive for a low power engine (55 HP). What wasn't exceptional however was fuel economy, which significantly increased the total cost of ownership of a car like the Twingo.

I think the car made it to almost 300000 km with the engine showing barely any sign of wear. Some parts broke down, and there was still regular maintenance, which, combined with poor fuel economy and state subsidies made it not economically viable to keep the car even though it still ran. The newer model we bought later didn't last as long, the engine was good but not as robust, but it was still worth changing because of fuel economy alone.

At no point we considered environmental factors, only cost, but they are tied, since better fuel economy means both lower costs and lower emissions.

So in the end, you we a engine that was reliable for sure but didn't meet modern standards in terms of running costs, emissions and performance. When the Twingo came out, the use of the Cléon-Fonte engine was generally considered a serious downside, and it was changed to the more modern and appropriate "Energy" engine shortly after.

Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#157

Post by bchasknga »

throwawaylaptop wrote: post #111
olyjohn wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turbos are the replacement for displacement.

Ok, stick a huge turbo on a 100cc engine and power my 1 ton pickup please. Id like it to feel quick in traffic but also tow a few thousand lbs uphill without really noticing it.

No one buys a 1-ton to feel quick in traffic. A few thousand lbs going uphill can be easily done with a 1/2 ton, and the majority of them are now turbocharged.

Forced Induction has made its way tho. Not all, but a lot of modern turbo engines are great in all three aspects of reliability, performance, and efficiency.

I can see turbo'ed PHEV being the solution to heavy-duty use cases one day. Pretty stoked for the Ramcharger.

Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#158

Post by throwawaylaptop »

bchasknga wrote: post #157
throwawaylaptop wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, stick a huge turbo on a 100cc engine and power my 1 ton pickup please. Id like it to feel quick in traffic but also tow a few thousand lbs uphill without really noticing it.

No one buys a 1-ton to feel quick in traffic. A few thousand lbs going uphill can be easily done with a 1/2 ton, and the majority of them are now turbocharged. Forced Induction has made its way tho. Not all, but a lot of modern turbo engines are great in all three aspects of reliability, performance, and efficiency. I can see turbo'ed PHEV being the solution to heavy-duty use cases one day. Pretty stoked for the Ramc…

People don't buy 1 tons to feel quick. But they want their 1 tons to feel quick.

The examples you gave show that turbos are nice additions to a specific displacement size.

Op said turbos are a replacement for displacement. My example is there to show him they are not.

Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#159

Post by lisbbb »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #91

"Engine failure" is something everyone thought was a last century problem, yet it's back. Some blame extra thin oils, and some are pointing to cheap parts (ex. plastic manifolds and plastic timing guides). There are now engine lawsuits in 2015-2025 model vehicles from all the big vehicle manufacturers, with new failures clustering in late models. They literally don't make them like they used to.

My Acura V6 got recalled due to main bearings being out of spec. I still haven't taken it in for that because the damn thing runs perfect and I don't want them to mess that up. But Honda, uh, did they forget how to build engines the past few years?

Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years

#160

Post by Aloha »

bluedino wrote: post #96
Aloha wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, long lived engines are not unusual Chrysler LA - 1964-2003 Ford Windsor 1961-2000 Ford Inline 6 1960-2016 Modular V8 1990-2014

> Modular V8 1990-2014 Still lives to this day. The 5.0/5.2 engines are modular.

Debatable if the Coyote counts, I chose the conservative answer, even if I would otherwise agree with you
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