The Volvo modular engine is worth a short too, it ran for 26 years [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_Modular_Engine
Their straight five had a nice sound IMO.
Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
71–80 of 160 posts
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#72The headline isn’t really true. The K series of engines has been in production for 25 years but it has been redesigned along the way. The article mentions this further down: > The K20C is Honda's current-generation of the K-Series range, upgraded to deliver strong real-world efficiency and long-term reliability across the Honda and Acura catalogs. It's also a redesign that meets stricter global emissions rules and ti…
What criteria should we use to decide if redesigns are significant enough to not claim it is the same engine?
Engine of Theseus
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just pour coolant in via the oil cap. It'll be fine. /s
On older heavy equipment of low value and high difficulty servicing (think like a forklift or skid steer) it's not uncommon to replace the coolant with oil to mitigate a head gasket issue and simply drain some oil and add to the coolant on some semblance of a schedule.
One of my favorite tractors was the old Oil Pull's which were designed for oil in the radiator. (they were a gas engine, but designed to run on "tractor fuel" which is closer to diesel than gasoline - in order to work the engine had to be very hot)
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#74I’ve noticed Honda puts an emphasis on reducing stress. I have a 20 year old Honda which still runs fine because everything about it seems “overbuilt” - other owners say it runs fine without coolant, oil, etc - just keeps plugging along.
> other owners say it runs fine without coolant, oil, etc - just keeps plugging along. This is called lying. They are lying.
Depends on what you are asking of the engine. An engine at red line but under no load doesn't generate that much heat, and so can get by with no coolant, and run for a long time on just the oil film left after draining the oil. This is really bad for the engine and it will wear out much faster - but it will run for a surprisingly long time.
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#75What's impressive isn't just the longevity, but how gracefully it's evolved over two decades while still feeling relevant in today's turbocharged, emissions-strangled landscape
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#76It's V6 but the 1GR-FE is probably the most reliable small car engine of all time. Easily 500k miles.
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
> other owners say it runs fine without coolant, oil, etc - just keeps plugging along. This is called lying. They are lying.
Depends on what you are asking of the engine. An engine at red line but under no load doesn't generate that much heat, and so can get by with no coolant, and run for a long time on just the oil film left after draining the oil. This is really bad for the engine and it will wear out much faster - but it will run for a surprisingly long time.
"This is really bad for the engine and it will wear out much faster" is significantly different than "runs fine [...] just keeps plugging along".
But yeah, you can limp along without the essential fluids for a bit.
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#78I always thought one of these would fit a Shelby cobra kit car really well but culturally ppl want to stick giant ford v8’s in them
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#79That'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...
The Jag XK platform had 45+ year run. I'd bet that as long as the 911 is made, it'll have an inline 6 and to someone's thinking it will be the same platform as the air-cooled version from 1964. Engine architectures tend to last unless they are bad. They can do a lot on one also, the Toyota GR platform started out as a fairly vanilla V-6 but it has variations with GDI and variations with turbochargers and has been use…
Indeed, long lived engines are not unusual
Chrysler LA - 1964-2003
Ford Windsor 1961-2000
Ford Inline 6 1960-2016
Modular V8 1990-2014
Re: Japanese four-cylinder engine is so reliable still in production after 25 years
#80The headline isn’t really true. The K series of engines has been in production for 25 years but it has been redesigned along the way. The article mentions this further down: > The K20C is Honda's current-generation of the K-Series range, upgraded to deliver strong real-world efficiency and long-term reliability across the Honda and Acura catalogs. It's also a redesign that meets stricter global emissions rules and ti…
I think the article's broader point still stands: Honda built a platform with enough foresight and flexibility that it could be continuously refined rather than scrapped and replaced every few years