In the previous issue “Driving - the Far East”, we examined the reliability rating of Japanese automobile diesel engines.
Now let's talk about gasoline engines.
Trump "six"
In short, about the same thing can be said: the newer the engine, the less suitable it is for our conditions. At least simply because the technical information about it has not yet become available in local workshops, and in the Middle Kingdom they have not yet launched the production of cheap spare parts.
However, we consider the subject in more detail. The length of the engine is determined by the number of its pistons. It is understood that a 6-cylinder in-line engine will generally be longer than a 4-cylinder. If the 6-cylinder engine is made V-shaped, then its crankshaft will become shorter. But then the necks of this crankshaft will become narrower. This means that the probability of their destruction will be higher. If a bad engine oil in-line "Six" calmly endures (the necks are wide, after all), then the V-shaped "Six" with its narrow connecting rod and root necks will immediately "knock".
However, the opposite engine of Subaru, where, it would seem, the crankshaft journals should be narrow, this is not. It’s just that there are very wide pistons, which, in turn, causes problems with their wear, but allows the crankshaft to be longer and work in decent conditions.
So, based on the foregoing, in-line “sixes” should be recognized as the most reliable engines. They are also recognized throughout the world as the most balanced. And this means that they will have fewer vibrations associated with the operation of the engine, which means that they also have less destructive factors.
Wings? Legs? Tail
A timing belt, chain or gears can be used in the timing gear drive. The most reliable of this list will be a gear camshaft drive. Unfortunately, these types of engines have not been used for a long time due to noise and heavy weight. The belt and chain remain. It is not difficult to change the belt, and they do it after about 100 thousand km. The chain is a little more complicated, but it requires maintenance only after 250 thousand km. With a chain drive, fewer glands are used, which is also a plus. And our Russian dust on the chain drive is less affected.
In the engines of Japanese cars, hydraulic valve tappets (so-called hydraulic compensators) or conventional ones can be used. More reliable, of course, are conventional pushers, which sometimes require adjustment of thermal clearances. They work better at high speeds, more tolerant of wear on the camshaft, but … With hydraulic compensators, you can objectively monitor the state of engine oil in the engine, which is important in our conditions. As soon as the valves rattled in the morning, it was necessary to change the engine oil. The knock will disappear immediately.
Jedi do not like Russia
Engines differ in the method of fuel supply. There are carburetor engines, engines with electronic and direct fuel injection. The most reliable of them are engines with electronic injection. In them, fuel is supplied to the intake valve plate and, after opening it, is sucked into the cylinder. This type of engine has been worked out for a long time and does not cause any problems even in our Russian reality. Carburetor engines, where the fuel is prepared and fed through the carburetor, are also quite reliable, but require (mainly due to dust) periodic cleaning and adjustment. The most unreliable fuel supply system in Russia is direct injection. This type of engine is referred to as Toyota - D4, Mitsubishi - GDI and Nissan - Neo Di. No, these engines are quite good - up to fifty thousand and on Japanese fuel - and then many of their components simply require replacement. Injectors get clogged, pumps wear out, the signal from the oxygen sensors weakens, etc. Yes, the Japanese, who spent $ 40 thousand on a new car, can subsequently buy the whole set of replacement parts for several thousand dollars, but the Russian, who got the car for $ 10 thousand, is unlikely to spend several thousand more dollars on spare parts … Although there is information on the Internet that if, after buying a car with direct fuel injection, invest in new nozzles, new pumps, etc., there will be no problems for the next 50 thousand km. However, our gasoline …
Ignition system
There used to be a distributor, high-voltage wires, ferrules and candles. To correct the ignition when the toothed belt is extended, for example, to replace the wire or the tip is not a problem. Now this is not. Each cylinder has its own ignition coil, speed sensors stand separately, near their shafts, and it is no longer possible to adjust the ignition timing. Everything must be done by electronics. But the sensors break, the coils break, and the replacement of the candles turns into a whole event. Yes, the same ignition coil can be replaced, but if there are eight of them and everything needs to be changed, as, for example, does this often have to be done on a 2UZ-FE? How much is it?
