OPERATING EXPERIENCE
VOLGA GAZ 3102 9 / "> GAZ 31029
As mentioned earlier, the editorial Volga GAZ 3102 9 / "> GAZ 31029, at the suggestion of the Zavolzhsky Motor Plant, found a new heart - the ZMZ-4062.10 engine. With it, the car covered 20 thousand km. It’s enough to make a first impression.
Oleg BUDKIN
But first, we will share observations for the period since the last publication (ZR, 1997, No. 7). So, on the speedometer 32 thousand km.
The yellow body was “decorated” with yellow spots of rust that protruded in the places of welding parts. Disappointed bumper. It turns out that it has a purely decorative function. Even with a minor collision, ours shattered like glass. With envy we look at the Samar bumpers: made of microporous plastic, they restore shape after a light blow.
Regularly squeezed front suspension in good condition: no creaks, no rattles. In the hope of improving the stability of the machine, we adjusted the worm gearing of the steering gear, the toe-in and the camber. Did not help. “One arm to hug her, the other to hug the helm”, without risking flying out of the way, common sense does not allow.
The electrician failed: the fog lights failed - contact with the "mass" disappeared. I had to ground them with an additional wire. The remaining components and assemblies of the car did not present any surprises.
Now let's move on to the most important change in our Volga - the motor. Before being on the car, he went through a 60-hour run-in at the stand, where his parameters were measured (see graph), so that during operation he would monitor their changes, which we will inform you about.
To say that the behavior of the machine has changed is to say nothing. This is another car with good dynamics, but the disadvantages of the chassis are now even more obvious. You feel the clumsiness of the car more sharply. The motor allows a lot - and slipping when starting, and speed of 170 km / h - the feeling is not for the faint of heart. You rejoice, rather, at the potential opportunities than realized - it's about the car as a whole. The new motor itself deserves a positive assessment. Firstly, the power is 150 liters. with. During acceleration, not every foreign car, not to mention domestic cars, will be able to break ahead. Secondly, profitability. If, realizing the power of the motor, it’s "drowning the pedal to the floor", then in the city you can still keep within 14 liters per hundred. In calm conditions, without falling out of the stream, you fit into the passport 12.9 l / 100 km. On suburban highways at a speed of 90 km / h, the Volga with a new engine consumes about 8 l / 100 km, and at 120 km / h - no more than 10 l. Given the unimportant, by modern standards, aerodynamics of the car, a very good result. Thirdly - and today it is almost the main thing - the environmental parameters of the engine. In terms of harmful emissions, it is easily included in UNECE standards.
“406th” pulls very well “on the bottoms”, which allows you to confidently accelerate in fifth gear from 60 km / h. At the same time, the motor easily “spins up” to 5, 000 rpm and you can not be afraid to “twist” it: an electronic limiter is activated. So in all respects the new motor is a cut above the “402nd”.
The aforementioned is confirmed by the chart we have given. Although the engine, formally speaking, is quite high-speed, with little adaptability - about 1.05 (see ЗР, 1997, No. 9), at speeds below 3000 rpm its characteristics are as if additionally “raised”. As a result, even at 1000 rpm (about 40 km / h in fifth gear), the torque is 15 kgf.m, providing the car with sufficient acceleration. But, of course, the most impressive performance of the car becomes when the driver is not shy about driving “in a sporty style”.
But there are other indicators that often play a decisive role for the consumer, for example, suitability for repair in a garage. This is not for him. Change the oil, wipe the dust - please. But we don’t recommend going inside, and nothing. No adjustments are required; everything is automatically adjusted. Maintenance comes down to replacing oil, filters and tightening threaded connections. If everything is done on time, then the motor will run at least 200 thousand km before overhaul (for example, one of the motors has passed 270 thousand km without visible wear on the parts). But this is if it is assembled properly and from which it is necessary. Alas, we are faced with the opposite. Almost immediately, the water pump went out of order and one of the valve pushers obviously “popped”. If this is not fixed under warranty, the repair will be in full: almost all parts and components of the “406th” are two times more expensive than those for other domestic engines. The cost of work is such that you involuntarily want to pick up the key yourself. In addition, far from every station will be taken to repair the motor - such in Moscow, once or twice, it cost a lot. True, recently the Zavolzhsky Motor Plant has been expanding its service network. With an increase in engine output, factory workers expect to significantly reduce the cost of the motor and its components. Will hope. In the meantime, the main, in our opinion, lack of a motor is high cost.
Consumer alertness is caused by the electronics controlling fuel injection. Motor manufacturers assure of its high reliability - the main thing, they say, is to monitor the cleanliness of contact joints. Is this so, we have to make sure. So far, for 20 thousand kilometers there have been no failures. In addition, the engine control has a self-diagnosis function, which can determine the malfunction. Moreover, the engine control is very "tenacious": in case of failure of some sensors, the car will be able to move in standby modes.
When installing a new engine on a car, the muffler with a resonator and a cooling radiator remained from the previous one. The latter is not designed for the “406th” motor; equipped with an electric fan - in the summer traffic jams, he did not stop. The radiator from GAZ 3102, which we are going to install, is more suitable. Silencer is a separate thrash metal song. It muffles only others, and even takes 17% of the power (measurements were taken at the ZMZ stand). True, GAZ has already designed a two-thread exhaust system with two resonators, which we are going to install. There were problems with installing the engine in the engine compartment. I had to cut down and move to the right the so-called jib - the right extension connecting the spar with the rear panel of the compartment. Note that these problems do not arise on the GAZ 3102. The power steering hydraulic cylinder did not fit either - the clutch housing rested against it. I must say that the modern integral type hydraulic power steering does not prevent the installation of the motor, and our car was equipped with an outdated amplifier with a separate cylinder and pump. I had to be content with the usual steering trapezoid.
