I was having a moment of deep thought last night, and the outcome of it was...Why in this day and age do car engines still get manufactured in such as way that they need head gaskets?
I know about the rotary engines etc, but on a normal engine there is always a head gasket that requires you to take half the engine to bits to get to it. Could they not make them so that the gasket is alot nearer the top or do away with it all together!!!! Thougts please.
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In this day and age... Bugatti made engines which didn't need a head gasket in the 1920s, the head and block are 1 piece and machined from underneath.
Of course they weren't machined to the same tolerances we'd expect today!
From a car maker's perspective, if a head gasket (or any part) only needs to be replaced every 120,000 miles, why change?
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Why do they still make engines with a rubber band which often breaks and destroys everything?
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Why do they make four-dimensional engines? ie different parts occupy the same three dimensional space at different times - so when the rubber band snaps the engine breaks rather than just stopping?
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Porsche made some 911s with no HG in the 1990s-iirc. They gave up and went back to HGs because the tolerances required over such a large area - and the stresses involved - meant it proved virtually impossible in a real world environment to keep 100% sealing ALL the time.
If Porsche could not do it, what chance for anyone else?
madf
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Vauxhall did this with the Victor engine back in the '70s. The valves didn't extend into the piston path so if the cam-belt broke you only had to replace it.
It wasn't as powerful as the equivalent 4D engine but it was more robust.
Incidentally, the Vauxhall Victor is still being manufactured in India as the Hindustani Contessa.
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Because they are loads cheaper to make than chain cam engines!
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Is it also cheaper to make a car where it takes 14 hours to change the clutch, compared to previous models from the same manufacturer where it might take a couple of hours?
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During the last war, my father was in the RAF in India. In the full and certain knowledge that the biggest cause of failure of an aeroplane would be hitting something at high speed, the Americans produced aeroplanes with rivetted hulls without any access to much of the mechanical parts - elevator controls, for instance. Failure of these parts meant writing off of the aircraft. On the other hand, it made production that much easier.
Modern clutches now have a life of 150,000 miles. Who needs to change them? Not the initial warrantied purchaser, nor the subsequent purchaser who also buys a warranty. New clutch = write off.
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The Back Room's old friend, that paragon of automotive clear thinking, the Citroen 2CV doesn't have head gaskets.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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The 2CV had a canvas roof. Why don't all cars have one?
or running boards?
Or front opening windscreens?
or divisions for chauffeurs?
:-)
madf
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Sell fuel in litres, measure it in miles per gallon (what's a gallon for pete's sake) then again what's a mile when the rest of the civilized world has moved onto kilometers. (journeys seem to go much quicker in kilometers).
people hate BMW drivers :-(
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Why do we people hate BMW drivers?
Simple. Easy to hate. Drive badly, park badly and are rude:-))
Any other questions about BMW drivers? :-)
madf
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I dont like the idea of being labeled a BMW driver, though I quite fancy a BMW.
Conundrum?
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BMW Salesman: "Yes sir Mr Cheddar sir. So you're having the BMW 540i with all the extras at our clearance price of just £10,000?"
Cheddar: "Weeeeeell. No. Sorry. I'd be called a BMW driver then"
;-)
Promise me something Cheddar, if ever that happens, you give me a call right there and then!
--
Adam
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Conundrum?
Yes, I love Beemers for what they are (RWD beasts) not for the perception they give - its either that or a 'G' reg Sierra !
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Personally I wouldn't care what people think of me, if I want a car and I could afford it I'd just go out and buy it!
Blue
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I care very much what people would think of my car.
That's why I went out and bought what I did.
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Adam
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Yes, people who see the Classic Ghia saloon will undoubtedly know that you're a man of good taste... :-)
Blue
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To return to the original question posed....
Why do we moan about the price of fuel and still use our cars when we really don't need to.
I do, I was home t'other night when friends phoned and rather than speak on the phone we jumped in the car and drove round - a 60 mile round trip.....We're no exception I'm sure. (at least 1.5 gallons)
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