I`m inviting you to think `out of the box` regarding internal combustion engine design and its application in a motor vehicle.

Really out of the box that is :)
What would be possible if a choice were made to go in a certain direction, to stay with internal combustion over the next 60 years.

I`m inviting you to suspend the logic of current ( fuel cell etc) future car development and consider just what `would be possible technically` with todays internal combustion engines If the millions of pounds spent on fuel cell cars had been ploughed into improving the thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines.

Why? just for the sake of it and because I suspect we will never see what the full, *ultimate, potential of the possible fuel/thermal effeciency of internal combustion engines are before they are replaced.

*Ultimate? Well lets say the next 60 years or so.... Why? well, consider the Mallard that fantastic A4 Gresley Pacific that must have seemed like riding a bullet back in the 1930`s... What if you put a group of engineers on building a new one now.. with a space shuttle budget.
An engineers machine....... vastly better construction, tolerances etc, but 60 years of progressive development time lost.

Now apply that thinking to todays typically common rail diesel car and its systems. Its got the latest computerised diesel fuel injection and systems, way beyond what we thought would be possible back in the 60`s.

Its on the M1 and has been in the outer lane for an hour, heat pours of the exhaust,the radiator, the whole surface of the engine and the
sump radiates heat. Its summer, none is needed for interior heating and its all wasted, what is that? about 55/60% of the fuels energy?

We look at the Mallard now and consider what would be possible staying true to the basic principle of the external combustion engine, if we wished.... Titanium/special alloy reduction of reciprocating mass in the con rods, much higher pressure boiler. Oil fired or to take it to the limit a nuclear reactor as heat source. Its still an external combustion steam engine, but wow! not as we knew them.

As we look at the old Mallard and consider just what `could be possible, if we wished`.... The engineer of tomorrow, another 60 years into the future considers our internal combustion cars of today. What would be possible staying true to the internal combustion engine principles?

Given that the last 200 years have taken us from the blacksmiths forge in what seems like a logarithmic progression into special alloys , materials and expertise, what are the possibilities now and for that enginneer of the future who is looking back at our engines as we in turn look back at the Old A4 Gresley Pacific?

Turning heat into energy... Imagine a car engine with the exhaust running through a heat exchanger,a fully insulated engine exterior (as on a domestic hot water tank. The cooling system set up to store the heat with only emergency flow through the conventional radiator.
All of this heat being stored in a matrix of special material.. How could that be used to provide energy on or off board the car?

An example of systems, but what of the engine, surely in 60 years it would be a totally sealed unit, what would it take to achieve that?

If we chose of course... and as an exercise in just what would be possible if we wished it :)

Of course these are the ramblings of a simple, old school, home mechanic.....

Regards




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Hi Honest John.

I have a cavelier K reg, last week as we were going up a hill the engine died.
It still turns over but doesnt spark up!!!! My 1st thoughts were the Plugs,rotor arm or mabe the ignition coil,so have changed the plugs, leads rotor arm and ignition coil.......but still no joy!!!
Any ideas??? Thanks maverick36 Read more

Hi,
I have a 52 plate 406 110 hdi. 40K miles There is a problem with the temperature gauge. The gauge usualy rests half way but can swing down quite suddenly then back up again to center.Sometimes it will go down to zero and stay for a few seconds, This can be accompanied by the "engine coolant to hot" warning and the "stop" light flashing on and off
I am sure the engine is not over hot as it usualy happens about ten minutes from a cold start but runs for a lot longer with the needle at half way most of the time.

There is another minor isue.The rev counter normaly sits at 0.8 at tickover but sometimes goes up to 1.0 for a few secs then settles down to 0.8 again.this seems to be at or around the same time as the temp gauge swinging around

I would be most grateful for any help on this.If it is just a dicky temp gauge or similar then it can swing all it likes - I hope nothing serious as I am skint

Thanks

Mike

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help pls i have taken out my old clutch cable on my 106 as it has snapped but i cant get the new one to fit in the hole in the bulk head ive checked and the new cable is an exact match to the old one but it just wont go in pls help ive been trying for 2 hours and am geting angry so pls help Read more

The time has come when, for the first time, I get to choose my next car. For the last four years, since I passed my test, I've had a 1996 Corsa which I picked up at an auction and has now done 150k miles and is starting to rust and leak various fluids chronically... Being a bit of a petrolhead I can't wait to get something a bit more interesting.

Unfortunately, knowing a fair bit about cars means I can't choose! I have half my family and friends telling me to be sensible and not spend very much, because I have the rest of my life to (hopefully) indulge my desires, and the other half telling me to get something fun before I settle down and have kids.

My father, who usually doles out the soundest advice, reckons I should spend £2-3k, which by my reckoning will get me a slightly newer Corsa. I reckon if I go up to £6-7k things can get a bit more interesting. But what? My shortlist consists of:
Golf
A3
Focus
Smart Roadster Coupe (700cc engine might be ok, it'll probably feel fast compared to my Corsa)

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

drawde Read more