This article focuses on Japanese car engines, or rather how to choose the car with the engine that best suits your needs. It is clear that a car is chosen not only by what engine is on it, but nevertheless, this factor cannot be “discounted”.
The article describes the consumer qualities of Japanese car engines, such as reliability, resource, efficiency, ease of repair, when operating in our, Russian conditions.
After reading this article, many may be indignant: "Yes, my 4D56, this is an excellent engine, it has never broken down, and consumes 5 l / 100 km." Therefore, I will immediately make a reservation, everything written in this article is based on statistics, and if your 4D56 has not broken down yet, then this soon means that you are just very lucky and does not give you the right to say that “ better engine not in the world. " I would like the residents of the central and western regions of our country to pay particular attention to this article, because it can help make up for their lack of experience with Japanese cars.
I will make one more reservation - all the comparisons that are in the article are given relative to Japanese engines, and if it is said that any engine is problematic, then this means that it has some problems in operation, but does not mean that it is in unreliable in principle. Since almost any, even the most "bad" Japanese engine, is more reliable than a "good" Russian.
Choosing between a gasoline and diesel engine
Perhaps this is the most "hackneyed" topic. Many people really want to buy a diesel car, but at the same time, they do not take into account the operating conditions of a Japanese diesel engine in Russia. Have you seen Japanese or well-refined Russian diesel fuel? So good diesel fuel it should be almost transparent, almost like water, and there should be no blue tint in it. And what do the owners of diesel cars in our country fill in their tanks? They get somewhere "left" diesel fuel, drained from some bulldozer or boat (and at gas stations it is not much better). Looking at this fuel, you can see a dense blue tide, which indicates the presence of solid impurities in it, which means its poor-quality purification (almost all our oil refineries are guilty of this). Getting into fuel pump(Injection pump) and diesel injectors (parts with very high precision manufacturing), impurities in the fuel wear them out, and as a result, fuel consumption gradually increases and engine thrust decreases.
A typical sign of badly worn diesel fuel equipment is the presence of black exhaust, which indicates incomplete combustion of fuel, which literally "flies into the pipe". Many may object: "But our KAMAZ trucks and tractors run on our fuel and there are no problems." But there is no need to compare a large KAMAZ engine and a small-sized forced diesel engine of a passenger car!
Of course, problems with fuel equipment in Japanese diesel engines do not begin immediately, for the first couple of years the owners of such cars can happily fill their tanks with "tractor-marine" diesel fuel and be very pleased with it. The joy vanishes when the realization of the need to repair or replace fuel equipment comes, which is very expensive.
What about fuel consumption? It would seem that a diesel engine should be more economical than a gasoline engine. In fact, many diesel vehicles have significantly increased fuel consumption. For example, a LAND CRUISER PRADO with a 2L-TE diesel engine (working volume 2.45 liters), should have a fuel consumption in the urban driving cycle, well, in no way more than 14 l / 100 km (even taking into account the mass of this car). A friend of mine had such a PRADO (even without a run across Russia) consumed 18 l / 100 km.
And such examples are not isolated, almost all of my friends who have diesel cars had such a problem. Therefore, one must remember that a diesel engine is only economical when it is well adjusted and its fuel equipment and / or cylinder-piston group are not worn out. And if it is a diesel with an electronically controlled injection pump (3C-E, 4M40, ZD30DDTi and other so-called EFI-Diesel), then the matter is even worse, because on your own, without contacting a qualified car service, you can no longer adjust it.
Another problem with diesel engines is cracked or wobbly cylinder heads. Most often, this happens due to engine overheating. Have gasoline engines, due to their lower thermal stress and other material of the block head, this problem is much less common. Of diesels, head cracking is most common in the aforementioned 2L-T (E) (TOYOTA) and 4D55 / 56 (MITSUBISHI). Moreover, for 2L-T (E) this problem arises, precisely because of a constructive flaw, tk. a 3L-T similar in design, but having additional cooling channels, no longer has this problem. When overheated, it often "leads" the block head of the Toyota 2C-T turbodiesel, but this almost never occurs in the naturally aspirated 2C.
So before buying a diesel car, the saying is especially relevant: "Measure seven times, cut once." Moreover, according to statistics, about 70% of purchases of contract engines (i.e. when people buy an entire engine instead of a broken one) are diesel engines. Of course, when buying a truck or big jeep, I would probably choose such a car with a diesel engine, but is it worth buying a diesel passenger car?
In conclusion, I would like to note that the most reliable diesels, these are Nissan TD series diesel engines (TD23 / 25/27/42), the most unreliable 4D55 / 56 (MITSUBISHI).
Fuel supply system for gasoline engines
The choice here can be between carburetor, electronically controlled carburetor, central fuel injection, multi-point fuel injection and finally direct fuel injection.
Engines with, in Japan, have been discontinued for a long time, as they do not meet the environmental standards of this country. However, they had one undoubted advantage - in repair, they were not much more complicated than the engines of the Zhiguli and Muscovites. But do not forget the shortcomings of carburetors, because they periodically need to be cleaned and adjusted, and this is not such a simple matter, especially given the complexity of the design of Japanese carburetors.
Cars with electronically controlled carburetors have essentially absorbed the disadvantages of both carburetor engines (carburetor engines of complex design that require periodic adjustment and cleaning) and electronic injection engines (the presence of a complex sensor system with an electronic control unit). Cars with engines with "electronic carburetors" were produced from the early 80s to the mid 90s of the last century (these are GA13 / 15 / 16DS (NISSAN), ZC (HONDA) engines and some others).
Engines with central (Ci system) and multipoint electronic fuel injection systems (EFI (TOYOTA), EGI (NISSAN), PGM-FI (HONDA), ECI-MULTI (MITSUBISHI) systems) do not differ much in terms of reliability, maintainability and design complexity ...
Central fuel injection systems were common in the mid-80s - early 90s and externally, engines with these systems are very similar to carburetor ones. Among them are 1S-Ui, 4S-Fi (TOYOTA) and SR18 / 20Di (NISSAN).
Engines with multi-point fuel injection systems appeared in the early 80s and are most common today. In practice, these systems require less maintenance than carburetors. injectors and electronic engine control unit do not require maintenance. However, because of our problems arise with injection engines... The fact is that injection engines (along with electronic carburetors) must run on unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of at least 92.
Here it is necessary to tell what happens to Japanese cars after they come to Russia and start refueling with leaded gasoline. So, after about 100 km of run, the catalyst fails, for driving performance " iron horse»It has almost no effect, although a slight decrease in power in a certain range of engine speed is possible, the toxicity of exhaust gases naturally increases.
Since the catalyst does not work, the oxygen sensor gives an incorrect signal to the engine control unit, which is "not good". In addition, from driving on leaded gasoline, the sensors that come into contact with the exhaust gases are gradually contaminated (first of all, this is the same oxygen sensor). In most cases, problems due to dirty sensors and a malfunctioning EFI unit are expressed in increased fuel consumption and do not begin immediately after driving on low-quality gasoline. They are solved by cleaning the sensors and diagnostics - by reconfiguring the electronic engine control unit.
In principle, nothing terrible happens from driving on leaded gasoline, for example, in Vladivostka, most cars with injection engines run on leaded 92nd gasoline and drive nothing ... Be that as it may, in practice, such engines cause much less trouble than carburetor engines Russian production.
Engines with direct electronic injection appeared quite recently - in the mid-90s and such fuel supply systems are called differently for each driver: D-4 - TOYOTA, DI - NISSAN, GDI - MITSUBISHI. In terms of their performance (reliability, economy, etc.), they do not differ much from conventional engines with multipoint fuel injection, however, they are even more demanding on the quality of gasoline due to the very high compression ratio, reaching 11.
Turbocharged engines
Of course, turbocharging does not improve the reliability of the engine, and of course, in terms of reliability, a naturally aspirated engine is better. The presence of a turbocharger rotor rotating at a very high speed predetermines the increased requirements of the engine to oil quality. In addition, if the boost pressure is high, then this reduces the resource of the engine itself (usually in highly accelerated gasoline engines).
Turbocharging problems begin in the form of increased oil consumption, which can be as high as 1 L / 100 km. If you continue to drive with a faulty turbine, then it may completely fail (i.e. it will simply jam). This is due to the wear of the bearings, which are the most weak point in the turbocharger. By the way, the cost of restoring the normal operation of the turbine sometimes reaches 70% of the cost of the pressurization unit itself (though used, not new).
Some engines have intercooled charge air (so-called INTERCOOLER), which cools the air after being compressed in the compressor. Some engines use cooled turbochargers - the body has a cooling jacket through which coolant is pumped. Such turbochargers have a much longer service life, because work in milder conditions.
I note that, in most cases, problems with turbocharging are found in fairly old cars, which are more than 10 years old, although of course this figure can vary greatly depending on the intensity of vehicle operation, driving style, etc. In principle, one should not be afraid, but one should not forget about their increased requirements for oil quality and it is desirable to have a turbo timer, which can significantly increase the service life of the turbocharger.
Number and arrangement of cylinders
Let's consider the most common cases of Japanese engine layout.
The most common case is in-line 4-cylinder engines. The most easy to maintain and repair, there is simply nothing more to say about them.
Inline 6-cylinder engines have a very long resource and reliability. This is explained, firstly, by the large number of bearing journals of the crankshaft, and therefore by their minimal wear (since each of them has a relatively small load), and secondly by the complete balance of these engines, which means the minimum level of engine vibration. In general, these engines are very quiet compared to other types of engines. For cars, they are produced only by two leading automakers in Japan: TOYOTA (1G, 1 / 2JZ, 1HZ engines) and NISSAN (RB20 / 25/26, TB45E, RD28, TD42). All these engines have a huge resource, reaching 1 million km. mileage.
Recently, V-shaped 6-cylinder engines (mostly gasoline) have become very popular. With the transverse arrangement of the engine in the engine compartment and a large working volume (more than 2.0 - 2.5 liters), this is, in fact, the only way to arrange it. However, V-6s have the following disadvantages:
1. More difficult to repair and maintain than in-line engines.
2. The resource of the crankshaft bearing journals is reduced in comparison with in-line engines, because each of them has a double load.
3. Are not completely balanced.
So, as you can see, the presence of the V6 nameplate on the car does not say anything good. And all Japanese automakers except SUBARU and DAIHATSU produce engines with this arrangement of cylinders.
On expensive cars there are V-shaped 8-cylinder engines. They have all the disadvantages of the V-shaped sixes, which are listed above. But such engines (like some V-shaped 6-cylinder) are very different low level noise and vibration, since in terms of balance they are second only to in-line sixes and 12-cylinder V-shaped engines. In addition, to reduce vibration, additional counterweights on the journals are usually used on such engines. crankshaft... V-shaped eights produced by TOYOTA (1/2 / 3UZ), NISSAN (VK45DD, VH45DE) and MITSUBISHI (8A80).
Boxer engines (4 and 6 cylinders) are produced only by SUBARU (EA and EJ series). They are distinguished by their high strength and reliability, but they are very difficult to maintain, one timing belt replacement is just what it costs ...
Company manufacturer
On this point, there is always a lot of controversy, tk. one says that nothing can be more reliable than TOYOTA engines, give the other only NISSAN, and the third is quite happy with MITSUBISHI. In short, a complete mess ... (usually everyone praises the car of the brand they drive and at the same time curses the car of a neighbor of another manufacturer that has never been used). I note right away that a lot attachments on Japanese engines it is produced by third companies and, for example, a HITACHI generator is mounted on the LD20T-II (NISSAN) engine, which can just as well stand on a 2C-T (TOYOTA) and, accordingly, the probability of generator failure on both engines - is the same. Basically, everything said below will relate to the mechanical part of the engines, and not their attachments.
TOYOTA
The engines of this company are the easiest to repair and very reliable (although, of course, the engine is not the same for the engine). They rarely have such "bells and whistles" as balancing shafts (which MITSUBISHI loves very much), variable valve timing systems (although TOYOTA is increasingly introducing VVTi system) and similar things not in the best way, affecting reliability. The engine compartment of TOYOTA cars is well organized; maintenance of the engine is usually not difficult.
Among TOYOTA engines, there are both very good and reliable engines, and clearly unsuccessful units. The best are the inline 6-cylinder engines of the 1G and JZ series. The widespread A series is very easy to repair and hassle-free (except for the 4A-GE, which has 5 valves per cylinder). And most of the other TOYOTA engines do not cause much trouble. The unsuccessful ones include the aforementioned diesel engines 2L-T (E), 2C-T, as well as gasoline engines of the VZ series, in which the crankshaft bearing journals wear out rather quickly.
Nissan
These are the most reliable and unpretentious japanese engines(I foresee that many will disagree with me here), but judge for yourself:
1. Only NISSAN widely produces engines with chain or gear drives of the timing mechanism, which are undoubtedly more reliable than rubber timing belts.
2. In NISSAN diesel engines, cases of warpage or cracking of the cylinder head when the engine overheats are very rare.
3. Many NISSAN gasoline engines can run on 76-m gasoline for quite a long time and "not notice" it, although of course you should not abuse it.
I can give you a couple more examples of the quality of NISSAN engines. So the VQ engines on the MAXIMA / CEFIRO, CEDRIC and many other models have been recognized as the best in the world (!) Among their classmates for 7 years in a row.
Diesel engines of the TD series on the TERRANO / PASFINDER, SAFARI / PATROL, CARAVAN / URVAN models were originally developed as engines for boats (and marine engines in general, they are more reliable compared to automobile ones) and have a gear (!) drive of the gas distribution mechanism (in fairness, I will say that the timing gear drive is also found on Toyota diesel 3V). If there are problems with these engines, they mainly concern fuel system as for any diesels.
The disadvantages of NISSAN engines include greater difficulty in repair and maintenance, compared to TOYOTA. This is mainly due to the fact that under the hood of the Nissan, everything is very tightly "packed".
Note that the most reliable Nissan engines are RB20 / 25/26, SR18 / 20, TD23 / 25/27/42, GA13 / 15/16.
NISSAN did not have any particularly problematic engines, although the CA18 / 20 engines (due to the dual-circuit ignition system) and VG20 / 30 (rapid wear of the crankshaft bearing journals) were not very successful.
MITSUBISHI
Perhaps the most problematic and difficult to repair Japanese engines. MITSUBISHI engine designers, apparently, were not looking for simple and reliable solutions. The widespread use of balancing shafts, plastic carburetors, V-shaped arrangement of cylinders, direct fuel injection systems, of course, does not increase the reliability and maintainability of engines. For example, many are surprised at how smoothly work the inline four-cylinder engines on the GALANT model, but this is achieved "artificially" through the use of balancing shafts. As long as there are no problems with the engine and these shafts are working normally, everything is fine, but as soon as the drive to the shafts breaks (which often happens with not new units), the engine, which is not designed to work without them, can soon get into serious repairs. Turbocharged diesel engines 4D55 and 4D56 are very problematic; cylinder heads often burst on them, the material of which does not withstand the low temperatures of Russian winters.
Low temperatures greatly affect the reliability of the heads and that is why - cracks in the heads appear due to high temperature stresses. The higher the temperature difference on both sides of the wall, the higher the temperature stresses. Now imagine - minus 20, you start the engine and without warming it up to operating temperature (wait a very long time and many do not) start driving. An intensive heating of the head occurs from the side of the combustion chamber, while the temperature of the entire head and the coolant is even lower than the operating temperature. In such a situation, the temperature stresses are very high, plus mechanical stresses from the gas pressure. Of course, for one or even ten times, the crack will not appear immediately. But gradually microcracks appear, which then develop into such that gases break through them into the coolant. High temperature stresses can also be present on a warm engine if the engine is running under load for a long time with full fuel supply.
By the way, on naturally aspirated diesel engines, cracks in the heads practically do not occur, and the point is precisely in lower temperature stresses, because less fuel is burned and the temperature of the gases in the cylinder is correspondingly lower. A headache for car mechanics - EFI - diesel 4M40 (ie diesel with electronically - controlled high-pressure fuel pump), which is often found on the PAJERO model.
To summarize under the MITSUBISHI engines, we can say this - these engines are designed for very qualified and timely service. And if you buy a MITSUBISHI car, then it is better to take it with a "simpler" engine, for example, with 4G15, which is found on the LANCER model.
HONDA
This automaker produces very high quality engines with a minimum of defects. If you normally operate the HONDA engine (i.e. timely carry out maintenance and do not fill it with low-quality oil and gasoline), then it will not give you unpleasant surprises. However, Honda motors have their own characteristics that cannot be ignored:
1) Many (but not all!) Engines of this company have a high degree of boost, so there are often cases when, for example, some HONDA INTEGRA is brought from Japan (whose red zone on the tachometer starts at 8000 rpm) and its engine is already requires major repairs, because he has already worked out his resource.
2) Because of such common HONDA "bells and whistles" such as: VTEC, two electronically controlled carburetors for one engine, etc., often there are great difficulties in the repair. Even crankshaft HONDA engines rotate in the opposite direction compared to other Japanese engines!
3) These engines are very demanding on the quality of oil and fuel, and this is especially true for highly accelerated engines.
But most of the above problems are associated with "fancy" and forced HONDA engines, but if you have a "quiet" engine (for example, F23A or C35A), then there is nothing to be afraid of.
MAZDA
The engines of this company are solid "average" in all respects, not the most reliable, but also not the most problematic. MAZDA does not really like to experiment with its engines (except for rotary units), so the absence of various innovations has a positive effect on their reliability and maintainability. According to these indicators, MAZDA engines are only slightly worse engines TOYOTA.
SUBARU
Most of the engines of this company have an opposed layout, which provides very high strength and rigidity of the cylinder block, but at the same time makes the engine difficult to repair. Older engines, the EA82 series (produced until about 1989) are renowned for their reliability. Newer engines of the EJ series (EJ15, EJ18, EJ20, EJ25, EJ30) installed on various SUBARU models from 1989 to the present are less reliable, but in principle, they are pretty good engines. They are distinguished by a moderate degree of forcing and the absence of variable valve timing, direct fuel injection systems, etc. By the way, diesel engines are not installed on SUBARU cars, as well as on HONDA. According to the requirements for the quality of oil and fuel, SUBARU engines are at about the level TOYOTA(i.e. average).
SUZUKI
Nothing bad can be said about SUZUKI motors, they do not cause much trouble. True, I cannot say anything about small motors with a displacement of 660 cm3 (SUZUKI produces many cars with such engines), but about the engines that are installed on the popular ESCUDO / VITARA model, we can say the following: in-line 4-cylinder G16A (1.6 liter displacement) are reliable and fairly easy to repair, newer V-shaped 6-cylinder J20A (2.0 liter displacement) and H25A (2.5 liter displacement) are more capricious.
DAIHATSU
To be honest, due to the fact that these cars are few, there is, accordingly, little information on them. No defects characteristic of these engines were noticed, especially since DAIHATSU designers are not carried away with various "bells and whistles" such as variable valve timing.
ISUZU
The automaker long ago stopped producing its own passenger car models and is mostly known for its trucks and jeeps, which are mostly powered by diesel engines. And ISUZU diesels are famous for their reliability and unpretentiousness (although the 4JX1 diesel installed on the BIGHORN / TROOPER model is still less reliable than the Nissan TD27). As for ISUZU gasoline engines, I have not heard anything bad about them, especially since they are relatively simple in design.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like - I would say that the best and most reliable engine is the one that is properly operated.
We hope this article will help you when choosing a car and will resolve many disputes.
You can order contract engines from Japan by contacting various companies for the delivery of this equipment. They can be found on the internet. For example, in the company "Samurai" or Japan-engine, you can contact and order contract Japanese engines.
For some motorists, this term may be a novelty, so we will briefly explain what it is and what it is eaten with.
What it is
These are the motors that were removed from serviceable Japanese cars and have a residual working life of more than 70%. After removal, the unit is checked for operability and delivered under a contract. Hence this concept arose. Removal from the car is not done by a specific person, but by the whole plant. No person or service station can better remove an engine from a car than a factory.
Also, the purchase of an engine under a contract will cost almost half as much as Maintenance in the service station.
Nuances when ordering an engine from Japan
Depending on the car brand, a contract engine is ordered. For example, if the car is Toyota, then you should make an order for the unit for this brand. In general, such reputable companies as "Samurai" or Japan-engine will help to make right choice, after which you can place an order. However, there are some nuances to keep in mind:
- When placing an order, you should be extremely careful. You need to pay attention to each number. For example, to the device number. Because of the numbers, problems may arise at the border or when registering with the traffic police;
- Companies that supply from the same Japan will help you choose the required unit and give a guarantee for correct operation. In case of any inconsistencies, you can return the device back under warranty. Such companies give a 6-12 month warranty for the motor. If during this time the device does not justify itself, then it can be returned and taken back or replaced. It is more profitable than ordering it directly from abroad;
- In order to avoid the integration of a contract engine, it is recommended to contact a car service or the company itself, which provides a guarantee for it, to configure and install it. In this case, the car owner has two weeks at his disposal to thoroughly check the unit for operability. If any malfunction is found, it is eliminated free of charge or the motor must be replaced with another, serviceable one. The main disadvantage is that the installation costs are expensive. It will be higher than your own installation or if people you know are doing it. But it is better to pay more than to rack your brains in the future because of what the car does not start well, etc.
This is how contract engines removed from autos are stored in warehouses in Japan:
Advice! You should find out such parameters as the year of manufacture (the donor car and your car), the model and the complete set of the engine. Otherwise there will be trouble.
There are several ways to purchase a contract motor from Japan:
- Make a trip to Japan and buy the necessary hardware there. This is an option for those who are well versed in engines and for those for whom the trip will not be very expensive;
- Contact firms or companies that import one or another (specific) type of units;
- Purchase by ad;
- Order a contract engine from Japan online.
Comment! It is known that contract engines are used products that were once operated in Japan. Operation in Japan and in Russia are two different concepts. As you know, there are good roads and cars, and their parts are serviced in car services better. This means that Japanese contract engines can serve in Russia for decades. A case was recorded when a motor with a mileage of more than 100 thousand km worked better than a motor that was operated in Russia and had a much lower mileage, about 20 thousand km.
But mostly from Japan are delivered contract motors with a mileage of 40-70 thousand km.
› Diesel engine Japanese production.Japanese-made diesels are very diverse in design, technical and technological solutions. Engines of Japanese firms, although they have lower structural safety margins of individual units and parts than European and especially American ones, being competently designed and made of excellent materials, demonstrate high reliability and service life. It should be noted, however, that reliability is ensured only with qualified maintenance during operation.
At the same time, in terms of advanced solutions, Japanese designers diesel engines pretty conservative. In serial production, only well-tested and proven designs are used. Some engine models have been produced for 15 years or more without significant changes, and latest news in diesel engineering, they are introduced into mass production several years later than in Europe.
Usually, the Japanese work out all new technical solutions first on cars for the domestic market, and only then implement them for export modifications. The following review of the designs and operational features of Japanese-made diesel engines considers the engines most common in Russia, installed on Japanese and Korean jeeps.
Fuel systems of Japanese diesels
Fuel equipment for Japanese diesel engines is manufactured by three companies - Diesel Kiki, Nippon Denso and Zexel under license from Bosch. According to the design of the high pressure fuel pumps of these companies, they practically do not differ from their European counterparts. An exception is vehicles for the domestic market and equipped with an electronically controlled pump. They use a fuel control system that is different from European electronic high-pressure fuel pumps.
Such injection pumps are installed on Toyota models Surf with 2LT engine, Toyota Land Cruiser with 1 KZ engine and some others.
Another significant difference between the fuel systems of Japanese diesel engines is a different design of injectors and a fuel return line. The injectors do not have fittings for connecting rubber hoses to drain excess fuel ("return"), but are interconnected by a single metal tube sealed with aluminum rings and fastened to the injectors with nuts. With proper and timely maintenance, such a system is more hermetically sealed and more reliable than the "European" one, and the nozzle itself is much simpler and cheaper to manufacture.
However, if the metal "return" pipe has not been removed for a long time, then it will almost certainly be broken during dismantling due to "sticking" to the nozzle.
The injectors themselves are usually smaller than those of European cars, due to the use of smaller nozzles, although not on all types of engines, on some, "en": ["dj7n3hBR8Gw", "jB4MGkbk4Ds", "rSbdWf289Wo"], " es ": [" wMmj1ZrQcZw "]," pt ": [" 3DuHMBl7EnA "," T6m72Vhr8cw "]," fr ": [" cyO78IkkUj0 "]," it ": [" 8jE9ekF6SZE "]," bgjlZ2dCjUnA " "]," pl ": [" FIO6_zfrhNM "," Haza-TL4_os "," FIO6_zfrhNM "," FIO6_zfrhNM "]," ro ": [" 1b9tkVRnssg "," hTOz8dzjYRE "])
