Possible to build an engine that never leaks oil?

You are free to believe whatever you choose. ;)

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter
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What? Do you think that I can't look my hood and see that there is no oil on the outside of the engine?

Why do you have to be such a prick all the time?

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

When was the last time you say a Harley with a chain?

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Hate to break it to you, but I was thinking Japan and not Germany or Italy for this. Think what a $50,000 Honda Civic engine would be like. Of course, you'd still be stuck driving a Civic. I'd rather have my Trans Am and take my chances with leaks. The Gen-III's seem pretty good for no leaks btw...

Ray

Reply to
ray

I've seen what the expensive Mercedes engines were like back in the 80s. The oil pan had a lower section that bolted on. Twice as many (or more) bolts to remove. A huge pain in the butt to take apart (actually, it was kind of fun - but the engine was not in the car). And twice as many gaskets to leak.

The whole engine was like that.

Not only could I take apart a Chevy V8 thrice as fast, but the Chevy's relative simplicity made it a lot easier and cheaper to repair. And the Chevy was probably more durable, too.

Simplicity is better.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Well, of COURSE Japan would be more likely to build a leak-free engine. They'd just weld the heads and oil pan on and have you throw the damn thing away every 20k miles. The European and American manufacturers actually expect you to maybe-once-in-a-while actually take CARE of the vehicle, and they expect you to want to keep it for more than 2 years before throwing it away for another disposable car.

Reply to
Steve

But for $50K I could probably buy a sweet early 70's 911 that would leak, smoke, spit, and haul a$$ :)

OTOH, an S2000 might be kind of fun, since we're dreaming here...

nate

(priorities. I has them. Yes, I drive SWMBO nuts with my automotive purchasing decisions.)

Reply to
N8N

How long have you been driving VWs?

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

i don't know, the last 'disposable' car i had was at 315,000 miles when i dropped it off at the scrap yard. my '95 caravan is showing 287,000 and still no leaks. transmission change, but no leaks. my disposable echo has 127,000 and no leaks.

all a hell of a lot better than my kids' and friend's jeeps with the doorhinge breaking and the right front engine mounts breaking.......

my observation, people buying the high-priced cars, ie, mercedes, porsche, et al, put up with problems that the average chevy owner wouldn't.

hell, even a harley CAN be made leak-free when assembled properly. not a flame, just observations.

Reply to
zammy

If you ever owned an early Acura, you'd see why, I think you should eat your words... My 92 Vigor NEVER leaked anything ( bought new, 160K, sold last November..)

Reply to
Bob Johnstone

Don't I know you from somewhere? :) ISTM that you ought to be fairly familiar with a vehicle that leaks oil...

nate

Reply to
N8N

LOL. Do you even have any idea of what kind of cars I own? Here's a hint: GM F-Bodies. Three of them. The wife's Beretta is 17 years old. The pickup is 17 too. Original motors in all of them. Except the race car. That one eats small blocks. I own one Japanese car - a Subaru Legacy. And it has a coolant leak.

RWD American cars rock, fwd sucks ass.

But if I was to bet money on someone coming up with an engine that made it 100,000 miles with no leaks, I'd put my money on Honda. Of course, it wouldn't be in a Civic, but an Acura. An expensive one.

Ray

Reply to
ray

It's ok, I understand. I just came in from the garage - my buddy and I are trying to get the Camaro ready for a race on the weekend... here's what we fixed so far, and what's still broken from the last race:

Power steering belt alignment - ever try 120 laps on a dirt track with no power steering? Broken exhaust - that's probably what caused the fire that melted the starter wiring and two plug wires. We're in the middle of swapping rear ends, because when I got t-boned the last race, I bent an axle... and the housing. 1/4" toe in on a solid rear axle isn't so good...

I'm off tomorrow to get u-bolts, new rear shocks and axle seals.

It still needs to go to a frame shop because I got rear ended/t-boned and pushed the whole ass-end over about 2".

At least I didn't blow the motor. Yet.

Ray

Reply to
ray

Yeah, but that's because as part of the maintenance on it, you pretty much overhaul the engine every 60k anyway. ;)

Seriously, I helped my buddy change the timing belt on his 97 Acura (CX? CS? I can't remember what type it was... 4 cyl.) it was a PITA getting the timing cover out of the wheel well without busting it - they needed another 1/2" of room in there.

Ray

Reply to
ray

I think that the operative word in that paragraph is "kids." :-)

I don't disagree. For some people, cars are about the fun and character of the car, and they put up with (or even kinda enjoy) a certain quirkiness. Other people want a toaster that gets them from point A to point B without them ever thinking about it, and don't care if it has all the charisma of a slice of Wonder bread. That's what Camrys, Accords, Tauruses, Caravans, and Malibus are for.

Reply to
Steve

Maybe not enough to drip, but if you'd taken a close look at the gaskets you would have found all of them weeping a thin film of oil.

Reply to
Steve

I'm no great Honda fan, but I have always had to admit that they put their engineering in a lot of the right places. ISTM that wasting a lot of engineering to solve a non-problem (who cares if there's a little weep of oil at 100k miles, so long as it doesn't make a mess or cause you to have to add oil between changes?) is NOT something Honda would fart around with. Now Toyota, on the other hand, would spend years and millions on it and shout it from the rooftops in their glossy advertising flyers.

Reply to
Steve

Toyotas create a protective sludge barrier around all the gaskets to prevent leaks. ;)

Reply to
ray

I don't know about Mercedes, but any Porsche I've ever driven is worth it.

They're really that good.

You cuss 'em when they're broke, and cuss 'em even more when you find out how much it's going to cost to fix, but just the sheer precision of the way the car tracks is a thing of beauty. And my experience is with 914s and 944s which are the bottom feeders of the Porsche world.

I should probably never drive a Ferrari. I'm afraid I might like it. A Lamborghini is simply out of the question; it could drive like my mom's old Renault but the sheer sexiness of a Miura is enough to make me put up with any number of issues (and from what I've heard, that goes with the territory.)

It's not just me, either... SWMBO has been driving the 944 fairly regularly for the last year or so, and she keeps talking about how she wants to get something boring and practical for herself like a Corolla or something (her Corrado has been in a state of disassembly for about six months now, because I simply haven't had time to work on it.) Then she drives the 944 again and cusses me out because I "ruined her" for boring cars :)

Another satisfied customer :)

nate

Reply to
N8N

Yes, I, indeed, have a connection with a vehicle of yore, which is slightly maligned, for that reason.

Reply to
Bob Johnstone

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