Toyota's loyalty lead

Ed · 2007-12-08T23:21:59+00:00

"Toyota Motor may be experiencing its share of quality slips and bad press about not being as 'green' as its reputation suggests, but Toyota customers have been re-upping with the Japanese automaker at a rate that makes rivals envious..."Business Week article:

W

who 18 years ago

With the Beetle VW had the only low cost small car that stood up to NA highway driving at that time up to 65 mph and also had excellent straight ahead traction. Snow tires weren't necessary, but added weight in the small front trunk was necessary for front traction. The Beetle was loved by it's owners, me included, although it had several serious shortcomings. For example mufflers were good for only about 2 yrs. I haven't replaced a muffler since the stainless steel ones came out in the late 80s. When passing another VW Beetle it was common to wave.

I family near me drive two restored VW Beetles, I don't understand why, considering the number of much better small cars there are now days. In fact those polluting old VWs shouldn't be used as a regular car.

The coming of the Japanese cars in the 1970s had a serious negative affect on the Beetle. I loved my 1970 Datsun 510! So before I got into the Rabbit, I was gone to better cars.

We did have two Chrysler Horizons with the VW Rabbit engine that had valve seal problems; thank goodness Chrysler soon came out with their much better 4 cyl engine.

Vote

B

Bonehenge (B A R R Y) 18 years ago

When was that?

Vote

S

Steve 18 years ago

About 1979 or 1980- the 2.2L SOHC, although it continued to improve through the era of the 2.2/2.5L "common block" engines of the late

80s/early 90s. It was built for turbocharging from the get-go, and remains the most successful mass-produced turbocharged gasoline car engine to date. The main and rod bearing shells on the 2.2/2.5 are the same size as the 440 and 426 hemi main and rod bearings. You *CANNOT* destroy the bottom end of a 2.2/2.5 if you ceep the oil in it. FWD drag racers run the turbo 2.2 way up over 20 psi of boost and get 400 front-wheel horsepower pretty reliably- most failures are due to letting it lean out and burning a piston. The head clamping force is at its limit around there too, but the bottom end could probably hit 600 horsepower or so. Its a little brute of an engine.

The current Chrysler "world engine" 4-cylinder may be smoother and more refined, but ultimate strength-wise its a piece of play-doh compared to the 2.2/2.5 engines.

Vote

B

Bonehenge (B A R R Y) 18 years ago

It was a joke.

You're talking about the engine used in the turbo K-Cars, like the LeBaron. Easily recognizable by the trail of blue smoke!

Vote

S

Steve 18 years ago

Well, it was an attempt at one. :-D

No, you're remembering the Mitsubishi 3.0L v6 not the 2.5 turbo. You used to be able to pick 3.0 powered LeBarons and Minivans out of traffic when you couldn't even see the car! After, oh, 1989 or so about 90% of LeBarons and almost all the minivans got the Mitsu engine. The few people that sprung for the 3.3 v6 were MUCH happier with their minivan... and so were the people that had to drive behind them. Same for the small percentage that opted for the turbo LeBaron instead of the v6.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a smoking 2.2/2.5 unless it was the turbo itself, usually something causing back-pressure in the oil return line.

Vote

B

Bonehenge (B A R R Y) 18 years ago

No, I'm remembering the 2.5 that was in my mother's '85 Turismo, and a friend's '85 LeBaron.

Vote

J

Joe Pfeiffer 18 years ago

Yeah, the valve guides inserts tended to slip. Didn't affect the basic soundness of the engine.

Vote

J

Joe Pfeiffer 18 years ago

It happened -- according to my machinist, the valve guides didn't have a tight enough interference fit, and could slip which would cause oil burning.

Vote

G

Gosi 18 years ago

Vote

W

who 18 years ago

About 1980. I had it in a 1981 Horizon. One great tough engine, as was the follow on slightly larger 2.5L version which I had in an '86 L'Baron GTS.

Vote

S

Steve 18 years ago

True, that can happen with any aluminum head, especially if overheated. The aluminum heads on the 2.2/2.5 also tended to develop harmless cracks between the intake and exhaust seat inserts, which scared the bejeebers out of a lot of people when they first pulled one apart, but they rarely caused problems.

OTOH, you could look at a Mitsubishi 3.0 with your eyes crossed and the guides would fall down and rattle around the valve heads, and dump a quart per 100 miles through the engine and out the tailpipe. Maybe you remember better than I do, but wasn't the final "fix" to that engine to install guides with a machined groove near the top and then install a snap-ring in the groove so they would only drop so far and then stop? Pathetic. I still shudder to think how close I came to buying a '92 Lebaron 5-speed 3.0L when they were closing them out in the fall of '92. Pretty car, cool ergonomics, but rotten Mitsubhishi engine and the turbos were all gone for the year.

Vote