Three cylinders, 1000 cc, turbo ... sounds familiar for a long time
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Three cylinders, 1000 cc, turbo ... sounds familiar for a long time

These Daihatsu technology ideas are a thing of the past, but today they are a good basis for reflection.

Many car companies and subcontractors today are developing flexible workflows for internal combustion engines, including switching to push-pull mode. Similar technologies are discussed for Formula 1. A modern interpretation of this process includes the forced filling and purging of gases from compressed air. Such technologies are developed by companies such as Camcon and Freevalve, which have focused on flexible electrical and pneumatic valve drive systems. If we go back in time, we find that two-stroke diesel engines have been working this way for a long time. All this evokes memories of the small automobile company Daihatsu, which is now owned by Toyota, which created interesting technological ideas in the eighties and nineties.

Three-cylinder engine ideal for turbocharging

Today, three-cylinder engines with a displacement of one liter are the rule, after the innovator Ford dared to introduce this architecture and remained one of the best in it. However, if we dig a little deeper into the annals of automotive history, we find that such a solution is not new in the global automotive industry. No, we are not talking about three-cylinder units, which, even before World War II, gained relevance in a two-stroke version thanks to companies such as DKW. Not for the 650cc miniature engines. See for Kei-Cars which are often combined with a turbine. It is a one-liter three-cylinder gasoline turbo engine. And this is the work of the Japanese company Daihatsu, which offers a similar engine for its Charade back in 1984. True, at that time the G11, equipped with a small IHI turbocharger, had only 68 hp. (80 hp for Japan), naturally aspirated, has no intercooler and does not follow the postulates of reduction, but in practice it is still an innovative solution. In later versions, this engine will now have 105 hp. An even more interesting fact is that in 1984

Daihatsu has also developed a turbo diesel engine with the same architecture and displacement, and 46 hp. and a torque of 91 Nm. Much later, VW used a diesel three-cylinder unit for its small models, but the 1.4 TDI was displaced up to 1400cc (3 in the Lupo 1200L version). In more modern times, it is the B3 three-cylinder diesel engine from BMW with a displacement of 37 liters.

And a two-stroke diesel engine with mechanical and turbocharger

Twelve years later, in 1999, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Daihatsu presented its vision of the future diesel engine as a one-liter three-cylinder diesel engine with direct injection in the Sirion 2CD model. The revolutionary idea of ​​Daihatsu was a two-stroke principle of operation, and since these machines could only work with pressure filling in order to be able to purge exhaust gases and fill the cylinder with fresh air, the prototype used a combined mechanical and turbocharger system providing a consistently high level of pressure. Currently, the efforts of designers in the field of diesel engines are aimed at creating effective gas purification systems, but this idea of ​​Daihatsu soon became relevant again, as an opportunity to create even more economical diesel engines. It is true that this principle requires more complex process control (e.g. EGR) in high-speed car diesels, but we can still mention that marine push-pull diesels with recuperative heat systems and closing efficiency are currently one of the most efficient heat engines. 60%

It is worth noting that in 1973, Daihatsu introduced an electric tricycle overturning a three-wheel motorcycle.

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