Ye Olde Rocket Forum - View Single Post

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbzep

To their defense, they had California's emissions laws, the EPA's leaded fuel laws, the Arab oil embargo, and Carter's huge inflation issues to deal with. Even as some of the issues subsided, they had a long lasting effect on the industry and on consumers. It's a wonder Detroit didn't start selling mopeds. The Chrysler K car wasn't much more than a moped, but it saved the company.

Yeah, and in the days of no-computerized engine controls, ie carburetors and primitive electronic ignition (at most) one step above points-n-condensors, EPA was demanding they reduce pollution (and friggin California) and they didn't really have the technology to do it... They detuned the engines, reduced compression ratios to reduce NOX levels, retarded the timing for better burn and lower combustion pressure and temperatures, and wimped out on the cams and stuff like that to reduce emissions, so naturally performance and economy went in the toilet. When the gas crunch and Carter's double-digit inflation put a double-whammy on gas prices, and the lil Jap cars started selling like hotcakes, they started putting smaller, wimpier motors in everything trying to compete...

The first primitive computer-controlled engine systems came on full force in the early 80's, but it wasn't until the mid-late 80's that they really started working the bugs out of it and making them worth a d@mn... I know we had a bunch of early 80's cars that were complete crap-- the electronic gremlins in those things were worse than in the movie... It took them basically about 10 years (late 70's to the late 80's) before they could REALLY build a halfway decent computer controlled engine with good power and economy that was fairly reliable, from my experience...

Now they're doing the same thing with diesels... and like then, it's gonna take them about 10 years or so to work the bugs out of it and start making a decent electronic injected pollution controlled diesel engine that's worth a crap... maybe longer... diesels have been computer controlled for awhile now, but the pollution crap has sent them back to square one from what I've seen... probably won't see a truly decent diesel that can compete with the old 80's and early 90's diesels for power, economy, and RELIABILITY (longevity) for another 5 years or more IMHO...

Later! OL J R