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Had a buddy with an early 80's RX-7. Pretty quick little car, handled great. Engine failure is what finally put it in the scrap when it was maybe ten years old. How did the commercial go? "Piston cars go Bang, Bang, Bang, but Mazda's go Hmmmmmmmm"
(or something like that, would have to You Tube it).
Had a buddy with an early 80's RX-7. Pretty quick little car, handled great. Engine failure is what finally put it in the scrap when it was maybe ten years old. How did the commercial go? "Piston cars go Bang, Bang, Bang, but Mazda's go Hmmmmmmmm"
(or something like that, would have to You Tube it).
I guess it wasn't economically viable to replace the engine, or get it rebuilt? A friend bought a new 1983 RX-7 way back when so I got to drive it on occasion. Loved it!
If small diesels were the best ICE supplements for hybrids, you'd see them being used in hybrids. As it stands, they're very rare. That's because a) hybrids are already expensive enough with two powerplants and all the hardware to get them working together and a diesel powerplant would make it even more expensive; b) diesel emissions are challenging enough when run constantly, never mind during the frequent stop-start cycles of hybrid use; c) speaking of frequent start-stop cycles, such cycles for a diesel powerplant would be a lot harder on the starter component than a gasoline engine; d) diesels are better at providing torque while gasoline engines are better at providing power, and power is needed from the ICE more than torque -- the electric motor takes care of the torque needs.
All of the above are why diesel hybrids are extremely rare in consumer passenger vehicles. Where diesels ARE used in hybrids is when you have large vehicles with heavy load demands, in which case the diesel motor is basically just a on-board generator that runs constantly to power the electric drive motors, such as hybrid buses or train locomotives.
I think one of the main problems is the packaging of diesel engines and they run hotter than petrol engines. Electric motors are very sensitive to heat, it would be expensive to make a diesel hybrid without losing passenger space. I don't think any company wants to invest into diesel when VW lost $16bn to dieselgate.
Small diesel is best supplement power supply for hybrids. Except that they announced crusade on diesels, as they apparently are too reliable and do not require to be replaced as quickly as gasoline engines. yes, yes, I know the official reason for their slaughter. I am not that naive to buy it though. Too reliable. That's the real reason.
Diesels pollute a lot. European cities are more polluted than American ones because of diesel
I guess it wasn't economically viable to replace the engine, or get it rebuilt? A friend bought a new 1983 RX-7 way back when so I got to drive it on occasion. Loved it!
No because the cars had other issues:
1. Dash and other interior parts disintegrated in the sun.
2. Rust. (mine was a CA car and did not have rust issues, but the ones that lived in the midwest for any length of time did. )
3. Hidden headlights that tended to break and stick closed.
4. Interior cloth upholstery did not hold up well. '
5. AC system was prone to one leak after another. With all that glass, AC was imperative.
Individually, none of these problems made it not worth rebuilding or replacing the engine, but collectively they did. You are not going to spend twice the value of the car to replace the engine. Plus side, there were lots of part available from scrap yards.
My engine never failed, but I was in a minor accident and the cost of repairing the damage was considerably more than the car was worth. I sold it to someone who wanted to put the engine in another car. I was very sad. I loved that car and it was one of my favorite cars ever in my lifetime.
No because the cars had other issues:
1. Dash and other interior parts disintegrated in the sun.
2. Rust. (mine was a CA car and did not have rust issues, but the ones that lived in the midwest for any length of time did. )
3. Hidden headlights that tended to break and stick closed.
4. Interior cloth upholstery did not hold up well. '
5. AC system was prone to one leak after another. With all that glass, AC was imperative.
Individually, none of these problems made it not worth rebuilding or replacing the engine, but collectively they did. You are not going to spend twice the value of the car to replace the engine. Plus side, there were lots of part available from scrap yards.
My engine never failed, but I was in a minor accident and the cost of repairing the damage was considerably more than the car was worth. I sold it to someone who wanted to put the engine in another car. I was very sad. I loved that car and it was one of my favorite cars ever in my lifetime.
This was pretty much the case with my Buddy's car. It had been in a couple of minor wrecks (a big truck couldn't see it sitting next to him and turned into it, the throttle stuck open once and he went through a chain link fence, somebody put a bullet hole through the door at the Club, and his girlfriend was pizzed at him and scratched up one side pretty good). None of us had any experience working on rotaries and he would have had to take it a dealer for repair, which was cost-prohibitive for the shape it was in. It was fun while it lasted, though. Maybe the guy he sold it to restored it, who knows.
They supposedly had a very good power-to-weight (and volume) ratio, so that is probably their draw for being a range-extender for an EV or hybrid. Materials Engineering has come a long way in the last thirty years, maybe they figured out a way to make the seals better.
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