The Elio Engine

[JEBar]

OK, back to the engine.....

thank you .... thank you very much ..

 

[WilliamH]

OK, back to the engine.....torquey (new word?) engines can be lots of fun, because their high-torque output peaks at rpms near where the HP is beginning to really get going, and that makes for a real sporty engine, top to bottom ends.
Just think if my flat-head V-8 '49 Ford (230cu.in.,100hp) had made horsepower like that.....we thought with three of those old Stromberg 97 carbs we were something else. Probably a good thing considering the tires I had in those days. They turned to rags pretty easily.

When you talk about 3 carbs it brings back bad memories of my youth. My brother would tear down his engine and I had to put it back together.
A 348 Chevy in a '60 Vette, bored out 1/8 over with 12-1/2:1 pistons, a 3/4 grind cam, and 6 duces with modified progressive linkage through a set of 5.14 gears.The worst part was setting up the linkage on the carbs. It passed everything except the gas stations. About 4 MPG.

 

[Johnapool]

Holy Cow, that must have been a screamin' demon! We were just poor boys looking for the most for the least, and at 16 or so, none of us were very accomplished mechanics. JC Whitney sold those little 3-2 intake manifolds real cheap, and Stromberg 97s were real easy to find and rebuild.

 

[pistonboy]

On Mar 1, 2015, I sent the following email to EM:

Tech Talk v39 says (for the intake valve where the two step valve is located) there will be a center lobe for one valve step and there will be two other lobes (one on each side) for the other valve step. This makes three lobes for that valve.

http://www.eliomotors.com/tech-talk-v39-the-engine-part-2/

When I look at the elio power plant animation, I can only find two valves and a curved top "lifter" they press against. This looks like only two lobes are used and the two step is achieved by a 90 degree rotation of the "lifter".

One indicates three lobes and the other indicates two lobes. Both pieces of information are from Elio Motors. Am I missing something?

Thank you.

 

[Juney]

Hey, Brian Henry welcome to the forum! Myself, I don't have anything technical to add.... I just hang around here waiting for my Elio and Elisabeth Hurley,...or is it Carmen Electra this week??...darn I'm getting ol...I mean Younger!!..by the minute!.. wait girls....girls come back...I have viag....

 

[goofyone]

On Mar 1, 2015, I sent the following email to EM:

Tech Talk v39 says (for the intake valve where the two step valve is located) there will be a center lobe for one valve step and there will be two other lobes (one on each side) for the other valve step. This makes three lobes for that valve.

http://www.eliomotors.com/tech-talk-v39-the-engine-part-2/

When I look at the elio power plant animation, I can only find two valves and a curved top "lifter" they press against. This looks like only two lobes are used and the two step is achieved by a 90 degree rotation of the "lifter".

One indicates three lobes and the other indicates two lobes. Both pieces of information are from Elio Motors. Am I missing something?

Thank you.

These diagrams are from a Porsche system however Elio Motors will be using essentially the same setup on each of the three intake valves. The ECU controls a valve to allow oil pressure to either lock or unlock the center pin so the valve can be activated by the dual outer cam lobes or the inner cam lobe which allows the intake valve to have two different lift/timing configurations depending on the load.

"One of the potential technology features of the Elio engine is the two-step valve lift system (VVA) which uses switching tappets. The two-mode tappets allow switching between two different valve lift profiles which allows the engine to change its airflow capacity. One mode increases airflow capacity for more torque/power in city driving. The other mode decreases airflow to reduce pumping work during light load operation such as highway driving.

The switching tappet consists of two nested housings, the inner and outer housing. The inner housing is actuated by the center cam lobe while the outer housing is actuated by lobes on either side of the center lobe. The outer housing presses against a lost motion spring when the hydraulic actuation circuit is at low pressure. In this mode the center lobe determines the valve lift. Both housing parts can be linked by means of a coupling mechanism, a high pressure hydraulic chamber. In the locked condition, the high lift is transmitted via the outer housing to the valve. As in the standard tappet, valve lash adjustment can be by hydraulic or mechanical means.

The Elio engine uses a cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system. The EGR system will be used to improve fuel consumption of the engine by reducing pumping losses and lowering peak cylinder temperatures which reduces NOx emissions. When the EGR is cooled it further reduces combustion temperatures and reduces engine knocking. This enables the engine to have a high mechanical compression ratio which helps improve fuel economy and performance. The EGR system is controlled by the ECU and will allow a specific amount of EGR into the intake manifold to be distributed into the combustion chamber."

Tech Talk V39 - http://www.eliomotors.com/tech-talk-v39-the-engine-part-2/

 

[Ty]

These diagrams are from a Porsche system however Elio Motors will be using essentially the same setup on each of the three intake valves. The ECU controls a valve to allow oil pressure to either lock or unlock the center pin so the valve can be activated by the dual outer cam lobes or the inner cam lobe which allows the intake valve to have two different lift/timing configurations depending on the load.

I DO like answers with references...

 

[JEBar]

These diagrams are from a Porsche system however Elio Motors will be using essentially the same setup on each of the three intake valves. The ECU controls a valve to allow oil pressure to either lock or unlock the center pin so the valve can be activated by the dual outer cam lobes or the inner cam lobe which allows the intake valve to have two different lift/timing configurations depending on the load.

simply as a point of clarification, so far as you know, is the the two step valve system built into the engine undergoing testing by IAV

 

[Johnapool]

The engine in my Scion has variable valve timing ( intelligent) that actually uses a computer-controlled solenoid to open an oil-control valve that allows oil pressure to move the pulley that drives the intake cam and advance the valve timing by up to 15% on the pulley, 30% on the actual cam, but that is a variable change, not just "on or off".
The increase in power is noticeable. It is mostly controlled by the intake manifold pressure, along with other variables, coolant temp., emgine rpm, etc.
That little computer-controlled solenoid (I am assuming it will be that) is a simple way to accomplish the valve lift variation in the EM engine while sampling all the inputs that affect power, fuel consumption and engine load, real time. '
All this to ask, with the way the lifters in this engine work, can this engine change valve lift gradually, or will it be one way or the other?

 

[Dusty921]

earlier, there was some discussion that if the motor proved to have more than 55 hp, they may be able to adjust the gearing so as to get a bit better mileage .... not being up on such things, I can see how that might be possible but have no way of knowing

I'm having a thought here, Barbosa.
Racers have been using long stroke motors, "strokers", for years, using the added torque to increase the launch off the corner. Any reputable engine builder would supply the racer with a set of specs to use at various types of tracks. Turbos were verboten, so, carburetion, intake, cam timing and exhaust configurations were all part of the performance equation, but the final piece of the puzzle was gearing. Since with "Stock Car Racing" you don't shift gears, we had to choose a final ratio that gave that launch without falling on it's face at the other end. If just about everybody at the Saturday night car fights knew all this years ago, I'm pretty sure that the brain trust at IAV would have taken the time to "spec" the optimal gear ratios to EM as a part of their package.