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The Elio Engine

Johnny Acree

Johnny Acree

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I noticed that damper in a photo of the engine, and I wondered if it was just for testing, or if ATI was going to supply Elio with the production dampers. It sounded like they might!:)
 
JEBar

JEBar

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I posted the following in another thread last December :

during a conversation earlier today with Jerome Vassallo, VP of Sales at the Elio exhibit on 12-6-14 in Charlotte, NC I learned a great deal about the extensive nature of the testing that the IAV Elio engine is undergoing .... from beginning mid November, the process will take several months .... as a loose outline of the process, after it was first assembled, spun tested, disassembled, measured, and reassembled, they pressure it with air and check for leaks .... after each of these steps it will be disassembled sufficiently to X-ray the components and meticulously take measurements .... next they move to installing fluids, testing, disassemble to X-ray and take measurements .... next the motor will be fired and the whole process is repeated .... as a side note, at times the motor will be connected to two computers .... one will show the computer projections and one will show the actual performance .... the motor will be subjected to a range of test on the dyno that are needed to determine how it will perform in simulations of city driving, long interstate cruises, wide open throttle .... after completing all of that testing they will eventually begin removing oil to the point the engine will fail .... this motor will never see service in an Elio .... reports will come when they come but for folks wanting frequent updates, it ain't gonna happen .... Paul Elio is actively working/monitoring the entire process

given that so far as we know, they only have 1 working motor, I can see the reality of today's company financial condition I can see them holding off on running the engine until it fails .... I have absolutely no factual info to base that on .... to my way of thinking, have the working engine installed in the P4 could be a very strong, positive advertising/publicity tool .... but that's just me
 
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wheaters

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I traded off two Toyota Previa vans each with 250K, and other than CV joints, tires and brakes, NEVER repaired them. (right now we have a 1991 Previa that just reached 100K)
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On the other hand, I once owned a Toyota Previa, a 2.4 litre petrol automatic transmission version. It was the most troublesome car I've ever owned. It tried to kill us on any number of occasions. The Toyota dealer told me it was a one off problem (but as I found out later, they already knew this affected other Previas too because there was a kit of parts to supposedly fix it). I kept it far too long, hoping they would sort it out but they never did, at least, not permanently. Sometimes they assured me the fault was cured, only for it to occur again on the way home from the dealership!

The dealer kept telling me they "had full confidence in the vehicle" but declined my offer to sell it back to them. I eventually sold it for cash to another specialist dealer, at a loss.

I vowed never to own any other Toyota and I never have, because I have no faith in the company. :mad:
 
BlioKart

BlioKart

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wheaters said:
On the other hand, I once owned a Toyota Previa, a 2.4 litre petrol automatic transmission version. It was the most troublesome car I've ever owned. It tried to kill us on any number of occasions. The Toyota dealer told me it was a one off problem (but as I found out later, they already knew this affected other Previas too because there was a kit of parts to supposedly fix it). I kept it far too long, hoping they would sort it out but they never did, at least, not permanently. Sometimes they assured me the fault was cured, only for it to occur again on the way home from the dealership!

The dealer kept telling me they "had full confidence in the vehicle" but declined my offer to sell it back to them. I eventually sold it for cash to another specialist dealer, at a loss.

I vowed never to own any other Toyota and I never have, because I have no faith in the company. :mad:
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Best minivan I ever drove around was Toyota Sienna. Worst was a Previa I never liked them at all. Ugly as hell
 
Ty

Ty

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Ian442 said:
Bah. I have a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3L motor with 170,000 miles on it. I have to say its one of best engineered vehicles i've ever owned and i've touched a few brands.

The Dodge just runs, its pretty easy to assemble and disassemble as well. I have put a new water pump, new power steering pump, EGR valve, Alternator and brakes, plus tune ups and fluid changes.

The power steering was completely my fault. Nowhere did I see about using ATF-4 in the power steering system so I wound up burning out the pump at about 160,000 miles.

I have changed out the transmission filter, and was surprised at how easy and relatively inexpensive it was for me to do that. ($30 filter kit and 4 qts of fluid).

Shop wanted $150 plus to just flush the whole transmission out. I paid it at 80,000 miles but I researched and saw how easy it was to do and at 160,000 did the work myself.

I also have two GM products...and truthfully they were pretty simple to work on as well. I think this whole "American cars are junk" thing really needs to be put to bed for good.
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Just like all manufacturers, there are bright spots. You obviously have never had the bottom fall out of one of their 2.7L motors... I have. That motor is known for putting parts in the pan due to a lubrication shorfall. Actually, I bought the car AFTER the bottom fell out. It actually drove onto the trailer on a couple of cylinders. I bought, fixed, gave to my daughter, took it back from her, sold it and got her a Honda. That thing was going to have more problems and I didn't want her to have to deal with them. In a 4 year period while stationed at Hill AFB, I turned 8 vehicles - 2 Geo Trackers which are awesome in that they are SO easy to fix. Well, that and the fact that they like burning out exhaust valves which most people can't fix. I can. It cost about $200 for the gaskets, valve, fluid and takes a weekend to save another vehicle from just becoming waste. (I DID put a new top on that one too). There were 2 Pontiac Grand Ams (I learned my lesson on those... never again) , the Dodge Intreped (piston parts in the oil pan), a Nissan pickup (motor was frozen), a Toyota 4Runner which I bought with the understanding that the heads were warped and needed a lot of work (her story straight from the garage that told her) which turned out to be just a water pump that was leaking, and Finally, an older Ford F-250 long bed single cab. That was the one I didn't have to do anything to. It was a straight 6 and built like a tank. I drove it for a few months and then sold it. OH, I forgot! A 1960 Ford Falcon. It didn't have a motor. I paid $100 for the car. I put a Mustang 302 in it, an old C-4 which fit somehow, a shortened driveshaft, and a bunch of other stuff. I broke even when I sold it. I just didn't want the car to go to the dump. It was a 4 door. I haven't seen one of those on the road. Ever.
Anyway, that's it. America can make cars - just like you said. Each manufacture has that one black sheep in the pen but they all tend to make quality cars that can last. Let's hope Elio joins that cadre of manufacturers of high quality. (Shoot, we could add Tesla to the big three easy enough)
 
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