Nathan Pralle wrote: >>What does interference engine mean???? >>thanks,Sharyl > > > In an engine cylinder, the valves open up by thrusting down into the > cylinder to open the holes that either let air in or air out, depending > on which side is opening. In interference engines, the valves thrust > far enough down into the cylinder that they are going into the same > space that is occupied by the piston. However, the timing chain or belt > keeps the pistons and valves in sync; the valves only open when the > piston is out of the way, down at the bottom of the cylinder, and they > are closed by the time the piston gets to the top. > > What happens, however, is that if the timing chain/belt breaks, there's > nothing regulating the pistons and valves anymore, keeping them out of > the way of each other. So you might have the valves still open when the > piston comes rushing up....WHAM! They hit, usually bending the valves > and causing lots and lots of damage. > > Unfortunately, these are almost always really expensive repairs as you > have to take the engine almost completely apart to fix it. ========================
Oftentimes, much to the dismay of owners of most Japanese cars, which have interference engines. However, one thing I can't argue with is that the Japanese carmakers and dealers seem to put great emphasis on an expensive service interval, which includes the timing belt, at about 60,000 or 75,000 or so. When you hear a Honda owner scream about a periodic maintenance visit costing $1500, that might just be the reason. For those who can't or won't work on their own cars, it's money well spent, I'd think; because if one of those engines has the timing belt break, the cost to fix it might run from three times that, up to a price high enough to total the car. Many owners of American cars ignore service intervals, thinking that their equipment is no more sophisticated than their grand-dad's 1961 Ford Fairlane with a dented hood, and scream when the timing belt that they ignored, lets go. They may not scream THAT loudly if it's a K-car with a non-interference engine, but a lot of newer American cars now have interference engines. Interestingly the Japanese are experts at building the "three year car" because for a long time, and even today, the vehicle tax structure in Japan has made it disadvantageous to keep a car for over three years, which resulted in cars being traded in for new ones (keeping the auto makers busy), and the owners not caring if they were built to last much longer than that (kind of like people who lease their cars now and turn them in after three years). This is the reason why most Hong Kong taxi cabs have been four-year old Japanese models, many of them the Japanese equivalent of the high-priced Lexus that is so admired in the USA. -GP ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give the gift of life to a sick child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.' http://us.click.yahoo.com/5iY7fA/6WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/46t0lB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Web: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid> Subscribe: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Unsubscribe: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Moderator: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
