Help Needed With My Thermal Design Project - Designing a Turbo System for the Slant!
They were designed to be aluminum, but from the very beginning they were made out of cast iron also. They had problems with the initial run of aluminum blocks on the production side so they made cast iron blocks alongside the aluminum until they fixed the problem. The production problems were different from the head gasket/coolant issues.
You're 100% correct. I knew that, but a sizeable brain fart derailed my so-called "thinking..."
The 170s and 225s were initially produced with both materials and it turns out (I find, with more research,) warranty problems weren't the reason for dropping aluminum block construction. Instead, Ii was a variety of production problems with the aluminum construction that were deemed not worth the cost to fix, given the relatively small perceived benefit of the weight saving.
I need to do better research before posting erroneous information as "fact."
I'll try not to do that again. :violent1:
Thanks for the correction!
So, the engine was NOT "redesigned" in cast iron; it had been available in cast iron all along. I see no evidence, though, that the cast iron version had any deviation from the aluminum version in production castings. That is, deviation from the aluminum engines with regard to main bearing web parameters, general wall-thicknesses and crankshaft support. So the fact remains, this thing is just short of a Diesel when it comes to block/crank rigidity.
It is a REALLY good candidate for forced induction of any kind. Or, Nitrous Oxide injection!
Long live the boosted slant six! :hello1:
