The engineers who factored in plastic as the material of choice on governor drive gears in early Subaru automatic transmissions really excelled. That gear drove a steel govenor gear and of course the plastic one would surrender. This meant a transmission disassembly was necessary to replace that plastic gear.
The replacement gears were also plastic…
Four years of that nonsense and finally they changed things by making the governor drive gear out of steel. Unfortunately, they then made the govenor driven gear out of plastic and it stripped out instead of the drive gear. At least with this method it was a 15 minute fix and the replacement gear was steel. Most people were so relieved at the thought of not having to pay for a trans overhaul that none of them were upset over the original use of plastic.
Or the electrical engineers on early VW diesels who figured a 50 amp fuse was fine in the glow plug circuit with the glow plugs drawing 36 amps constant and 80 amps on the initial surge current…
And they wonder why glow plug fuses give up and the car has to be towed.
In regards to those plastic intake manifolds . . .
A few months back, I replaced the plastic intake manifold on a relative’s 2001 Ranger 2.3
I think the part cost around $300 at the dealer, and they didn’t even have it in stock. Fortunately, the part was pretty easy to replace. Naturally, I replaced all the vacuum hoses at the same time, since they were also rotten.
Wow, I Forgot About The Volkswagen Diesel Fuse Fiasco.
I was working at VW during that time and lots of cars were towed and lots and lots of fuses were sold. When we drove company Diesel Rabbits we carried several spare fuses.
During that same time when we drove company Fuel Injected gasoline Rabbits we had problems starting in very cold weather after we had taken the car home and were trying to go to work the next morning. We discovered, in desperation, that we could take the spark plugs out, bake them in the oven for a few minutes, screw them back in, and they’d fire off.
We’d drive a VW bus so we didn’t have problems and then it would snow and we’d be stuck in the driveway.
Every very cold morning, rotary Mazda RX-7s would all come in on a hook . . .
. . . I avoided driving those in winter . . . ah, the good old days.
@thesamemountainbike, with those old VW diesels it might have been a better use of time to just walk. The performance of the diesels and footwear were on a par…
Nailing the pedal to the floor would leave one wondering if the speedometer was working or not…
Rotary engines were a great concept. Unfortunately, nobody ever could figure out how to provide good seals at the apexes. Good ideas on paper can be impossible in real life.
Rotaries were a great concept, but they sure ran dirty. The RX7 was a fun car to drive but they sure ate fuel and seemed to go through a lot of catalysts as the exhaust was pretty thick with HC. I hear the latest ones have cleaned up a bit though.
The Wankel has been around since the 1930s if I remember correctly and the rotary powered Suzuki motorcycle of the 70s was not successful; just like the Suzuki water-cooled Triple, or Water Buffalo as it as referred to in derogatory terms.
I used to work for a multi-line dealer that carried the Mazda line and I did not get too deep into the Mazdas as the friend and co-worker next to me handled most of the Mazda problems.
He was hit on a weekly basis with problematic Rotary cars; Apex seals, fuel system/emission issues, and so on. I did not envy him at all.
The Rotary is being brought back in some form I think but they will have to get oil consumption issues under control.
In 1973 my parents needed a car; didn’t want to spend money for a new one and really couldn’t afford it but NEEDED one for Mom to drive just around town for shopping, doctor’s appointments,etc. So, rather than spend the greater $$$$ for an Oldsmobile they’d have preferred, they looked at relatively cheap little compacts – not a lot of choices for those back then. It came down to a VW Beetle which Mom thought horrid to drive and impractical for hauling kids and groceries, a Toyota Corolla (which they ended up buying and a few years later became my first car as a hand me down), and a Mazda compact model (forget the model name) with the Wankel rotary engine.
Mom was fascinated by the rotary engine concept and ended up not only test driving but also speaking with one of the mechanics of the dealership’s service department. Then she went to the library to do a bit of research. Her dad had been production manager for many years at one of the largest suppliers of wheel and wheel assemblies, brake and brake assemblies for both the railroads and auto manufacturers; both her brothers, an uncle and a cousin were all engineers. So she was familiar with the terminology and basics of how engines worked. Finally, Mom called up both her brothers to ask all sorts of questions about the rotary engine, based on what she’d found out to that point.
Both my uncles told her it was a good concept but flawed in actual production – too many kinks not worked out and that it was likely to be an engine endlessly needing expensive repairs. So, parents bought the Toyota Corolla instead. I remember going along for one of the test drives and noticed that the rotary engine had a distinctly different sound than Oldsmobile engines I was used to hearing. Mom noted the Mazda’s manual transmission performed and shifted much better than the VW Beetle and that the rotary engine had better acceleration with less strain than the VW.
The Corolla available to buy actually had an automatic transmission and turned out over the years to be mechanically sound. It did take getting used to feeling like being in a miniature circus clown car with hamsters under the hood, though. LOL
