The Tech four was a cast iron engine in the eighties 2.5 displacement as I recollect,no power anything it was adequate for a little tinbox truck-Kevin
Let me throw in the Corolla 1.8L as a versatile motor. In the Lotus, it is an ample performer. In the Corrolla, it is capable of delivering some of the better over the road gas mileage of any non hybrid car, of any size…including the minis. It does this, with acceptable though not earth shattering, performance. It has proven to be very durable too in the cars I had with it. Yes it has changed over the years, but the basic concept has helped it power one of the most widely sold car name plates ever built. It couldn’t be turning too many people off.
I see. A mechanic told me many of the parts are interchangeable between the 350 and the Iron Duke 2.5 so I assume it was a derivative but guess I was wrong. I drove a couple of those trucks with the manual trans and didn’t think the power was all that bad. Maybe the autos were gutless.
My 1995 Corolla 1.8 got 37mpg . . . not bad, considering it’s not a tiny car, and it doesn’t have the latest technology
@kmccune: While the 2.7L Chrysler engines were known for sludging problems, the 3.5L which was an option in most of these cars was a very good engine. Torquey, smooth, and long-lived. The earlier versions (like in the LH sedans) were also not interference engines, despite the cam being belt driven.
@oblivion good deal,I sort of wondered why Dodge didnt offer the more powerful 3.5 V-6 in the Dakota in lieu of the 3.7,actually I’ve never heard anything negative about the 3.5-Kevin
My 2002 Prism with the Toyota 1.8L and standard transmission, did not do a lot of in town driving as we lived in a rural area. It averaged, 37 mpg as well and had excellent performance with the five speed. On the highway, if I kept the speed at 65 mph, it got a solid 40 mpg.
Another contender for great gas mileage and superb simplicity… I own a 1994 Geo Metro with the 1.0L 3 cylinder Suzuki G10 engine and routinely get 50+ mpg no matter how it is driven. The first engine that this car had was junk and I was able to swap in a used motor by myself with no hoist. I was simply able to jack up the old engine and pick it up with my own two hands after it was unbolted and disconnected. Besides an engine swap taking like 2 hours, everything else is super simple to work on with these little cars. Everyone would expect things to be cramped under the hood since the car is so small but there is plenty of room to work. This goes for the timing belt, alternator, water pump, and other parts. This is also a very durable engine as long as the correct oil is used and changed on time. This engine works hard to do what it does and is hard on the oil so you don’t want to overlook this basic maintenance. I use a European synthetic in mine as others with these cars swear by this oil in these cars.
I am actually pretty impressed with the performance out of such a tiny engine. The car reminds me of driving a big go kart. I do have the manual transmission which is a big help. I don’t like the autos in these cars and wouldn’t own one. The mileage and performance drops a ton and they seem like an entirely different car. There are much nicer cars that get the same mileage than an auto Geo Metro.
As a ‘belly button’ engine the Chevy 350 is probably the best candidate with all the after market equipment, manifolds, cam kits, roller rockers, pistons, rods, build history, etc. etc. available.
The best monster engine has to be the 426 Mopar hemi with 2 Carter fours on the aluminum manifold. With that engine filling the engine compartment of a Baracuda nothing else could symbolize ‘mean’.
The best airplane engine has to be the RollsRoyce Merlin engine, especially in the stock form with tandem superchargers with intercooling between. Can you imagine what a P51G must sound like at 30k feet and 74 inches manifold pressure?
@Researcher,you had to be careful with the Revs on sleeve valve engines,I heard at one time Chrysler developed an experimental Hemi aircraft engine that held the speed record for reciporcating engines(Rodacs are pretty fast too).People in the know,can make an Allison competitve with a Merlin(But the Merlin was among the best in WW2-Kevin