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Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:12 pm
by crazyman
The Gator just showed up Thursday from the body shop. It was hauled away before I could get the motor split. They did a nice job, but it's still a little off.
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:06 am
by RednGold86Z
Just realized you posted that it was a 3 cylinder in the first post... There were several car companies in China making 3 cylinder cars a few years ago - we did Geely's engine management system for a few 3 cylinder models back in 2007. The valves (rockers) would need adjustment pretty frequently, though.
The main reasons they don't sell Chinese cars in the US are:
1) No engine management system company wants to get them up to OBD2 and Tier 2 bin 5 emissions, cheaply enough
2) DOT standards require modifications for this and that
3) smart airbag systems needed
4) fit and finish & styling are just so so
5) no dealer network, yet
6) no testing done in the US, yet
7) crash tests will be embarrassing and expensive to remedy
The list can go on a bit more, but these are the big ones. One of my company's new investors is going to give it a try (so far has had 2 car companies start the project and then back out).
There are some vehicles making it to the US, I think - some small mini-vans and mini-trucks for places like airports. Also, the shuanghuan noble is being used for an electric car conversion. That's one that looks just like a Smart.
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:18 pm
by Unkl Ian
JoePorting wrote:I figured the US would be flooded with cheap (< $9,000) Chinese cars by now. I wonder what's taking them so long?
Emissions ?
100,000 mile durability testing ?
Crash safety ?
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:17 pm
by crazyman
I had to pull the head. I discovered the real reason the engine was knocking while I was getting ready to reassemble the bottom end. The original crank looked good, and I didn't understand why it knocked. Now I know..
It must have hydrolocked while running upside down in a ditch... The piston was smacking the crankshaft. Everything about this engine screams quality. I didn't think to check the bent rod to see if it was forged or cast before my customer scurried off to Deere, but if it didn't break, it must be a quality forging.
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:45 pm
by RednGold86Z
I've got a rod/piston assembly that looks just like that
An injector driver stuck on from a software bug, and then the engineer cranked it... From HuaChen (Brilliance Auto).
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:19 pm
by crazyman
I checked. Yuuppp! Forged rods, cast crank. On an 812cc Chinese three cylinder???? It is crazy what 2012 is bringing...
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 9:35 am
by black_z
crazyman wrote:I checked. Yuuppp! Forged rods, cast crank. On an 812cc Chinese three cylinder???? It is crazy what 2012 is bringing...
Did you ever get to completely disassemble one? I have one of these gators and was just curious about the motor...
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:28 pm
by Dave Koehler
Wonder if I can squeeze one into my JD 420 garden tractor.
This might also make a good home grown generator engine.
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 11:57 pm
by pdq67
Way off topic, BUT I gotta ask?
What is the cheapest, small 5-speed stick or whatever, 2-dr., hatch type car sold in the USA today?
I would buy a NEW 1987 Chevy Sprint ER el-cheapo car in a NYM, it was THAT good a little commuter corn-popper car, IMHO...
Over 50 mpg running 70 mph on the 4-lane commuting for years and years and years! I paid $6,300 plus tax and crap back when I bought mine new! Of course, it only weighed like 1500 pounds or so! But I packed my tore apart 454 P/U truck engine home in it.
pdq67
Re: Chinese Chery engines.
Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 6:41 am
by midnightbluS10
crazyman wrote:If a competent guy with a frame machine can do it locally, yes. If not, Deere sells new frames. Either way it's fixable at $18K new and being a 2011 with 30 hours. I doubt it even survived long enough to get its first oil change.
This is the hardest/most compact job I've ever done. Gonna end up and in frame rebuild. Casting logos indicate Chery... Everything I've seen thus far is better than a '93 geo metro/suzuki swift quality. Super wide timing belt, clean castings, nice machine work.. It sucks we can't build stuff like this in America anymore.
I'm about 25 minutes away from pulling the crank. The pan/rear seal plate/oil pump are unbolted. Tomorrow is a new day.
We can build stuff like this. We just choose to have China do it cheaper. It's all about profit margins.
It sucks that people think we can't build quality stuff when millions(billions?) of quality components are produced here every year.