Help me select a 4 cylinder engine

asiansensation78 · March 1st, 2011, 03:18 PM

We're going to build an engine to run a 30kW generator. It'll run on natural gas and have 14:1 compression. The initial engine will probably be around 2.4-2.8 liters, and must meet these requirements:

-4 cylinder
-At least 44bhp @ 1800RPM (Most 4cyl engines bigger than 2.4L will accomplish this)

Preferred attributes:
-Cheap and easily available
-SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, non-turbo
-Low friction
-Low heat loss
-Low surface:volume

I had previously written reports on the Mazda F-series and Toyota M-series, but the F doesn't produce enough power and the M isn't a 4 cylinder and is expensive. What's going to happen is that the block from a larger engine from the family will be used with the heads of a smaller engine from the same family. This would be an easy way of increasing the compression without having to make modifications to the water jackets. Help me select an engine! Thanks!

Spike Digidy! · March 1st, 2011, 03:21 PM

2.3 ford (79-93 mustang/capri/cougar), u can mill the heads on these to gain ur compression without crashes valves..cheap easy, plenty available parts (new & used)

chocolate · March 1st, 2011, 03:23 PM

asian what state are you in?

asiansensation78 · March 1st, 2011, 03:24 PM

Thanks Spike! I'll dig into it.

Chocolate, I'm in Miami, FL

chocolate · March 1st, 2011, 03:27 PM

I asked because i saw on CL earlier when i was looking at cars there were a few engines for sale. some seemed pretty cheap.

sgrcltpunk · March 1st, 2011, 03:42 PM

Toyota S engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

asiansensation78 · March 1st, 2011, 03:47 PM

Toyota S engine wouldn't produce enough power, sorry

Spike Digidy! · March 1st, 2011, 03:57 PM

old factory 2.3 fords made plenty of power for what u need, and if u mill the bastard down (fuel injected) and minimun head work, u could have u one kick ass generator...

asiansensation78 · March 1st, 2011, 04:56 PM

I looked into the 2.3 Lima engine and the non-turbo variant still may not produce enough power at 1800 RPM. I looked into the Mitsubishi Astron 4G engine family though and it seems to have potential. It'd be awesome to be able to use a Ford Duratec 25 but the valvetrain is pretty complex and it'd be expensive to convert...

Spike Digidy! · March 1st, 2011, 05:37 PM

2.3 lima? was that the platform of the late model 2.3 ford?

06RedfireGT · March 1st, 2011, 06:04 PM

Why not step up to a 6 cylinder? The 4.0L Fords and 4.3L Chevies are dead nuts reliable, simple to work on, easy to find and would make plenty of power.

asiansensation78 · March 1st, 2011, 06:14 PM

It'd be great to use a cheap 6 and run it without modifications, but from an efficiency standpoint, it's not going to cut it. For a 30kW generator, we're looking for 30%+ efficiency, which is about 3 or 4 times that of a normal car engine. With a V6, the surface:volume ratio would be quite high, thus leading to more heat loss to the cylinder walls. This generator will operate 24/7 and go 6 to 12 months before an oil change, so even a 0.3% bump in efficiency would be monumental; and a 2.5L 4 cylinder would have about 3x-5x the efficiency of a 4.0L 6 cylinder for this application.

Ace417 · March 1st, 2011, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by asiansensation78

It'd be great to use a cheap 6 and run it without modifications, but from an efficiency standpoint, it's not going to cut it. For a 30kW generator, we're looking for 30%+ efficiency, which is about 3 or 4 times that of a normal car engine. With a V6, the surface:volume ratio would be quite high, thus leading to more heat loss to the cylinder walls. This generator will operate 24/7 and go 6 to 12 months before an oil change, so even a 0.3% bump in efficiency would be monumental; and a 2.5L 4 cylinder would have about 3x-5x the efficiency of a 4.0L 6 cylinder for this application.

well i went a year without an oil change in my ford 2.3L ranger so....

asiansensation78 · March 1st, 2011, 06:29 PM

Without turning the engine off?

Spike Digidy! · March 1st, 2011, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Ace417

well i went a year without an oil change in my ford 2.3L ranger so....

RDY4WAR · March 1st, 2011, 06:35 PM

Duratec 2.3L

They're found in the Mazda 3, Fusion, Ranger, and '03-'07 Focus ST & SES. They're already flex fuel so running natural gas shouldn't be an issue. They're DOHC though which may disqualify them but they can be found for cheap.

My second recommendation is a 2.3L LIMA motor.

Ace417 · March 1st, 2011, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by asiansensation78

Without turning the engine off?

lol no

Originally Posted by Spike Digidy

it was a 4cyl ranger. i wanted it to die so i could get something new. never happened and i miss it now :/

Spike Digidy! · March 1st, 2011, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by Ace417

it was a 4cyl ranger. i wanted it to die so i could get something new. never happened and i miss it now :/

shoulda just dumped a 302/351...

88TempoGLS · March 1st, 2011, 07:12 PM

Here are my suggestions. Dont fall into your requirements 100%, but they are all good engines in my experience.

2.3/2.5 HSC engine from Ford Tempo/Ford Taurus

2.0 Zetec from Ford Focus, Contour, and Escort

2.3 Duratec as stated above

2.3 Lima

Ace417 · March 1st, 2011, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by Spike Digidy

shoulda just dumped a 302/351...

i didnt know anything about cars then or i wouldve.

it was gold too though

March 1st, 2011, 03:18 PM	#1
asiansensation78 Too Soon, Junior! 03 GT Vert 15:43.28@25.21 Too many naked bitches in the back Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 3,742 iTrader: 4 reviews	Help me select a 4 cylinder engine We're going to build an engine to run a 30kW generator. It'll run on natural gas and have 14:1 compression. The initial engine will probably be around 2.4-2.8 liters, and must meet these requirements: -4 cylinder -At least 44bhp @ 1800RPM (Most 4cyl engines bigger than 2.4L will accomplish this) Preferred attributes: -Cheap and easily available -SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, non-turbo -Low friction -Low heat loss -Low surface:volume I had previously written reports on the Mazda F-series and Toyota M-series, but the F doesn't produce enough power and the M isn't a 4 cylinder and is expensive. What's going to happen is that the block from a larger engine from the family will be used with the heads of a smaller engine from the same family. This would be an easy way of increasing the compression without having to make modifications to the water jackets. Help me select an engine! Thanks! __________________ 03 GT - Scrapes on lane markers - Modded 02 Cougar - Able to clear most speed bumps - Some mods 01 Explorer - Parking blocks NOM NOM NOM - Stock Nitrous Switch Panel for sale!

March 1st, 2011, 03:24 PM	#4
asiansensation78 Too Soon, Junior! 03 GT Vert 15:43.28@25.21 Too many naked bitches in the back Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 3,742 iTrader: 4 reviews	Thanks Spike! I'll dig into it. Chocolate, I'm in Miami, FL __________________ 03 GT - Scrapes on lane markers - Modded 02 Cougar - Able to clear most speed bumps - Some mods 01 Explorer - Parking blocks NOM NOM NOM - Stock Nitrous Switch Panel for sale!

March 1st, 2011, 03:42 PM	#6
sgrcltpunk amateur adult film star 1999 gt to infinity and beyond Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: newport news,va Posts: 1,051 iTrader: 0 reviews	Toyota S engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia __________________ performance headlight fluid, 6 ball muffler bearings, and dual flux capacitors

March 1st, 2011, 03:47 PM	#7
asiansensation78 Too Soon, Junior! 03 GT Vert 15:43.28@25.21 Too many naked bitches in the back Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 3,742 iTrader: 4 reviews	Toyota S engine wouldn't produce enough power, sorry __________________ 03 GT - Scrapes on lane markers - Modded 02 Cougar - Able to clear most speed bumps - Some mods 01 Explorer - Parking blocks NOM NOM NOM - Stock Nitrous Switch Panel for sale!

March 1st, 2011, 04:56 PM	#9
asiansensation78 Too Soon, Junior! 03 GT Vert 15:43.28@25.21 Too many naked bitches in the back Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 3,742 iTrader: 4 reviews	I looked into the 2.3 Lima engine and the non-turbo variant still may not produce enough power at 1800 RPM. I looked into the Mitsubishi Astron 4G engine family though and it seems to have potential. It'd be awesome to be able to use a Ford Duratec 25 but the valvetrain is pretty complex and it'd be expensive to convert... __________________ 03 GT - Scrapes on lane markers - Modded 02 Cougar - Able to clear most speed bumps - Some mods 01 Explorer - Parking blocks NOM NOM NOM - Stock Nitrous Switch Panel for sale!

March 1st, 2011, 06:04 PM	#11
06RedfireGT One Man Wolf Pack 2006 Mustang GT 13ish....maybe Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Regulatin On Some OGs Posts: 22,492 iTrader: 2 reviews	Why not step up to a 6 cylinder? The 4.0L Fords and 4.3L Chevies are dead nuts reliable, simple to work on, easy to find and would make plenty of power. __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

March 1st, 2011, 06:14 PM	#12
asiansensation78 Too Soon, Junior! 03 GT Vert 15:43.28@25.21 Too many naked bitches in the back Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 3,742 iTrader: 4 reviews	It'd be great to use a cheap 6 and run it without modifications, but from an efficiency standpoint, it's not going to cut it. For a 30kW generator, we're looking for 30%+ efficiency, which is about 3 or 4 times that of a normal car engine. With a V6, the surface:volume ratio would be quite high, thus leading to more heat loss to the cylinder walls. This generator will operate 24/7 and go 6 to 12 months before an oil change, so even a 0.3% bump in efficiency would be monumental; and a 2.5L 4 cylinder would have about 3x-5x the efficiency of a 4.0L 6 cylinder for this application. __________________ 03 GT - Scrapes on lane markers - Modded 02 Cougar - Able to clear most speed bumps - Some mods 01 Explorer - Parking blocks NOM NOM NOM - Stock Nitrous Switch Panel for sale!

March 1st, 2011, 06:29 PM	#14
asiansensation78 Too Soon, Junior! 03 GT Vert 15:43.28@25.21 Too many naked bitches in the back Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 3,742 iTrader: 4 reviews	Without turning the engine off? __________________ 03 GT - Scrapes on lane markers - Modded 02 Cougar - Able to clear most speed bumps - Some mods 01 Explorer - Parking blocks NOM NOM NOM - Stock Nitrous Switch Panel for sale!

March 1st, 2011, 06:35 PM	#16
RDY4WAR I Post Entirely Way Too Much 07 Turbo Focus 12.93 @ 105mph Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Glen Burnie, MD Posts: 6,006 iTrader: 0 reviews	Duratec 2.3L They're found in the Mazda 3, Fusion, Ranger, and '03-'07 Focus ST & SES. They're already flex fuel so running natural gas shouldn't be an issue. They're DOHC though which may disqualify them but they can be found for cheap. My second recommendation is a 2.3L LIMA motor. __________________ 2007 Focus - 230/215, cams/head/manifold swap done, new #s soon ...going E85! 1985 Bronco - 351W & 4WD 1986 Mustang LX - 351W build in the works! David Michael Smith, 07/25/1956 - 12/08/2011 ...R.I.P dad! I miss you dearly! Last edited by RDY4WAR; March 1st, 2011 at 06:44 PM.

March 1st, 2011, 07:12 PM	#19
88TempoGLS Hardcore Enthusiast 2000 Ford Contour SVT 15.2 @ 90mph Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Middletown, Pa Posts: 2,452 iTrader: 0 reviews	Here are my suggestions. Dont fall into your requirements 100%, but they are all good engines in my experience. 2.3/2.5 HSC engine from Ford Tempo/Ford Taurus 2.0 Zetec from Ford Focus, Contour, and Escort 2.3 Duratec as stated above 2.3 Lima __________________ 2000 CSVT 03 Escape 3L block, 02 Mercury Cougar 2.5 heads, SVT cams untuned. Stock manifolds, short ram intake, MSDS Y pipe, stock exhaust. 195whp/182wtq 1985 Honda 450 Nighthawk 70+MPG average 8200 miles and counting

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