One of the significant omissions of the Russian automotive industry is the lack of mass passenger diesel. In view of this, local producers have to use foreign counterparts. The development of such engines began only in the second half of the last century, and the mass version has not yet appeared. Next, diesels on VAZ cars are considered.
Background
The first experimental diesel cars appeared in Europe in the 30s. past century. In the USSR, this happened much later for several reasons.
Firstly, such power units are more difficult to manufacture in comparison with gasoline counterparts.
Secondly, diesel engines of that time were significantly behind them in performance.
Thirdly, diesel engines had pronounced negative operational qualities: high noise level, problems of cold start, low environmental friendliness.
Fourth, in those days gasoline was very cheap, so even some heavy equipment was equipped with gasoline engines. For these reasons, diesel engines were mainly used on heavy vehicles, where they were more relevant than gasoline engines, due to their high torque.
One of the first Soviet cars to receive a diesel engine was the GAZ-21, and then its export counterpart: in the 60s. in Belgium, the car was equipped with several variants of foreign-made atmospheric engines.
In the 70s. active distribution of diesel engines on small and middle class cars began. The main reason for this was the energy crisis of 1973. Passenger diesel engines by that time had developed significantly. They exceeded gasoline counterparts in efficiency and durability by 1.5-2 times, due to the greater strength of the parts. Productivity has also been improved by using turbines.
The first vazovsky diesel
At the Volga Automobile Plant, the development of diesel engines for passenger cars began in the 80s. The designers decided to build a motor using gasoline-powered parts tested on project 2108. They faced the problem of the lack of fuel equipment for passenger diesel engines.
As a result, on the basis of block 2103, an atmospheric power unit VAZ-341 with a volume of 1.45 liters and a capacity of 55 liters was created. from. It is distinguished by a pre-chamber construction, which implies mixture formation not in the piston zone, but in a separate chamber. There was no electronics. The distribution of fuel among the cylinders was carried out by a high pressure fuel pump. By design, the VAZ diesel is similar to Ford and Volkswagen engines of the early 80s. It is mentioned that the engine of the latter was taken as a model during development.
According to the test results, it was confirmed that it is unacceptable to use standard "gasoline" spare parts. The VAZ diesel engine, like other engines of this type, is characterized by increased loads due to the greater degree of compression. In view of this, many elements lacked strength, especially the crank mechanism and piston group. The situation was aggravated by low precision manufacturing.
Based on this, in 1984 it was decided to create a 1.7-liter diesel engine based on the VAZ-2106 using elements 21083.
In 1986, they created a turbocharged version of 3411 with a capacity of 65 liters. from. and 114 Nm and released two equipped with them "Niva" with an index of 21215. However, they soon failed.
Nevertheless, the VAZ-2105 with the 341st engine, which received the index 21055, passed state tests in 1986-1988. However, despite the unification of the engine with gasoline, the car was not put into production. This was due to many reasons. One of the main ones is the lack of state financial support.
Diesel series
The next time VAZ took up the development of diesel engines in 1996 together with BarnaulTransMash. The terms of cooperation suggested that the second enterprise would produce power units for the development of VAZ. A family of three engines was created.
The 341st motor increased to 1.52 liters of volume. A more efficient 343 engine had a volume of 1.8 liters. The most powerful option is the same VAZ diesel engine equipped with an IHI turbine with an index of 3431. Motors received Bosch fuel equipment.
In accordance with this, a range of diesel modifications of standard models was developed. Such engines were planned to be used on utilitarian machines. So, the station wagons 21045 and 21048 planned to equip naturally aspirated versions 341 and 343, respectively. On Niva 21215-50 and 21215-70 it was supposed to install 1.8 liter atmospheric and turbocharged engines, respectively, on the VAZ-21315 - only 3431.
By 2000, the Barnaul plant had mastered the production of these diesel engines, and as part of the pilot production began installing diesel engines on the VAZ-2104 and 2105. Such cars were produced in small batches.
Despite the low performance, the motor approached the cars. With a modest performance of the gasoline power unit, the decrease in dynamics was not particularly significant for such models, but the economy increased markedly. At the same time, the engine had the same problems as the first 341st VAZ diesel engine: due to the low mechanical strength of the piston group, it turned out to be very short-lived. The engine resource was 30-40 thousand km. Upon achieving such a run, a major overhaul of the VAZ diesel was required, which consisted in replacing the cylinder block together with the piston group.
Over time, many technological problems were resolved, as a result of which the durability of the engines increased. However, in 2003, the VAZ-21045 was discontinued. The remaining 500 VAZ-341 engines were installed on sedans that received an index of 21055. In just 3 years, about 6,000 diesel cars were produced.
Reasons for failure
The mass production of diesel passenger cars could not be established for several reasons. The main one is the unprofitable production of such motors due to the significantly outdated design. The engines had the same prechamber configuration as the first 341st prototype, and significantly lagged behind modern counterparts in performance and environmental friendliness. To achieve acceptable performance, it was necessary to create a motor of a different design. Independent development was considered unprofitable, but there were no technical partners for this. In addition, VAZ products sold well without a diesel engine.
Borrowed engines
Since there was no own passenger mass diesel, VAZ repeatedly borrowed third-party engines.
So, in 1981, the possibility of converting a VAZ-2121 gasoline engine into a diesel one with the participation of Porche was considered.
From 1987 to 1990, the manufacturer, together with the German importer Deutsche Lada, developed a plan to create an export version of the Niva with a Volkswagen powertrain. However, this company refused to adapt its 1.9 liter engine to the Niva platform.
In 1993, managed to establish cooperation on the same scheme with Peugeot. By order of the French importer Jean So far, the manufacturer adapted a 1.9 liter XUD-9L engine for installation on the VAZ-2121. Lada Export was engaged in the manufacture of machines. The usual Niva was delivered there, and the standard motor was replaced with French. In total, about 6,000 such cars were produced for France, Spain, Italy and other European markets.
In addition, in Italy, Martorelli equipped the Niva with VM and FNM engines .
However, with the introduction of Euro-2 environmental standards, the small-scale production of diesel Niv was completed.
In 1998, together with Peugeot and Martorelli, VAZ tried to establish production of Niv with a Peugeot XUD-9SD engine. However, the work also had to be stopped due to the introduction of Euro-3 standards.
In addition, from 1995 to 1997, the PSA TDU5 engine from Peugeot 106 and Citroen Saxo with third-party attachments and original mounts equipped Samara for the markets of France and the Benelux countries.
Recent experiments
In 2007, a Chevrolet Niva for individual orders "Topic Plus" installed the FNM motor.
In 2014, Lada 4x4 experimented with 1.3 liters of 75 liters. from. Fiat Multijet engine. At the same time, it was not compatible with the transmission due to the torque limit, nor with the analog wiring diagram due to the CAN bus.
The super-car investigated the possibility of installing a 4x4 1.5 liter diesel engine from Renault Duster on the Lada by 2015. In addition, an experimental car with a 100-horsepower 1.8 liter engine was created.
Diesel design
The initial power unit of the series was created by upgrading the first 341st VAZ engine: the diesel engine received an increased piston stroke of 4 mm (84 mm). Thanks to this, the volume increased from 1.45 to 1.52 liters. The cylinder head is made of aluminum, the guide bushings, the valve seats are made of alloyed cast iron, the combustion chamber inserts are made of heat-resistant alloy. The gas distribution mechanism was borrowed from the VAZ-2108. The working surface of the valves was strengthened by the method of electric remelting. Crankshaft - from 2103 with increased stiffness of tolerances for the spread of moves. We increased the rigidity of the casting 2103. The glow plugs were installed. The motor was equipped with a 1.7 kW starter (1.9 for the VAZ-21055). This required a high-capacity battery (60 or 65 A. h). In addition, a Bosch fuel pump and a vacuum pump are installed to create vacuum in the brake booster.
There was a deformed modification 3413, designed for a small tractor and drive an electric generator. It differs from the usual 341st motor by limiting the maximum speed to 3000 instead of 4800.
Engines created 1.8 liters by increasing the diameter of the cylinder from 76 to 82 mm.
There are turbocharged versions of 1.45 L 341 engines (3411) and VAZ-343 (3431 with IHI turbine)
Specifications
As noted above, due to the outdated design, the VAZ-341 has low performance compared to the analogues of those times. Its capacity is 54 liters. from. at 4600 rpm, the torque is 92 Nm at 2300 rpm. That is, even in the second indicator, it is inferior to the gasoline engine (103 Nm for the VAZ-21043). The high thrust at low speeds is provided by a different performance schedule and a reduced gear ratio.
Version 3413 is deformed to 32 liters. from. at 3000 rpm
Naturally, a 1.8 liter VAZ diesel is more productive: technical specifications are 65 liters. from. at 4600 rpm and 114 Nm at 2500 rpm.
The turbocharged version develops 80 liters. from. at 4600 rpm and 147 Nm at 2500 rpm.
Diesel cars
Installation of a diesel engine on a VAZ-2104 was carried out in the VAZ Automobile Operation and Repair Department. Pilot production began in 1998, releasing a batch of 50 cars with a 341th diesel engine (21045).
Later they began testing the machine with the 343rd engine (21048) and its revision (they tried to increase the resource to 150 thousand km). It was planned to establish production by 2005, but this failed.
VAZ-21315 was prepared for release in 2002, but also not launched.
Features
The diesel station wagon differs in some design features from the gasoline VAZ-2104. Due to the greater mass, the diesel engine required the installation of reinforced front suspension springs. The main pair was replaced from 4.1 to 3.9. To compensate for the increased noise level from the diesel engine, additional noise insulation was installed in the engine compartment (on the hood cover and crankcase protection). The exhaust pipe was wrapped in a loop to prevent soot contamination of the right lamp. On the dashboard, an indicator for heating glow plugs and a button for heating the fuel filter appeared (there is no indicator for turning it on).
Reviews
Soon after the appearance of the journalists, "Behind the Wheel" tested the wagon VAZ diesel. Reviews indicate a more confident engine at low speeds. So, you can even get under way from the 5th gear, and from 30 km / h even traction begins. When driving fast, on the contrary, you will have to switch much more often than on a gasoline car, because of the shortened main pair. In this case, in any case, the dynamics of the diesel car is significantly behind. Only at low speeds is there a slight advantage.
In acceleration to 100 km / h, the VAZ-2104 gasoline is faster by 8 s. In addition, the diesel car is inferior in maximum speed by 13 km / h. When accelerating from a run from 20 to 90 km / h, the separation is less (about 3 s). In addition, according to reviews of the publication "Autoreview", the diesel engine slows down the reaction to the gas pedal.
As for the increased noise level that such a motor is usually characterized by, a VAZ diesel engine is significantly louder at idle (6-8 dB (A)). With an increase in speed, the difference decreases by 1-3 dB (A), then disappears.
As a result of testing, journalists received a 10% difference in average fuel consumption in mixed conditions. However, the financial benefit of using a diesel engine taking into account the price of automotive fuel at the time of testing was 36%. Journalists calculated that a large $ 1,300 machine cost paid off for 180 thousand km.
According to the reviews of those who tested the VAZ-21048, it turned out to be much more balanced and, thanks to the higher drag, allowed to switch much less often.
With the same engine, the Niva performed well, especially on the roads.
The VAZ-3411 turned out to be similar in nature to the 2121 engine. Like a gasoline engine, it performs better at high speeds. At the same time, the thrust is lower at low speeds, even than that of the VAZ-21213, that is, the turboyama is pronounced.
Performance
Due to the heavier engine, the curb weight of the VAZ-21045 increased to 1.06 tons (40 kg compared to 21043), the full - to 1.515. According to the manufacturer, acceleration to 100 km / h takes 23 s (6 s more), the maximum speed is 125 km / h (18 km / h less). Fuel consumption is 5.2 liters at 90 km / h, 7.5 liters at 120 km / h and 6.2 liters in urban areas (7, 9.9, 9.8 liters for 21043, respectively).
The car with the 343rd engine is closer in dynamics to the VAZ gas station wagon. A 1.8-liter diesel engine accelerates to 100 km / h in 19 s and a top speed of 133 km / h.
Acceleration of the VAZ-21215-50 to 100 km / h takes 25 s, the maximum speed is 127 km / h against 19 s and 137 km / h in 21213.
VAZ-21215-70 in terms of acceleration dynamics is equal to the gasoline "Niva" and behind in maximum speed by 7 km / h.