It is difficult to say exactly when the 402 engine announced itself. Its predecessors began to be produced in the mid-50s, he received quite a lot from them, including the simplicity and reliability of the design. Its repair can be carried out in an ordinary garage, having only a basic set of tools. Naturally, repair of the 402 engine should be carried out in a clean workplace, especially if it is overhaul. I must say that his resource, unlike other domestic units, slightly exceeded 50,000 kilometers, so it was so popular.
From the beginning of production, the 402 engine was installed on the Volga model, then migrated to the Gazelle, where it took root pretty well thanks to its excellent characteristics. Here they are not limited to a volume of 2.5 liters or a capacity of 100 horsepower. The fact is that in combination with the gearbox and axle that were mounted on this vehicle, it possessed ideal traction properties that in no way reflected on fuel consumption. Of course, many may consider that for an average truck 12 liters of gasoline per hundred kilometers is a lot, but the owners did not think so.
Naturally, there are no ideal engines, and there are drawbacks. The largest is a pad on the rear bearing of the crankshaft, which is a felt impregnated with graphite. In addition, a thin bronze wire is inserted into the structure for strength. Thus, when reaching 3000 rpm and higher, the engine simply expels oil, so its level must be constantly monitored. Many owners believe that the 402 engine can be fixed by replacing this gasket from another car and pouring semi-synthetic oil into it: so, this method helps someone, but not others.
Another drawback that the 402 engine has is its valve mechanism, which has a lower camshaft position. There are a lot of mating parts, so the rods with pushers create a lot of noise, and the violation of the thermal gap in the valve actuator is also worth mentioning. Because of this, constant valve adjustment is required. 402 engine capable of very good results. But we are talking about low speeds, since such a timing design has an impressive mass. That is why the revolving 402 engine can not be called.
Man is so arranged that he constantly needs more, no matter how much he has. Therefore, many owners of this “apparatus” are trying to get more power from it, not sparing neither energy nor money.
A striking example of such a desire was the installation of an injector on this engine, as well as the
installation of the ignition with
ZMZ 406, which is fundamentally different. But all these efforts were not worth what happened at the end.
The 402 engine was officially discontinued in 2006. He was replaced by the aforementioned unit, which surpasses it in all respects, in addition, 50 years is somehow a bit much for one model. Of course, there were some changes, compared with the predecessors, but they did not become dramatic. But what can I say, some American companies still practice the production of engines of this type, and details on it can be found in any car shop, although 7 years have already passed.