Mr Clarkson liked it:
tinyurl.com/3ccd3j
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Smart Charge injection, Ford's take on DISI engine technology.
It's been around for years in various guises originally introduced by Mitsubishi, then Toyota.
The problem with this type of engine is controlling or eliminating intake valve deposit as the fuel does not see the intake valve.
The benefits are this type of engine does not need such high octane fuel as direct injection reduces the tendency for engine knock.
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I have the misfortune to own this model. A regretful purchase. By far the worst car I have owned, it even outstrips an Alfa 155 for faults and that really speaks volumes. It has been truly terrible. I am fortunate in that it has never let me down on the road but the build quality is woeful. Far too many parts failing, £1800 for a new Sat Nav / Air system!! Replaced under warranty, thankfully. The tales of woe are far too numerous to mention on here. But the worst aspect has been the fuel consumption. It has on occasion turned in as low as 25 mpg and that was when my motorway miles were at their highest. Ford made great claims for this engine being ideal for long "top gear" running but when I pointed out that was not what was happening they of course did not want to know. When I discussed this with a mechanic at the dealers he told me the few that he seen, the respective owners had complained like I had about poor fuel consumption. So much so he said he was compiling a technical report. Not that it would make any difference to the poor saps like me who had parted with their hard earned cash.
Suffice to say my long affair with Ford has been finished by this car.
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Daveyjp wrote :- " Has Ford now abandoned this technology? "
I missed this but the answer is, yes. For possible reasons why, see comments above.
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That's one reason why I edited into the subject line !
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So Ford's implementation of direct injection on a petrol engine has failed. Whereas others use it for improved (i.e. lower) emissions and better MPG.
The SCi came out just before I got the Mondeo TDCi as a company car. Calculations of if better off with a diesel or this at the time were made. Seem to remember the diesel better for me tax wise and better performing by far.
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I think the jury is out on all petrol direct injection systems. They all seem to have problems sooner or later. Mitsubuishi have been at it for years and still have not cracked it. VAG have now entered the market, but I wouldn't be keen to help them with their development of the technology!
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Aprilia.
If the jury is still out on direct injection they must be padding their expenses.
Mitzi GDi - disaster.
Volvo GDi - disaster.
Renault IDE - disaster.
Ford SCi - disaster.
Peugeot HPi - disaster.
VW FSi - Ooh, ooh, ooh. I want to be a disaster too - pleeeeze...
Anyone else see a pattern here?
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Peugeot HPi - disaster.
We had 2 on our company car fleet and I unfortunately had one for 3 yrs. For the last 18mths it had a misfire and the engine managment light was always on. It spend literally weeks in the dealers - the dealer told me the variable valve timing caused most problems, although I wasn't aware it had that.
Peugeot paid off the lease at 18mths on the other car and the leasing company wanted to take mine back as soon as it came out of warranty at 60K miles but I ended up running it till 3yrs.
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Do F1 use this technology?
What about other formulae?
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"Mitzi GDi - disaster. Volvo GDi - disaster."
Same thing?
"VW FSi"
They sort of needed super unleaded and possibly still do. Problem is the requirement for low sulphur levels in the fuel. Okay in some European countries but not here. We do not have low sulphur in all fuel.... So the need for super unleaded which is probably okay.
Wonder how reliable the VW Supercharged-Turbo 1.4 TFSI is?
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What a woeful engine this was, we had a demonstrator that had it.
Despite the brochure's fantastic claims the engine was outstripped for both power AND economy by the ordinary bog standard 1.8 Duratec engine that has graced the engine bay of most entry level Mondeos since 2001.
Blue
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Mitsubishi worked in Japan running on lead-free fuel which is not the same as unleaded.
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Mitsubishi worked in Japan running on lead-free fuel which is not the same as unleaded.
OK, I'll take the bait. What's the difference?
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GDI didn't work terribly well in Japan, or anywhere else. Sulphur in th petrol has been a problem for the injectors, but much of the problem also related to EGR. The inlet manifold and valves see EGR gasses, but there is no fuel around to wash them clean. Consequently they suffer a lot of carbonisation. Fuel additives etc don't help much because these parts don't see the fuel.
I personally would not want a GDI car (or a CR Diesel or a CVT or DSG). None of these technologies are yet mature enough IMHO for me to risk my own cash - now if a company were paying then that would be a different matter...
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Dumb question: If the SCi engine was so bad, how come the engineers at the Ford R&D department didn't spot it before it was released?
Or did they spot it - but were over-ruled?
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Dumb question: If the SCi engine was so bad how come the engineers at the Ford R&D department didn't spot it before it was released? Or did they spot it - but were over-ruled?
Looks like it was done to make it more attractive to company car users:
from Autoexpress:
"In addition, exhaust emissions of 174g/km put it in the 18 per cent bracket - three CO2 groups lower than the previous version. "
".... the Mondeo SCi meets the latest Euro IV emissions targets, and as Joerg Beyer, the car's chief engineer, said: "You don't do this sort of technology as a one-off - it's a starting point for the company." So expect to see SCi technology adopted across the blue oval's model line-up. "
Is he still in a job?
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"Looks like it was done to make it more attractive to company car users:"
Except when it came out it was about £30+ per month more on the lease price list than a 2.0TDCi. And at the time it came out you could get a Euro IV compliant TDCi which did not incurr the 3% BIK charge for being a diesel. So my 2.0TDCi was initially taxed at something like 16% I think.
So the SCi cost more per month on a lease, used far more fuel and was not as powerful. So a poor engine really.
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>>valves see EGR gasses, but there is no fuel around to wash them clean.
Just like a diesel then?
Number_Cruncher
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Lead free has had the lead chemically removed.Unleaded has had no lead added-may have naturally occurring lead upto 0.013% IIRC.
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Dumb question: If the SCi engine was so bad how come the engineers at the Ford R&D department didn't spot it before it was released?
Maybe it was the engineers who had taken their eye off the ball after signing off the Pinto camshaft oiling system and use of the Pierburg carburettor...
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Maybe it was the engineers who had taken their eye off the ball after signing off the Pinto camshaft oiling system
There was nothing wrong with the Pinto camshaft oiling system if the service schedule was adhered to.
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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So all those company-owned Cortinas going round with knocking camshafts were not being serviced properly? :-)
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Well I had an early Sierra 1.6 that did 235k on the original cam and the top end was silent. My dad had an early 2.0 Sierra that managed 205k again with no top end noise.
I don't know whether any parts were modified for the later (Sierra) engines, but there was still the same system of a spray bar with a tiny oil nozzle over each cam. I can't see this being an inherent design fault - both engines were serviced to specs, but not given any special treatment.
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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I never had any trouble with my Cortina which accumulated a huge milage;I think most problems were caused by people fiddling with them and moving the followers after they had settled down!!
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I was lead to believe the problem was caused by them running cool, and sludge blocking the 'pinholes' in the oil bar. I had a MK3 GT with auto choke, which drank fuel. The only way to keep it's dypsomania within reasonable limits was to keep the temperature up, which meant changing the thermostat as soon as it looked like it wasn't doing its job - about every 2-3 years.
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DP
There were few obvious modifications over the years. What changed was the improvements in oil quality - particularly the introduction of API SG.
In virtually every case of lobe failure; the spraybay hole was, at least partially, blocked by lumps of carbonized oil residue. Once the improved detergents in SG became widespread; engines stayed spotless inside and the problem disappeared into the mists of time.
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I read yesterday in Autocar that Porsche are to add direct petrol injection to their flat-6 engines...
...be interesting to see how that fares, then.
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...and Mercedes have started to introduce them - they call theirs CGi. There's a few road tests around of the CLS 350CGI which rave about the engine.
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