Honda Accord Hybrid Engine Noise - say what???

:::snip:::
Anyone remember the Cadillac V-8-6-4?

Yup, another prime example of GM dumping an untested technology on its buyers. That "system," if you could call it that, was around at the same time their lovely Oldsmobile v8 and Buick v6 diesels were blowing up on their customers.
:::snip:::

:roll: Not only do I REMEMBER the V 4-6-8... I owned one of the monsters. I never had mechanical problems with the WEIRD engine. I only noticed vibration when it (rarely) ran on the V-6 mode. Other pesky problems abounded. I had been "told" by other Caddie V 4-6-8 drivers that I could "cut one wire" and the engine would then become a "straight V-8" but traded the car before attempting that modification.

Intrestingly, I also owned a Cadillac Diesel (read: "Threshing machnine") as well. Threw a rod through the engine block at ~18,000 miles. Dealer rebuilt the engine w/o cost to me. Perfect example of GM "Engineers" using owners as "auto beta testers." The engine was NOT a real diesel, but a "converted gasolene engine design" - so I was told. I got weary of startling folks on the sidewalk or in the parking lot when I started up or drove by. That "diesel" was a battery killer - 2-12v batteries wired in parallel. Sears must've lost on replacements... seems one went bad every few months.

 

My old Honda Coupe was 2-cylinder all of the time, and it didn't run all that rough. Both cylinders went up and down at the same time, but the cycles were 180 degrees out of phase (while one was compressing, the other was exhausting). The crankshaft did have a fairly large counter balance, but the whole system worked pretty well. It did sound funny at high RPMs, but so did the Volkswagon air-cooled engines that were around that time.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon\";p=\"77741)</div>

Frank:

Ah ..... the Atari.

Another trip down Memory Lane.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt\";p=\"77932)</div>

Charles:

GM has a long history of just *not* getting it, and that example is a prime one. Their early 80's automatic overdrive transmission failures are another.

When you consider that GM had as subsidiary companies such industry leaders as Allison (HD automatic transmission and power turbines) and Detroit Diesel, why they couldn't figure out a diesel motor or an automatic transmission is beyond me.

As far as smaller diesel motors, they also had subsidiary companies like Opel in Europe. They have small diesel motors that appear to last.

I'll give Dodge credit where it's due: when they wanted to put a diesel motor into a "light" truck, they went straight to Cummins and got it right the first time. GM learned that lesson only 4 years ago when they partnered with Isuzu - one of their subsidiaries - to design the Duramax.

 

8AA
one thing I found interesting on the Honda was the plugs fired at TDC-5 and BDC-5 as there was two lobes on the point cam and 1 point set. Only problem we ever had with the Honda was the clutch but I rebuilt it one noon hour at work. You could actually buy all the internal components of the pressure plate but not the complete assy. All I used of the origional was the cover.

 

Even more interesting was the fact that the spark plugs were in series. The current from the coil sparked one plug, went through the block to the other plug, sparked there, and then went back to the coil. I always thought that arrangement would be prone to failure, that if one plug failed the other one would fail to spark. But then of course, what were the chances of running on one cylinder.

I did replace the clutch once, and liked the way you could remove the cover, unbolt the pressure plates, swap out the friction plate, and then put the whole thing back together. It took a little longer than changing the oil, but not much longer.

 

How many spark-plugs per cylinder are there?

Civic-Hybrid has 2 each... unnecessary complexity.

What exactly is the goal of the "assist" design anyway?

 

John on the Honda's we were talking about it was the early 70's S and N series . Nissan used dual plug for emmision reasons. Not sure why the HCH uses duals nowadays. What's with the Assist design anyways? Assist in starting the ICE

 

I was trying to bring you "back to the future". But then I realized we were still only in the present, where gas prices are skyrocketing, monster-size vehicles still roam the roads, and there are still long delivery waits for Prius.

 

4 bucks a gallon today and they're talking about 5 in the next few months. Big blurb on local TV today and on another channel saw another high gas price blurb and what was in that show? Prius Taxi. That was the CBC national news. Across Canada.

 

sorry i'm not too familiar with the HAH... does it also have an electric motor or is it just the VCM that makes them call it a hybrid? can it be really called a 'hybrid' without an electric motor? :|

 

Oh, no, the Honda Accord Hybrid has an electric motor, but a small one that is bolted between the engine and the tranny. Both of which are of conventional design (Otto cycle gas engine/fluid auto tranny). The electric motor only 'assists' (boosts) the engine when called on, like a turbo charger. Can't run on electric only, can't produce electricity to charge the batteries on the fly. Only charges upon braking/coasting. Help me out everyone, does that sound right?
And is there a CVT (cotinuously varible tranny) for the Accord hybrid? Cone and belt-like? Again, just not as evolved as the Prius.
Plus, lower mileage than a very adequate 4-cyl Accord and higher emissions than a 4-cyl Accord. What's the point again? Oh, right, 250+ HP with 8 second 0-60 times looks good to most people. Well, come to all those stops at the gas pump and emissions testing stations, how fast do you really think you'll be going?

 

ah so it's a "mild" hybrid and not a full hybrid like the prius... gotcha. thanks!

 

I think you're spot on, Finman.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(finman\";p=\"81158)</div>

Actually, higher milage than the very adequate 4-cyl Accord.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(finman\";p=\"81158)</div>

The IMA system likes to avoid "forced charge" mode, since that causes an annoying MPG hit (quite different from Prius's continuous charging). So it tries to gather as much as it can from braking opportunities (and uses the electrical supply more conservatively than Prius since there's less available).

The transmission is a traditional automatic, exactly like the non-hybrid Accord... no attempt to improve beyond what they already have.