Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - (Page 16D) 16D • OCTOBER 20, 2008 GM’s new diesel opens up, loses weight Richard Truett rtruett@crain.com In the crankcase of GM’s 4.5-liter diesel, smaller, stronger main caps enable air to circulate in the bottom of the engine. The design increases efficiency. DETROIT — Henry Ford once said the best engineering is to “simplicate and add lightness.” Charlie Freese and Gary Arvan don’t work for Ford Motor Co. But the new diesel V-8 they designed for General Motors is simple and light. On paper, at least, it has the potential to be the first great engine of GM’s second century. GM plans to install the new Duramax 4.5 in its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty pickups and several SUVs next fall. Last year, GM revealed the innovative top half of the new engine, with its turbocharger nestled between the cylinder heads where the intake manifold normally would be. Now, GM is showing the bottom half of the engine. The innovations there are just as extensive. Mass death spiral Arvan is chief engineer for GM’s Duramax diesel engines. Freese, GM’s executive director of diesel engineering, said reducing the weight of the engine was one of the design team’s top goals. Another was to make the diesel indistinguishable from the gasoline engine it will replace. “If I add mass that I don’t need, I WE KNOW THE AUTO INDUSTRY need bigger mounts to mate the engine to the vehicle. Now I need bigger springs to suspend the truck. The brakes need to be bigger,” he said. “So a little increase in the powertrain means big increases in the rest of the vehicle. As I increase the mass to deal with it, now I have to go back to the powertrain and make sure the powertrain is sized big enough to move all that mass. It’s a death spiral.” Open up the bottom half of the Duramax 4.5 and you’ll see things GM has never done in the crankcase of a regular production engine. Start with the crank journals, the center section of the engine block that holds the crankshaft. They are cast into the block, but not in the usual way. GM used the same type of process, fracture splitting, for the main journal bearing caps that it uses on its connecting rods. The result is greater precision, higher strength and lower costs on two fronts. The process needs less of the expensive compact graphite iron material for the block and bearing caps. Machining costs drop because the engine uses two bolts per bearing cap, not four. It’s a novel design for a diesel engine. A diesel’s high compression ratio puts the crankshaft and bearings under tremendous stress and strain. Most diesels have heavily cast crankshaft bearing journals. GM’s may be the lightest ever, with open spaces where you’d normally see thick metal. Open air The design of the crankcase also led to better circulation of air between the banks of cylinders. Because the sides of the bearing journals are not cast into the wall of the cylinder block, air can circulate freely as the pistons move. That reduces what engineers call pumping losses that sap performance as the engine turns over. “One of the big issues for these modern diesels is the ability to handle the exchange of pressures through the crankcase itself,” Freese said. Because GM has not built a gasoline or diesel engine with a similar design, Freese declined to say how much weight or machining costs the new engine saves. But he said it was substantial and that some of the 4.5liter engine’s features likely would be used in future gasoline and diesel engines. The lower engine’s design helps meet two other design goals: Deliver at least a 25 percent fuel economy gain over a similar-sized gasoline engine, and meet the toughest emissions standards on the books. GM plans to build the engine tuned just one way, with one emissions system, and offer it in all 50 states. Some other unique features of the engine include: A hollow balance shaft with a geardriven center section that transfers internal noise to the rear of the engine near where the transmission is mounted. The noise is muffled by the heavy transmission housing. An aluminum cradle or upper oil pan that mounts between the engine block and the lower oil pan that stiffens the engine block. Said Freese: “We get a 30 percent stiffness improvement compared with any other benchmark design.” c HIGH EFFICIENCY. HIGH QUALITY. HIGH PERFORMANCE. The world’s leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers know what drives their business. They also know they can’t delay when it’s time to hit the road. That’s why they turn to Dykema — the law firm that’s been with them on every route they’ve traveled. When it comes to knowing the auto industry, Dykema is the only choice for high efficiency, high quality, high performance representation. A LAW FIRM FOR THE AUTO INDUSTRY UNLIKE ANY OTHER California I Illinois I Michigan I Texas I Washington, D.C. © 2008 Dykema Gossett PLLC Visit www.dykema.com to Download Our 2008 Auto Outlook Survey http://www.dykema.com http://www.dykema.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - October 20, 2008 Automotive News - October 20, 2008 Amazingly, vehicle inventories are low An upside of the big slide: Raw material prices dip â for now With GMAC out, banks trickle in Get your daily Automotive News - in video form, starting Nov. 3 Honda's Fukui favors fed loans, confirms V-8 To move the metal, Mike Kahn moves the store Hyundai airbag flaw tied to drink spills Texas promo: Buy a GM vehicle, get GM stock Chrysler's uphill road in China GM/Chrysler? Anything's possible GM/Chrysler deal? Companies' pension plans may need cash Acura dealers: A V-8 engine is on the way Buyers pursue former Heard stores Honda: We're still lending Gilles, Ligocki will speak at congress Fed list promotes high-mileage cars Party time: Saturn turns to grass-roots marketing Online inventory service aims to cut dealer costs Document fees must not become a dirty little secret Just put up a 'For Sale' sign Cash for clunkers? Scrap the idea Arbitration can work for everyone It's time we control our own destiny GM missed boat on Cheyenne, Volt Sept. truck sales fall 7.4% Microheat seeks Chapter 11 At Bosch, r&d spending remains strong GM's new diesel opens up, loses weight Urea must flow or new diesels won't go Hankook plans to bring fuel-saving tire to North America Odell: I can help Volvo tap more potential So far, BMW cruises above the credit crisis Jatco builds China plant to meet expanding CVT demand 10 appointed at American Axle Personnel Milestones Obituaries Supplier Personnel Biking buddies Ford targets fleets with parental control key European sales fall; VW group bucks the trend 11 innovators win honorable mention 25 finalists selected for 2009 PACE awards Suppliers to the 2009 BMW X6 GMAC's loan cutbacks cost GM thousands of auto sales Credit tops agenda for NADA chief 'Flash' draws modest cash at theaters Booth's new berth sparks CEO speculation at Ford Economy's skid sends ritzy toys to eBay Report: Mazda scraps plan for U.S. plant GM's quandary: Finding loans for the imperfect Taylor to Hummer - and then ... ? Tough times at Tesla Automotive News - October 20, 2008 Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - (Page Intro) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - With GMAC out, banks trickle in (Page 1) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - With GMAC out, banks trickle in (Page 2) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Texas promo: Buy a GM vehicle, get GM stock (Page 3) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Companies' pension plans may need cash (Page 4) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Companies' pension plans may need cash (Page 5) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Gilles, Ligocki will speak at congress (Page 6) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Gilles, Ligocki will speak at congress (Page 7) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Online inventory service aims to cut dealer costs (Page 8) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Online inventory service aims to cut dealer costs (Page 9) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Online inventory service aims to cut dealer costs (Page 10) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Online inventory service aims to cut dealer costs (Page 11) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Arbitration can work for everyone (Page 12) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Arbitration can work for everyone (Page 13) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - GM missed boat on Cheyenne, Volt (Page 14) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - GM missed boat on Cheyenne, Volt (Page 15) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Microheat seeks Chapter 11 (Page 16) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Microheat seeks Chapter 11 (Page 16A) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Microheat seeks Chapter 11 (Page 16B) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Microheat seeks Chapter 11 (Page 16C) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Microheat seeks Chapter 11 (Page 16D) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Microheat seeks Chapter 11 (Page 17) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Hankook plans to bring fuel-saving tire to North America (Page 18) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Hankook plans to bring fuel-saving tire to North America (Page 19) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Hankook plans to bring fuel-saving tire to North America (Page 20) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Hankook plans to bring fuel-saving tire to North America (Page 21) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Odell: I can help Volvo tap more potential (Page 22) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Odell: I can help Volvo tap more potential (Page 23) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - So far, BMW cruises above the credit crisis (Page 24) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - So far, BMW cruises above the credit crisis (Page 24A) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - So far, BMW cruises above the credit crisis (Page 24B) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - So far, BMW cruises above the credit crisis (Page 24C) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - So far, BMW cruises above the credit crisis (Page 24D) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - So far, BMW cruises above the credit crisis (Page 25) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 26) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Biking buddies (Page 27) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Biking buddies (Page 28) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Biking buddies (Page 29) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Biking buddies (Page 30) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Biking buddies (Page 31) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - European sales fall; VW group bucks the trend (Page 32) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - European sales fall; VW group bucks the trend (Page 33) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Suppliers to the 2009 BMW X6 (Page 34) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - GMAC's loan cutbacks cost GM thousands of auto sales (Page 35) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Credit tops agenda for NADA chief (Page 36) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Credit tops agenda for NADA chief (Page 37) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Tough times at Tesla (Page 38) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Tough times at Tesla (Page 39) Automotive News - October 20, 2008 - Tough times at Tesla (Page 40)
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