build review L4 Engine - Teching - vie EngineDIY (Build Review)

[James H]

L4 Engine - Teching - vie EngineDIY (Build Review)

Available from EngineDIY for $499.99

 

 

An L4 (straight-four engine, also referred to as an inline-four engine) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout, with the exceptions of the flat-four engines produced by Subaru and Porsche. Here, the layout is also very common in motorcycles and other machinery. Therefore the term "four-cylinder engine" is usually synonymous with straight-four engines. When a straight-four engine is installed at an inclined angle (instead of with the cylinders oriented vertically), it is sometimes called a slant-four.

A four-stroke straight-four engine always has a cylinder on its power stroke, unlike engines with fewer cylinders where there is no power stroke occurring at certain times. Compared with a V4 engine or a flat-four engine, a straight-four engine only has one cylinder head, which reduces complexity and production cost. 

Abridged from Wikipedia.

 

The kit

This is another heavy kit, this time packed into an almost bomb-proof high density card box that even Apple would be proud of. The lid comes off real slow to allow for the air to get in there! The packaging is very attractive, with all panels adorned with photos and data. EngineDIY also say this of the kit:

 

• Product name: Inline four-cylinder engine model
• Material: aluminium alloy + stainless steel
• colour: blue
• Coloring process: anodizing
• Number of parts: 364+PCS
• Finished product size: 158.5*117*182mm
• Finished product weight: 1747g
• External power supply: DC 5V (USB cable charging)
• Lithium battery capacity: 500mAh
• Charging time: 2h
• Battery life: 30+min (when fully charged)
• Assembly time: 4h
• Skill level 4/5

 

 

 

There are THREE parts trays in this kit, with all parts being snugly held in a laser slot, with the part number engraved adjacent to the part. It's nigh on impossible not to be able to find a part quickly. It also needs to be known that all of the nuts, bolts, washers, and a number of other specific kit parts such as piston caps, springs, bearings, etc. are to be located in one of TWO compartmented tubs. These have part numbers on the lid of each compartment, making it a breeze to find what you need. Some tools are also included, but I decided to use my Wera tool set mostly. One bolt requires a modified (cut down) hex key, and this is included in the kit.

 

 

A 72-page colour manual is included. This details the build in coloured illustration, along with text regarding the engine itself, and a complete parts chart.

 

More very soon...

 

 

 

[James H]

The build starts with building the four pistons. These are quite simple and consist of the pushrod and piston heads, held in place with a steel pin and two circlips. These are also lubricated with a little light oil before assembly.

 

 

The pistons are then connected to the crankshaft.

 

This assembly is now fitted to the crankcase. At this point, I hadn't noticed that I'd put the crankshaft in the wrong way around, so you'll see it like this for a few shots. In fairness to me, the images in this manual do look a little muddy in places, and I there are some errors too with images being mirrored or numbered incorrectly. Having said that, the model is generally easy to build as the parts look quite distinct. Here you also see the sump, with the display feet fitted. 

Unlike the V8 I built, this model has sound, with the speaker in the sump. This is also where the battery hides out.

 

 

The exhaust system is now built up out of multiple parts that need to orientate correctly.

 

 

The electric motor is then fitted into its forward housing, along with its gear and fence. Once complete, the rear shell is then fitted, enclosing the electric motor.

It's now the turn of the water pump to be built. While this does have bearings and rotates, it's only representative here and will not be used to pump water!

A belt pulley is now built up, using more bearings.

 

 

This engine pulley is a little more complex, but is so engineered that it rotates very smoothly, and will of course be used to assist in the operation of this engine.

 

The air filter is merely decorative, but as this engine has one, it needs to be fitted. 

 

And this little unit contains a potentiometer. When installed, this will have the effect of increasing and decreasing the engine's revs, and therefore its speed. This needs to be set up in a specific way so that it operates from a neutral position.

 

 

The crankcase can now be bolted to the sump. It's here that you will need that modified hex key. 

 

......more soon.

[James H]

At this point in the build, the cylinder head is to be built. First, I add the four spark plugs, seen here in silver.

 

 

 

Now, the pistons are fitted, with some light oil as lubrication. The manual tells you when this is to be added. You'll need to source your own lube, at least if you live in the UK, as it's omitted from the kits I've built.

 

The cylinder head case is now fitted, and the whole assembly bolted to the crankcase.

 

 

Of course, this engine will need two camshafts, and here they are, bolted in position and lubricated. When secure, the valve cover is installed. 

 

 

The control box is now bolted to the crankcase and the electric motor also fitted. The cables from this and the circuit are now routed into the control box.

 

The belt pulleys are now fitted. 

 

Setting up the engine timing is a breeze. These two gears need to be set as thus, with the two pips aligning. The lower gear just needs to have a pip aligned with a mark on the crankcase. With that satisfied, the drive chain is now added, along with the track and tensioner. I found the midway point to be good for setting up the chain tensioner, so the belt and everything moved freely.

 

Now the fan belt.

 

Followed by the crankshaft pulley and the accelerator potentiometer. The engine is now completed!

 

The conclusion and video will follow over the weekend...