[DML] Re: Engines?

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Fri, 20 Aug 1999 mishka1@xxxx wrote:

> I mean wow! Well my joy was short lived when I found out that they
> were a huge flop in regards to reliability, performance and endurance. 
> One person I talked to said that the "lubricating system was inadeuate
> and therefore allowed the engine to 'eat' camshafts." is this true? 

No, it isn't.

The Delorean's PRV-6 (or B28F as Volvo calls it) is a bit flat in the
performance department - it only makes 130HP stock. However, it is an
extremely reliable and efficient engine. The engine does *not* eat
camshafts. There was a PRV-6 variant, the B27F, which was the predecessor
to the B28F used in the DeLorean. It is much less reliable and may be
where the confusion comes from.

The PRV will last forever - some of them have over 200,000 miles on them -
if it is well maintained. The secret to long PRV life is to change the
oil regularly and not overheat it.

> say it aint so... and if this is (dare I say it!) TRUE, what can be
> done to ammend the situation. Have thiongs like engine revamps gone
> on, or engine replacement?

Yes, engine swaps are popular, but typically just to improve performance,
or because something very bad (fire, etc.) happened to the original one.

> Plus does anyone know of a dual turbo D? and where I can get specs for
> ALL Deloreans regarding engine performance... 

The stock DeLorean has a 130HP 2.85L PRV. Apparently (there was just a
message about this yesterday) Steve Wynne at DMC-Houston has some
modifications, including a performance camshaft, that reportedly raises
the HP output to around 180HP, naturally aspirated. There is also a
bolt-on twin turbo kit (sold by Turbo Manifold, whose contact information
I don't have) which raises output to approximately the same level with no
internal engine modifications. I suppose if you combined the two you
could get over 200HP.

As far as frame rust - yes, it's a problem, but it is frequently not a
terminal problem. I haven't heard of trying to clean the frame or
otherwise maintain it to prevent rust, possibly because so many of the
rust prone areas are impossible to get to. Fortunately there are
replacement factory frames (complete with epoxy) available, and there is
also a stainless steel frame available from www.pearce-design.com.