24 Valvole + LS/Q differences

[Karl Robrock <robrock@domain.elided>]

The following brief article by Stuart Birch, European Editor, was
published in the August 1993 edition of Automotive Engineering.

Alfa Romeo has long been renowned for producing outstandingly good
engines, often incorporating fine technology. Now the company has updated
its successful 164 saloon, spending half the money allotted to the project
on giving the car's already excellent short-stroke , 3.0-L V6 engine four
valves per cylinder. Alessandro Piccone, chief engineer, said switching to
multiple valves meant, in essence, a complete engine redesign which
required some 50 bn Lire (close to $40 million). In multivalve form, the
164 becomes the Super and gets a Bosch Motronic M1.7 management system.
Power is upped from 135 to 157 kW, with a more powerful Cloverleaf
available with 172 kW. The Cloverleaf has greater-diameter inlet tracts
and a reshaped exhaust system to improve gas flow. Alfa says the switch to
four-valve technology was to increase power output and torque levels
without compromising refinement.

The cylinder heads were redesigned to accomodate the four valves in each
hemisperical combustion chamber. The engine has hydraulic tappets operated
by four belt-driven overhead camshafts. Sparkplugs are centrally located
in the combustion chamber roofs and use individual ignition coils. There
is a separate crankcase-mounted sensor on each cylinder bank to control
ignition timing. The piston crowns are cooled by oil jets on their
undersides. Alfa has adopted a 120-A alternator with dual internal
ventilation. Emission control includes a double three-way catalytic
converter of large, 3.2-L volume with Lambda probe. The 164 Super requires
no scheduled engine maintenance for the first 100,000 km other than
periodic oil changes. Spark plugs are double-platinum-electrode NGKs and
have been designed to have a 100,000 km life.




Karl
'91 164L
'95 164Q
htp://alfalover.dhs.org

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