Probably the most fuel-efficient vehicles ever bought in The usa is the first-generation Honda Perception. When it introduced in December 1999, the Environmental Coverage Company slapped it with an implausible 70 mpg freeway score. Unfortunately, just a few other people in actual existence hit that lofty quantity, after which the EPA later revised its strategies, knocking the Perception right down to a nonetheless spectacular 61 mpg score. Because it seems, there’s an excellent bizarre strategy to get 70 mpg out of an Perception, and it’s through tearing out the hybrid device and putting in a adorable 20 HP diesel engine intended for a mini excavator.
This wild undertaking comes from the madman in the back of the Robotic Cantina YouTube channel. The charismatic host, who calls himself Jimbo, loves developing foolish issues only for the thrill of it. Jimbo is the mastermind in the back of such initiatives as creating a hybrid golfing cart, giving a Saturn ‘Cylinder Deactivation’ thru deleting its engine’s valvetrain, and powering a first-generation Honda Perception with a Harbor Freight Predator 212cc engine. For those who’re now not within the know, that’s an engine recurrently utilized in go-karts and minibike builds.
Jimbo is beautiful in advance when he says that those initiatives aren’t carried out for actual practicality. He doesn’t critically be expecting you to intestine your automobile to interchange its engine with a Predator mill. Jimbo additionally doesn’t be expecting you to do what he did within the video under, and fill your former hybrid automobile with a 20HP 719cc Kubota D722 diesel engine, which most often is going into mini excavators and different issues that aren’t vehicles.
We’ve been enthusiasts of Robotic Cantina for some time, and I’ve been periodically writing tales about Jimbo’s movies since 2021. His initiatives are simply that alluring!
Ahead of Jimbo starts explaining how he squeezed 70 mpg out of this factor, he talks about why he put Predator engines after which a Kubota engine in an Perception within the first position. As I famous above, even with the EPA’s corrected numbers, the Perception will get epic gasoline economic system. It took Toyota till 2015 to after all unseat the Perception because the mpg champion, or even then, the Prius most effective beat the Perception’s post-2008 revised gasoline economic system numbers.
To a few, the first-generation Perception stays the holy grail of hybrids. It used to be designed with a light-weight aluminum construction, used to be firstly provided with a guide transmission, and its drag coefficient of 0.25 made it essentially the most slippery automobile available on the market on the time. The unique Perception is even DIY-friendly, and one thing I really like is that because of Honda’s design of the hybrid device, the auto can nonetheless get started and pressure even after a battery failure. It’s no marvel that there’s no scarcity of Insights with neatly over 300,000 miles.
Jimbo recognizes all of that as true. Then again, he selected the Honda Perception since the similar characteristics that make it an ideal hybrid additionally make it an ideal platform for silly engine swaps. The low weight and slippery aero are nice if you happen to’re seeking to are compatible a lawnmower engine right into a automobile and feature any form of expectation of hitting the rate restrict. Amazingly, Jimbo came upon {that a} inventory Predator 212 is just right for 39 mph in an Perception.
In earlier episodes, Jimbo labored thru a host of experiments involving the three-cylinder Kubota D722 engine. This is a fascinating little powerplant. It comes from Kubota’s Tremendous Mini engine circle of relatives, which introduced in 1983. Kubota says it used to be the arena’s smallest multi-cylinder diesel engine sequence with a 62.2mm stroke and round 200cc in keeping with cylinder, relying on configuration.
In the beginning, the engine used to be bolted right into a Saturn, however that automobile used to be so wiped out that it needed to be scrapped sooner than the undertaking used to be completed. Then, Jimbo attempted to suit a Volkswagen 1.6-liter diesel into the Perception shell, however discovered that the engine used to be so large that it used to be a good are compatible.
Jimbo says that becoming the Kubota into the Perception used to be a hard activity.
The large hurdle used to be with the transmission, because the Perception’s guide transmission ratios had been incompatible with the low-power diesel. However that’s the place the sooner tried Saturn switch is available in, since the Saturn MP3 five-speed close-ratio guide transmission is a great are compatible for the diesel. Mounting the engine and transmission wasn’t onerous, both, as Jimbo simply made customized mounts that bolted into the Perception’s current construction with out amendment. Click on right here to observe the ones movies.
Ultimate summer season, Jimbo added an AMR500 supercharger to the Kubota, and he focused an output of 30 HP to 35 HP. That used to be just right for a 55 mph dash in about 20 seconds. Audience were begging Jimbo to head with a turbo, so this 12 months, he tossed the AMR500 out and changed it with an RHB31 turbocharger. This turbo slowed the auto down and made it take round 10 seconds longer to succeed in 55 mph.
Jimbo is correcting a few of the ones faults on this video. First, there’s a free bolt that must be tightened. He should also repair a pinhole in his welding paintings, either one of which seemed to purpose an enormous spice up leak. Some welding and a few sanding mounted the holes constructed from the unique welding task.
Subsequent, Jimbo notes that the engine used to be getting manner an excessive amount of gasoline all over the preliminary turbo checking out. That is dangerous, and now not simply on account of the black, grimy smoke. Exhaust fuel temperatures (EGT) had been dangerously prime. In excessive circumstances, tremendous prime EGT values can result in melted pistons or perhaps a catastrophic engine failure, adopted through an immediate unscheduled roadside disassembly. Solving this at the Kubota used to be as simple as adjusting the gasoline rack limiter screw.
With that out of the best way, Jimbo takes the auto out onto the street. I used to be just a little inspired that this little engine used to be tough sufficient to permit the Perception to take care of 64 mph on degree flooring. Jimbo famous that EGTs had been about 750 levels all over this, which used to be secure for the engine.
Subsequent, Jimbo settles right into a cruise of 55 mph for the mpg run. The automobile’s doing nice on this atmosphere with EGTs right down to about 560 levels. Unfortunately, the turbo isn’t doing so scorching right here because it’s hanging out most effective 2.5 PSI. Worse, Jimbo notes, is that 5th equipment is so tall within the Saturn MP3 transmission that the engine loses all spice up and has to spend a host of time rebuilding it.
In spite of this, Jimbo completes his mileage check. To measure gasoline economic system, he measured the load of the diesel initially of the run and on the finish of the run. The Perception carried about 12.8 kilograms (about 28.2 kilos) of diesel firstly of the run. As soon as Jimbo were given house, he measured once more, discovering that the auto burned thru kind of 2.8 pounds (6.1 kilos) of diesel.
Ahead of revealing the overall ranking, Jimbo then hopped right into a inventory Honda Perception and took that on a 60-mile loop of rural Kansas. All the way through the pressure, he notes that his automobile’s hybrid battery is dangerous, so it’s now not appearing in addition to it will. Nonetheless, after 60 miles of riding the rate restrict, the auto returned to house base with a ranking of 62.7 mpg.
The diesel returned an ideal 70.1 mpg. For reference, my 2006 Good Fortwo diesel gets 70 mpg all day. Amusingly, the 800cc three-cylinder turbodiesel in my Good is most effective relatively better than the Kubota engine and makes most effective 40 HP. So this turbodiesel Perception isn’t a long way off!
But, as Jimbo notes, the present turbo is so inefficient at its task that the supercharger did higher, scoring 78.6 mpg with a long way higher efficiency. Jimbo says he’s now not carried out but, as he’s these days having a look into the use of a snail from a Good Fortwo diesel or one from a Volkswagen Lupo TDI. So, possibly there’s nonetheless a possibility for a greater turbo to overcome the supercharger.
Once more, none of that is in reality all that sensible. It’s all within the title of a laugh, and I dig it. Everybody’s into K20 swaps and lithium conversions, but right here’s Jimbo over right here slinging the dumbest, but reputedly most exciting swaps at the Web. Click on right here to observe extra of Jimbo’s insanity.
H/T to the Force!
