Ecomodding and stuff: VAZ-2111 " the UnArmored Personnel Carrier
 

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Hello there! This is the more proper thread to the "UAPC", where i post stuff that somehow involves my car. :D

On sunday, i had to tow my friend's '87 Celica home, it fails to run properly for some reason. Shes looking for a more useful daily, and giving the Celica a rest/inspiration.

Did i mention that UAPC only has 13K miles on it's odometer :D It has only 2 service markings in the servicebook.

My buddy theorized that a older person bought it new, but passed on later and due to Lada/Vaz's bad reputation in finland caused it to just sit somewhere until someone sold/gave it to the car dealer, who auctioned the car.

It has no "bad notes" in it's Vehicle Inspection sheet, and the next inspection is In June, so there's a lot of car i bought for €270 :D

I am buying new ignition leads today, and I am going to plan a better way to attach my toolbox into the trunk. It isn't attached with anything but one old ski strap, stapled to the trunk floor :lol:

(it's 1 AM just now here lol, sleep time)

Are you considering to do any mechanical mod to it?

Changed the spark plug wires, and adjusted the throttle cable.

I drove it today on some very bad trails, this car is a lot more happy for terrain than it appears.

I am looking into a warm air intake (it has a knock sensor :o)

And some rear skirts

Just calculated the mileage: 38 US MPG @ mixed driving, only mod is raised tire pressure.
Fuel used is 95E10(gas that is about 90U.S octanes, with 10% ethanol)

and I run 10w-40 in my engine. Gearbox uses GL-5 certified mineral oil.
And the oils are made by a cheap swedish brand and bought from a hardware store :D

Not bad Fingie. Nice job.

The car weighs a ton, and the only thing i do to drive economically is using engine braking :D

We'll see how low it becomes with a vacuum gauge and engine kill switch

Kinda predictable, considering that it's basically a Russian Fiat :D

:D

Not sure if you have ever seen a Fiat Palio or a Fiat Strada there in Finland, though they were once available in Western Europe, but despite their availability only in FWD they're widely used for maintenance services even in the countryside where unpaved roads are frequent. And at least until 2004 there were some versions available with a dedicated-ethanol MPFI engine which looked similar to yours.

Could be that FIAT bought the rights to the engine. And the closest thing to Palio is the Punto :D

Strada hasn't been sold her either.

I considered a Panda before i saw the UAPC on sale :)

Older Lada engines were actually developed by Fiat.


The only Palio bodystyle available in Western Europe was the station-wagon (Palio Weekend), and it was usually a little cheaper than the Punto at the time it was offered there.


I probably would do the same. I guess you eventually can have more fun with the Lada :thumbup:

The engine in RWD-era ladas is indeed design by Fiat, but for some reason they abandoned the design and opted for a OHV engine (dunno lol) in their 124. Some soures state that FIAT had intended it to use all-iron top and block, thus requiring leaded gasoline but lada changed it to aluminium, as "progress" was a ideology when they redesigned the Fiat 124 to be Vaz-2101

The belt-synchronized SOHC layout is a later development of the OHV used in the 124, and after seeing some cases of belt rupture in Brazilian Fiat engines I actually don't think it was a bad move from Fiat to keep the OHV setup in the 124.


Rear brake drums of the Vaz-2101 were also made out of aluminium but IIRC it didn't have nothing to do with ideology, as Russia just has some enormous bauxite reserves. Regarding all-iron block and head, it's supposed to increase the heat retention on the engine, which is actually not that bad at all as it achieves the optimum operational temperature quicker. No wonder Ford uses an iron block for its 1.0L EcoBoost instead of the aluminium block used in bigger EcoBoost versions.

I meant, that FIAT had first intended to use the OHC design with a engine top made from cast-iron and thus requiring leaded gas. Lada's do not need leaded gas, as they had a agenda of making a practical people's car

Changed a burned-out lamp today. And I think the alternator regulator is breaking, the lights are flickering at idle.

What's its alternator output?

I haven't measured it yet, but i'll let you know.

The flickering was tracked to be a bit corroded Ground.

I bought a bluetooth-based OBD reader named Drive Looper. It shows various data from the car's own system, focusing on mileage :D

For example, I drove 55Mph behind a semi, on a even road and the app showed a consumption of 59 US MPG! :O

Proof for my statement is that the average consumption showed on the app is about the same (+-0,25litres) i calculated using GPS-based kms instead of the car's own trip meter.

Bu it might be baloney what the temporary consumption is, the average MPG i get is 45.
Not bad for a russian car with a 30-years old engine design :3

Are you sure its engine design is only 30-years old?

"On 31 December 1979 the first VAZ 2108 prototype was completed"
First production models rolled off the line 1984

In 1976 the Brazilian Fiat 147, a local variant of the 127, was introduced with an engine very similar to the one used in your car. It's almost 40 years just from its introduction in Brazil, though it had already been previously used in some European models. BTW what really surprises me is that Lada didn't use an OHV engine instead.

The original Zhiguli (Lada 1200) was at it's time designed to be as modern as possible.

It was basically a Soviet copy of a previous Fiat project, so it was not "modern" at all when it was released. Anyway, not sure if it's the case with the Lada version, but it's not unusual for Brazilian Fiats powered by a similar engine to have timing belt failures. I remember once in '95 the Fiat Uno that then belonged to my parents had a timing belt failure...

Fiat uno uses the "FIRE" engine, a engine designed purely in italy. The belts have lasted quite well here in europe, maybe it's the climate that breaks them?

Apart from the e.Torq engine used in newer Brazilian Fiats, that was actually developed by Chrysler in a joint-venture with BMW, every other Fiat engine is entirely designed in Italy.


Once it was mentioned that the iron ore in the Minas Gerais soil had something to do with that, but when the Fiasa engine was replaced locally with the Fire it didn't have the same issue. Fact is that the Fiasa engine had its belt tensioner inverted.

I talked about the FIRE developed in 1980's by rodolfo Bonetto.

The newer Multiair-FIRE indeed is developed by chrysler.

Through a joint venture formed in 1997, Chrysler and Rover (owned for a time by BMW) designed a new family of 1.4-and 1.6-litre powerplants, built in Brazil.

This agreement followed a rumored decision by BMW, changed at the last moment, to buy 2.0 liter Neon engines (which ended prospects for the 320 as a 318 replacement). The joint venture (Tritec Motors) was purchased by Fiat in March 2008.

According to one of the engineers, the Mini engine was "100% Chrysler designed," and was similar to the export PT and Neon engines — a Neon 2.0 single-cam with reduced bore size and centers.

The 1.6 liter had about 115 hp (86 kW) at 5,600 rpm and 113 lb-ft (153 Nm) at 4,400 rpm, and was used in the BMW (formerly Austin) Mini — hence Rover’s involvement before being acquired by BMW.

The peak torque, 154 Nm at 4 800 r/min, is the highest of any naturally aspirated 1.6-litre engine available in Europe or the US today.

Winter is coming, and i should block the front of my car already. (both to block cold air and for ecomodding)

winter speed limits are in effect next week.

4000 miles, and i'll have to change the oil filter.

:turtle:

In finland, when the winter season kicks in speed limit is lowered to 50 miles/ hour on regular roads, and on highways it's 60 instead.

I wonder if other countries have a "winter limit"?

The MultiAir is basically just an upgrade on the good old FIRE. The Chrysler-designed engine is known here as E.Torq, and is not related to the FIRE.

Wasn't the Neon engne a Mitsu engine?

And Fingie, your English is fine; much better than some "native" speakers around here!

:D

Changed to studded winter tires last thursday.
10 years old rethreads, they vibrate quite a lot :/
increases radio volume

Not the earlier ones. Maybe the later ones were fitted with some version of the GEMA/World/Tigershark engine co-developed by Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai.

Meanwhile, i have done some mods. I've replaced the original airbox with a cone filter, and blocked the upper grile with duct tape. It pulls warmer air into the engine now, and the engine warms up better now when airflow to the engine bay is restricted. (its 2degrees celsius outside, so i think the engine bay isn't too hot either)
Hwy Mpg increased to 48 if i drive 80km/h o.O

UAPC have had some troubles now, i have to turn the ignition on twice (so the fuel pump winds up twice) in order to start the car.

If i start cranking the engine at the first key turn, it sputters and then won't start.
The quick diagnosis is that my car loses fuel line pressure when it's sitting. There is no problem if the car has been running recently. Mpg is not affected.
Any ideas people?

Take a look at the fuel pump and filter.

I have a 2001 Chevy 1 ton dually that does that. That is, I have to do the ignition key two or three times to get gas up to the engine. I suspect that there is a check valve somewhere that is not working. Probably at the fuel pump.