Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Shackeng on 11 May 2013, 16:25:31

Title: LC cams
Post by: Shackeng on 11 May 2013, 16:25:31
Some of you may be interested. Chatting to a friend this morning who has an engineering company that made camshafts for Lotus who put them in the LC engine.
Not a lot of people know that, but now you do. ::)
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: doz on 11 May 2013, 18:51:56
Lotus Carlton cams are standard 3.0lt 24valve jobbies. So I fear your friend is mis-informed
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: Shackeng on 11 May 2013, 22:19:11
Lotus Carlton cams are standard 3.0lt 24valve jobbies. So I fear your friend is mis-informed

I'll check with him tomorrow, he mentioned 2 stage cams???
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: doz on 11 May 2013, 22:22:24
maybe an after market kit but LC's don't use any different valve train bits than the gsi except for exhaust valves which were same in size but apparently filled with sodium.
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: Shackeng on 12 May 2013, 09:03:48
maybe an after market kit but LC's don't use any different valve train bits than the gsi except for exhaust valves which were same in size but apparently filled with sodium.

He definitely supplied Lotus with the camshafts, and thought they went into LC's. He owns a specialist engineering co. and supplies many companies with parts, so he may have got the application wrong, I'll ask him today again. :y
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: Shackeng on 12 May 2013, 11:13:47
Update. It was about 1990, Lotus were importing Opel cars (Lotus Omegas?) and were supplying engines for other uses. He supplied camshafts that had different profiles which were moved longitudinally hydraulically at higher engine speeds to give a different profile. He does not think that they tried them in the Carlton engine, (despite his musings yesterday) and thinks they were for experimental use anyway, as they only produced a small batch.

Has any heard of any engine in production that used such a design?
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: dbug on 12 May 2013, 20:41:07
Think I'll go with Doz's explanation :y :y
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: swordfish on 12 May 2013, 20:44:19
the standard gsi 24v also has sodium filled valves  :y
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: symes on 12 May 2013, 21:57:26
so lotus carlton was 3,6 twin turbo and used same cams as 3.0 normal aspiration then ?
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: doz on 12 May 2013, 22:03:52
Yep that's the gist of it. In fact the only change to head was some machining to lower the compression ratio. Otherwise that's the same to.
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: symes on 12 May 2013, 22:26:09
so did lotus bore out 3.0? I know chevy stovebolt is about 4 litres so surprised they didnt use that block as basis or v8 for that matter-either way LC was awesome then and now :y
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: doz on 12 May 2013, 22:38:05
No boring, stroked to 3.6.
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: 05omegav6 on 12 May 2013, 23:01:28
Which begs the question as to what Irmscher did to make the 4.0 24v lump :-\
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: doz on 12 May 2013, 23:09:03
stroked it even more!!!! Had to notch the block to allow for the throw on the crank
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: 2woody on 13 May 2013, 22:43:18
Update. It was about 1990, Lotus were importing Opel cars (Lotus Omegas?) and were supplying engines for other uses. He supplied camshafts that had different profiles which were moved longitudinally hydraulically at higher engine speeds to give a different profile. He does not think that they tried them in the Carlton engine, (despite his musings yesterday) and thinks they were for experimental use anyway, as they only produced a small batch.

Has any heard of any engine in production that used such a design?

you've just described the Rover VVC system quite well. Its just one form of variable valve timing
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: 2woody on 13 May 2013, 22:43:45
The Irmscher 4.0 was bore + stroke
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: doz on 13 May 2013, 23:35:56
You may be wrong there. There isn't a lot of meat to be boring them which is why they are always stroked
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: 2woody on 14 May 2013, 22:21:52
98mm vs. 95mm  8)
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: doz on 14 May 2013, 22:42:52
Oh god now I'm gonna have to go down to the back of the workshop and measure my old block I'm positive both 3.0lt and 4.0 lt 24 valves were 98. 3.6 Irmscher 12 valve was 96. Do you know how dangerous my workshop is? There's all sorts of strange and wonderful life forms down there

Where you getting your info from?
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: doz on 14 May 2013, 23:09:51
Well I stand corrected. As they say everyday is a school day. 98 versus 95. I've got a spare 3.0litre engine I rebuilt almost 20 years ago. Back then pistons were mega expensive. The engine had covered 208 k miles. The machinist managed to find some pistons which were half the price however they were bigger dia. I ended up with a lump just under 3.1 and I had a ported head done for it. Covered around 4 k miles before I had to scrap the car. I kept the engine and it's sat in the workshop all covered up with the pots and engine filled to the brim with oil. Must get it fitted to the gsi. It went like the hairy clappers.
Title: Re: LC cams
Post by: 2woody on 16 May 2013, 09:45:24
Oh god now I'm gonna have to go down to the back of the workshop and measure my old block I'm positive both 3.0lt and 4.0 lt 24 valves were 98. 3.6 Irmscher 12 valve was 96. Do you know how dangerous my workshop is? There's all sorts of strange and wonderful life forms down there

Where you getting your info from?

I have some old Opel information.

it seems they did play "musical bore sizes", especially if you include 12v and the likes of Mantzel, etc.

But as the question referred only to the Irmscher 4.0, I'm confident that the answer is 98mm ( in addition to the long-throw crank )