THE BUICK INVENTION FROM 120 YEARS AGO THAT CHANGED ENGINE-MAKING FOREVER
Some automakers are famous for specific cars, others for innovating when the world seemed stuck in the mud. Some, like Volvo, are famous for safety, but some fly under the radar, their greatest achievements taken for granted. Buick falls under the latter category, and the achievement we're talking about is one you've almost certainly experienced. That's because Buick, while known nowadays for premium but slightly forgettable cars like the Envision, was responsible for an engine design innovation that proliferated the automotive world and is still around today, albeit only in limited numbers. The innovation was the overhead valve (OHV) engine.
This Was The Last Buick To Offer A V8
Once a champion of the V8, Buick phased out all of its eight-pots after 2010, except for one.
You probably don't give much thought to the valvetrain of your car; so long as it works, you don't even know it exists, but it's vital in allowing your engine to ingest fresh air and fuel and then expel it from the combustion chamber. But overhead valves had a big impact on the automobile, unlocking more power and efficiency, so why does no one remember Buick's role in its creation?
Buick
Started back in 1899 by David Dunbar Buick, Buick was one of the first American car brands and is credited with the establishment of General Motors in the early 1900s. It's one of oldest surviving American carmakers, and now sells luxury SUVs. It's considered to be less premium (and less expensive) than Cadillac, but slightly more opulent than Chevrolet.
The Dawn Of OHV Engines Predate World War I
Quick Facts About Buick's OHV Engine
- First patented in late 1904
- Buick's Model B debuted the technology on a mass-market scale
- Work on Buick's OHV design began around 1899
- The concept is still employed today, 120 years later
When Buick filed for its 1904 patent solidifying its use of the overhead valve design, the internal combustion engine was already nearing 30 years old. In 1876, the first internal combustion engine, the Otto engine, was created. The Otto engine used side-mounted valves because, at that time, rudimentary engines were modeled after steam engines, whose valves were also side-mounted units employing a slide-actuated valve.
In 1899, a prominent bicycle manufacturer by the name of Walter Lorenzo Marr built the first overhead valvetrain for use in a new type of motorized tricycle. Seeing promise in this design, Buick, then known as the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company, hired Marr and used his expertise in building their revolutionary, OHV engine. Work on the new motor began in 1899.
Marr left the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company in 1902 and went on to build his own car called the Marr Auto Car. However, he returned to Buick in 1904 after his Marr Auto Car factory burned down. Following his return, Marr became integral in securing a patent for Buick's overhead valve engine that same year. But he was never credited as the Buick inventor, with that honor going to Eugene C Richard - credited with 262 patents. In late 1904, Buick released its first mass-production model, the Model B, which used a twin-cylinder OHV engine.
Buick's Model B proved to be an instant hit, with over 750 examples sold in 1905, and the OHV cylinder head design was seen as advantageous to other companies involved in engine production at the time. In 1906, the Wright Brothers, who famously hold the record for the first powered flight in the world, began manufacturing a four-cylinder OHV engine. Chevrolet followed suit and began producing OHV engines in 1911. Since 1904, virtually every Buick produced has been powered by an OHV engine.
This Is How OHV Engines Work
Unlike the first internal combustion engines which used steam engine-like slide-actuated valves mounted on the side of the cylinder head, OHV engines mount the valves directly atop the combustion chamber. The difference between OHV engines and overhead cam (OHC) engines, however, is in the placement of the camshaft, where OHC engines place the cam on top of the engine while OHV engines place the camshaft underneath the cylinder head, in the engine block.
The camshaft has several lobes; as it rotates, each lobe comes into contact with a lifter, which features a slightly curved surface, or a surface containing a small, metal roller. The lifter then pushes on a pushrod - which usually resembles a short metallic stick with either a flat or rounded surface - and the pushrod contacts with the rocker sitting atop the actual valve, opening and closing the valve as it goes. Once the valve has opened, it allows a pre-measured air/fuel mixture into the engine in the case of intake valve, or exhaust gases out of the combustion chamber.
There are several advantages to an OHV engine. For starters, the nature of the OHV design lends itself to a smaller, more compact engine. This means less weight and better vehicle performance. OHV configurations are also simpler in design, making for easier repairs. Lubrication is also easier in an OHV engine as opposed to an overhead camshaft engine, as the OHV's camshaft is mounted within the block rather than above the valves on top of the cylinder head. This means less oil is required on top of the engine. The OHV engine was also able to make more power at a smaller size than the side-mounted valvetrain engines of the time.
One Of The Most Famous Buick OHV Engines
Buick has employed the OHV engine configuration in virtually every car it's manufactured since its 1904 debut until the early 1980s when it switched to OHC engines in most products. While Buick has produced several noteworthy OHV engines, like the original Buick Fireball high-compression V8 and the powerful Buick 455-CID V8, the Buick 3800 series of 3.8-liter V6 engines takes the cake. The 3800 is one of the automotive world's most reliable and celebrated engines ever produced, and was used in some fashion for over 30 years.
The Buick 3800's claim to automotive fame is thanks to a few key points. For one, the 3800 V6 is extremely reliable. Loads of verified and anecdotal evidence exist about the engine's ability to reliably go for over 200,000 miles, with some owners claiming 300,000 and even 400,000 miles on a stock 3800 engine. The mill is also incredibly well-balanced, making for a very smooth operation. Not to mention, it's also relatively fuel-efficient. The 3800 was also chosen to be part of Ward's 10 Best Engines of the 20th Century list.
Buick's Inventive Nature Extended Outside Automobiles
Buick's namesake is derived from the man pictured above, David Dunbar Buick. While his name was immortalized by the Buick Motor Company, his origins lie elsewhere. Born in Scotland, he came to the US at the age of two with his family and settled in Detroit, Michigan. Early in life, Buick showed promise in innovation. He invented a new type of cast iron enameling process for bathtubs and sinks, along with a lawn sprinkler system and a toilet flushing device.
While Mr. Buick's fortune took a turn for the worse later on in his life after being let go from the company he founded, his legacy lives on over a century later. Not only has his name been immortalized on every Buick vehicle sold, the overhead valve engine is still used on a sizable scale throughout the world today. This means that, potentially, Mr. Buick is one of the most important figures in automotive history to date.
2024-12-09T14:13:53ZSources: BuickHeritageAlliance.com