Piston Slap: 'Revving Up Our Engines' for Earth Dreams?

TTAC regular David Holzman writes:

Sajeev,

My best friend has a 2019 Honda Accord with gas direct injection. Recently, Scotty Kilmer raised questions about the potential longevity — or rather potential lack thereof — of that engine.

I would expect Honda to have done a good job in designing that engine, but my friend is worried. Can you shed any additional light on this?

Sajeev answers:

It’s too early to condemn your friend’s Accord (with the base, oil diluted 1.5L Turbo) and we’ve previously touched on the nightmare reality of Honda’s Earth Dreams. While I’m not the biggest fan of my fellow Houstonian’s YouTube channel, he often digs into the details to find the heart of the problem.

And he did it again, hooray! Just have your friend change the oil regularly (possibly more often than prescribed) and everything should be tolerable for many years to come.

Since we got all “revved up” on a Scotty Kilmer joint, allow me to indulge in my long-overlooked pastime…

Bonus! A Piston Slap Nugget of Wisdom:

We’re dealing with a fantastic cocktail of low tension piston rings, engines with high compression ratios, forced induction’s impact on crankcase ventilation, and sometimes poor maintenance habits. It’s a lot to juggle.

The intention was noble: improve fuel economy without affecting performance (or triggering engine displacement taxes in China). And sometimes performance improves… to the point fuel economy suffers because of a driver’s excitable right foot. Irony!

As countless manufacturers’ headaches prove, this cocktail is a flawed implementation for an unrealistic a lofty goal: make cars/CUVs/trucks bigger, safer, more tech-savvy without losing fuel economy. Considering the public acceptance of an utterly simple electric vehicle (if Tesla makes it), perhaps a future downfall of the ever-compromised internal combustion engine is a two-player zero sum game?

Why would everyone want all this nonsense bolted up to a CVT-infused Honda when Tesla makes the minimalist Model 3? Of course a base Tesla is 15-ish grand more than a base Accord…

Too bad we can’t integrate the best of today’s technology portfolio with a 2.5-liter (naturally aspirated) four-banger (or an optional V6) with normal automatic transmissions, lower/more aerodynamic/lighter bodies from yesteryear’s showrooms and make a more durable, more perfect vehicle.

This is our new reality. Something’s gotta give, it’s gonna be fun to watch this unfold.

[Image: Honda]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.