Okay, guys: what about this engine?
Inside The Banks VM Motori 3.0L 630T V6 Diesel Engine - Diesel Power Magazine
Inside The VM Motori 3.0L V6 Diesel Engine
Text By David Kennedy, Photography by David Kennedy
Diesel Power, August, 2012
VM Motori’s 3.0L diesel is manufactured in Cento, Italy and is available in various power outputs from 190 to 268 hp. The engine was
originally developed for passenger car use, which means it offers a much broader power curve than the medium-duty truck engines we’re used to. Fiat (Chrysler’s parent company) owns a 50 percent stake in VM Motori: General Motors owns the other 50 percent. So (they) should be able to
keep the costs of this high-tech engine down to a level we can all afford. (Furthermore,) the Banks Powertrain division of Gale Banks Engineering is developing this VM Motori engine
for use in extreme applications by our military. Banks calls this engine the 630T.
Overall, the Banks 630T version of this engine is a
very tightly packaged powerplant that is more power dense than any diesels we usually work with, and that means two things:
It’ll make a great swap for vehicles that can’t fit a large truck engine, and
whatever this engine goes in it’s sure to be a rocket ship.
The 3.0L’s oil pan is a piece of cast-aluminum beauty. Using aluminum aids in cooling the engine oil, acts to quiet the engine by adding additional structure, and provides an additional area for the transmission’s bellhousing to mount to—which, believe it or not, is
key for vehicles that see high-speed driving.
The aluminum heads on this engine are unlike anything we’re used to in this industry. The DOHC configuration means there are separate cams for the intake and exhaust valves, there are no pushrods to flex,
and the engine will love to rev.
There are four camshafts in the engine. The exhaust cams are driven off the front of the engine by a chain, and the intake cams are then geardriven from the exhaust cams. The round plastic piece on the intake cam (arrow) is part of the engine’s closed-crankcase ventilation system.
Plastic valve covers are used to reduce weight and provide a layer of sound insulation in passenger-car applications. (
And we can replace them with extremely costly and ego-soothing carbon fiber - B et P
)
On the 240hp version of this engine, Banks uses a Garrett
variable-geometry turbo mounted to the rear of the block. Gale Banks told us the 268hp and 421-lb-ft version of his engine will use Garrett’s latest ceramic ball-bearing turbo (capable of handling 1,500 degree EGT) and Banks’ new exhaust manifolds.
That turbo will send compressed intake air through an
intercooler and then into this two-piece Banks intake manifold that’s being developed to suit a range of power levels. Though not discussed during our visit, this manifold
would also be suitable for a twin-turbo application, and we suppose the top half could also be replaced with a supercharger.
Getting an all-new engine like this to run in a standalone configuration
requires a special engine controller. Thanks to its
close ties with Bosch, Banks has
developed its own programmable ECM called the AutoMind that it has already used for its Duramax motorsport and military engine programs.
Banks AutoMind engine controller
The guys at
VM are located in (Cento, Italy) the high-performance automotive equivalent of the Silicon Valley, with
Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Ducati close by. The design of its V-6 is intended for firing pressures up to 2,940-psi, and
the engine freely revs to 5,000 rpm. VM Motori has a passion for its engine designs, and according to Gale Banks it was, “the excellence of this engine [which] convinced me that it would be a rugged basis for what I have in mind for these new Special Operations vehicles.”
(Gale) Banks went on to say, “We (fired up the engine for the first time) in our engine test cells on Friday May 4th, 2012 and my first impression was about the sound...this thing is sweet! The low-end response is excellent and
it revs freely, which worries me. We've already designed a high-rpm capable aluminum intake manifold for it but,
our Banks AutoMind diesel engine controller is only good to 7,800 rpm in its current form.”
(Aw, poor baby - B et P
)
A Banks version of the 3.0L VM Motori V-6 engine will be also be available to the general public as well, according to Banks. “Our initial build will be 240 hp and close to 500 lb ft of torque with
an engine weight under 500 pounds,” reports Banks.
When asked what other applications we might see this engine in, Banks told us, “We have a stepped power development plan in the works and
racing versions will emerge as well."
"The 630T has the potential to make
more than 600 hp in race trim," Matt Trainham, Banks Powertrain Engineer
Inside The Banks 630T V-6 Diesel
DISPLACEMENT: 3.0L (182 ci)
CONFIGURATION: 60-degree, even-fire V-6
ENGINE WEIGHT: 498 pounds
BORE AND STROKE: 83 mm x 92 mm (3.26 in. x 3.62 in.)
COMPRESSION RATIO: 16.5:1
ENGINE BLOCK: Compacted-graphite iron (CGI) casting that weighs 159 pounds, featuring four 14mm head bolts per cylinder
BEDPLATE: A one-piece, 35-pound assembly retains the crankshaft and ties the bottom of the block together with six 12mm bolts per main bearing
CRANKSHAFT: Forged 4140 steel with 74mm (2.91 in.) main bearing journals and 67.5mm (2.66 in.) connecting rod journals, externally balanced
CYLINDER HEAD:
Aluminum castings with four valves per cylinder
VALVETRAIN: Dual overhead camshafts (
DOHC) with roller finger followers and hydraulic lash adjustment
VALVE SIZE: 28.5mm (1.12 in.) intake, 25.4mm (1.00 in.) exhaust
BASE POWER RATING: 221 to 268 hp at 4,000 rpm
BASE TORQUE OUTPUT:
369 to 421 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm
MAXIMUM ENGINE SPEED:
4,800 rpm
FUEL SYSTEM: Bosch common-rail injection with a CP4.2 pump and CRIN 3.4 solenoid injectors capable of running up to 29,000 psi (2,000 bar) and seven injection events
TURBOCHARGER: Electronically controlled variable geometry with water-cooled ball-bearing cartridge
in high-power applications
So the technical side of this engine is: it's light, compact, powerful, robust, and already has a stand-alone electronic controller.
What technical changes would be necessary in the SL-C to make this engine work there?
Thanks,
Bassanio et Portia
All photos c and courtesy of DieselPower Magazine.
