Volvo B18 engine
Encyclopedia
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
engine produced by Volvo Cars
Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish automobile manufacturer founded in 1927, in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo was originally formed as a subsidiary company to the ball bearing maker SKF. When Volvo AB was introduced on the Swedish...
from 1961 through 1968. The five-bearing, cam-in-block
Cam-in-block
The cam-in-block valvetrain layout of piston engines is one where the camshaft is placed within the cylinder block, usually beside and slightly above the crankshaft in a straight engine or directly above the crankshaft in the V of a V engine...
engine, had OHV overhead valve
Overhead valve
An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
s operated by pushrods. The B18 is quite different in design from its predecessor, the three-bearing B16.
These engines are often quoted as very durable. The world's highest mileage car, a 1966 Volvo P1800
Volvo P1800
-History:The project was started in 1957 because Volvo wanted a sports car, despite the fact that their previous attempt, the P1900, had been a disaster, with only 68 cars sold. The man behind the project was an engineering consultant to Volvo, Helmer Petterson, who in the 1940s was responsible for...
, has run all its more than 4000000 km (2,485,490.9 mi) on its original B18 engine.
B18
The B18 displaced 1.8 L (1778 cc/108 in³) OHV engine and was used in the Volvo PV544, 120 (Amazon)Volvo Amazon
The Volvo Amazon was a mid-size car manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1956 to 1970, and introduced in the USA, as the 122S at the New York International Auto Show in April 1959....
, P1800
Volvo P1800
-History:The project was started in 1957 because Volvo wanted a sports car, despite the fact that their previous attempt, the P1900, had been a disaster, with only 68 cars sold. The man behind the project was an engineering consultant to Volvo, Helmer Petterson, who in the 1940s was responsible for...
and 140
Volvo 140
The Volvo 140 Series is a range of automobiles which was produced by Volvo Cars of Sweden from 1966 to 1974. The range comprises the Volvo 142 2-door sedan, the Volvo 144 4-door sedan and the Volvo 145 5-door station wagon....
series. The B18 could also be found in the L-3314
Volvo L-3314
The Volvo Laplander L3314 is the base model of a range of military vehicles produced by Volvo.In the early 1950s Volvo received an order to develop a new utility vehicle for the Swedish Army. A pre-run series of 90 vehicles, named the L2304, was delivered between 1959 and 1961. It was powered by a...
and the Bandvagn 202
Bandvagn 202
Bandvagn 202 is a tracked, all-terrain vehicle developed by Volvo BM, a subsidiary of Volvo, for the Swedish Army.The vehicle is formed of two rubber Kegresse track units with a multi-directional pivot in between. The front unit contains the engine and gearbox through which power is delivered to...
military vehicles. It was fitted to many Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta was founded in 1907 in conjunction with the production of the first marine engine, B1. The Penta company soon became an established internal combustion engine manufacturer, which in 1927 delivered the engine to Volvo's first passenger car....
sterndrive
Sterndrive
A sterndrive or inboard/outboard drive is a form of marine propulsion. The engine is located inboard just forward of the transom and provides power to the drive unit located outside the hull.-Operation:...
marine propulsion systems.
There are actually four variations of this engine, B18C (single carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
version - 40 HP SAE with a lower compression ratio
Compression ratio
The 'compression ratio' of an internal-combustion engine or external combustion engine is a value that represents the ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity...
and 2500 RPM mechanical regulator, fitted in the gasoline powered versions of the Volvo BM 320 tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
), B18A (single carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
version - 75 HP SAE), B18D (dual SU carburetor version - 90 and 95 HP SAE) and B18B (dual carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
version - 100 and 115 HP SAE with a higher compression ratio
Compression ratio
The 'compression ratio' of an internal-combustion engine or external combustion engine is a value that represents the ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity...
, fitted variously with dual SU or Zenith/Stromberg
Zenith Carburetters
Zenith Carburetters was a British company making carburettors. In 1955 they joined with their major pre-war rival Solex Carburettors and over time the Zenith brand name fell into disuse...
sidedraft carburetors).
B20
The B20 displaced 2.0 L (1986 cc/121 in³) and was produced in the 1960s and 70s. It was used from 1968 to 1976 in the Volvo 120Volvo Amazon
The Volvo Amazon was a mid-size car manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1956 to 1970, and introduced in the USA, as the 122S at the New York International Auto Show in April 1959....
, 1800
Volvo P1800
-History:The project was started in 1957 because Volvo wanted a sports car, despite the fact that their previous attempt, the P1900, had been a disaster, with only 68 cars sold. The man behind the project was an engineering consultant to Volvo, Helmer Petterson, who in the 1940s was responsible for...
, 140
Volvo 140
The Volvo 140 Series is a range of automobiles which was produced by Volvo Cars of Sweden from 1966 to 1974. The range comprises the Volvo 142 2-door sedan, the Volvo 144 4-door sedan and the Volvo 145 5-door station wagon....
, C202 and 240 series, and also in the Haubits 77 Bofors
Bofors
The name Bofors has been associated with the iron industry for more than 350 years.Located in Karlskoga, Sweden, the company originates from the hammer mill "Boofors" founded 1646. The modern corporate structure was created in 1873 with the foundation of Aktiebolaget Bofors-Gullspång...
howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
. The design is quite similar to the predecessor B18 and many parts are interchangeable.
The later B20E and B20F versions featured Bosch
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
(both electronic D-Jetronic and later with mechanical K-Jetronic), larger valves, and intake/exhaust ports. Output was raised to 124 hp (DIN) (92 kW) in B20E, slightly lower in B20F because of stricter emission control and lower compression. All B20 engines displace 1986 cc from 88.9 mm bore and 80 mm stroke.
Some 240 models were offered with the "metric", eight bolt, 2.0 liter pushrod B20 motor as standard equipment.
Despite their OHV pushrod design, the engines can rev to 7,000 rpm.