Ive been looking at Peugeot engines used in Egypt and some
of the local Peugeot Clubs cars and it surprises few owners
that the 504 and 505 engines (2 types) often achieve
1 to over 1million klms without major service bar a head
gasket and at worst a head reco. In the last few years here
all the local 504s have almost disappeared due to local
Egyptian/Australians exporting them out to Egypt in container
loads as replacement parts for their national 504 taxis which
consist of 90 per cent of Egyptian taxis.
Apparently some local owners getting 2-2.5kaud for rusty
un-roadworthy samples and 1.5kaud without looking at the vehicles.
I also know of corolla 4k motors that also have achieved great
klms and still going strong (previously my rides) and the K series
have their own following by corolla enthusiasts worldwide.
Although the engines mentioned are not powerful they offer unsurpassed
reliability and longevity.

The question in my mind is can an A series be played with to make
them last as long as these long klms engines?

My idea is to use an A14 block with A12 crank with modded crankpins
to accept the longest rods possible (eg. e15 140.462mm), Improved
oil circulation with larger volume oil pump, chaffered crank oil
galleries, Isotropic finished bearing surfaces and heat proof coated
combusition chambers, valves and piston tops.
The Rod Stroke ratio should be 2 to 1 using 77mm mazda pistons.
All fully balanced of course and maybe even some kind of pressurised
lubrication device for reducing friction during startup.

Any more input or experience with long rod combinations?
I understand there are arguments favoring torque down low by
using poor rod stroke ratios by increasing the leverage but
I think this doesnt override the problem of friction on the sides
of the bores which negates the leverage in the first place.

With a longer rods the piston dwell time at & near TDC it helps increase efficiency
due to better combustion, higher temps and reduced friction on rings and bores.

The only other issue is the 2 to 1 rod stroke ratio favoring high rpm
performance rather than street performance but Id love a smooth motor
with durability hence the long rod preference.

Since the long rod combo wont like to make toque down low can this feature
be reduced using the swirl type heads that are so often trashed in favor of
higher breathing heads and also increasing the inlet runners to improve low
down torque.

I figure its a compromise but an interesting exercise as long rod motors
dont require big ports and big carburettors. On the other hand short rod
motors make the most of bigger carbs and ports yet use this increased
hardware and fuel delivery less efficiently.

would you opt for an A15 forklift camshaft?

those peugot 504's were still being built in kenya africa as late as 2000 when i was there last and might still be, they were making the 405 then which was already obsoleted by the 406 at the time but a 504 was then a 30 year old design and cost more than the 406.

Basically selling old tooling off to countries where older simpler more robust cars are more in demand, like they were still making 1950's morris oxfords in India for that reason.

there are quite a few engines that can do 1million k's if looked after properly. The old volvos, usually even if abused are not burning a drop of oil after 500'000 even 750,000 still going strong, and with their rustproofing and toughness just last longer than anyone wants to keep them.

The main thing when u rebuild this motor if u want to make it last that long is the quality of the rings and bores, maybe have hardened sleeves, valve seats. after that its all about service intervals and additives.

if u change oil every 5000km instead of 10'000 u double the life and if u make it every 2000 even better again.
if u use a top quality teflon treatment like slick50 and Morey's upper cylinder lube for the top end, do all of this and it will last forever.
if u are planning to drive it hard and see a lot of high revs as well then also look at increasing oil pressure.

what im interested in is what car u are planning to use this motor in, is it a daily driver and how many km are u doing a week or a year?

if u do a lot then its woryh getting a 5 speed box if u dont have 1, and biggest wheels possible to reduce the final drive to achieve overdrive, since the high revving when cruising final drive of the datsuns wont help them have that long of life.

I sure hope not... I'm waiting for my A12 to wear out so I can upgrade it. But it's still going strong after 35 years +.

The easiest way to make it last might be to de-tune it. Prevent it from going over 4500 RPM and put a smaller carburetor on it. There will be so little stress on the engine it should last longer than the typical stocker 400,000 kms.

Over the years I havent seen an A series do more than 280,000klms
before they burn oil and leak profusely. That in itself is a good figure
but the idea of having the most efficient and durable A series is one Id
love to own for my old datsun 1000 wagon. Im personally happy with the 988cc
original but would love to build a smoother stronger 1.2 or 1.3 litre
that runs superbly balanced and spin a 3.4 diff ratio.

I think the answer to that question is easy, take one factory stock standard A12, run it in properly, change oil and filter every 5000km or better earlier,use a wide vicosity oil that is viscous at high temp, keep it tuned properly, don't thrash it from cold and you will easily get over 500,000km out of it, not to mention 6L/100km economy in a 1200. Things like playing with gear ratio's to achieve cruise revs round 3000rpm at 100km/hr can also help. You will have to replace seals more than likely to achieve 500, 000km but really depends on how many km you do over what time period. Lot of seals leak due to age not km on engine.

A series are not smooth engines and that is a simple reason why they will
shake themselves till oil leaks from most places by 200,000.
No such problems with the engines mentioned earlier so good oil and looking
after engines is not really the solution for what Im aiming.
The K series engines I owned were abused, I ran the cheapest oil in them and they are
still going strong with one having a head gasket change and finding out the hones
on the bores are excellent. I also have a 5R motor thats in the 1.2 million ks and
using a litre of oil per month with daily use but still going strong.

I have a August 1977 120Y that has done 387,019 kays... it blows oil out the back window like the Uncle buck car....

I don't think you could get over 300,000+ kays out of an A series without a rebuild

It's worked for me, 2x1985 A12's in 1200 utes. I bought one with 162000kms on clock now done 547000km's still has oil pressure in spec with standard pump at idle, uses no more than 500ml of oil between 5000km services. Other was bought with 365000kms and has now done 480000kms with virtually identical results. Both had impecable service history's prior to my purchase...and after. Neither show any signs of dying yet. Up until recently the 547000km one used to drive me 220km a day to work and back, most of which was highway running at speed limit including some 110km/hr zones. Driveline of this ute consists of FS5W60L transmission and 3.7:1 H165B final drive. Vibration can be cause of oil leaks but certainly I would say cork/rubber 4 piece gasket designs are well past thier prime, (sump). In my experience this is the major source of oil leaks in A series motors. Contamination entering shaft seals and oxidisation leading to hardening is the major cause of shaft seal leaks.

No doubt timely servicing will help any engine and I have to agree there are
rarely any A series that would see the results you had. Its good to know some
can do it but its a rare case scenario.

I still think improvement like you mentioned the old fashioned cork seals should
be an area of improvements that can be made with a batch of new sump gaskets from
modern materials. Yet the vibration on the majority of A series also allow rear
main seals to leak and other areas.