The Mitsubishi 3G8 engine is a range of three-cylinder

powerplant Propulsion is the generation of force by any combination of pushing or pulling to modify the translational motion of an object, which is typically a rigid body (or an articulated rigid body) but may also concern a fluid. The term is derived from ...

from

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.

, introduced in the fifth generation of their

Mitsubishi Minica The is a model series of kei cars, produced by Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) over five generations, from 1962 to 2011, mainly for the Japanese domestic market. The Minica was first built by Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, one of Mitsubishi He ...

kei car Kei car is the smallest category of Japanese expressway-legal motor vehicles. The term ''kei'' is a shortening of , (kanji: ), which translates to English as "light vehicle" (). With restricted dimensions and engine specifications, owners ...

''. In common with other contemporary engines in the class, it could be specified with many advanced technologies despite its diminutive size, including

multi-valve A multi-valve or multivalve Four-stroke engine, four-stroke internal combustion engine is one where each Cylinder (engine), cylinder has ''more than two'' poppet valve, valves – more than the minimum required of one of each, for the purposes of ...

cylinder head In a piston engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders, forming the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines the head is a simple plate of metal containing the spark plugs and possibly heat dissipation fins. In more modern ...

s and

double overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

s. The top-of-the-line ''Dangan ZZ'' variant was also the first kei car to benefit from

turbocharging In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

. In 1987 Mitsubishi was the first manufacturer to supercharge a kei vehicle, and in 1989 became the world's first production car to feature five valves per cylinder, ahead of similar developments by

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French automotive industry, manufacturer of high performance vehicle, high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German Empire, German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the ...

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

and

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

. Its 3G81 three-cylinder engine has a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of and the 15-valve versions feature three intake valves and two exhaust valves incorporated into each cylinder. The valves are controlled by twin overhead camshafts through roller

cam follower A cam follower, also known as a track follower, is a specialized type of roller or needle bearing designed to follow cam lobe profiles. Cam followers come in a vast array of different configurations, however the most defining characteristic is ...

s on finger rockers with hydraulic automatic lash adjusters. Gasoline is electronically injected through triple-jet nozzles (also a technological first). The

water-cooled Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and no ...

turbocharger operates through an air-to-air

intercooler An intercooler is a heat exchanger used to cool a gas after compression. Often found in turbocharged engines, intercoolers are also used in air compressors, air conditioners, refrigeration and gas turbines. Internal combustion engines Mo ...

. The ignition timing advance is also controlled electronically, and a knock-sensing system is included. Originally a engine, it was enlarged to in 1990 following changes in the class regulations. The four-cylinder 4A3 engine is derived from the 3G8, sharing a

bore pitch In a piston engine, the bore (or cylinder bore) is the diameter of each cylinder. Engine displacement is calculated based on bore, stroke length and the number of cylinders: displacement = The stroke ratio, determined by dividing the bore by ...

3G81

''Engine dimensions'' — inline three-cylinder
''Bore'' —
''Stroke'' —
''Fuel type'' — Unleaded regular gasoline Versions

3G82

''Displacement'' —
''Bore'' —
''Stroke'' —
''Engine type'' — Inline three-cylinder SOHC 6 valves
''Power'' — at unknown rpm This was built only for the Taiwanese market Mitsubishi Towny (Minica) and Minicab 800, from 01.87 - 11.88. Most specifications are unknown.

3G83

''Displacement'' —
''Bore'' —
''Stroke'' —
''Fuel type'' — Unleaded regular gasoline

Double carb (1990)

*''Engine type'' — Inline three-cylinder SOHC *''Power'' — at 6000 rpm *''Torque'' — at 4000 rpm *''Fuel system'' — two-barrel down-draft carburettor *''Compression ratio'' — 9.8:1

DOHC (1990)

*''Engine type'' — Inline three-cylinder DOHC *''Compression ratio'' — 9.8:4 *''Fuel system'' — ECI multiple *''Power'' — at 7500 rpm *''Torque'' — at 5700 rpm

Turbo (1990)

*''Engine type'' — Inline three-cylinder DOHC 15-valve intercooled turbo *''Compression ratio'' — 8.5:1 *''Fuel system'' — ECI multiple *''Power'' — at 7,500 rpm *''Torque'' — at 4,500 rpm

4G82

''Displacement'' —
''Bore'' —
''Stroke'' —
''Engine type'' — Inline four-cylinder SOHC
''Power'' — JIS at 5,500 rpm
''Torque'' — at 3,500 rpm Of the same dimensions as the 3G82 but with a fourth cylinder, this was built in Taiwan by CMC (China Motor Corporation). Used in the Mitsubishi Varica (LWB version of fourth generation

Mitsubishi Minicab The is a kei truck and microvan, built and sold in Japan by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors since 1966. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Mitsubishi Motors#Japan Sales Channels, Galant Shop. It was also sold by China ...

References

{{Mitsubishi Motors technologies 3G8 Straight-three engines Gasoline engines by model