Waja's CPS Engine

The Waja CPS 1.6 is not completely a new model for us to introduce, it has passed through a series of face lifts prior to final production. It is still pretty much the same car however with new engine and several new features than previous versions. All of us pretty well versed with Mitsubishi's 4G18 which was used in the first batches of Waja, then followed by S4PH Campro engine which made its debut in 2006. The latest is the birth of 1.6 CPS engine.

Generally the car looks the same at first glance in the sense that the exterior had almost all features similar to the previous model. However, the vast difference is felt when we take the wheels under our control for a test ride. The Campro CPS engine is really astonishing in terms of engine performance. The CPS is totally the other way round when compared to the S4PH Campro in the sense that it provides smooth and responsive handling situations; thanks to the 13% hike in power output due to the CPS profiling. The CPS acts aggressive when needed and it can produce up to 125hp at 6500rpm. A pure 150Nm torque is generated at 4500rpm, however it has plenty more torque that can be generated throughout the ride.

In usual cases, where S4PH engine is in use, one will need to drop the gear (assuming MT) to 3rd gear in order to overtake any slow leading car. However, to our amazement, the CPS could just settle the overtaking while its at the 4th gear! Pretty impressive, isn't it? The CPS can effortlessly climb hills, unlike the sluggish S4PH engine. CPS engine can also be said as more fuel efficient compared to its previous S4PH sibling. For instance, the CPS allows us to cruise at just 2000rpm for 80km/hr and 3000rpm for 110km/hr.

The only bad thing about CPS is the occasional engine power loss. This is observed whenever the air-cond compressor kicks in. Hopefully this can be fixed in the next incarnation of CPS engine.

New Proton Waja Spotted?

Some resources anticipate that Proton will release the new Proton Waja 1.8L, which is an unbranded version of the Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0L 2010. Refinement is in progress. It seems to be different from that of the Lancer and the make has its own characteristics. However, one thing is certain, 80% of the mechanical design is all from Mitsubishi. The least that can be hoped is to have the quality meeting most of the standards.

Based on the revolution that we can see, it indicates that Proton is now really in the business more as a car assembler then a car manufacturer. Now, back to the Lancer based Waja, how would one feel is the price is said to be somewhere in the range of 80k to 90k? I bet the owners of Mitsubishi Lancer would be holding their fists tightly. Again, we are certainly unsure about the pricing, but knowing the trend of Proton sedan cars, the price is sure to be seen below 100k.

The Mitsubishi Lancer was seen by Paultan.org reader, Mr.Muaz in Kuala Lumpur.. The most remarkable part is the trading board, which is neatly fitted and has something like B2xxxA engraved.This could be the all new Proton Waja 2011, a new alternative based on a Mitsubishi Lancer that is being tested on the national trunk roads. 

If the shot that was caught is truly Waja's replacement, then it would be a lot more a Lancer with extremely small changes on the exterior. Lets just wait to confirm this; as sources say the all new Waja will be out somewhere around 2010-2011. If the sale of this car can touch its peak, it can definitely reach all other global Mitsubishi markets througout the globe! Amazing Proton! Proton Boleh!

Proton Waja 2010 - Replacement Model

Proton seemed to strengthening its presence in the industry of local automotive model and will soon display a copy of Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 GT version in its upgrade. Based on nearest source, the Mitsubishi will be featured via Malaysian’s all time favorite Waja. The expectation is to have cosmetic changes for both interior and exterior compared to the Lancer 2.0 GT.

The “Lancerized-Waja” will use slightly lower capacity engine which will be a 1.8L with internal components using local product suppliers. This is to ensure that the model is made affordable for the local market which is hitting more competitive price ranges. The source further explained that the new production model with 1.8 liter powered engine is viewed to be the best catalyst for companies in the automotive industry. There seems to be a need to change design to meet and suit the younger generation’s needs.

With the strong support from MMC, Proton may not necessarily get into challenges in meeting demand. Furthermore, the Waja replacement model will be installed in the same factory; Shah Alam, Selangot or Tanjung Malim, Perak.

At the moment, the Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 GT model that is fully imported (CBU) from Japan, is priced at RM120598.10 without insurance in this country and is distributed by Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Ltd. MMC is a technical partner and shareholder of Proton when founded in 1983 until the national car manufacturer Proton releases their first car in 1985. The new Waja is expected to be RM10k more expensive that the current Waja that’s being sold in the market. But nothing seems to be firmed up yet in terms of exact value.

Now for the most anticipated question – How would the new Lancerized-Waja look like? Guess we need to wait for the actual one to be out on the road!

About Campro and Campro CPS Engine

Campro Engine

CAMPRO engine is derived from the combination of Cam Profile, designed and developed by Proton using Lotus technologies. In short, Campro engine is a normal engine, which can be used in future with the latest technology, such as variable inlet and IAFM. They claim that Campro offers more power and reduced fuel consumption. This was proved true when it won the most fuel efficient cars title with Proton Persona family.

The Campro engine coded as S4PH is a basic DOHC 16-valve 1.6 L engine that can generate 110 bhp (82 kW) @ 6,000 rpm of power & 148 Nm of torque. This is the engine that powers the Proton Gen-2. The S4PH engine can be fitted with Cam Profile Switching (CPS) and Variable Inlet Manifold (VIM) technology. Besides this 1.6 L engine, Proton has also designed the 1.3 L version of the Campro engine.

Despite being powerful at higher revs, the S4PH engine seems to be reportedly sluggish at lower revs. This is proven when Gen-2 is taken uphill whereby manual transmission version have to be shifted a lot between 2nd gear and 3rd gear. This is caused by the dropping torque at the vital 2000 ~ 3000 rpm operating range, where the torque actually decreases before picking up back to the maximum torque at 4,000 rpm. This characteristic can be observed in manufacturer’s engine performance curve data.

Campro CPS Engine

Following to the Campro engine, CAMPRO CPS (Cam Profile Switching) uses a variable valve lift system and a variable length intake manifold to generate maximum power and perk up the CPS engine’s torque curve compared to the standard DOHC Campro engine.
 
CPS’s Variable-length Intake Manifold (VIM) switches between a long intake manifold at stumpy engine speeds and a short intake manifold at elevated engine speeds. Proton is using a longer intake manifold to achieve slower air flow; as this is found to promote better the mixing of air with fuel. The short intake manifold allows more air in quicker. This is extremely useful at higher rpms.

The CPS system utilizes a trilobite camshaft to toggle between two different cam profiles whereby one of the profiles provide low valve lift, while the other one provides high valve lift. Lower valve lift profile is utilized at low to mid engine speeds to maintain idling quality while reducing unnecessary emissions. The high lift cam profile is used when the engine is spinning from mid to high engine speeds and this is intended to improve the torque and hp.

VIM toggles at 4,800 rpm, while the CPS system toggles over at 3,800 rpm. The result is 127 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm compared to the normal Campro’s 110 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 148Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. The all new CPS engine made its first entry into the market in the facelifted Proton GEN2 that was released in Thailand, and made its first Malaysian debut in the Proton Waja Campro 1.6 Premium (CPS). Besides the 1.6L version, the Campro CPS engine is also available in 1.8L version.

Proton Waja Engine Mounting

Folks, imagine this. Having your Waja travelling at 100km/hr and the next you know; it generates heavy (irritating) noise as if the exhaust piping has been massively modified to match those super F1 cars!

Yes! That’s exactly how my Waja reacted every time I accelerated her to 100km/hr (needless to say when it exceeds 100km/hr). Knowing that the sound wasn't like any other normal Waja, I decided to hunt around for exhaust experts (well, the only thing that I could think of was exhaust related problems, that was causing the unwanted noise).

After consulting 3 exhaust experts, none of them could actually identify any issues with the exhaust system; not even a single crack or hole was found along the exhaust piping. Weird!!!! What else could cause such a noise?

Since exhaust experts could not identify any defects, I drove off downtown, to my usual car mechanic that I send my car for routine servicing. When the mechanic took my car for a test drive, he realized that the noise was not meant to be on a standard Proton Waja (Phewwwww, thank god he realized that...the rest of the so called exhaust specialists, claimed that the noise was normal on Proton cars…duhhh…… #@$#%$#%).

After approx. 1 hr of thorough checking, the mechanic managed to identify the root cause of the noise. It was nothing but the engine mounting that was causing the noise all the while. When the mechanic pointed out the root cause, I wasn't that convinced (that an engine mounting could cause so much noise). Anyhow, he guaranteed that he would replace back the older engine mounting if the noise was still there even after the new replacement. Hearing this, I felt a little more comfortable and thought of taking the chance to see if engine mounting was the cause of it. It took almost 3 hrs for the engine mounting to be replaced.

Upon installation, I was told to start my car. God gracious...believe it or not...the moment I ignited the engine....the noise level in the car was close to 0dB (versus a 100dB before this)....super silent...At this point, the mechanic looked at me and went...."How is it now? You cant hear a single noise now, eh?"...I just smiled.

Just to double confirm that the F1 noise was indeed purged out 100%, I took my car for a test drive. Again, to my astonishment, there was no noise at all even at 140km/hr. Nothing could beat my happiness at this point; it was simply nice to know that my Waja is back to its normal condition, just like how any other standard 1.6 Sedan car should be (for its cabin noise level).

Total cost for the engine mounting replacement (front/rear) + workmanship was RM480. Couldnt care much on the pricing as the job done was super clean and the result was beyond satisfactory level. For those of you who have not seen Waja's engine mounting, here you go:

Believe it or not, after getting the engine mounting replaced, not only the F1 noise was eliminated, even my dashboard noise (which used to generate funny noises) was also eliminated all together. In addition, every time I warm up my car in the morning, the engine doesn’t die off anymore (versus before, I had to ignite the engine like twice every morning). Man! Engine mounting does make a lot of difference.

Now, what had happened to my old engine mounting, that it needed a replacement? For those who are not familiar, engine mounting is generally meant to hold a car’s engine onto its body frame. Engine mounting usually comes in heavy metal form (exterior) with solid rubber (interior). In order not to make things too technical and complicated, let’s put it this way. Car engines usually generate vibration when they are ignited/on the run. These vibrations that are generated will need to be dampened or absorbed by something (ie: the engine mounting), failing which the vibration will further extend to the car body (causing unwanted noises in the cabin) as well as devastating other parts within the car (this usually happens when the engine mounting is unable to take even 1% of the engine’s vibration). In my case, the interior rubber on the engine mounting was found to be super hardened whereby; it could no longer absorb the engine’s vibration. Now, that simply answers all those ‘uninvited noises’ in my car.

So, car owners out there (especially Waja). If at all you feel that your car is generating excessive noise at high RPMs, look out for your engine mounting, as it may need to be replaced.

Some facts on Proton Waja

Here are my thoughts on some of the facts related to Proton Waja...

Proton Waja is a sedan designed in-house by the automotive company in Malaysia, Proton, first launched in August 2000. The Waja is the first car designed in Malaysia, with a chassis inspired from a Volvo S40 & Mitsubishi Carisma . The name, Waja, which carries the meaning "strong" (like steel), reflects the strength of the steel used for the Waja compared to previous models. The name was chosen in part to counter the perception in the market that Proton cars were less strong.

Some history on Waja...

Proton Waja is the first model designed internally by Proton. The development of the Waja began in the late 1990's with the engine, but the Campro engine development was still at the "development stage" during Waja's launch and therefore Proton had to source the product release with the 4G18 Mitsubishi engine in replacement for the Waja Campro engine before the year 2006. It was in August 2000 with the introduction of the new logo Proton, Waja was launched. The early batches of Waja had serious quality problems due to some vendor's ignorance in ensuring thorough quality control. The reason for this is to meet the TTM (time to market) whereby the demand for Waja was already at its peak. However, the quality of the components were strictly improved years later in 2005.

Waja got its facelift twice ever since it was launched; the first in mid-2006 which involved rear lights changes followed by a more substantial facelift in early 2007, where Waja was given a new grille, included ABS and air bags. The next platform for Waja has been said to be based on Mitsubishi Lancer. As of now, the news is that the Lancer-based Waja is still under testing.

In terms of Performance...

In the early batches, Waja was powered by Mitsubishi's 4G18 SOHC 1.6L engine with multi-point fuel injection and brake configuration (front: ventilated disc / rear: disc). Waja was available in both manual, 5 speed and Auto (4 speed).

The 1.8 litre was introduced in 2002, but this time powered by Renault;s Laguna II. The 1.8L encompossaed VVT technology. However, the 1.8L didnt make much debut as the Malaysia folks were more comfortable with Japanese enginers.

The 1.6 Campro engine was finally introduced on Waja in January 2006. The DOHC Campro engine had higher torque and power compared to the previous engine prototypes as there were tremendous remapping done on the ECU and also the different air intake system that was introduced.

And today, the all time Malaysian favourite Waja is powered by a Campro CPS (Cam Profile Switching) engine with VVT which definitely provides greater power to the vehicle in general.