Stellantis patented single-casting head-and-turbo: what it means

FCA US, a/k/a Ma Mopar, has recently patented a casting which includes both the cylinder head and turbocharger body.

The turbocharger itself would be serviced by replacing the internal parts as a cartridge, so turbocharger failure would not require replacing the head (or heads, on a V-engine).

The patent application was made in May 2020 and recently discovered by Peter Holderith, writing for The Drive.

FCA has already pioneered casting the exhaust manifold into the heads, as a way to save money and reduce parts counts. This patent moves further, putting the non-moving parts of the wastegate into the same casting, along with non-moving parts on the compressor side; the moving parts which may require replacement at some point are all removable. The design eliminates some gaskets, fasteners, and mating tubes.

Heat is managed by the usual water (antifreeze) jackets, but the casting is still aluminum.

Holderith noted that the patent is detailed enough to appear to be production intent, for a four-cylinder engine. He also pointed out that BMW’s turbo three-cylinder has an exhaust manifold with an integrated turbocharger housing, but the housing is a separate casting. He pointed out that heat may be an issue for the aluminum wastegate housing. The heat issue may be countered by another patent for high-heat-capable aluminum alloys.

David Zatz

David Zatz started what was to become the world’s biggest, most comprehensive Mopar site in 1994 as he pursued a career in organizational research and change. After a chemo-induced break, during which he wrote car books covering Vipers, minivans, and Jeeps, he returned with Patrick Rall to create StellPower.com for daily news, and to set up MoTales for mo’ tales.

David Zatz has around 30 years of experience in covering Chrysler/Mopar news and history, and most recently wrote Century of Chrysler, a 100-year retrospective on the Chrysler marque.