Mitsubishi ME21/24 engine

ME21/24
ME24D engine in a Mitsubishi 360 (LT25)
Overview
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Motors
Also called	"Yellow" engine
Production	1961–72
Combustion chamber
Configuration	air-cooled two-stroke I2
Displacement	359 cc
Cylinder bore	62.0 mm
Piston stroke	59.6 mm
Chronology
Predecessor	ME20 engines.
Successor	Mitsubishi 2G1 engine

The ME21/24 engine was Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries' (one of the three divisions of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries until their consolidation in 1964) replacement for the 309 cc single-cylinder overhead valve ME20 engine. Unlike its predecessor, this was a two-stroke, a concept to which Mitsubishi was to prove faithful for its smallest engines until the 1972 introduction of the Vulcan 2G21.^[1]

General

The naming of Mitsubishi engines after the dissolution of the Zaibatsu reflected which factory they were built in. M stood for the Mizushima plant, E for engine, and 21 for being the 21st engine development by Mizushima, thus "ME21". When the 2G10 engine (a water-cooled version of the ME24) was introduced in late 1968, Mitsubishi's new unified naming convention had taken effect and thus its very different name.

The ME21 was first used in the Mitsubishi 360 light commercial of April 1961, and then in the Minica passenger car. The later ME24 engines were seen in a variety of Mitsubishi's lower end Kei cars and trucks, until production ended in late 1972. Due to ever tighter anti-pollution legislation as well as a more demanding customer base, the air-cooled ME24 eventually made way for more modern engines. When installed in the A100/100V Minicas, the ME24 was referred to as the "Yellow" engine.

ME21

The 359 cc twin cylinder two-stroke ME21/ME21A was used in the 360 pickup truck and the first generation Minica LA20. Power was only 17 horsepower (13 kW).

ME24

A lightly modified ME21 introduced in November 1964, featuring an "Auto Mix" system which made away with the need for pre-mixed gasoline/oil. It also gained one extra horsepower. In May 1967 the 21 hp reed valve ME24D was introduced. Later iterations of the ME24 were used in the base models of the second generation Minica and Minicab until replaced by a detuned version of the "Red" 2G10 engine in late 1972. The ME24E actually soldiered on in the LT30V van version of the first generation until 1976, as this was not updated alongside its truck siblings. Along with assorted other Mitsubishi parts, a 21 PS (15 kW) ME24 engine was also used by Hope Motor Company for their tiny ON360 off-roader, the predecessor to the Suzuki Jimny.

Specifications

Applications

• 1961-71 Mitsubishi 360/Minica Pick
• 1962-69 Mitsubishi Minica
• 1968-? HopeStar ON360
• 1969-72 Mitsubishi Minica A100/100V
• 1966-71 Mitsubishi Minicab LT30
• 1968-76 Mitsubishi Minicab LT30V
• 1971-72 Mitsubishi Minicab EL (T130)

See also

• List of Mitsubishi engines

References

• 360cc: Light Commercial Truck 1950-1975 (360cc 軽商用貨物自動車 1950-1975). Tokyo: Yaesu Publishing. 2009. pp. 10–11, 83–87. ISBN 978-4-86144-139-4. 
• 360cc: Nippon Kei Car Memorial 1950-1975 (360cc 軽自動車 Memorial 1950-1975). Tokyo: Yaesu Publishing. 2007. ISBN 978-4-86144-083-0. 
• "Кιηοκο（三菱360 諸元）". WEB Kinoko. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. 
• World Cars 1972. Automobile Club of Italy/Herald Books, NY: 1972. p. 362-363, ISBN 0-910714-04-5