#Camshaft seals – overhead cam engines. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

itsworn · 6 years ago

Text

How to build a reliable, powerful Ford Y-block

What is it about Ford’s first overhead valve V-8 and our fascination with this red-hot slice of classic American iron? You know it has to be the sound alone with 16 mechanical flat tappets and that soft throaty bark at the tailpipes that holds our attention. It is also the sound of a vintage Ford starter and that spring-loaded starter drive followed by the sound of a vintage Y-block that gets us fired up to build one.

Gotta have it …

It isn’t what the Y-block is that excites us. It’s what the Y-block isn’t. It isn’t a high-tech, late-model overhead cam engine or a direct-injected LS you can spin to 6,500 rpm without breaking a sweat. The Ford Y-block is a stodgy old cast-iron American V-8 that has taken a lot of research and development to produce respectable horsepower and torque at the Engine Masters Challenge.

The Ford Y-block V-8 was never intended to be a high-performance engine in the first place. Yet there are those like Ted Eaton, Jon Kaase, and John Mummert who have committed their lives to making the most of this distinctive postwar mill. Both Kaase and Eaton have taken Y-blocks to the Engine Masters Challenge and made in excess of 600 hp with specially prepared Ford Y-blocks. For our streetable Y-block mill we will settle for less, yet with plenty of low-end torque for a Saturday night cruise.

Ford introduced the 239ci Y-block in 1954 in Fords and a 256ci version in Mercurys to replace its flathead V-8 introduced more than two decades earlier in 1932. Ford quickly grew the Y-block to 272, 292, and finally 312 ci in most of the lineups by 1956. Though the Y-block was revolutionary when it was introduced, it was cursed with limitations right from the get-go, mostly in the area of displacement and cylinder head design. It was a limited engine in terms of growth, which means there’s only so much you can do with this engine if you have a limited budget and resources. If you have the talent, resources, and capital, however, you can make real power with this engine.

Why build a Y-block based on what we’ve just told you? Because it’s the right thing to do if you’re building a classic Ford truck and want a real authentic sound and feel when you twist the key. Forget the 90-degree Fairlane V-8 known as the small-block Ford, and both the FE and 385-series big-blocks a lot of enthusiasts like to install in classic Ford trucks. If you’re building a vintage Ford truck, the Y-block is the only mill that will do from an emotional standpoint. It just feels right.

We’re building a stock 312ci Y-block. The downside to 312 blocks is they’re rare because they were produced in very limited quantities. And because the 312 is the most desirable Y-block, they’ve been used up over time.

John Mummert of John Mummert Machine tells us block identification numbers are generally found on the side of block above the oil filter on blocks cast at Cleveland (“CF” logo). Blocks cast at the Dearborn iron foundry (“DIF” logo) have block identification numbers near the distributor in back or above the generator. Most Dearborn foundry blocks were used in trucks, yet no Dearborn Y-blocks were produced after 1957. There were no special Y-block truck blocks. Heavy-duty trucks with steel cranks used C1AE or C2AE blocks produced for both car and truck lines.

Nearly all Dearborn blocks cast after 1954 were 272s. Most 292 and 312 blocks were cast at the Cleveland foundry. It is generally accepted that no 312 blocks were produced at the Dearborn foundry. Mummert confirms 312 block casting numbers as ECZ-6015A, ECZ-6015B, ECZ-6015C, EDB-6015E, B9AE-6015F. Of these the ECZ-6015A and ECZ-6015C are the most common. He adds some 312 service replacement blocks are numbered C2AE-6015C. What’s more, he tells us 312 main caps are always marked ECZ while all other Y-block main caps are marked EBU. He stresses this is the only positive way to identify a 312 block.

Although the 312 remains the most popular Y-block you can get by with a 272 or 292. John tells us nearly any 272, 292, or 312 block can be used for performance use with the right modifications. The 272 block can be bored the 292’s bore dimensions. And since all other internal components are the same across the board this gives you a 292ci Y-block. He adds that 292 pistons are easier to find, cheaper, and have a better ring selection.

John goes on to say the 292 blocks from 1955-1964 are easier to find. In fact, improvements were made to 292 and 312 blocks in 1959 with deeper drilled main cap threads for strength. The 1961-1964 C1AE and C2AE blocks have additional material in the main webs for added strength. These blocks typically don’t sonic check as thick as earlier blocks according to John. Therefore, he adds, if a good early block is found, drill and tap the main bearing cap threads deeper and use the early block.

On our workbench is a pair of ECZ-C cylinder heads for our build used across the board on the 272, 292, and 312. We opted for stainless steel valves and hardened exhaust valve seats for use with unleaded fuels. The most desirable Y-block heads for increased compression are the 1957 through early 1958 ECZ-G castings with intake valves sized at 1.927 inches, according to Mummert. Combustion chamber size is approximately 69cc. For slightly lower compression for today’s pump gas is the 1958-1959 5752-113 casting. These heads have the same 1.927-inch intake valves and a slightly larger chamber, which lowers compression. For low-compression engines the 1959 5750-471 truck head is also a good choice, Mummert tells us, with a 1.927-inch intake valve and 80cc chamber. It is the same head casting as the “EDB” supercharger head, yet with a different casting number.

Mummert offers the following build tips for your Y-block build project:

Never throw away your old camshaft until you’ve saved the thrust spacer. The new cam will not come with one. If you’ve already thrown it away you’re in luck because John Mummert may have some on hand.

There appear to be two different length head bolts in a Y-block—five short bolts near the spark plugs and five longer bolts under the rocker arm assemblies. The five short bolts near the spark plugs are identical but the five under the rocker arms are not the same. Two of these head bolts are slightly longer and installed at the outer ends of the cylinder head where alignment dowels are located. Lay all 10 long bolts (five per bank) next to each other and you should find four longer and six that are about 1/4-inch shorter. Installing the longer bolts in the center three holes can cause them to bottom in the block, which can result in a blown head gasket. Late production Y-block engines have only long and short bolts.

Both cylinder head gaskets are identical. It might seem that the same face of the gasket would go against the block and the opposite face would go against the head on each side. This is not true. What is critical is that the open coolant holes are located at the back of the head and the blocked portion of the gasket is at the front. Otherwise you will experience overheat. Look for the word “FRONT” on the gasket and place it at the front, even if it looks incorrect. This places one of the gaskets face up and one face down. Notice that there is a square corner at one end of each gasket. The square corner must be at the front of the engine. This can be checked without removing the heads. If you are having overheating problems check for these square corners at the top front corner of the head near the intake gasket.

If you’re using a camshaft with a cross-drilled center journal you must use 1955 through early 1956 cam bearings designed for cross-drilled camshafts. If you are installing a cam with a grooved center journal you must use the late 1956-1964 cam bearings. If your cam will not fit in the block check it for trueness. Mummert has seen cams with up to 0.010-inch runout, which is not acceptable. Another issue seen is the front cam bearing installed cocked in the bore. Install the front bearing from the rear to ensure proper alignment.

Mummert stresses installing rocker arm shafts right side up. Rocker shaft stands are identical and will bolt down either way. However, the oil hole in the shaft must align with the hole in the shaft stand and is at the bottom when the stands are bolted down. Get this wrong and you starve the rockers of oil and wind up with valvetrain failure and engine damage.

When Ford designed the 312 it made the main caps taller than the 292 cap, anticipating greater loads. However, the 312 rear main cap is at the 292’s height to clear the rear main seal holder and the oil pan rail. This makes it possible to install any of the longer main cap bolts in error from the first four main caps in the rear cap where they could bottom out. Some blocks are drilled deep enough to accept the longer bolts in the rear cap. This is not acceptable. There have been a few instances where the rear main saddle of a 312 cracked during assembly due to incorrect bolt usage.

Another problem has long been the incorrect torque specification of 120 ft-lb main cap bolt torque, which was printed in all 1956 factory and many repair manuals. This figure is excessive and has undoubtedly caused many of the cracked main webs in 312 blocks. Always torque main cap bolts to 95 ft-lbs. It is also critical to check the amount of thread that will be engaged in the block. Do not use main cap bolts in any Y-block that don’t reveal at least 7/8 inch of thread when placed in the main cap. This may require running a bottoming tap into the main bolt holes. Later 292 engines have significantly longer main cap bolts, an indication that Ford realized this need. Care must be used not to use bolts or studs that engage more than 1 1/8-inches of thread because the oil passage to the main bearing will be blocked.

Be sure not to use excessive-length bolts for the intake manifold. The intake manifold bolt holes in the head intersect push rod passages and too long a bolt can hit the push rods. Also be certain that the bolt holes in the heads at the rear of the manifold are plugged. These are the threaded holes that are unused but are drilled through into the push rod passage. Water, dirt, and other crud can enter the engine through these holes. Be sure to use short bolts, about 1/2 inch of thread so you don’t hit the push rods.

Check the 5/16-inch-diameter timing cover bolt length. If these bolts are too long they can contact the front cylinders doing extensive damage. Apply sealer to bolts that enter the water jackets. They are the two bolts above and below the water passages with four total.

Though all Y-block cylinder heads can be installed on either side of the block, after years of exposure to coolant the 0.906-inch holes at the front of the intake surface will not accept a freeze plug. When choosing heads be sure you have a usable left and right. And when installing heads be sure the corroded 0.906-inch hole is located toward the front of the engine. Be sure the hole at the rear of the head will accept a freeze plug or a temperature sender bushing. The corroded hole can be reamed to a larger size and an oversize plug installed. It is very discouraging to have two heads ready to install and find that they cannot be used as a set.

Remove all oil galley plugs and the oil filter adapter before having your block cleaned. John tells us he’s had the best luck by drilling out the center of the oil plug, leaving the hex. He adds after carefully heating the plugs with a torch they come right out.

Always have the block decks surfaced, main bearing bores align honed, and head decks surfaced. These castings distort after years of operation and heat-cycling.

Although most modern cylinder head gaskets are billed as not needing to be re-torqued always re-torque your cylinder heads. This should be done 500-750 miles after assembly.

Some people try to align the timing marks on the gears toward each other as is common on newer engines. This is bound to happen often because the replacement timing sets no longer have the pins marked for correct alignment with the gears. The marks on the Y-block timing gears aim toward the oil filter side with 12 pins between them. Please keep this in mind.

It appears that Ford used two different thrust washer thicknesses and cam plates. With the wrong combination there will be no camshaft endplay and failure is certain. Ensure at least 0.004-inch camplay endplay during assembly.

Replacement camshaft cores have a glob of metal between the last lobe and the distributor gear. On high lift cams this glob can be higher than the base circle of the lobe, which can do damage. Place a lifter on the last lobe base circle and be sure the lifter clears this excess material. These affected cam cores appeared around 2001-2003 and it is likely they’re out of the system.

Building a Y-block isn’t for the faint of heart because you have to be resourceful and know where to find parts and service. It is a numbers game because these engines have been out of production for more than 50 years. You’re going to need to source all of the castings or a complete unmolested engine in need of a little love. For a peaceful, fun-loving street engine you can build quite the 292- or 312ci Y-block and have plenty of power for the cruise. And torque is the kind of power you want on the street.

We’re at JGM Performance Engineering working with a circa 1956 ECZ-6015-C 312 block, which has been completely machined, including boring and honing, line-bore honing, decks milled, and bolt holes chased for ease of assembly.

The 312 blocks have the advantage of the 312 crankshaft without having to make modifications to clear the crank. The 312 block is quite expensive when you do find one and most have often been bored 0.040- or 0.060-inch oversize and must be sleeved. A good 292 block is your best bet. A 312 crankshaft must be modified to fit in a 272 or 292 block. Never use 292 pistons with a 312 crank and rods.

John Mummert, who is the most respected Y-block expert on the planet, tells us nearly any 272, 292, or 312 engine can be used for performance purposes. He adds 272 blocks can be bored to 292 ci. And, since all other internal components are the same this gives you a 292. The 292 pistons are easier to find, cheaper, and have a better ring selection. We’ve opted for cast pistons in this street engine.

These 312 rods have been reconditioned with new bushings on the small end and ARP bolts on the big end. Shot peening connecting rods also makes them stronger. For 272 and 292 engine builds use the best rods are the 1962-1964 C2AE forgings. For 312 engines use the 1961-1964 C1TE heavy-duty truck rods if you can find them. Cast pistons will work fine for most street applications. Opt for forged pistons if you’re going to spin it.

You’re probably not used to seeing tappets that look like this one. These “nailhead” mechanical tappets get lubed and installed from the cam tunnel. They get moly lube where they contact the cam lobes.

Tappets are installed in their bores like this from the cam tunnel prior to cam installation. You don’t want to forget the tappets and install the cam first. You will have to disassemble the engine and install the tappets.

This is how a Y-block camshaft should be prepped for installation with the journals smothered in engine assembly lube and lobes covered with moly-lube for proper break-in.

When Ford conceived the 312 it made the first four main caps taller than the 292 cap anticipating added load. The 312 rear main cap was left at the 292 height to clear the rear main seal holder and oil pan rail. Don’t get these caps and bolts mixed up.

The Y-block’s stock cam sprocket sports a counterweight to counterbalance the weight of the fuel pump eccentric.

Stock cast pistons are available from Speedway Motors. These are high-silicon alloy 0.040-inch oversize units. Ring sets are sold separately.

Pistons and rings have been bathed in engine assembly lube for a nice oil wedge on startup.

Rod caps are carefully fitted and torque to specifications one at a time along with a rotational check. Freedom of rotation is checked one cylinder at a time in order to isolate any problems that may arise.

The Y-block’s completed bottom end looks like this. Main caps were torqued to specifications one cap at a time, then checked for freedom of crank rotation.

When it’s time to rework the heads you have options. It is always good to touch base with a good cylinder head porter if you’re looking for real gains in power. Otherwise you will want to get a standard three-angle valvejob with hardened exhaust valve seat inserts. Stainless steel valves may be used as an alternative to the hardened seats.

The Y-block cylinder head is a head-scratcher to be sure thanks to these crazy stacked intake ports. They limit performance potential.

On the hot side, exhaust ports offer pretty respectable scavenging for a vintage iron head.

In an age of lightweight cast aluminum timing covers, a cast-iron timing cover offers its share of culture shock. It is heavy. There are bolt length issues with this timing cover and you must be very careful to get bolts in their proper places for face engine damage.

Mummert suggests bringing the pistons as close to the deck surface as possible to reduce risk of detonation. He adds detonation complaints have been noted with the pistons 0.030- to 0.040-inch below deck and the engine assembled with composition head gaskets. This increases the potential for detonation.

JGM’s completed 312 short-block is ready for heads and final assembly. Note the crisp machinework on top with clean decks. The message here is to have complete machinework performed in the interest of perfect mating surfaces.

The Y-block’s oiling system is set up where the pump is outside and the pick up is inside. Main issue here is potential leakage. Make sure all seals and sealing surfaces are clean and serviceable.

The oil pump is mounted here and driven off the camshaft mid-block. It is suggested you disassemble the oil pump and blueprint, checking all clearances before installation.

A weak spot on FE-series big-blocks is also a weak spot on the Y-block. There’s all kinds of potential here for leakage at the rear main seal cap because there are so many gaps. At each side of the cap where it mates to the block are seals. Bathe these seals in The Right Stuff from Permatex, which is available from Summit Racing Equipment. Dab The Right Stuff at the two top arrows where the gasket meets the pan. Do not overdo it.

The Y-blocks shaft-mounted rocker arms offer stability purely by design. Where you can get into trouble is installing the shaft upside down where rockers and valves become oil starved. Oil holes must line up with the pedestals.

Mummert shows us the wide variety of intake manifolds available for the Ford Y-block V-8. There are also multi-carb manifolds available. He adds the best Ford intake is the 1957 ECZ 9425-B single four-barrel manifold.

We like this bottom end stud girdle Ted Eaton of Eaton Balancing fabricated for his race-ready 375ci Y-block, which gives the Y-block the structural integrity of a cross-bolted main block.

The Mummert aluminum cylinder heads for the Y-block have netted as much as 80 more horsepower and comparable torque over the best stock iron heads. Look at the size of these intake ports over iron.

Exhaust scavenging is vastly improved over the oppressive iron castings.

High-swirl 60cc chambers and 1.94/1.54-inch intake/exhaust valves coupled with improved port design and the heat transfer benefits of aluminum make the Mummert head a great investment. What’s more, these heads are affordable.

Ted Eaton has proven the worth of a well thought out, constructed, and tuned Y-block stroker, netting more than 600 hp in competition. Of course to net this kind of power you must have an unlimited budget. For street use you can build a fiercely reliable Y-block capable of great usable low to midrange torque, which is exactly what you want for cruising and weekend racing.

This Eaton Balancing 374ci Y-block delivered 540.1 hp at 6,200 rpm along with 492.8 ft-lb of torque at 5,000 rpm, indicating a broad power curve from a very streetable engine back in 2010.

The post How to build a reliable, powerful Ford Y-block appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/build-reliable-powerful-ford-y-block/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

1 note · View note

techplusautomotiveaz · 4 years ago

Text

What You Understand From the Valve Train Noise

The valve train refers to the assembly of components designed to open and close the intake and exhaust valves. Most of the new engines have overhead cam assemblies, while some have the camshaft placed lower in the engine and use push rods to move the valve assemblies. The camshaft is rotated either by a timing belt, timing chain or a direct gear.

Reasons behind valve train noise

Valve train noise is similar to a clicking sound and the frequency of the valve-train noise is one-half the crankshaft speed. A clicking lifter is a very common valve-train noise. And when the engine is equipped with mechanical lifters or hydraulic valve lifters, proper diagnosis is needed for the right adjustment.

Valve train noise can also be caused by sticky valves, weak springs or excessive revving of the engine. In any hydraulic application, another cause of valve-train noise can be the result of machining of the cylinder head and valve seats, which changes the rocker-arm geometry.

The problem with diagnosing and correcting valve-train noise is that there are many components that can cause undesirable sounds. Not every noisy valve-train is suffering from an improper adjustment. For this reason, even after the valves are adjusted properly, the engine may still be noisy.

Different types of valve train noise

It is critical to make sure that the valve train is the culprit when chasing any excessive noise before it becomes a major issue. There are four types of noise that can be caused by an inoperative or failing valve lifter:

Loud, rapping sound

This can be caused by the plunger being stuck in the body, usually due to excessive varnish between the plunger and body, or by dirt or other foreign materials wedged between the plunger and body. Another cause of a loud rapping sound is an excessively worn base or foot on the lifter itself.

Moderate clicking noise

This can be the result of varnish or a worn lifter bottom. The noise level depends on the amount of varnish and the degree of wear. Two other causes of a moderate clicking noise are excessively fast or slow leak down. Slow leak down generally will cause the engine to be noisy only when cold and the oil is thick. With fast leak down, the valve-train will be noisy when the engine is warm or when the ball-check in the lifter fails to seal.

Intermittent clicking

This type of noise is hard to locate by its very nature. There will be a few clicks, and then it will be quiet, but the noise will reappear after a short period of time. The usual cause of intermittent clicking is a very minute piece of dirt that holds the ball check off the seat for a few seconds and then passes through. In some cases, the cause of the sound is a pitted or flat spotted ball-check.

General valve train noise

When the sound is throughout the entire valve-train, the cause is usually the weight of the oil or the oil supply itself. Too much oil in the crankcase will cause foaming and aeration. When air gets into the lifters, they will fail to operate properly and insufficient oil supply to the lifters can also cause general valve train noise. This could be the result of too little oil in the crankcase, an oil pump not operating properly, or clogged main oil gallery lines.

How to detect the failed valve?

When the cause of the engine noise is not detected and is still, coming from a hydraulic lifter, you will need to isolate the failed lifter. A simple method is to use a piece of garden hose. Remove the valve covers. With the engine running, place one end of the hose near the spring retainer of each intake and exhaust valve and put the other end of the hose to your ear. It will be very apparent which the offending valve lifter is.

Another way to find a failed valve lifter is with the engine shut off. Push down on each of the rocker arms on the push rod side. If the rocker arm is free to move or there is a spongy feeling, it is a good indicator that the valve lifter is leaking down too fast and not retaining oil from the engine.

Also, remember that excessively thick engine oil will cause entire valve train noise when cold-starting an engine. The noise will diminish when the oil warms up and starts to flow properly. An engine with thick oil will be more prone to noise in colder weather than during the summer months.

#car engine #car valve #car service #car repair

0 notes

findusonweb-blog · 6 years ago

Link

Company History

I have been running our family business since 2002 when my father retired. He founded our business in 1966 as a highly respected panel beater and sprayer.

From early on my mother worked alongside him carrying out accounts and admin work and is still very much involved. Creating a business they could be proud of, and building real, lasting relationships with our customers was always the number one goal.

I have a sister who has also worked in the business for over 20 years, Bromley Garage Services is very much a family affair. I have myself worked in and experienced all aspects of the business for almost 20 years.

We have highly regarded staff who share our commitment and have stayed with us along the years, feeling very much a part of this family business.

Our aim is to maintain the caring and professional ethos of the company, whilst always investing in equipment and our staff, to create the best possible experience for our customers.

Our Expertise What does an ATA accredited technician have to do to become qualified?

Before any technician can even become qualified, they are required to have extensive knowledge and experience of working on vehicles. This is a rigorous test and the standard way to accurately measure the competency and knowledge of the technician seeking accreditation. Accreditation is not for life. To remain qualified, ATA technicians must be retested every three years to prove their competency in working on vehicles.

Car Servicing Winnersh, Reading, Berkshire by BGS Car Servicing

Services

Main dealer car servicing in Winnersh, Reading at a fraction of the cost! The car servicing staff at our family-owned garage in Winnersh are all ATA qualified keeping up to date with the demands and complex nature of the modern vehicle. We service all makes of vehicles with honesty and integrity only replacing parts that are required and most importantly using only engine oil that is suitable for a specific vehicle. We use Autodata for car servicing schedule information ensuring that all the same items checked by the main dealer are also checked by us. We understand how important it is that customers who bring their vehicle to BGS Car Servicing in Winnersh have an understanding of the work to be carried out on their vehicle.

MOT We are fully aware of how long the process of getting an MOT can take, sometimes several hours if work has to be carried out. To assist our customers we offer a free local collection and delivery service from your work/home address and a courtesy car can be provided upon request.

Van & Car Air Conditioning & Air Conditioning Recharge The majority of vehicles are fitted with air conditioning systems as standard these days. Just like the rest of your car, your air conditioning should be serviced at regular intervals. Brakes Repair & Inspection “Are you in any doubt as to how well your brakes perform?” “What happens when you apply the brakes?” “Does your car stop firmly, did you stop where you expected to?” If you’re concerned about the performance of your brakes, call us for advice or to book in for a free check.

How can I check my tyres? With this easy test, 20 pence can buy you peace of mind when it comes to your van or car tyres and safety. Place a 20 pence piece head first into several tread grooves across the tyre. If you cannot see the inner rim of the coin then you are OK however if this is visible then you need to pop in and get them checked straight away – It’s Free!

Clutch Replacement What is a clutch? The clutch is a mechanism for disconnecting the engine’s power from the manual gearbox. In order for this operation to provide a smooth take-up of the drive and allow for quick gear selections, modern vehicles use a single plate, diaphragm spring clutch. The clutch assembly is made up from a pressure plate, a friction plate and a release bearing.

Cambelt Replacement Sometimes referred to as the ‘timing’ belt. Cambelts are made from rubber, reinforced with cord or fibre glass, which are notched along the inner face to form equally spaced teeth. The belt is driven by the crankshaft pulley and drives the camshaft pulley or in the case of double overhead cam engines, pulleys

Head Gasket Repair What is a Head Gasket? The head gasket is fitted between the cylinder head and the engine block. Its function is to provide a gas and watertight seal to ensure that engine compression is maintained and to prevent leakage of oil or coolant into the combustion chambers.

Repair Services

Alloy Wheel Repairs We offer a complete alloy wheel repair and refurbishment services for alloy wheels that have become scuffed and chipped. Aside from looking unsightly, poorly maintained alloy wheels can leads to further damage such a corrosion and rust.

Bodywork Repairs Dent Removal If you have a small dent in your bodywork then getting a dent removal repair does not have to be expensive. Dent Removal is carried out by our highly qualified technicians using the latest specialist tools, ensuring your bodywork is restored to its original condition.

Scratch Repair Scratches to your bodywork not only makes your car look scruffy but if left, can lead to rust problems. Cosmetic scuffs and scratch repairs can be relatively easily solved without the use of a body shop. Our scratch repair process preserves the integrity of the cars original paintwork, ensuring that the car retains its value.

Accident Repairs We are very proud that our company has been nominated in the top 5 body shop awards for quality and service. We are a fully qualified body shop operating under BSI (British Standards Institution) who regularly inspect for safety and quality. Our staff are ATA (Automotive Technician Accreditation) qualified assuring that they are up to date with industry standards, skills and techniques keeping up with today’s modern and complex designed vehicles. We have more than 45 years of experience in the industry. From little knocks to larger accident repairs…

Bumper Repairs Scratches and Scuffs on your car bumper can look unsightly and worse, lower the value of your car. Replacement bumpers are often an expensive option, but many of these minor cosmetic inconveniences can be resolved by a simple bumper repair service. At a fraction of the cost, our highly qualified technicians can repair scratches and other cosmetic damage to their original condition saving you money. Often this takes only a few hours, saving you on time without your car too.

Insurance Approval & right to choose Whilst our work is approved by the vast majority of insurers, there are some that may insist your vehicle be taken to one of their ‘approved’ repairers. In most cases they are approved because they have an agreed ‘low’ rate and in some cases ‘fixed’ cost for any repairs on all make of vehicle. This is quite obviously not in the interest of ‘you’ the customer. You have the legal consumer right to choose where you have your vehicle repaired.

Non-Fault Accident If you’ve had a Non-Fault Accident then you do not have to claim through your insurance company. If you are unsure whether a non-fault accident claim is relevant for you, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Business Fleets MOT and Servicing With our competitive prices, efficiency, free local collection and delivery, providing a replacement vehicle if required, we can assist you by helping to control costs. We provide flexibility within our personal service and are very competitive with our rates.

Accident Management In the event of an accident, we provide a speedy service. We estimate immediately at the home/work address, providing a courtesy vehicle where required and processing the claim on your behalf. Estimating and courtesy vehicles are free of charge.

Refurbishments In times when it is difficult to re-new your fleet of vehicles we can help by offering a re-furbishment service to keep them on the road and looking like new!

Transportation We have a fleet of specialised vehicles to transport locally or on long journeys.

Storage Facilities We have large secure storage facilities, ideal for storing vehicles of all sizes for short to longterm periods. Ideal for companies that have vehicles that are not in continual use.

Call now and speak to Paul - 0118 9787 525 Please note: Our Free of Charge services are genuine and are not incorporated elsewhere on your invoice.

24 Hour Breakdown & Recovery – 0118 979 1234 Your local professional 24hr recovery team

Competitive and reliable We are based in Berkshire within 1 mile of junction 10 of the M4 and are open 365 days a year. Our response to your call is always fast, efficient and courteous. Whilst an independent company we are, and have been, trusted contractors for major motoring organisations for many years. Don’t forget – we can also carry out repairs, mechanical or car body. Local delivery of your vehicle back to your home Free of Charge. Dealer transfers Long distance recovery Safe and secure overnight storage facilities Light commercial vehicles also transported Very competitive prices

0 notes

heartlandautorepair-blog · 6 years ago

Text

TIMING CHAIN VS. TIMING BELT: WHY DO CARS USE ONE OR THE OTHER?

BY BENJAMIN JEREW

DECEMBER 12, 2018

When considering engine maintenance, it’s important to understand whether your vehicle has a timing chain vs. timing belt or timing gears. Managing the ballet of the engine’s pistons and valve timing is a matter of transferring and halving the rotary motion of the crankshaft, and transmitting it to one or more of the motor’s camshafts. To do this, engineers use timing chains, timing belts or timing gears.

Timing Chain Vs. Timing Belt Basics

For decades, overhead valve (OHV) engines used timing chains or timing gears to rotate the camshaft. Through the 1980s, timing chains powered many overhead cam (OHC) engines. Timing belts were especially common from the mid-’80s through the ’00s, but timing chains are becoming more widespread again.

Without disassembly, it can be difficult to identify what kind of timing components are in your car’s engine. In general, timing chains and timing gears are inaccessible, hidden behind sealed metal covers for lubrication. Timing belts don’t need lubrication, but do need protection, usually located behind unsealed plastic covers. This is a good rule of thumb, but the best identification is to look up timing components for your vehicle. Year, make, model, engine, transmission and drive type can mean the difference between a timing chain vs. timing belt. Why is that the case?

Why Some Cars Use a Timing Chain Vs. a Timing Belt

Why do some engines use a timing chain vs. a timing belt or timing gear? Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and automakers and engine builders balance these.

Timing belts are light and quiet, but they don’t last very long, relatively speaking. Because they’re rubber-based, they degrade over time and must be replaced. Oil and coolant leaks speed up this deterioration. Most automakers recommend replacing the timing belt every 60,000 to 105,000 miles.

Timing chains are heavier and more complex than timing belts, but they also last much longer. Really, unless there’s a problem, timing chains don’t have a replacement interval. Regular oil changes prevent premature wear, stretching, and failure.

Timing gears are the heaviest and noisiest, with a distinctive whine some liken to a supercharger. Like timing chains, timing gears are strong, accurate and last a long time.

At first, automakers used timing chains and timing gears because that was all that was available. Later, timing belts came around and were found to be quieter, but problematic. Broken timing belts have damaged many interference engines due to valve crash.

Interference designs help engines breathe better by improving engine efficiency, power, fuel economy and emissions. More recently, automakers have been moving back to stronger and longer-lasting timing chains to prevent premature failure and valve crash.

Timing Chain vs. Timing Belt — Is One Better?

Timing gears are often employed in high-compression engines for their precise timing and strength, such as in diesel engines. Their unique sound can trick modern EFI systems, though, mimicking knock sensor vibrations. Timing belts’ shock-absorption properties dampen high-revving engine harmonics, as in NASCARengines, for example. Timing chains are used practically anywhere strength and quietness are desired.

“Better” depends on what is expected of the engine. For decades, timing gears and timing chains were state-of-the-art, but noisy and heavy. Drivers demanded something quieter, and timing belts delivered. Today, drivers want longevity and regulations demand efficiency, both of which timing chains deliver. In custom applications, such as restoration or racing, engine builders balance the needs of an engine.

Check out all the belts and hoses available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 16,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on replacing your timing belt or timing chain, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

0 notes

pawlikautomotive · 8 years ago

Video

youtube

2007 Audi Q7 – Engine Oil Leak Repair

Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive Vancouver, BC http://pawlikautomotive.com (604) 327-7112

Mark: Hi, it’s Mark from Top Local, we’re here with Bernie Pawlik, we’re going to talk cars. So we’re talking about a 2007 Audi Q7 that had an engine oil leak repair. How’re you going Bernie?

Bernie: I’m doing really well this morning.

Mark: So what was going on with this Audi SUV?

Bernie: Well this vehicle came to us with an engine oil leak and it was quite an oil leak when the engine, with the engine running there’d be, every minute there’d be a, maybe every couple minutes there’d be a drip on the ground, so it was a pretty substantial leak. Did a diagnostic and we found that the leak was coming from the upper engine oil pan.

Mark: Ok, that sounds like a pretty serious leaking problem, what was involved in fixing it?

Bernie: There’s a lot involved and actually you’re right, it is a pretty serious leak. Serious in terms of the complexity of the leak and also the complexity of the repair. The upper oil pan basically requires removing the engine from the vehicle and dismantling an awful lot of the engine just to make the oil pan off to make the repair.

Mark: Ok, that sounds a little extreme. Is the oil pan gasket a typical gasket that seals the entire bottom end of the vehicle?

Bernie: No, it’s a little different and this is kind of common on modern engine technology. The parts are aluminum so they fit the pan together with, usually a high quality, I wouldn’t call it silicone, but it’s like a silicone type sealer, it’s form of gasket material and then any areas of crucial oil flow, they’ll put O rings. So there’s 4 O rings and then the rest of it is this silicone type sealer, a special type sealer which they use in a number of gaskets, the timing chain covers, the lower oil pan is the same thing but that’s how most modern engines are sealed now a days. The typical big, huge gasket or well in the olden days or a cork gasket, those are long gone now.

Mark: So does it really need to be so complicated?

Bernie: Well I don’t know if it needs to be but it is. When you’re driving an Audi, people buy them because you want the performance, you want the fuel economy and of course, emissions on engines, it’s just created a storm of complication but the good news is you can hop in your vehicle still in cold, runs great, works perfectly, the performance cold and hot is the same, where if you go back 20 or 30 years ago with carbureted engines, you’d be stalling and stumbling until the engine warmed up. So not to mention the amount of pollutants you put out. So there’s a lot of complexity. I’m going to share some photos here, we’ve got lots of them to look at so, let’s start with, here’s our oil leak, you see that ok Mark? Perfect. Ok so this is a view of the bottom of the engine looking up, this area over here, this is the crankshaft pulley and the serpentine drive belt and right where the red arrow is pointing, that’s where our oil leak was coming from. So this assembly right here, this is the upper engine oil pan and down here’s the lower oil pan. The lower oil pan by the way can be replaced inside the vehicle but the upper is a much more deeply buried component let’s say. So that’s where our leak was. This is what we viewed in the engine once we pull the engine out, this is another view of, kind of head on, this is a seam of the upper oil pain right here and so that where, again you can see the leak. The oil pouring down out of here, down here, as the engine was running. So let’s look at the complexity. There’s the back view of the engine. These are the timing chains of the engine. I mean, this is like a really really complicated set up, a lot of bits and pieces. Fortunately for our client, everything seems to be in pretty good order but there are a lot of parts and pieces that can wear here, a lot of money. So basically here is the crankshaft, so this is where it all starts turning from. You’ve got chains here driving the oil pump drive, then you’ve got chains here, this is the main chain that drives the camshaft gears and then you’ve got chains that drive the camshafts and these are the variable valve timing phasers, there are solenoids up here. So there’s a lot that goes into this to make this engine rune like the beautiful engine it does, but as you can see, there’s a lot of complexity here. What else have we got here, there’s a view of the vehicle, to pull this engine out, you basically pull the whole front cradle out, the transmission, the transfer case and the engine so that’s the assembly sitting on jack stands after it’s removed and the body of the vehicle is sitting up above. Almost looks like a Ford 6 Litre type of jobs that we do. Now one common, oh so here’s our lower engine oil pan, so this is what the unit looks like cleaned up and mostly cleaned up and ready to be reinstalled. Very precise piece of machine, you know precision machine piece of equipment. And yeah, so now one area of problem on these Audi’s, these engines are fairly reliable but there’s one engine, one problem area and that is the intake manifold. They’re inside the intake manifold there are runners to change the airflow inside the intake manifold, again this is what gives the engine the performance that it has. There’s a set of runners here, right by the intake ports, there’s a set of runners here and then inside the manifold is a set of runners that change as well. There’s actuators over here which are electronically controlled and when we took this manifold out, there’s actually some broken pieces that fell out, fortunately they never fell into the engine, we were able to retrieve them, but these are, this is part of the flapper inside the manifold that’s broken. This is actually a fairly common breakage problem on these engines. Sometimes it can result in pieces actually falling into the engine and causing problems. So this is something we’ll have to address with this repair. It’s expensive, unfortunately you have to buy a complete manifold … from Audi. So there’s a view of the complexity, some of the things, one of the things that goes wrong, a couple of things and there we have it.

Mark: So looking at the back end of that engine, kind of reminded me of a throwback to looking at an old V12 Ferrari engine with dual overhead cams.

Bernie: Yeah, same complexity, you don’t need, you can have that same level of complexity even in a Kia nowadays.

Mark: So how are these vehicles overall?

Bernie: They’re pretty good, I mean they, it’s an Audi, it more expensive to maintain of course, things that that wear out faster than you’ll find in a lot of other cars, it’s big, uses a fair bit of fuel, very nice vehicle, overall pretty reliable but there are some areas of issues and we’re going to discuss that in a future hangout.

Mark: Alright, so we’ve been talking with Mr. Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. If you need service on your Audi from experts who know what they’re doing, so Pawlik Automotive 604-327-7112 or check out their website pawlikautomotive.com. Thank you

Bernie: Thanks Mark

https://www.youtube.com/user/pawlikautorepair https://plus.google.com/u/0/104437348234668995906/about https://twitter.com/PawlikAuto https://ca.linkedin.com/in/bernie-pawlik-97198811 https://www.facebook.com/Pawlik-Automotive-48773522512/

#auto repair vancouver #mechanic vancouver #pawlik automotive #auto repair shop #auto service vancouver #hangouts on air #Audi #2007 Audi Q7 #Audi oil leak repair #oil leak #engine repair

0 notes

hnzlittlegarage · 8 years ago

Text

The fundamental anatomy of an engine

An automotive engine is the heart of a vehicle because it is the one that produces power to propel the vehicle. All gasoline and diesel automotive engines are classified as internal combustion engine because the combustion or burning process takes place inside the engine. It’s that combustion that allows the engine to output power for the vehicle. Before learning the operation of an engine, you have to know some important engine’s components.

The engine can be divided into two major parts: cylinder head and cylinder block / engine block.

The cylinder head fits on top of the engine block and the two main parts in the cylinder head are camshaft and valves.

The cylinder head contains ports, valves, and passages to allow air-fuel mixture or intake air only (depending on the fuel injection system) to enter the cylinder and exhaust gas out. There is one mounting surface on each both side of the cylinder head, one mounting surface is to bolt the intake manifold to the cylinder head, the other side is for the exhaust manifold. The intake manifold conveys intake air / air-fuel mixture to the cylinder head while the exhaust manifold directs the exhaust gas to the exhaust pipe. The intake air will need to enter the engine’s cylinder through cylinder head’s intake ports. However, it can be blocked by the intake valves if the valves are closed. The opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves are operated by a camshaft.

Most of the engines have 4 valves per cylinder. There will be 2 intake and 2 exhaust valves. The intake valves are often made bigger than the exhaust valves because larger volume of air can enter through larger intake ports, hence the engine can ‘breathe’ better. The valves sit on their valve seats in the cylinder head and seal the intake and exhaust ports.

Intake valve is often made bigger than exhaust valve to allow more air to enter.

The camshaft is typically installed above the valves. The camshaft keeps rotating to open and close the valves and it is driven by crankshaft by means of timing belt or chain. There are several raised sections on the shaft called cams and the high spot on each cam is called lobes. As the camshaft rotates, the lobes rotate together and push the valves away from the valve seat to open the valves. Once the cam lobe rotates out of the way, a spring forces the valve to close.

#gallery-0-18 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-18 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-18 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-18 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The cam lobe pushes the valve open as it rotates.

There are two types of valves and camshaft placement configuration. One is overhead cam (OHC) and another one is overhead valve (OHV). In overhead cam engine, the intake valves, exhaust valves, and the camshaft are located in the cylinder head. In the overhead valve engine, as the name implies, the intake and exhaust valves are located in the cylinder head but the camshaft is mounted in the cylinder block. This design requires the use of valve lifters, pushrods, and rocker arms to operate the valves.

You can actually know what valve and camshaft arrangement your engine is using by looking at the engine’s spec. If it reads “1.8-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine”, it means the engine has two camshaft located at the cylinder head, one shaft is used to operate intake valves and another is used to operate exhaust valves. DOHC is the acronym of double overhead cam. Each cylinder has 4 valves.

Overhead Cam engine. The camshaft is located in the cylinder head.

Overhead valve engine. The camshaft is located in the engine block.

The combustion takes place in the combustion chamber, which is the space between the top of the piston (when the piston is at its TDC position) and the valve surface side in the cylinder head. It is the space in which the air-fuel mixture is compressed and ignited. The size of the combustion chamber determines the compression ratio of the engine as the air-fuel mixture is fully compressed when the piston approaches TDC. TDC (top dead center) is the peak position the piston can reach as it travels up.

There are various combustion chamber designs. The two most popular are wedge type and hemispherical type.

#gallery-0-19 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-19 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-19 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-19 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Wedge Type

Hemispherical Type

In wedge type combustion chamber, as the piston travels upward from compression stroke to TDC, it compresses the air-fuel mixture into a quench / squish area. The quench area causes a turbulence or movement of air-fuel mixture within the chamber. This promotes a thorough blending of the mixture, resulting a more complete burn at lower or mid-cruise speeds.

The hemispherical combustion chamber resembles a half-ball as the piston reaches TDC. This design does not create turbulence in the chamber. However, with this design, the intake and exhaust valves are located across from each other with the spark plug between them. This arrangement creates less restricted airflow entering and exiting the cylinder. In wedge type chamber, the valves are positioned next to each other and the spark plug is at the opposite side.

The other half of the engine is the cylinder block or engine block. The engine block is the largest single piece of an engine and is usually cast from iron or aluminum. There are large holes bored in the block called cylinders and each of them is fitted with a piston that moves up and down. A crankshaft is mounted at the lower portion of the block and connected to the pistons via connecting rods.

The pistons are the major parts in an engine that produce power. Each piston has three piston rings below its piston crown: two compression rings and one oil control ring. The compression rings help keep the pressure of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder as the piston moves up in a compression stroke. If there is a damaged piston ring, leak of compression pressure and air-fuel mixture happens and this will diminish the engine’s performance. The last piston ring is an oil control ring, it prevents the engine oil from entering the combustion chamber and get burned. When a trace amount of engine oil is burned in the combustion chamber, the exhaust gas will appear in blue color. The connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft. The bearing in the connecting rod cap helps the piston and crankshaft move in different pattern.

#gallery-0-20 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-20 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-20 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-20 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The point at the crankshaft at which the connecting rod is attached to is called rod journal. The crankshaft is a device that converts the reciprocating motion (up and down motion) of a piston to rotary motion.

The main journal is the center point of the crankshaft while the rod journal is off-center. The off-center rod journal is connected by the crankshaft piston rod so that the reciprocating motion of the pistons rotate the crankshaft. The counterweight across the rod journal helps to balance the crankshaft and reduce vibration on a rotating crankshaft. As the pistons move up and down, the crankshaft is constantly receiving pulses of force. These pulses cause vibration to the crankshaft. In order to maintain the balance and reduce the vibration, counterweight, flywheel, and any other parts that attach to the crankshaft always play an important role.

The fundamental anatomy of an engine An automotive engine is the heart of a vehicle because it is the one that produces power to propel the vehicle.

#camshaft #crankshaft #cylinder head #DOHC #engine #engine block #OHV #piston

0 notes

itsworn · 6 years ago

Text

An Inside Look at Ford’s All-New 7.3L Pushrod V8

Ford Motor Company recently unveiled its all-new 7.3L (445 cubic inch) gasoline V8, with a single, in-block camshaft and pushrods to activate the valves. This is a big deal because since 1996, all Ford gasoline V8 engines have been relatively small in displacement of the overhead-cam design (The last Ford high-performance pushrod V8 was a 351 Windsor found in the 1995 SVT Cobra R).

While not necessarily a “hot rod” engine slated for the iconic Mustangs, Ford will use the big-inch small-block in its trucks, namely the F-250, F-350, F-450, and in various commercial and fleet applications including motor homes and delivery trucks. So why are we interested in a production-level truck engine? Because all great engines find their way into great cars (even if they are swapped in after the fact), and this V8 has the potential for greatness.

To learn more, we spoke to Blaine Ramey, supervisor of large gas and diesel engine performance development at Ford Motor Company. Ramey is also a hardcore drag racer, who pilots a modern Cobra Jet Mustang. In fact, your humble scribe faced off against Ramey in the final round of the 2011 Ford Performance Cobra Jet Showdown.

The new 7.3L V8 has pushrods, sizeable cubic inch, a robust block and rotating assembly, high-flowing heads, and variable camshaft timing. In other words, along with being a truck engine, it has the DNA of a really great street or race engine. It was also rumored that this was the brainchild of former director of Ford Performance, Brian Wolfe. (Note: Wolfe is now retired from Ford, but continues to drag race his Ford Mustang).

“When the project kicked off, [Brian Wolfe] was the director of global engine engineering. We decided to go with a brand new design; one that made the most sense,” said Ramey. “We essentially had a clean sheet of paper, and this design offered the customer what we’re looking for in that segment. Basically, it fits the heavy-duty market for trucks and we wanted to have a common engine that would go across the board. This will be in dump trucks, motor homes, and pick-up trucks. We needed a relatively compact package with low cost and high reliability. It made sense to do a pushrod V8 for cost to the customer and maintenance.

“This engine uses everything that Ford has learned. The same guy who did the 5.0L and the 5.2L Shelby [GT350] intake port developed this engine. It’s brand new with no compromises. It is designed to be very rugged. It’s a cast iron, four-bolt main block with cross bolts, and the pistons and rings are an evolution of the EcoBoost design. There are fewer parts and it’s built in Windsor [Ontario]. The DOHC V8 engines use 32 valves; this has 16, plus one cam vs four.”

As Ramey stated, the 7.3L utilizes an iron block featuring four-bolt main caps with cross bolts in each main, and the block is fully skirted, which adds rigidity. Bore and stroke comes in at 4.22-inches x 3.976-inches, respectively, to produce 445 cubic inches of displacement.

“We wanted to have a relatively good performance potential for the engine, so it has large bores. This is good for cylinder head flow and creates slower piston speed during cruise modes for better efficiency,” said Ramey. “We also designed the engine to be serviced and rebuilt in the future. So, for these reasons the iron block made the most sense. Another benefit is improved thermal efficiency.” Ramey stated the engine was designed with longevity in mind. The block can be bored and honed at least 0.010-inch according to Ramey, but we suspect there’s plenty of meat to go 0.030-inch over (or larger), which would give you 457 cubes. Some insiders say a bore and stroke upgrade could net over 500 cubic inches! The bottom end also uses an integrated oil pump, and there are options for Super Duty and Medium duty oil cooler attached on the side of the block.

Up top, Ford designed a composite intake that mounts flat at the heads. This helps with sealing and assembly. It also has a dry valley, so there’s less chance of an oil leak. And there’s a flow advantage, too. The 7.3L does not currently utilize direct injection, but Ramey says it can be adopted later if necessary.

The heads are aluminum with tall ports that were developed for good flow and charge motion. “We have a wedge-shaped combustion chamber and the spark plug location is optimized at the center of the dish for the ability to have higher compression ratio. That equals better efficiency and performance. We also use piston-cooling jets that flow oil to the backside of the piston. This cools the pistons under high load to prevent detonation. And we control oil pressure with the variable-displacement oil pump. “We can control the oil pressure in the engine to give a target pressure. It’s a variable-displacement oil pump, so basically we can control the pressure depending on driver demand. At idle we don’t need much pressure, at higher speed or load we can increase pressure to protect the engine.” This is yet another feature that should equate to extra performance and high-mileage durability.

You’ll also note the Beehive valve springs are very tall. This was done to accommodate the high valve lift with low spring stress. “With a tall spring you’re not deflecting the coils as much,” said Ramey. “Pretty much all our engine have evolved to that design with lightweight retainers.” Ramey wouldn’t comment about valve sizes at this time.

The 7.3L also features forged aluminum rockers with a roller fulcrum, and we can see the valve angle is very shallow, which keeps the valves away from the cylinder wall as they open. This allows for maximum flow. “From a performance aspect, you’re getting a lot there,” he added.

It also uses hydraulic roller lifters with variable valve timing with a single phaser. “It has fixed overlap, but you can advance and retard the cam [on the fly]. This gives us the ability to reduce pumping loss at low engine speed and throttle position, but at higher speeds we can change the phasing for better air flow. The cam features 60mm bearing journals, and speaking of journals, there are 9 of them to reduce or eliminate deflection.

Ramey mentioned the 7.3L is designed to replace the 6.8L V10 that Ford has used since 1997. Depending on the application and year, the 6.8L Triton SOHC EFI V10 produced between 305-362 horsepower (2010 Super Duty was the highest) and as much as 460 lb-ft of torque. While it has displacement and power, it’s large and not the best for engine swaps. Ford stated the new 7.3L will make best-in-class power, so we’re anticipating more than 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque.

Unlike the 4.6L Two-, Three- and Four-Valve modular and DOHC 5.0 Coyote engines, this is a big incher in a relatively small package. We don’t have specs yet, but it appears to be no larger than a typical small-block Ford. And with engine swaps being all the rage, it will only be a matter of time before we see one in a classic Ford, late-model Mustang, a street rod or dare we say, in a GM product.

Of course, there will be obstacles, and one we see is the extra-deep oil pan. Normally, this wouldn’t present an issue, but the integrated oil pump and pick-up may present a challenge if you plan to set the engine in a low car. The off-road market would simply eat this thing up, especially the classic truck crowd.

Ultimately, time will tell if this engine will be a hit with the performance-minded set. We envision many aftermarket parts, but the real hope is that Ford Performance Parts recognizes our desire for horsepower and offers the 7.3L in a drop-in crate engine package. With a performance intake, cam and FPPS popular Control Pack this would make a wicked-good option for any racer or street enthusiast.

The post An Inside Look at Ford’s All-New 7.3L Pushrod V8 appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/inside-look-fords-new-7-3l-pushrod-v8/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

0 notes

findusonweb-blog · 6 years ago

Link

Company History

I have been running our family business since 2002 when my father retired. He founded our business in 1966 as a highly respected panel beater and sprayer.

We have highly regarded staff who share our commitment and have stayed with us along the years, feeling very much a part of this family business.

Our aim is to maintain the caring and professional ethos of the company, whilst always investing in equipment and our staff, to create the best possible experience for our customers.

Our Expertise What does an ATA accredited technician have to do to become qualified?

Car Servicing Winnersh, Reading, Berkshire by BGS Car Servicing

Services

Repair Services

Refurbishments In times when it is difficult to re-new your fleet of vehicles we can help by offering a re-furbishment service to keep them on the road and looking like new!

Transportation We have a fleet of specialised vehicles to transport locally or on long journeys.

Call now and speak to Paul - 0118 9787 525 Please note: Our Free of Charge services are genuine and are not incorporated elsewhere on your invoice.

24 Hour Breakdown & Recovery – 0118 979 1234 Your local professional 24hr recovery team

0 notes

itsworn · 7 years ago

Text

How to find noises and causes in your Corvette engine

Engine noise makes us more nervous than any other automotive sound because noise can mean expense and inconvenience. And, sometimes engine noise is nothing more than a normal dynamic of the engine’s design. We often make assumptions about engine noise based on what we’re told and who we talk to instead of taking our troubleshooting step-by-step until the source of the noise is discovered and corrected. What’s more, noise doesn’t always need to be corrected.

When you evaluate engine sound, remember there are two basic sources of engine noise because you have two different motion events going on at the same time: camshaft speed and crankshaft speed, which are different. The crankshaft turns at twice the speed of the camshaft. Crankshaft noise is typically a whizzing or rapid clicking sound where the camshaft is more of a tapping or clicking at a slower tempo.

Where engine sound becomes confusing is rod journal noise, which moves at the same speed of the crankshaft yet the sound is in rhythm with the camshaft and valvetrain. Rod bearing noise is in rhythm with the valvetrain because rod journal noise happens on the power stroke only, and only at the cylinder affected. The same can be said for pistons and pins, which will knock or click at the same clip as rod journals.

Timing and valvetrain components are another source of engine noise and often easier to correct than those dreaded sounds from down under. Because Chevrolet has chosen to stay largely away from overhead cam technology in its V-8 engines, you’re less likely to be plagued with valvetrain noise with the exceptions being a collapsed lifter, bent pushrod, busted rocker arm, or fractured valvespring. Valvespring keepers and locks can fail, too, causing their share of headaches and engine failure. Typically, valvetrain failure and engine damage occur at high rpm.

There are dozens of other noise sources, too. Vacuum leaks can cause a whistling or hissing and poor performance. Most of the time you can’t even hear a vacuum leak, yet the engine will run poorly and with a faster-than-normal idle you can’t get under control with the idle speed adjustment screw. Electronically controlled engines will idle at a higher speed with a vacuum leak, which cannot be adjusted out. Idle speed on these computer-controlled engines is adjusted via an idle-air-controlled solenoid, which can stick and keep the engine at a faster idle and make a lot of noise.

Fuel pumps and eccentrics can make a noise in rhythm with the valvetrain, which can sound like a knock or click. You can correct this problem with a new fuel pump or by addressing camshaft eccentric wear.

Harmonic dampers get noisy when the rubber ring becomes dry-rotted and the outer ring becomes loose on the hub causing a rattle in rhythm with crank rotation. When dry-rot becomes really bad, the outer ring can leave the damper and go right through your hood. The harmonic damper is the crankshaft’s shock absorber designed to damp crank twist as eight pistons hammer away on it with a consistent beat. The harmonic damper minimizes the risk of crank breakage.

Crankshaft counterweights have been known to contact the block, oil pan baffles and oil pump pickup causing an obnoxious knock in rhythm with the crankshaft and connecting rod journals.

Your engine’s front dress can also be a source of noise from the generator or alternator, power steering pump, water pump, air-conditioning compressor or smog pump. Generator/alternator bearings wear out and create a hiss or groan. The same can be said for power steering pumps, which whine when they’re low on fluid (cavitation) or worn out. Power steering pumps tend to whine under a load when you apply steering input. Water pump bearings will hiss or squeal and typically cause leakage from the weep hole because the seal can also fail at the same time.

Air-conditioning compressors get noisy and rattle when the compressor clutch or cam plate inside become excessively worn. The quickest way to find compressor noise is to cycle the switch on and off to see when there’s noise. Then, examine the compressor for evidence of lost refrigeration oil and refrigerant. If it is damp with oil you are losing both.

There’s also flywheel, flexplate, clutch and torque converter noise that happen in rhythm with the crankshaft. This sounds more like a rattle whether it’s the clutch or torque converter. Troubled torque converters will set up a vibration as well as noise.

Establishing and solving engine noise is a matter of finding the source and figuring out how to solve it. The key to solving the problem is not to panic or guess. Know where the noise is coming from and zero in on a solution. Find the fault and then find the fix. Vette

1. When you have a rod knock, the news is rarely good. To establish rod bearing noise or knock, pull one spark plug lead at a time with the engine at idle and see if the knock goes away. If the knock goes silent, you have piston/rod bearing issues on that particular bore.

2. Rod bearing wear or improper journal machining can cause rod knock. If you’re befuddled by a knock in a fresh engine, keep in mind that mistakes happen. Never assume because an engine is new there aren’t mistakes. Main bearing journal noise will tend to be a squeal or a hiss, especially if you have a spun bearing that has gone dry.

3. Piston noise is more common with cold engines with forged pistons. Expect to hear a mild rap or rattle on one or more cylinders until the engine reaches operating temperature. If you hear piston slap after the engine gets hot, it indicates excessive piston-to-cylinder wall clearances or a damaged piston skirt. Again, pull one spark plug wire at a time and see which bore goes quiet.

4. Piston noise can also come from tight deck height clearances where the piston is a pinch out of the bore and the head gasket thickness isn’t enough. You also need to ascertain valve-to-piston clearances hot. You want at least 0.080-inch (intake valve) hot and 0.100-inch (exhaust valve) hot.

5. Precision piston-to-cylinder-wall clearances will yield a quieter engine. The cylinders must be match-honed to each piston to get this spot on. Not all engine builders follow this regiment, which can result in piston noise because no two pistons are the same exact size. Forged pistons call for more generous clearances due to a greater expansion rate. You don’t want excessive clearances with cast or hypereutectic pistons, which yield a less aggressive expansion rate.

6. Crankshaft endplay can cause engine noise centered mostly around the rod journal-to-rod relationship and only were it excessive. Acceptable crank endplay is from 0.002-0.006-inch. You don’t want any more than 0.0010-inch. Crankshaft endplay-related noise would be more common with a manual transmission as the clutch is engaged and released.

7. Crankshaft thrust bearing thickness affects endplay. If you have excessive crankshaft endplay in excess of 0.010-inch, you could get noise and may have to look to another crank or a machine shop that can weld up your flange and machine it to size. Some oversize thrust bearings are available from Summit Racing Equipment, but very few for undersized cranks.

8. These excessively worn and scored rod bearings generated quite a rattle in a small-block Chevy, not to mention low oil pressure.

9. Harmonic dampers will create a rapid-fire rattle when the outer ring becomes disconnected from the hub and rubber ring. This, of course, depends on the design. Examine the rubber’s condition and when in doubt, replace the damper.

10. Engine noise sometimes isn’t engine noise at all. Because the torque converter rotates with the engine’s crankshaft, any malfunction in the torque converter can be perceived as engine noise. Lie underneath the vehicle with the engine at idle and place your hand on the bellhousing. Listen at the bell with a mechanic’s stethoscope, which you can get from Harbor Freight. Do you hear the noise? And do you feel the noise?

11. Torque converter noise is challenging to diagnose because it comes from a maze of components inside. Noise typically comes from the sprag or perhaps the clutch (if a locking torque converter). Another source of noise is the automatic transmission’s front pump, which can whine.

12. Clutches are another source of perceived “engine” noise when it is not the engine at all. A defective pressure plate, clutch disc or release bearing can make a lot of noise. Again, check the bellhousing as a potential source for the noise, especially if clutch pedal movement changes the noise.

13. This is a hydraulic clutch release slave cylinder and release bearing, which can also be a source of noise in rhythm with the crankshaft. Gently work the clutch pedal and listen for changes in the noise. A defective transmission input shaft bearing will make a lot of noise in rhythm with the crankshaft with the clutch engaged.

14. Bad water pump bearings typically make a squeal or a hissing sound because the water pump turns at roughly the same speed as the crankshaft, depending upon application. By the time a water pump bearing starts making noise, the seal will also be shot.

15. Serpentine belt drive accessory noise can be like looking for a needle in a haystack because most of the accessories turn at the same speed as the crank. The alternator is the exception because it sports a smaller pulley and spins much faster than the crank. When you have noise in the front accessory drive, zero in on each accessory with a mechanic’s stethoscope.

16. When a power steering pump is in trouble, it will whine, especially when you run the steering wheel from lock to lock. Pump whine can be an indication of low fluid (cavitation) or a defective pressure regulator.

17. Fuel pump noise will always be in rhythm with the camshaft, which works hand-in-hand with the valvetrain. Fuel pump noise will be in unison with the rocker arms.

18. Camshaft noise of any kind will be at half the speed of the crankshaft; a clicking or tapping instead of a whizzing sound like you’d hear from the crank.

19. Lifter noise is easy to spot because it happens in rhythm with the camshaft and rocker arms. In fact, a defective hydraulic lifter can collapse causing excessive valve lash, which is easy to spot. When you have established which bank the noise is coming from, remove the valve cover and check valve lash. A loose rocker indicates a collapsed lifter or damaged fulcrum. Another issue can be a failed lifter roller and pin, which can tear up the lifter bore.

20. Roller rocker arms are well known for noise and that’s the nature of the design. Roller tappets and rocker arms give an engine a mechanical lifter sound, which is normal and nothing to worry about. Extraordinarily loud rocker arms indicate improper valve adjustment.

21. You’d be surprised how many enthusiasts have had spark plugs pop out of cylinder heads, especially on late-model engines with aluminum heads. When a spark plug pops out of a cylinder head it sounds like a loud knock when you’re behind the wheel.

22. Starter noise can be unsettling, especially when you’ve released the key and the engine is running. A failed starter drive can hang-up in the flywheel or flexplate and make a disgusting racket. Solenoids can stick in the closed position and keep the starter from operating. This is a sound easily mistaken as “engine” noise.

23. Exhaust header gasket leakage at the header or manifold gasket will sound like a clicking or popping sound. This sound is often mistaken for a blown head gasket. Look for carbon staining around the header flange at the cylinder head.

24. Header collector flanges are notorious for leakage due to blown gaskets. Expect to hear a popping noise at the collector. Exhaust leaks beyond the header or exhaust manifold make the engine sound louder inside the cabin yield a buzzy sound at the leak

25. Vacuum leaks cause a buzzing, whistling or hissing sound combined with poor performance due to a lean condition. Leaking carburetor base gaskets, vacuum hoses and canisters and intake manifold gaskets will buzz and whistle. Look at the damage to this carburetor base gasket. Spray carburetor or brake cleaner where the leak is suspected and watch what the engine does. If it runs rough, you’ve found the noise and the leak.

26. A popular old misconception has been “your valves are rattling” or “my valves are knocking,” when they rattle under acceleration; it’s actually spark knock, or pre-ignition. Spark knock on start-up or under acceleration is caused by pre-ignition or lean mixture. If you own a late-model Corvette, it isn’t as simple as moving the distributor or swapping jets. You need a professional tune. Ray McClelland of Full Throttle Kustomz custom tunes, improving performance and eliminating spark knock.

27. Older engines with distributor ignition systems have to be curved the same basic way McClelland does on late-model Corvettes. When there’s a distributor and carburetor, he does it by curving the distributor and re-jetting the carburetor on a dyno. Custom tuning gets rid of spark knock.

28. Distributors should be curved on a distributor machine to get a baseline, then tuned again in the engine to eliminate spark knock. Curving is performed by adjusting the mechanical advance as well as vacuum advance. The vacuum advance gets us started, handing off to mechanical advance as rpms increase.

29. Another oft-mistaken noise is the electric fuel, which makes a buzzing or humming sound that can radiate throughout the vehicle. If your pump is loud enough to hear over the engine and stereo, it should be pulled and inspected.

30. If you don’t have a mechanic’s stethoscope, you can check noises with a long-handle screwdriver or a piece of electrical conduit. Put your ear to the screwdriver or conduit and put the other end to the engine where the noise is. You will be able to hear everything. And remember, each region of the engine has its own unique sound.

Sources

Full Throttle Kustomz (805) 200-5500 www.fullthrottlekustomz.com

Harbor Freight (800) 423-2567 www.harborfreight.com

Summit Racing Equipment (800) 230-3030 www.summitracing.com

The post How to find noises and causes in your Corvette engine appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/find-noises-causes-corvette-engine/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

0 notes

itsworn · 7 years ago

Text

Hot Rodders Pete Aardema and Kevin Braun Create Their Own Scratch-Built 12-Cylinder Behemoth

Mutant Monster: The Aardema Developments V-12

Making a 20 litre-1200ci V-12 completely from scratch seems beyond most all of our reach, so here’s a couple of hot rodders in San Diego that have done just that. Land speed racer, Pete Aardema, and offshore boat racer, Kevin Braun, have created a number of scratch-built engines, overhead cam conversions, and crazy combos of homemade and aftermarket components. But our dynamic duo didn’t just jump into making engines, but rather eased into it when Aardema’s interest was piqued after seeing some rather exotic Pontiac Iron Duke 4-banger “Super Duty” Cosworth heads. These were aftermarket 16-valve, double overhead cam (DOHC) aluminum heads. He and Braun reconfigured them for small-block Chevy applications, and Aardema Developments (AD) was born.

Their next step was creating cam boxes to mount on stock Chevy heads, creating a SOHC Chevy small-block. Belt-driven, there have been over 50 sets produced so far. The original cam is still kept to spin the oil pump and distributor. These also have been adapted to Mopar and Ford engines.

Soon AD was adapting Porsche 928 V8 single overhead cam (SOHC) heads onto Chevy big-block engines. This morphed into AD producing their own SOHC 4-valves-per-cylinder billet heads for various mutant small-block American engines, using bucket-type lifters from Volvo engines, and adapted Nissan belt-drive. The conversion was so adaptable that V2 versions were even made for Harleys.

From here things got weird. AD adapted Subaru flat-4 heads to ancient 1928-31 Ford Model A L-head blocks, netting 300hp naturally aspirated from an engine originally producing 40hp from 103ci. Aardema says, “If there’s an engine out there, and it’s an oddball, I want to mess with it.” If you’re impressed with the almost 8-times increase in horsepower, Aardema was not. An even more powerful twin-overhead cam head with 3-valves-per-cylinder was developed netting a 201ci displacement. Aardema says that 4-valves-per-cylinder was too much to cram into the smallish heads, and that a large exhaust valve does most of the work two smaller valves would provide. With turbo-supercharger induction and on racing fuel, the bad banger made over 500hp, launching a streamliner at Bonneville to a record 240mph in 2012. Yikes!

While designing and developing engines, Aardema has also built a number of hot rods with his exotic creations—he’s going ten different directions at any one time. When we asked him where the inspiration comes from, he says, “I like to build things and like to go fast, and if someone says I can’t do something, that’s when I will do it, so I’m off on another project.”

Next up was AD’s first completely scratch-built engine, one to replace the 500hp Model A engine in the streamliner. With 3-valves per cylinder, Chevy big-block bore spacing and reciprocating components, 4.375-inch bore and 3.00-inch stroke, they christened it the Sheet Metal Engine for it’s use of heavy sheet metal to encase the billet lower crankcase and steel tubes used for cylinders in the upper. HOT ROD did a story about it in 2014 (read about it HERE). The dry- sump oil pump and twin-overhead camshafts were again belt driven. A crankcase girdle supports the block, while also incorporating one side of the five main-bearing journals. Port fuel injection with a little “100-shot” of nitrous helping the combustion, the banger is capable of 380hp spinning at 8500rpm. Numerous records at Bonneville in 2016 were set in F-Gas and F-Fuel classes.

All of these earlier developments and successes laid the groundwork for the V12. With Braun’s background in H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing, where speeds exceed 160mph, the V12 was envisioned as a challenge to the Rolls Royce 27-liter V12 and 28-liter Allison V12. Since this is “unlimited” hydroplane racing, there are no limits to displacement or arrangement, thus Aardema and Braun had a really blank, blank sheet. Where do you start?

Interestingly, where to start came down to how long your crankshaft maker can make your crankshaft. Scat Crankshafts just down the street from HOT ROD, in Redondo Beach, was the crank manufacturer of choice, and their maximum length was 42-inches. That penciled out to be a 6.25-inch bore spacing and a 5.625-inch bore. With an estimated 7000rpm ceiling, a 4.00 stroke was deemed optimal. Why? Because the weight of 5-1/2-inch pistons is such that flinging them beyond 70-percent of the bore becomes too much inertia according to Aardema. A longer stroke could conceivably tear apart the engine.

All of this comes out to a displacement of 1192.8ci, or 19.55 liters. Though much less displacement than the popular Rolls Royce and Allison engines, their maximum rpm is around 3000rpm with a few blips hitting 4000rpm. Horsepower is much easier to produce at higher RPMs, so the AD 60-degree V12 with its higher rpm capabilities produces much more power at lower boost, provided by twin centrifugal superchargers. Scat manufactured a nitrided steel crankshaft with seven 3.0-inch diameter journals for Oldsmobile V8 main bearings. Connecting rod journals use bearings from a Chevy big-block.

Cam design was an initial problem. Says Aardema, “A V-type engine with rockers operating the titanium valves and cams rotating in the opposite directions is unfamiliar territory for cam grinders.” Eventually Schneider produced the gun-drilled hollow cam from 8620 alloy steel, actuated with convex faces acting in the same way as roller lifters in terms of valve lift profile, increasing valve-opening velocity over a conventional flat-tappet contact surface. Filing a lash cap to the desired clearance sets valve lash, much like Indy-type Offenhauser engines from the 1950s. Seven journals hold the cams, housed in a billet aluminum head with a top plate containing the valve train. An aluminum cam cover seals off the valve gear. Deck height is an even 12-inches.

The light-alloy pistons contain three rings and are hung on I-section steel rods by R&R Racing Products in Punta Gorda, Florida. Steel pins are 1 5/16-inch diameter and ride in bronze bushings. Compression is 8.5:1.

Around the rear of the V12 are two crankshaft-driven Vortech superchargers, with planetary gearing that increases their rpm capabilities from conventional belt-driven configurations. One blower feeds into an intake plenum at the left while the second blower does the same at the right. Edelbrock throttle bodies are attached to each blower, with two 4.0-inch throttle bores opening together, while the cylinder heads flow 724cfm intake and 487cfm exhaust at 0.75-inch lift.

EFI West helped piece together an Adaptronics ECU to handle the engine management system. Detonation is controlled through the ECU’s vibration-type knock sensor located on each bank, retarding ignition if a knock is detected. Two 60-lb injectors per cylinder are fed constant fuel pressure by a Waterman mechanical fuel pump.

Essentially the makeup of the AD V12 is of two straight-six engines running together in both primary and secondary balance at 60-degree even-fire intervals. Total length of this monster is 59.5-inches, 35-inches high, and 30-inches wide.

A sampling of just some of Aardema and Braun’s motor mashups and madness.

1 – 4-valve small-block Chevy with Cosworth DOHC cylinder heads.

2 – Ancient Ford flathead with billet SOHC heads.

3 – The subject of our story, the V12 with it’s turbos attached.

4 – Moser 4-valve cylinder heads on a small-block Chevy from the August 1971 HOT ROD cover. Aardema purchased all of the components from Harvey Crain of Crain Cams, who was involved with the engine along with designer Richard Moser, and built it with this single 4-bbl. Originally as seen on the cover this was injected with stacks.

5 – One of three DOHC Ford Model A conversions. This engine has set many records over the years both blown and naturally aspirated, and has gone 240mph at Bonneville.

6 – Originally cast by Mickey Thompson, this 4-cam, 2-valve Chevy conversion was never developed. Aardema finished the design, and then he and Braun machined it.

7 – This 300ci Chevy LT5 set six SCTA records its first time out last year at El Mirage and Bonneville, with a best of 225mph. Also, it has put three different drivers into the 200 MPH Club so far. Runs Scat crank and CP pistons and rods.

8 – LS3 with belt-driven LT5 4-valve heads for the street.

This is the setup for testing the naturally aspirated 1200ci monster developed by Pete Aardema and Kevin Braun for H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing, where death-defying speeds of over 200mph push the 30-foot boats to the thin edge of control. At 7500rpm the engine is spun over twice the rpms of currently popular Rolls Royce Merlin and Allison V12s in the Unlimited category. You can see part of the gear drive with the two turbochargers removed.

Overwhelmed by its wild Mickey Thompson twin-overhead cam conversions, hidden beneath the water pump adaptation and belt drive is a Chevy small-block. These raw castings were never developed. Aardema purchased them, determined what it would take to make cams and drive them, and the machining necessary to make them work, and this is the result.

The engine experimentation and testing takes place in this nice-sized shop outside of San Diego.

The impetus for Aardema and Braun’s journey to build and develop mutant engines started with these Cosworth aftermarket double-overhead cam heads for the Pontiac Iron Duke 4-banger. The Pontiac/Cosworth hybrid head was used in IMSA GTP-class racing, running in Fiero GTP racecars in the Camel Lights series. The rare aluminum cast blanks required a lot of machining as well as adaptation of a cam-drive belt system.

Aardema Developments has successfully offered this Chevy LS SOHC head featuring 4-valves per-cylinder. These heads have been used on other American small-block engines, too. The billet aluminum heads use bucket-type lifters from a Volvo, and an adapted Nissan gear drive with Aardema’s own camshafts.

Aardema’s love of land speed racing and interest in the Ford Model A L-head produced from 1928 to 1931 led to this mongrel, featuring Aardema’s own DOHC head originally developed around two Subaru flat-four heads. The Model A has an extended center-bore spacing helping to fit two heads to the deck. The 3-valve per-cylinder head with a 4-inch square bore/stroke produced over 300hp. With a supercharged turbo setup that same engine hit 500hp in 2012. Below the Model A block is a combo aluminum girdle/main bearing support and dry sump setup.

Another vintage land speed overhead setup is this SOHC-configured Ford flathead V8. Starting with billet of aluminum Aardema and Braun utilize the stock flathead block—you can even make out the 24-stud bolt pattern, though some along the top were not deemed necessary.

To verify the computer program for different billet components Aardema sticks wooden dummies into the mill. Much cheaper than billet aluminum, he can detect any variances or mistakes that need program corrections in this fashion.

The post Hot Rodders Pete Aardema and Kevin Braun Create Their Own Scratch-Built 12-Cylinder Behemoth appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hot-rodders-pete-aardema-kevin-braun-create-scratch-built-12-cylinder-behemoth/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

0 notes

itsworn · 8 years ago

Text

A 3,000HP Coyote Engine? Find All the Details Here!

The performance world changed drastically in 2011 when Ford released its latest Mustang powerplant, the Coyote 5.0. The days of the vaunted 5.0L moniker had returned, but this time the famous displacement was attached to a high-tech, overhead-cam engine with four valves per cylinder. It was no surprise that Modular Motorsports Racing, known to the world as MMR, instantly began developing new parts, pieces, and complete engines with the new platform. They are, after all, one of the biggest parts manufacturers and suppliers for Ford’s various Modular engine platforms.

The group at MMR, led by Mark Luton, is not shy in pushing 4.6/5.4 Modular engines with their in-house race cars, so it was no surprise MMR continues race-engine development with the Coyote package. Pushing horsepower levels measured in thousands, the team quickly found the weak link in the factory Coyote block. “Once we started pushing toward 2,000hp, we started having problems,” Luton confessed as he described MMR’s path to the Gen X engine series. “We started to crack the blocks in the valley, between the cylinders, and essentially the block was just crumbling away.” Until the Gen X, the only major block modification was to add a set of aftermarket cylinder sleeves.

Luton explained MMR’s clean-sheet-of-paper engine drawings: “We went into the design concept [for the Gen X] with a solution for those problems and also to address other issues with the engine platform, like the lack of displacement.” The previous MMR race engine, dubbed the 351X and based on the 5.4/5.8 Modular family, had no problem spooling a pair of 88mm turbochargers, but the smaller Coyote engine struggled, leading MMR to increase the displacement. As Luton noted, adding nitrous to spool the turbos is a big no-no in the arenas they compete in, like the NMCA Drag Racing Series.

The Gen X block is made from billet aluminum, mostly due to strength but also due to manufacturing solutions. “The first step was to use a better material. We had looked at casting a block, but settled on a billet one. That allowed us to bring it to market sooner than a cast one,” Luton said. Also, the low production volume of the Gen X also plays a factor since this isn’t the right block for every application.

The bore spacing remains the same as a Coyote engine, enabling OEM cylinder heads to be used, but they did increase the deck height to address the displacement concerns. Other notable highlights of the billet block include a larger crankcase area to accommodate a longer-stroke crankshaft. Additionally, MMR incorporated larger main cap studs—the inner studs are 1/2-inch and the outer ones are 7/16-inch—and there are four side bolts instead of two for the main caps. The head studs are increased in size with a unique 9/16 stud that necks down to 1/2-inch threads that go into the block. According to Luton, they can torque the heads to 135 lb-ft on the torque wrench, and it works just fine in MMR’s 3,100hp Pro Modified engine.

A Jerry Haas Race Cars Pro Modified features a 2016 Mustang carbon-fiber body, of which Luton splits driving time with MMR’s head engine builder, Greg Seth-Hunter. In NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod competition, the team has run a best of 3.87 at 199 mph in the eighth-mile competition.

Short-Block The MMR Gen X billet engine block features custom cylinder sleeves with a flange on top for added rigidity. The bore is 3.700 inches and the pistons are custom Manley forged ones with an unspecified compression ratio. Custom forged-aluminum Bill Miller Engineering connecting rods were described as “long.” The billet-forged crankshaft is from Winberg and has a 4.165-inch-long stroke. Clevite engine bearings are used to help the crank spin freely while Total Seal rings fill the gap between the Manley pistons and cylinder walls. A billet front cover has been designed to fit the taller deck block, in addition to newly designed chains and tensioners on the front of the engine.

Cylinder Heads/Camshafts MMR turned to Shelby GT350 cylinder heads, which have been ported to match the flow volume from the Garrett turbochargers. The OEM castings have also been dry-decked, meaning the water holes were sealed up and the face of it finished with an O-ring for head-gasket sealing. Surprisingly, the valves are stock stainless steel, but they have been outfitted with Manley valvesprings. A quartet of MMR camshafts, cut by Comp Cams, utilize the OEM followers and rocker arms. MMR uses its heavy-duty secondary chains and a special MMR chain tensioner on the driver-side head. There is also the company’s phaser delete, saving 2.6 pounds of rotating weight in the valvetrain and helping the engine rev quicker.

Intake Manifold The intake is custom-made and MMR calls it the Hybrid R due to the billet runners and a sheetmetal plenum. The reason for the sheetmetal plenum is so the team can design it for the specific engine combinations rather than a one-size-fits-all manifold. The Pro Modified engine shown here is set up with two Wilson Manifolds 90mm throttle-bodies. Providing boost is the job of two Garrett GTX4718 turbochargers, each with an 88mm compressor wheel. They create 55 psi of boost, and Luton notes there is more on tap.

Fuel System/Ignition Sixteen fuel injectors sit under a pair of MMR fuel rails, one rail for each side of the engine. Eight of the 16 fuel injectors check in at 220 lb-hr while the second set has a robust flow rating of 550 lb-hr. They are supplied plenty of VP Racing Fuels M1 methanol fuel, thanks to a Waterman Big Bertha mechanical fuel pump. A BigStuff3 engine-management system is combined with an MSD Ignition Grid system to keep the 3,100 hp under control. The Grid box interfaces with an MSD Mag 44 to kick out plenty of spark to light off the fuel and air concoction in the cylinders.

Exhaust The Garrett turbochargers are mounted in the front grille to get plenty of air at 200 mph. MMR built a custom set of stainless-steel headers to spool the boost makers, and the primary tubes measure 1-7/8 inches while the turbine side of the compressor exhales into 5-inch-diameter dump tubes.

Drivetrain A Rossler TH400 transmission backs the Coyote Gen X engine and, surprisingly, continues to be used in a three-speed configuration. At this level of power, most TH400s are run as a two-speed transmission. Luton said they short-shift the engine in First gear and it has proved to be a highly effective technique given the 0.967 sixty-foot times and sub-4-second timeslips. The transmission is driven by a Pro Torque EV1 torque converter and a carbon-fiber driveshaft sits on the output side of the transmission. The rear-end housing is a custom Pro Mod 9-inch by Mark Williams.

The post A 3,000HP Coyote Engine? Find All the Details Here! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/3000hp-coyote-engine-find-details/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

0 notes