Valves and Valve Seats – There’s More than Meets the Eye
The valves and seats in an internal combustion engine play a central role in engine breathing, compression, performance and longevity. It doesn’t matter if an engine has two, three, four or even five valves per cylinder or if the engine is gas or diesel because the valves all do the same thing: they open and close to allow air into the cylinders and exhaust to exit the cylinders.
AFTERMARKET DIESEL INNOVATIONS – Evolutionary, Revolutionary or Illegal?
Diesel technology has come a long way, evolving from smelly, dirty, slow, workhorse engines to clean-burning, high-torque, high-horsepower engines that can give many gasoline engines a run for the money on a drag strip or race track. Diesels aren’t just for towing or pulling anymore, they’re finding a niche in all kinds of performance applications
Rebuilding the Ford Triton V10 Engine
It looks as though for 2017, Ford is going to be bringing back the 6.8-liter Triton V10. There has been a lot of advertisement through the media on the matter and it seems everyone thought the V10 no longer existed. To everyone’s surprise, the V10 actually never stopped production. Many thought that when Ford quit
Form, Fit & Function – Valvetrain Components Must Work in Harmony
The upper valvetrain is one of the most critical components in an engine build, so it’s essential you choose the right parts for the application and install them correctly. Here are some suggestions for getting things right: DON’T USE “STANDARD” LENGTH PUSHRODS Many variables can affect the length of the pushrods that are required to
Preventing Connecting Rod Failures
Connecting rods are some of the hardest working parts inside an engine. Fortunately, rod failures from severe overloading don’t happen that often. However, they can occur in racing or extreme street performance applications. So here’s what you need to know.
Aftermarket Diesel Innovations
Diesel technology has come a long way, evolving from smelly, dirty, slow, workhorse engines to clean-burning, high-torque, high-horsepower engines that can give many gasoline engines a run for the money on a drag strip or race track.
Honing Aluminum Blocks
Manufacturers who produce “linerless” hypereutectic aluminum blocks today include Audi, BMW, Honda, Mercedes, Porsche, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Yamaha. Most late-model engines have aluminum blocks to save weight, including most of the familiar domestic V8s such as Chevy LS, Ford 4.6L modular and 5.0L Coyote, and Chrysler 5.7L and 6.1L Hemi. Yet these have iron sleeves.
Valves and Seats
The valves and seats in an internal combustion engine play a central role in engine breathing, compression, performance and longevity. It doesn’t matter if an engine has two, three, four or even five valves per cylinder or if the engine is gas or diesel because the valves all do the same thing: they open and close to allow air into the cylinders and exhaust to exit the cylinders.
Racing Rod Options
Choosing a set of connecting rods is one of the critical steps in a performance engine build. The rods have to be strong enough to handle the anticipated speeds and loads, but also affordable for customers who have a limited budget.
Connecting Rods
They say an engine is only as reliable as its weakest link. The connecting rods that join the pistons with the crank can be a strong link or a weak link depending on the rods that are used.
Melling / Dura-Bond
The Melling story began in 1946 in Jackson, MI, when George Melling Sr. and his son Ben started production of aftermarket oil pumps. In 1952 they introduced the first high-volume oil pump, which revolutionized the automotive aftermarket industry for oil pumps. In 1975, Harry Melling took over the company as the third generation president. Harry’s
Replacing Crankshafts, Connecting Rods and Bearings
The crankshaft, connecting rods and bearings are extremely important in every engine build, whether mild or wild, because they convert the reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotational torque. The longer the stroke, the greater the leverage effect and the greater the torque output of the engine. There are three things that need to be
GM’s LT4 Small Block Sets New Company Benchmark for Power and Torque
The all-new 2015 Corvette Z06 is the most powerful production car ever from General Motors and one of a few production cars available in the United States that delivers more than 600 horsepower. The Z06’s LT4 supercharged 6.2L V8 engine is SAE-certified at 650 horsepower (485 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 650 lb-ft of torque
Don’t Gamble When Choosing Cylinder Heads
A cylinder head is much more than a casting that tops off the block, holds the valves and forms the combustion chambers. The head works in combination with the camshaft, induction and exhaust systems to determine how the engine breathes, the engine’s power curve and personality. The “right” cylinder head on an engine will deliver
Just in Time – Addressing Timing Component Replacement and Upgrades
The timing components that drive a camshaft affect valve timing, ignition timing (if the engine has a cam-driven distributor), compression, engine performance and fuel economy. Because of this, the timing components must be in good condition with minimal wear and slop, and they must be durable enough to maintain accurate timing for the service life
New 2014 Dura-Bond Catalog Available
The new catalog features many new applications complete with photos, competitors’ interchange, conversion reference charts, and a powder metal valve seat technical information and installation instruction manual. Company: Dura-Bond Bearing Company www.dura-bondbearing.com Dura-Bond Bearing Company recently introduced its new 2014 engine parts catalog that includes the following feature items: • The “All-Round Cam Bearings” • Oversize
Building on Cummins B-Series
Changes from the 5.9L to the 6.7L Engine When you think about a Dodge truck, what is the first thing that comes to mind? I will give you a hint: Cummins. Dodge introduced the B-series Cummins engine in the Dodge truck in 1989. It’s not like they had to convince consumers that the Cummins engine
Identifying Ford Duratec 3.0L Cylinder Blocks
The Duratec 30 is an aluminum blockwith cast iron liners, aluminum DOHC cylinder head with four valves percylinder, fracture-split (cracked) forged powder metal connecting rods,and a forged steel crankshaft. There are two versions of the Duratec 30: DAMB – Lincoln LS, Jaguar, Mazda 6 and MPV, which use direct-actingmechanical bucket (DAMB) tappets. Here the camshaft
Valve Seat Installation Tips
On passenger car and light truck engines with aluminum heads, valve seatsare usually factory installed with about .002? to .003? of interferencefit. Some say powder metal seats require a little more interferencefit than cast iron alloys, while cobalt alloy seats require a littleless because of their higher coefficient of thermal expansion. Keep in mind
Valve Seat Selection, Finishing & Materials
Over time, erosion and corrosion can eat away at the metal resulting in compression leaks, elevated valve temperatures and sometimes valve failure. If a valve seat insert doesn’t have the correct amount of interference fit in the cylinder head, it’s possible the seat may loosen up and fall out damaging the valve, head and piston.