Larry Carley, Author at Engine Builder Magazine - Page 13 of 24
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How Piston Rings Affect Horsepower

The rings seal the pistons to prevent air and oil from being drawn past the rings into the combustion chamber during the intake stroke. During the compression stroke, the rings make sure the air/fuel stays in the combustion chamber and is fully compressed before it is ignited. During the power stroke, the rings prevent pressure

Cylinder Sleeve Installation Procedures

Dry sleeves have long been used to repair damaged and worn cast iron and aluminum engine blocks.  If a cylinder has excessive taper wear, or is cracked, scored or otherwise damaged, boring out the damaged cylinder and installing a repair sleeve can often save the block.  Likewise, if all of the cylinders are heavily worn,

Selecting The Right High Performance Rocker Arms

The rocker arms in a pushrod engine serve two purposes. The rockers serve as fulcrums to redirect the upward motion of the lifters and pushrods into downward motion to open the valves. The lift ratio of the rockers also serves to multiply the amount of valve lift generated by the cam lobes. Stock rocker arms

Boring and Honing Tips and Tricks

One of the goals of boring and honing cylinders is to size the bores to a specific dimension. If an engine is being remanufactured to meet specific criteria, that usually means boring and honing to achieve a standard oversize (.010?, .020? or .030?).  The oversize will depend on the thickness of the casting, how much

Can Diesel Performance Help Boost Your Business?

Most people associate diesel engines with truck and tractor pulling events, not traditional motorsports. There are no diesel-powered NASCAR races or Indy cars. But diesels are making inroads in other types of racing. Diesel-powered race cars and trucks are setting land speed records at Bonneville, winning endurance races at LeMans, and running over 200 mph

Diesel Performance: Camshafts, Lifters and Valvetrain

Diesel performance is nothing new. What is new is the level of interest in diesels for all kinds of racing; everything from traditional truck and tractor pulling to drag racing, even sports car and endurance racing. Diesel engines are a different type of animal when compared to gasoline engines. While both use the same four-stroke

Selecting Valve Seats for Gas and Diesel Engines

Hard working diesel engines, performance engines, and engines that run on dry fuels such as propane or natural gas produce a lot of heat in the combustion chamber and often require valve seats that are harder and more heat-resistant. Stellite, chromium, cobalt, tungsten and nickel alloy valve seats are commonly used for such high heat

Valves: When to Reclaim, When to Replace

Performance engine builders can’t afford to take chances with questionable valves because they have to withstand high rpms and temperatures. Likewise, rebuilders who overhaul high dollar heavy-duty diesel and industrial engines want to minimize their comeback risks by making sure the valves they use are either new or have been carefully inspected and reconditioned to

Uncovering the Causes of Burned or Scuffed Pistons

 Question: My engine burned a piston. What does that mean and why did it happen? Answer:It means the piston failed due to excessive heat in the combustionchamber. A burned piston will typically have a melted appearance, or ahole burned completely through the top of the piston. Aluminum can onlywithstand so much heat, and when it

Intake Manifold Gaskets

Back in the days when most engines had cast iron blocks, heads and manifolds, the intake manifold could be easily sealed with simple and relatively inexpensive die cut fiber faced metal gaskets (solid or perforated core). Sealer was usually required to ensure a leak-free installation.   But in the late 1980s and early 1990s, fuel

Cylinder Sleeves and Liners

Iron sleeves provide a wear-resistant surface for the piston rings, and they don’t have to be very thick because they are supported by the surrounding block. Cast iron blocks, by comparison, don’t need cylinder sleeves because the iron is hard enough to resist ring wear. If a cylinder is cracked, damaged or worn to the

Bolt-on Horsepower: Choosing An Induction System

The induction system feeds the engine air and fuel.  So to increase the torque and horsepower output of an engine, the induction system has to provide more air and fuel.  That usually means adding an aftermarket performance intake manifold with taller, larger and/or longer runners to increase air flow into the cylinder head ports, bolting