Engine Builder Shop Solutions: May 2009
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips Engine Pro recently held a series of 8 focus-group meetings in the Midwest. Each meeting consisted of 8 to 10 machine shop owners and a moderator. Three questions were asked during the meeting. “What’s working? What’s not working? What do you need most to help you ‘make it’ for
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: April 2009
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips Engine Pro recently held a series of 8 focus-group meetings in the Midwest. Each meeting consisted of 8 to 10 machine shop owners and a moderator. Three questions were asked during the meeting. “What’s working? What’s not working? What do you need most to help you ‘make it’ for
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: March 2009
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips Engine Pro recently held a series of 8 focus-group meetings in the Midwest. Each meeting consisted of 8 to 10 machine shop owners and a moderator. Three questions were asked during the meeting. “What’s working? What’s not working? What do you need most to help you ‘make it’ for
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: December 2008
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips Engine Pro recently held a series of 8 focus-group meetings in the Midwest. Each meeting consisted of 8 to 10 machine shop owners and a moderator. Three questions were asked during the meeting. “What’s working? What’s not working? What do you need most to help you ‘make it’ for
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: October 2008
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips Engine Pro recently held a series of 8 focus-group meetings in the Midwest. Each meeting consisted of 8 to 10 machine shop owners and a moderator. Three questions were asked during the meeting. What’s working? What’s not working? What do you need most to help you “make it” for
Shop Solutions: August 2008
Top 10 Machine Shop Business Tips We recently held a series of 8 focus meetings in the Midwest. Each meeting consisted of 8 to 10 machine shop owners and a moderator. Three questions were asked during the meeting: 1) What’s working? 2) What’s not working? and 3) What do you need most to help you
Shop Solutions: July 2008
Timing Chain Tensioner Installation Caution: 1996-’06 GM 2.4L This tensioner consists of a housing and a piston. The piston has a secondary piston or plunger contained in it and must be in the compressed position for installation. When compressed, the plunger extends approximately .070? (or 1.7mm) beyond the piston cylinder. If this is not the
Shop Solutions: June 2008
How To Handle Engine Diagnostic Nightmares Automotive machine shops are being asked more than ever to help diagnose engine related problems by a variety of customers. Repair shops, car dealers, parts suppliers and DIY’s are all in need of input from machine shop personnel. Two problem areas we see today frequently involve auto manufacturers designs
Shop Solutions: May 2008
Installing Cam Bearings In Vintage Engines I have found that building vintage engines can be fun and also challenging, especially the very early engines where assembly information was somewhat limited. Here is a suggestion that may be helpful when installing cam bearings in vintage engines: Save the old cam bearings, especially if the engine will
Shop Solutions: April 2008
Charging For Expert Advice Bench racers wasting your time? Our shop labor rate is $80 per hour. I sell my advice for 1/2 price! When a guy wants me to engineer a motor by selecting parts combinations and machining specs to achieve a specific level of performance, I charge him for my time. I explain
Diagnosing Idle Surges on Subaru Legacy Models
By Eric Seifert ALLDATA Automotive Technical Editor Steve enjoys mountain biking, and his 2001 Subaru Legacy has no problem getting him to the mountains and back. Yet it doesn’t like to commute. Steve called me after work one day to inquire about a surging problem the Legacy has had for a while. He said that
Today’s Oil Not the Same
A recent camshaft company Technical Bulletin said it best: “Today’s engine oil is just not the same as it used to be, thanks to the ever tightening environmental regulations.” The EPA, car manufacturers, and the American Petroleum Institute (API) have done a great job reducing emissions and extending the life of emissions control equipment. However,