Jeeps: 4.0L Cylinder Heads
The 4.0L came on the scene in 1987 and is still being used, however 2005 may be the end of the journey in domestic production. It’ll be a bittersweet farewell: most who have it love it. This is an old school inline six with lots of torque and there are still many of them out
Ford Timing Chains and Belts
So if a customer is driving a vehicle that is more than 5 or 6 years old, he may be driving on borrowed time if the timing belt has not been replaced. The risk of belt failure goes up sharply once a belt surpasses its recommended replacement interval, which for most Ford applications (except the
PERA’s Core’s Corner
Some months back (December 2003 Engine Builder, to be exact), I wrote about some of the identification features of the Gen III GM V8 engines. Considering that the Gen IV with DOD (Displacement on Demand) is about to be released, this is probably a good time to go over a few other things that you
Rebuilding The Ford 3.0L V6
The 3.0L Ford pushrod motor has been around for nearly 20 years. It was originally introduced back in 1986 and millions of them have been installed in a wide variety of front and rear wheel drive cars and trucks since then. It’s been used in several FWD applications including the Taurus/Sable, the Tempo/Topaz and the
What’s That Smell!?
Over the past several columns, I’ve talked about a variety of shop machines and their maintenance schedules. I’ve talked about how to get your shops cleaned up and looking good for customers’ inspection. This article is going to deal with a problem that’s right under your nose
Big-Inch Cadillac’s
While some engines are relatively rare in machine shops, the big Cadillacs have remained a consistent source of income. These engines are Cadillac’s last big hurrah at traditional big-cube, flagship GM engines. Surprisingly, they are also a scaled-down version of a V-12 engine that made it through early production and road-testing before being scrapped as
Is There A ‘Spec Engine’Program In Your Future?
In an attempt to reduce the high cost of racing, many sanctioning bodies and racetracks are experimenting with or already using what could be described as “spec engines” or “crate engines.” General Motors was one of the first to offer a crate engine for racing, but now numerous manufacturers including Ford and Dodge have crate
Getting To The Bottom Of The Great Ford Cover-Up
Lately I’ve been noticing an increase of instances where an engine may be the same from one year to the next, with the exception of one major change: the front cover, primarily with SOHC or DOHC engines. Well, we are back this month with an old friend: the Ford 4.6L SOHC engine family and its
Topline Automotive Buys, Reopens Hylift Facility, Engine Builder, August 2004
A full-line of flat mechanical tappets, lash adjusters and encapsulated hydraulic roller lifters are again being produced by the original Hylift machines and team. The previous Hylift OE lines that were in Zeeland, MI, have now been relocated to the Muskegon plant. “The same people who made ‘The Beautiful Lifter’ are back manufacturing with precision
Bad For The Auto Industry, Good For Rebuilding
The headline in the Dallas Morning News caught my eye: “New Car Customers With Negative Equity Are Growing Problem For Auto Industry.” The words “negative” and “problem” are well-recognized around this segment of the “auto industry” so, of course, I read on to see how this story would impact the Engine Builder reader. To my
Guide and Seat Equipment
Cylinder head work has been and should continue to be a profit center for engine builders. Heads almost always require guide and seat work to restore compression and oil control. This includes drilling, reaming and replacing valve guides, removing worn, loose or damaged valve seats, cutting new seat counterbores, and machining valve seats. For performance
Valves, Retainers & Springs
New materials, improved designs and lower prices (at least for some valves). That pretty much sums up what’s going on with valves, retainers and springs today. These are extremely important parts in every engine because of their impact on engine performance, durability and cost. Satisfying demand is the key. Rick Simko of Elgin Industries, Elgin,