November Issue Engine Builder Shop Solutions
Jeep 3.8L Oil Pressure Problem Many late model 3.8L Jeep engines are losing oil pressure at the oil pump due to failure of the bypass valve. This results in destruction of not only the crankshaft, but the connecting rods. To fix the problem, you need to find the bypass valve inside the plastic timing cover.
Handling Stress Fractures
Salvaging Cracked or Flawed Engine Parts through Detection and Repairs Cracks are often blamed as the cause of a head failure. In many instances, the cracks are not the cause of the failure, but a symptom of another underlying problem such as overheating, detonation or incorrect installation (wrong torque on head bolts, dirty bolt threads,
Scratching the Surface: Coatings and Treatments for Engine Components
When it comes to preserving performance parts, it’s the ‘Icing on the Cake’ Various kinds of coatings and surface treatments can be applied to engine parts like icing on the cake to improve durability, enhance scuff resistance and lubrication, control heat, boost thermal efficiency and reduce friction. No single coating or surface treatment can
Maintaining Your Balance: Engine Building Tips to Reduce NVH and Increase Life
A high revving racing engine obviously needs a good balance to minimize these destructive forces, but balancing can be just as beneficial to low revving engines, too. Nobody would argue with the fact that engine balancing is right up there with “blueprinting” an engine. The goal is to equalize the reciprocating and rotating forces inside
Problems that Plague Chrysler’s 3.5L Engine Creates Rebuild Opportunities
This engine, and its 2.7L, 3.2L and 4.0L cousins, represent a significant service opportunity for engine rebuilders from all the heat damaged inflicted upon them. If ever there was a service opportunity ripe for the taking,Chrysler’s 3.5L SOHC V6 engine (and its 2.7L, 3.2L and 4.0L cousins) is it. This engine was introduced back in
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
Diagnosing Engine Noise Under The Hood Of A Ford F-150
This article is about diagnosing a mysterious engine noise in a 1989 Ford F-150 pickup equipped with the venerable 5.0L or 302 cubic-inch V8 engine following a rebuild. Most of us working in the automotive service trades are very familiar with Murphy’s Law and how it affects our shop’s cost of doing business. Murphy’s Law
Oliver Racing Parts Moves to Larger MI Facility
Connecting rod maker to get updated machinery, more space in northern Michigan Oliver Racing Parts, manufacturers of high-performance connecting rods for motorsports applications, is moving its operations and manufacturing to a more modern facility in Charlevoix, MI. The relocation will take place in three phases and is expected to be complete by the first week
Jon Kaase Picks His Top Five Engines
Jon Kaase’s standing was propelled to the forefront of his craft by winning the annual Engine Masters Challenge four times. But his reputation as an innovative engine builder had already been established over previous decades. By Archie Bosman/Photos by Moore Good Ink Starting his career with the acclaimed Dyno Don Nicholson in 1977, Kaase was
Engine Builder Shop Solutions: August 2013
Authors of Shop Solutions published in each issue of Engine Builder Magazine are awarded a prepaid $100 Visa gift card. Shop Solutions may also be submitted to [email protected]. A Better Way to Clean Oil Galleries I’ve always used the standard long handled nylon bristle brushes dipped in solvent to scrub the oil galleries in blocks,
Built for Auction
The criteria for selecting Engine Builder magazine’s inaugural “Performance Engine Builder of the Year” included much more than the ability to put together race-winning engines. Things like community involvement and the support of training and education were part of the mix. To be sure, our 2012 award winner, Ed Pink Racing Engines of Van Nuys,
Oliver Racing Parts Joins Contingency Connection
Oliver Racing Parts will also be posting first, second and third place certificates as part of the end-of-season sweepstakes valued at $200, $100 and $75, respectively. Oliver Racing Parts, a manufacturer of high-performance connecting rods, has joined Contingency Connection to offer a contingency program for the Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA), which includes a network of
One Minute Might Save You Thirty!
The call, one of hundreds made every day, goes something like this: “Hello. This is Billy-Joe-Bob, can I help you?” “Yeah Billy, this is Hank with Smith Machine. I’m working on an F-150 with a 4.6 and I need some parts.” “OK, Hank. I have several Smith Machines, do you know your account number?” “No.”
Sleeves & Liners
I often hear customers ask about the difference between a sleeve and a liner. It’s an understandable question. Automotive guys call them sleeves and diesel guys call them liners. And while they may be used for similar purposes, the perception of what they do may be very different among different groups. Many automotive enthusiasts understand
Learning From Broken Parts
In 1973, I was a sportsman drag racer. My car was the two-ton orange ’57 Mercury named, “The Big Animal.” The transplant engine was a pure stock Ford 427 FE 8V low riser I called “Old Reliable,” shifted by a top loader four-speed with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter. In August of that year, I
Parts Making With Your CNC
Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) machining allows engine builders to achieve almost unbelievable levels of accuracy and consistency. The programmability of a digital computer not only automates the operation of the equipment but also provides a level of repeatability that can’t be matched by manual equipment. That’s why CNC has been the backbone of virtually all
Oliver Racing Parts Kicks Off 30th Anniversary with Three Contests
Oliver Racing Parts, manufacturers of high-performance connecting rods for motorsports applications, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by launching three contests filled with prizes and merchandise between now and December 31, 2013. “Oliver Racing Parts has had a successful history – from setting land speed records at Bonneville to wins in NASCAR – so for Oliver’s
Valve Seats & Guides
Most engine builders worth their salt know that with the components and technology available today, it’s not that difficult of a task to make horsepower. With the availability of so many performance parts – whether it’s from the OEM or the aftermarket – engine builders can pull from vast resources to achieve a balance between
Going Green Not Just for Irish
Did you know that as engine builders, we were green long before green became the IN thing? We were green even before Kermit said it wasn’t easy. How are we green, you ask? We are green because we rebuild, which means we recycle. Green is defined as: • Relating to or being an environmentalist
Oliver Racing Parts Names Ted Keating VP of Business Development, Sales
Keating will be responsible for growing Oliver’s business at a time when the company has made significant infrastructure upgrades in order to expand its product lineup of aftermarket racing parts, including high-performance connecting rods. He begins his duties at Oliver on May 1. “Ted has a proven track record of growing a high-performance parts business