Nationwide Warranties
The competition faced by engine builders has never been tougher. There seems to be no end to the new car incentives that the manufacturers can dream up in order to continue the torrid pace of new car sales. This factor, along with consumer perceptions of improved OEM engine quality and performance, several years ago was
Productivity Watchwords For Today’s Business World
Any company with a service department is selling labor. If you have a repair facility and work on cars or trucks, or have a machine shop providing machine work on engines or transmissions, you are selling labor. If you rebuild components for the engine or transmission, you are selling labor. In more accurate terms you
Conferences And Seminars Offer Many Potential Rewards
Getting away from the day-to-day grind and going to a seminar or conference with fellow shop owners and machinists has rewards that far outweigh the expense, and often may even present new business opportunities. At the Engine Rebuilders Association Tech Expo (AERA) I attended this past April in Indianapolis, a presentation given by John DeBates,
Repair Of Worn Cam Bearing Housing Bores For Detroit Diesel 11.1l And 12.7l Diesel 60 Series Engines
Engine Builders: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding the possible repair of worn cam bearing housing bores for Detroit Diesel 11.1L and 12.7L diesel 60 Series Engines. These engines use an overhead camshaft design with seven individual location precision bearing inserts. Over time, the bearing bores may become worn oversize or out-of-round,
Why Your Beliefs About Right To Repair May Be Wrong
As Americans, we assume a lot and take even more for granted. For example, we assume that absent natural disasters we will have sufficient water and electricity for our needs and that the telephone will always work. We also assume that if we buy a piece of land and record the deed, that our ownership
The Cost of Clean
When we asked the simple question "What are your cleaning costs?" we uncovered a complex answer. For many Engine Builder readers, getting and keeping parts clean is a difficult, expensive proposition
Leading Off
The first part of our annual two-part series detailing the custom engine rebuilder/machine shop market begins on page 26. But, as with any national survey, sometimes it is difficult to find the real meaning behind the numbers. My insight is based on not only the survey results, but also ongoing conversations, meetings and industry events
Ohc Journal Repairs
One of the advantages of an overhead cam cylinder head is that it eliminates the need for certain valvetrain components. Mounting the camshaft in the cylinder head rather than the engine block eliminates the need for lifters and pushrods. On some OHC engines, the cam lobes run directly atop the valve stems. On others, cam
Where Should The Cam Bearing Oil Hole Be Located On A 3400 Series Cat Diesel?
A: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding cam bearing oil hole location for 3400 series Caterpillar diesel engines and installation of all cam bearings for these engines. This bulletin should be used, and service manuals published before 1985 should not be used. The correct location for the oil hole in the camshaft bearing
Ford Y-Block Engine Tricks
The Y-Block Ford is the successor to the flathead and Henry’s first OHV V-8 engine. They were built from 1954-’64 and installed in Fords, Mercurys, Edsels and Ford trucks. They came as 239, 254, 272, 292, and 312s. All along there were just enough cracked heads to become a nuisance, and efforts were made to
The Properties Of Cast Iron
The reality is that much of what you understand and have been taught about welding cast iron may be incorrect. Cast iron is not used because it’s cheap, but because it has very good properties and works extremely well as the metal of choice for many engine blocks and cylinder heads. Cast iron has gotten
Special procedures to follow when working with Ford BSD engines
Q: Are there any special procedures to follow when working with Ford BSD engines? A: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding the crankshaft dynamic balancer on Ford BSD four cylinder diesel engines. The engines that are affected are the BSD 442, 442T, 444 and 444T. The 442 series engines are 256 cubic
Enhance engine performance and increase durability at higher horsepower output, Detroit Diesel 11.1L and 12.7L premium engines (60-series, 1998-2002 models)
Engine Builders: To enhance engine performance and increase durability at higher horsepower output, Detroit Diesel 11.1L and 12.7L premium engines (60-series, 1998-2002 models) use a unique forged steel piston and connecting rod assembly. The premium engines can be identified with the letters "PK" in the fifth and sixth position (example: 6067PK28) of the model designation.
Rebuilding the Ford 4.6L SOHC Engine
The 4.6L was lower, shorter and lighter than the 302, but the base engine made more power than the 302, got better fuel economy and passed all the emission tests without a thermactor pump. Ford called it its “modular” engine because it was part of a whole new family of engines that were intended to
Heavy Duty Technology: Piston Failure Analysis
The air/fuel, coolant and oil systems and relationships between various engine operations and the cylinder liner temperatures are critical to maintaining proper operation of all cylinder components. A variety of conditions can cause excessive piston growth or melting, and each will cause varying results – including catastrophic engine failure. The correct air/fuel ratio balance of
Seizing an Opportunity – Ed Davis, Waterhouse Motors
Ed Davis’ first love was motorcycles. Beginning with motocross and taking up cross country racing later on, the Tacoma, WA, native found he had a natural ability and excelled at the two-wheeled sport. During high school and vocational industrial machinist training, Davis hoped to try the professional circuit before age got ahead of him. But,
Improving engine balance on 1992-2001 GM 6.5L VIN 7, F, P, S and Y diesel truck engines
Engine Builders: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information on improving engine balance on 1992-2001 GM 6.5L VIN 7, F, P, S and Y diesel truck engines. This information should be considered any time this engine is remanufactured. While some owners of these engines have accepted the original driveability condition as normal, others have
Matt
Matthew and Daniella Schroeder know what it’s like to make something out of nothing. They have managed to turn Matt’s Motor Worx, located in Montevideo, MN, into a diverse and thriving business that started with just four bare walls. Matt learns a lot from owning and driving a late model dirt stock car, and this
Choosing Performance Camshafts
[email protected] Americans are very enthusiastic about their automobiles. Therefore, when they purchase, rebuild or even imagine their dream cars, a tremendous effort is put forth to make sure it is exactly what they want. Because the engine is arguably the most significant element in the performance of the car, it is very important that the
A Kubota diesel engine for rebuild
Engine Builders: If you are considering a Kubota diesel engine for rebuild, the following specifications regarding compression pressures will be helpful. For your installer customers, this information will be useful in engine diagnosis. To obtain an accurate value of cranking compression, the engine should be operated until normal operating temperature is reached. If an engine