PERA’s Core Corner: Trying To Make Sense Out Of Detonation Sensors
Here it is the New Year and I’m sure many of us have gone through the challenge of making resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking and so on and so on. We’ll look back 3 months from now and try to make sense of how our resolutions got lost in the shuffle. This month we
What’s Hot In Performance – Cams, Lifters & Rockers
The camshaft is really the heart of every performance engine because the cam defines the engine’s breathing potential, its torque curve and peak horsepower. The camshaft controls when the valves open, how quickly they open, how far they open (with some help from the rocker arms), how long the valves are held open, and when
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
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
I replaced a ’97 Ford 302 with a 351 Windsor, but the thrust bearing failed after only 200 miles. What gives?
A. We have all seen the thrust bearing failures in the Ford 302/5.0L engine applications. Many if not most of them have occurred due to the insufficient depth of the pilot hole for the torque converter in the rear of the crankshaft when used in conjunction with an overdrive transmission, and in particular with the
PERA’s Core Corner
In this month’s “Core Corner” I am addressing a potpourri of different issues – some old, some new, but all of them offer something that will keep you out of the “Do Over” column and, of course, profitable. I got the idea from my wife some weeks ago while accompanying her (being dragged) to a
Pera’s Core Corner
In the quest to find the latest and greatest information about different casting identification, oddities and interchangeability to assist those within the engine remanufacturing or rebuilding industry, it is easy to lose sight of valuable information from the past. No, I am not talking about the ’50s and ’60s, although that may be an idea,
Rebuilding The Chrysler 2.7L
It was rated at 200 HP and it was originally used as the base motor in the Intrepid and Concorde, but it’s been the optional engine in the Stratus and Sebring since 2001 and it will be the standard engine in Chrysler’s new 300 sedan that’s coming out later this year. So, while there are
Maintenance Means You’re Set For Honing, Not Moaning
Let’s start with one of the main ingredients of honing: the honing oil. Automotive type transmission fluid is NOT honing oil. Period! Don’t let me catch you using tranny fluid in your honing machine! Honing oils are not all alike either. Always use the highest quality honing oil from a supplier you can trust. It
Cylinder liner adjustment and compression ring gasket thickness for Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) 71 Series diesel engines
Engine Builders: The following information regards cylinder liner adjustment and compression ring gasket thickness for Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) 71 Series diesel engines. This information should be considered any time liners are replaced. AERA previously published TB 206 concerning compression ring gaskets. This supplements that information. The correct position of the liner top flange is
PERA’s Core Corner, Roy
In the September 2003 installment of "PERA Core Corner," I provided both information and a chart to help with Ford casting and part numbering identification. I mentioned that the center portion of every Ford part number includes an identifier number, which indicates what that component part is. I also stated that I was unaware of
What’s Wrong With Our Industry
What’s wrong with the engine building industry today? It’s a simple question that has no simple answer. Like many other – if not every – industry facing difficult times, the factors impacting this market are varied, complex and frustratingly hard to pin down. Are the woes of the industry the fault of customers or suppliers?
The Constant of Change
Although "change" is a frightening word to many people, reasons Yamato Engine Specialists’ Asiff Dhanani, there’s simply no point in questioning it. Of all the "sure things" in business, the only certainty is that situations definitely change. Dhanani, incoming president of PERA explains that the change in this industry is not new. Things have been
Thrust Bearing Failure
Thrust bearings are used to control end play in the crankshaft. End play is important because it limits the fore and aft movement of the crankshaft in the block. If an engine is assembled with too much end play in the crank, or if the thrust bearing fails, the forward movement of the crankshaft in
Dodge City’s Finest; Harry’s Machine Works
No history of the American West would be complete without extensive recollections of Dodge City, KS. Formed as a convenient railroad stop to serve the new Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, Dodge City offered something for everyone. That is, if your tastes ran to buffalo hunting, gambling or gunfighting. In its early days, Dodge
The Smooth Science of Cylinder Honing
The basics of honing cylinder blocks hasn’t changed much in recent years, but what has changed are the type of abrasives being used by many engine builders. Silicon carbide and aluminum oxide honing stones of various grits have long been used in power honing machines and portable hones to finish cylinder bores. These types
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
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
Rebuilding The Ford 3.8L Engine
They needed an economy engine that would fit in their new cars, and they needed it fast. They had a couple of old inline sixes and a small German V6, but none of them were designed for fuel economy or the coming emissions standards, and the 250 cid engine was so tall that it wouldn’t