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
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
I’m looking for an oversize O.D. cam bearing for a Cummins L10. Is there anything available?
It has recently been announced that there are oversize outside diameter cam bearings available for 1985-2003 Cummins L10 & M11 engines. This new bearing will allow a single repair operation to many engine blocks, which will put many unserviceable engine blocks back into service. These engines have been prone to engine failure related to cam
Researching the Rebuilding Market for Multi-Valve Cylinder Heads
Cylinder head work has provided a good income for many of our readers over the years. All engines eventually need a valve job and guide work if they accumulate enough miles. Head work may also be needed if an engine overheats and blows a head gasket, if the head develops a crack, or an OHC
PERA’S Core Corner
Unless you maintain the correct Focus on the engine blocks being used for Ford 2.0L SOHC applications beginning in 1997 you could certainly end being Escort-ed down the wrong path and ending up in that awful position of a “do over.” In fact the block choices per application remind me of the “Mounds” and “Almond
Building Drag Racing Cylinder Heads
One thing every drag racer wants is to go faster – even bracket racers. There are lots of ways to shave tenths of seconds and even whole seconds off an elapsed time. It all comes down to how much money the racer is willing to spend in his quest for speed. One way to go
Sprint Car Motors
While the World of Outlaws, the All Stars, and USAC are the most well known of the sprint car racing organizations in this country, there are nearly fifty organizations that sanction sprint car racing. In addition, that doesn’t take into account the racetracks throughout the country that have their own division of sprint cars. Although
Is there any updated information regarding cam timing on Ford 4.0L engines?
Some service manual information regarding camshaft timing for 1997-2003 Ford 4.0L VIN E engines is erroneous. Ford published the correct information in a service bulletin dated May 2001 as part of a cam chain guide campaign. Subsequent year manuals should have the updated information depending on their source. Basically, the left and right side camshafts
Core Corner
Whenever I see a new subdivision being built further out into the rural areas of larger cities, I think about the new owners, many of whom will be young married couples moving out of apartments or condos and finally getting to that place where they are ready to start a family. Once that baby booming
Pushrods – Key To Performance
Pushrods are the weakest link in the upper valvetrain. Pushrods transfer and redirect the upward motion of the lifters, which goes in one direction, to the rocker arms which move in another direction. Consequently, they are subjected to bending forces as the load and engine speed increases. For stock engines, mild steel stock pushrods are
In Search Of New Markets, Mike Jeffries
Looking for new markets is one of the toughest things we do, so every time the phone rings we listen for an opportunity. Most of what we find is suspect, but over the past 12 months we have rebuilt a number of compact diesels and sold a number of rebuild kits. As a result we
The New Sport Compact Market
The most popular nameplates are imports such as Honda, Acura and Mitsubishi, but coming on fast are Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Subaru and Volkswagen – plus domestic models such as Ford Focus, Dodge Neon and even Chevy Cavalier. Nobody is abandoning the small block Chevy or any of the other V8s that have traditionally been the
High Performance Piston Options
Ask the kid on the street what performance is and he’ll raise the hood of his Honda. Ask the Funny Car drag racer about performance and he’ll take you to the starting line to breathe the nitromethane. Ask the mother on vacation and she’ll tell you about driving to California from Indiana pulling a car
Timing chain installation procedures on 1998-2002 Chrysler 2.7L DOHC Engines
Engine Builders: The following information may be helpful for your installers regarding timing chain installation procedures on 1998-2002 Chrysler 2.7L DOHC Engines. If the following procedure is not followed correctly, upon start up, valves will bend. Align crankshaft sprocket timing mark to the mark on oil pump housing. NOTE: Lubricate timing chain and guides with
Timing belt installation procedures on 1994-2001 Acura B18 Series engines
Engine Builders: The following information is for installers regarding timing belt installation procedures on 1994-2001 Acura B18 Series engines. Failure to follow these procedures could result in engine damage. Position the crankshaft and the camshaft pulleys as shown in Figure 1 before installing the timing belt. Set the crankshaft so that the No. 1 piston
Align Yourself
The crankshaft main bores are the foundation of every engine block. The alignment of the main bores is important because their position establishes the centerline of the crankshaft and how the crank aligns with the cylinders, deck surfaces and camshaft. Misalignment in the main bores can cause binding and premature main bearing wear. Misalignment occurs
Rebuilding The Ford 2.0L
The old 1.9L was modified and upgraded in the process of making it into the 2.0L. The new engine was bored and stroked, it had siamesed cylinders that made the block stronger and quieter, the crank had four more counterweights that made it run smoother, and it had domed pistons for more compression. The
Coolant contamination of engine oil for 1996-2003 GM 3.1L or 3.4L VIN J & E engines
Engine Builders: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding coolant contamination of engine oil for 1996-2003 GM 3.1L or 3.4L VIN J & E engines due to failure of the intake manifold gasket. GM has redesigned a new intake manifold gasket (p/n 89017279) to reduce the chance of failure. The material used in
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,
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