Coretalk: Tony Stewart Motorsports To Headline SME Show
Stewart’s personal race team, which is a passion for the versatile NASCAR, IndyCar and USAC champion, will be featured on the show floor on January 24-25 at the Performance Theater. “The competition level is so tight right now – any extra bit of speed or performance you can squeeze out of your car can be
Tech Notes
Engine Builders: The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information on coolant loss on 2001-2004 GM 6.6L diesel VIN 1 engines. Some owners may comment on engine coolant loss with no visible leaks. Excessive white smoke or a coolant type odor coming from the exhaust pipe, along with low coolant levels, may indicate coolant entering
Valve Selection: Hot Valve Materials for Hot Engines
Are stock valve materials good enough, or do you need to upgrade to valves that are made of a more durable alloy? If so, what kind of alloy? These are questions every engine builder must answer when selecting valves for performance engine applications. To the naked eye, most valves look pretty much the same. Unless
Marine Engines: Setting a Course for Profits
There are hundreds of thousands of motorboats cruising the waterways and coasts of America. It’s easy to think the market for rebuilding engines for all those crafts might be a niche ripe for the picking. Some rebuilders estimate the size of the marine engine market to be fairly small, perhaps less than 130,000 engines per
Shopline
How much cam end play is acceptable when working on a Nissan Quest cylinder head? The AERA Technical Committee explains that the following information regarding camshaft end play for 1996-2004 Nissan 3.3L engines (Pathfinders and Quests) should be referenced whenever camshaft or cylinder head service is performed. Install the camshaft and locate plate in the
Technotes
Engine Builders: There has been some confusion about the proper method of push rod removal and installation for 1992-2000 GM 6.5L VIN F and S diesel engines, especially during re-assembly of valve train components, according to the AERA Technical Department. Because the push rod design has different hardness requirements for each end, it is important
Washington Way: Counterfeit Parts Seem Cheap But Have Very High Cost
Counterfeit motor vehicle parts have a substantial negative impact on vehicle parts suppliers in the United States. Counterfeit parts are ones which bear a registered trademark but were not produced by or under license from the registered trademark owner. Therefore, use of the mark violates the trademark owner’s rights. Not only do counterfeit parts divert
Coretalk: IMCA Engine Claims Top 400 Through Late Season
A total of 402 claims were made through late September, including 149 in the Modified division, 113 in the Stock Car class and 136 in the Hobby Stocks. There were also two claims in the Sprint Car division and one each in the Northern SportMod and Jeff’s Performance Southern SportMod classes. Claims so far in
Shop Line
What’s the story on piston cooling tubes for Navistar diesel engines? The AERA Technical Department says that the piston cooling tube design on Navistar DT 466 and 570 diesel engines has been revised, and this information should be considered anytime the tubes are removed for service on engines with a serial number higher than 2,000,000.
Cylinder Head Crack Repairs
It seems as if many cylinder heads are doomed to crack from the very start because of their lightweight construction and design. Aluminum overhead cam (OHC) heads, in particular, are often found to be warped as well as cracked. But so too are many pushrod cast iron heads. One of the causes of cracking in
Coretalk: Cummins, Scania Joint Venture To Produce Next-Generation Fuel Systems
Cummins-Scania XPI Manufacturing LLP is a 50/50 joint venture, which builds on Cummins-Scania partnerships in fuel systems development and manufacturing that date to January 1992. The two companies currently produce the HPI fuel system, which eventually will be replaced by the XPI (Xtra-High Pressure Injection) system. The XPI common rail fuel system is expected to
Today’s Machining Centers Offer More Bang for the Buck
More bang for the buck. That’s what many machine shop owners say they’re looking for when considering a major equipment purchase. Because today’s machine shops are fewer in number and often smaller, it’s important for them to have as much capability as possible in every piece of equipment to maximize the return on investment, utilization
Coretalk: Pentagon 9/11 Survivor To Keynote PERA Convention
After American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, very close to his second floor office, LTC Birdwell was thrown to the ground and engulfed in flames. Of the burns that consumed 60 percent of his body, nearly half were third-degree burns. With more than 30 operations and months of multiple skin grafts and burn
Valve Guide and Seat Equipment Options
For many engine builders the bread and butter business is in cylinder head work. In fact, according to our 2005 Machine Shop Market Profile (also available at www.engine-builder.com) 41 percent of gas and 54 percent of diesel engine builders’ business comes from servicing cylinder heads. And one of the most important aspects of doing this
Coretalk: Sunnen, RMC Form Strategic Alliance To Market Equipment
This Sunnen/RMC alliance is effective immediately. RMC products will be sold under the Sunnen/RMC brand. Sunnen’s team of field engineers and service specialists will now represent and support the RMC line. “The new Sunnen/RMC branded products complement Sunnen’s existing product line,” said Mike Haughey, Sunnen’s chief operating officer. Ray Meyer, president of RMC, agreed: “The
Machine Maintenance, Make the Most of Your Crank Grinder: Maintain It
Your crankshaft grinder probably represents one of the single biggest investments you’ve made for your shop. Most of you purchased your grinder to ensure quality, delivery and to enhance your shop’s ability to be self-sufficient. Hopefully you and your employees are taking good care of this sophisticated and expensive machine. To help you out, here
Common Technologies, Uncommon Fuels, New Challenges
There is a “shade tree law” from the 1970s that states that computing capacity doubles every few years. In fact, computing capacity for the size of the computer or device has outstripped that by several orders of magnitude in the last five years. As evidence of that, we now see cell phones that were only
Perfect Engine Sealing Starts With Proper Head Bolt Use
How important are the various fasteners in an engine? Consider this: the head bolts have to withstand tremendous loads to keep the cylinder head sealed tightly against the head gasket and block. In an engine with four inch cylinder bores and peak combustion pressures of around 1,100 pounds per square inch, each cylinder exerts about
Coretalk: Recon Automotive Founder Armand J. Mancini Dies
He leaves behind his wife of 42 years, Carole, and three sons and a daughter – Armand, Vincent, Daniel and Carrie Mancini Young. He is also survived by three brothers, a sister and six grandchildren. Mancini was an icon of the automotive remanufacturing industry, having founded Recon in 1973 and building it into one of
Shop Line
The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding the piston oil clearance on 1992-2004 Mitsubishi 4D34 and 6D34 diesel engines. Engine builders have reported occasional piston to cylinder wall scuffing shortly after rebuilding these engines. The engines have failed pistons in multiple cylinders at the skirt’s largest diameter. AERA is aware of at least