Tech Notes Archives - Page 8 of 35 - Engine Builder Magazine
Piston Ring Installation in Smaller Bores

Piston rings have been reducedin diameter as cylinder bores have become smaller, with correspondingwidth and wall reductions. Compression rings 1.5 mm wide (.0575?) arebecoming more common than rings that are 2.0mm (.0775?) or wider. This reduction in the cross sectional size of the ring has caused thering to become somewhat more fragile with respect to

Cylinder Head Bolt Torque Specification: GM 3.1L and 3.4L Engines

The revised specification is as follows: • Tighten the cylinder head bolts to 44 ft.lbs (60 N-m) in the order shown in illustration. Use the J 36660-A torque angle meter in order to rotate the cylinder head bolts an additional 95 degrees.   Tighten the bolts in sequence to the the specified torque. With all

Back to Basics: Engine Bearings

Most everyone knows this wives tale: hang a horseshoe over your door for good luck. Now most of the world will do so with the open part down, but in a few parts of Ireland and Britain they do the opposite, with the opening upward so as not to ever run out of good luck.

Three Important Elements Around the Top Corner of a Piston

On forced induction and on nitrous applications, which experience extreme shock loads, Kempf says they move the top ring down from the piston crown to around .300?. However, depending upon valve configuration and the positioning of the valve reliefs, the top ring can be moved down by as much as .450?. But on most small-block

Adjusting Hydraulic Lifters for Proper Preload

In order to adjust the preload the lifter must be properly located on the base circle or “Heel” of the lobe. At this position the valve is closed and there is no lift taking place.You will need to watch the movement of the valves to determine which lifter is properly positioned for adjusting. 1. Remove the

The Plane Truth About Flatness

The plane is also the basis or reference for most dimensional and geometric measurements; including height, location of features, squareness, and datum’s. A reference plane may be a feature on the part itself, or it may be part of the measuring instrument; but in either case, the measurement can only be as accurate as the

Dry Run Friction Marks on Pistons Due To Fuel Flooding

Typical Damage Appearance Scoring is typically on one side of the piston (see piston on right in photo), and good skirt on other side (see piston on left in photo). An originally good skirt bearing panel has narrow, clearly limited longitudinal friction marks superimposed. The ring zone is usually undamaged. Assessment Unburned fuel which has

Toyota 3VZ Cylinder Head Installation Procedures

Affected Models/Engines: 1988-1995 Toyota Trucks, 4Runners and T100s equipped with the 3VZ V6 engine. The cylinder head bolts are tightened in three progressive steps: 1. Install cylinder head a. Place a new cylinder head gasket on the engine block and install cylinder head. b. Apply a light coat of engine oil on the threads and

Determining the Correct Head Gasket on Cat 3114, 3116 & 3126 Engines

Oversized head gaskets may not be something you would normally think about when repairing or rebuilding a Caterpillar engine. As the 3114, 3116 and 3126 (2-valve) engines age you may encounter engines that have or will require thicker (oversized) head gaskets. IPD does not offer these oversized head gaskets at the time of this publication,

Ten Head Bolt Installation Tips

The following are useful tips for technicians andengine specialists who spend any time sealing up engines. 1. Make sure all the head bolts are in perfect condition with clean,undamaged threads. Dirty or damaged threads can give false torquereadings as well as decrease a bolt’s clamping force by as much as 50%!Wire brush all bolt threads,

GM Cylinder Head Tightening Specification Clarification

Affects: 1993 Cadillac Allante, Sixty Special (FWD) 1993-96 Cadillac Fleetwood 1993-99 Cadillac DeVille, Eldorado, Seville 1994-99 Cadillac Concours 1995-99 Oldsmobile Aurora with 4.0 L or 4.6 L Engine (VINs C, Y, 9 – RPOs L47, LD8, L37) Cylinder Head Installation Torque specification and sequence for the cylinder head bolts (1-10) using a torque angle meter

BMW Oil Filter Head Leak

An O-ring with improved material quality (Viton) has been developedby BMW. The new repair kit (consisting of 1 Viton O-ring, 1 cover and 1snap ring) must be installed whenever an oil leak is detected comingfrom the control valve cover of the oil filter housing (seeillustration). This repair kit will eliminate the need to replace thecomplete