Piston Seizure in Diesel Engines 409 Engine

Transcription

THREADED FASTENERS, TORQUE VALUES, CLAMPING FORCES, AND MORE
Piston Seizure in Diesel Engines
Understanding the true failure
409 Engine Build
Building a performance-oriented original
AN AERA INTERNATIONAL QUARTERLY PUBLICATION
JANUARY-MARCH 2013
Saving Outboard Engines
“How to” before and after
6.6L DURAMAX ENGINE
© GENERAL MOTORS CO.
EPQ113 Cover_EP 1/14/13 7:27 AM Page 2
EPQ113 1-9_Layout 1 1/14/13 7:31 AM Page 1
CONTENTS
VOLUME 6, NUMBER 1
4
FROM THE PUBLISHER
6
INDUSTRY NEWS
PUBLISHER
Welcome to new AERA members,
calendar of events, news and views
10
NEWS FROM THE EDITOR
By Jim Rickoff
16
DMAX BUILDS 1,500,000TH
DURAMAX DIESEL ENGINE
By Dave Hagen
18
THREADED FASTENERS
18
By Mike Mavrigian
Torque Values, Clamping Forces, Studs
vs. Bolts and Thread Treatments
40
PISTON SEIZURES IN
DIESEL ENGINES
By Steve Scott
48
50
AERA ATTENDS
AETC CONFERENCE
By Steve Fox
EDITOR
SPEED READ
Jim Rickoff
[email protected]
By John Goodman
409 Engine Build
60
40
TECHNICAL EDITORS
Dave Hagen
[email protected]
Steve Fox
[email protected]
Mike Caruso
[email protected]
Gary Lewis
[email protected]
Mike Eighmy
[email protected]
AERA MEMBER NEEDS INFORMATION
IN SPANISH…
By Steve Schoeben
62
5 MINUTES WITH AN AERA MEMBER
By Stephen Kim
School of Automotive Machinists in Houston, Texas
66
SAVING OUTBOARD ENGINES…
BEFORE AND AFTER
By Dave Metchkoff
72
50
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Maria Beyerstedt
[email protected]
ON THE SAME PAGE
Engine building book reviews by
AERA Technical Specialist Mike Caruso
80
ADVERTISING SALES
Jim Rickoff
[email protected]
Hal Fowler
[email protected]
AERA ONLINE TRAINING
AERA Engine Building and Machining
Certificate Program
84
TECH BULLETINS
91
MARKETPLACE
CONTROLLER
Melissa Rizzi
[email protected]
TECHSIDE
By Lake Speed Jr.
The Truth About Engine Oil
76
AERA - Engine Builders Association
500 Coventry Lane, Suite 180
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
815-526-7600
815-526-7601 fax
Chairman of the Board
Dwayne Dugas
New Iberia, LA
First Vice Chairman
Ron McMorris
Maple Ridge, BC CANADA
Second Vice Chairman
Steve Schoeben
Bloomington, MN
Treasurer
David Bianchi
Seattle, WA
President
Paul Hauglie
66
PRODUCTION
Jan Juhl
[email protected]
CIRCULATION
Karen Tendering
[email protected]
Engine Professional® magazine (ISSN 1945-7634) is published quarterly by
Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA). Copyright 2013 AERA. Subscription
rates: $70 per year, outside the United States $90, single copy $20. Publication, editorial and business office: 500 Coventry Lane, Ste 180, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Editorial:
815-526-7600, Advertising: 507-457-8975, Circulation: 815-526-7600. Send change
of address to the above. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various
authors in this magazine are those of the individual authors and not of the Automotive
Engine Rebuilders Association, which disclaims all responsibility for them.
2 JAN-MAR 2013 engine professional
INTERNATIONAL LIAISON
Yolanda Carranza
[email protected]
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY
ARCHITECT
Richard Rooks
[email protected]
engine professional WWW.AERA.ORG/EP 3
FROM THE PUBLISHER
BY PAUL HAUGLIE, AERA PRESIDENT
Changes
change
v. changed, chang·ing, chang·es
v.tr.
a. To cause to be different
b. To put a fresh covering on
v.intr.
a. To become different or undergo alteration
b. To undergo transformation or transition
n.
a. The act, process, or result of altering or modifying
b. The replacing of one thing for another; substitution
Song
By David Bowie about the frequent change
of the world today
If there’s one thing that’s constant, it’s change. If
there’s one thing most of us don’t like, it’s change. If
there’s one thing a majority of us are guilty of (myself
included), it’s resisting that change as long as
possible.
By the end of December 2012, it was apparent that
2013 was definitely going to be a year of change.
Here are a few of the highlights we can expect:
There will only be one performance trade show in
December – thank you SEMA Chairman Scooter
Brothers; companies will continue to shift more of
their marketing dollars to social media; and AERA will
begin their 91st year of operation. I’m sure I left out a
couple of others, but you get the picture.
manufacturers. When, in actuality, we have
overlooked a very key reason for attending a
conference — getting to know other shops, finding
out how others have perfected a process, etc., etc.
Speaking of tech conferences, here are some of the
upcoming conferences this year: DeAnza College,
Cupertino, California – April 13; MAHLE and Driven
Racing Oil at Richard Childress Racing, Welcome,
North Carolina – May 16; Liberty Engine Parts,
Pittsburgh – June 8. A complete listing is on page 14
of this issue.
Yes, 2013 will be a year of change, but it will be an
exciting year and we here at AERA are looking
forward to it. Thank you to all of our members who
have made this association successful. Without your
guidance and support we couldn’t have made it
these past 90 years.
I want to send a quick thank you to Ellen Mechlin
who retired from AERA at the end of December. Ellen
was our controller for the past 11 years and did a
fantastic job keeping us on track, especially during
some rough times. We wish her all the best in her
new adventure and will certainly miss her.
As we said goodbye to Ellen, we also welcomed
Melissa Rizzi as our new controller. Melissa joins
AERA with an extensive work history in the non-profit
accounting sector. We are excited to have her on
board and congratulate her on her new position
with us.
Something we’re going to put more emphasis on
throughout the year is the importance of shops and
shop owners using the AERA Regional Technical
Conferences as a chance to network. It is true that
these conferences provide a great opportunity for
attendees to learn about new types of machining,
better ways to prep and assemble engines, things to
look for when diagnosing a problem and much more.
However, I believe these conferences provide a
greater opportunity for the shops to get to know
each other better and realize they have more in
common than they thought. Who knows, maybe they
can walk away having learned some valuable tips
from the other shops in attendance.
Issue highlights: An in depth look at threaded
fasteners, a recap of the AERA 90th Anniversary
event, review of the AETC conference and much
more. Read on!■
This is a change for us in that previously our focus
was more on attending the conferences to learn
about a new product or to visit with well-known
Prior to becoming president of AERA,
Paul Hauglie worked for Melling Engine Parts
as Canadian Sales Manager and Performance
Product Manager for Melling Select Performance.
✂
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GM 6.5 (truck & van) .........................................$995/ea
Cummins 3.9 4BT (OEM)....................................$950/ea
Cummins 5.9 6BT .............................................$995/ea
Cummins 8.3 6CT ...........................................$1795/ea
Caterpillar 3306(DI)..........................................$2780/ea
GM 6.5 (Truck & Van) ..................$198/ea
Chevy 350 (Vortec)......................$228/ea
Chrysler 318/360........................$228/ea
Chrysler 3.9................................$180/ea
Caterpillar 3306(PC) 8N1187 ......$730/ea
Caterpillar 3306(DI) 8N6796 .......$730/ea
Caterpillar 3406(DI) NEW ..........$1580/ea
Caterpillar 3406(PC) NEW .........$1580/ea
&%
%
Cummins 4BT ....................................................$575/ea
Cummins 6CT 8.3 ..............................................$780/ea
Cummins 6BT 5.9 ..............................................$695/ea
Caterpillar 3306 .................................................$998/ea
Cummins 3.9 .....................................................$158/ea
Cummins 5.9 .....................................................$138/ea
Cummins 8.3 .....................................................$188/ea
Caterpillar 3304(PC/DI) ...............$580/ea
Jeep 4.0 (#331) ..........................$375/ea
Ford 4.0 (Early, Late)...................$138/ea
Cummins 5.9/3.9(6BT/4BT)...........$68/ea
Cummins 8.3 (6CT).......................$86/ea
GM 6.5 NEW .................................$55/ea
Cummins 5.9 (OEM)..................$5980/ea
Cummins 3.9 4BT (OEM)...........$3980/ea
Cummins 8.3 6CT (OEM)...........$6980/ea
Cummins 3.9 ................................$98/ea
Cummins 5.9 ..............................$108/ea
Cummins 8.3 ..............................$138/ea
5
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Cummins 3.9 Upper Kit (OEM)......$88/set
Cummins 3.9 Lower Kit (OEM) .....$88/set
Cummins 5.9 Upper Kit (OEM)......$98/set
Cummins 5.9 Lower Kit (OEM) .....$95/set
Cummins 8.3 Upper Kit (OEM)....$128/set
Cummins 8.3 Lower Kit (OEM) ...$108/set
5
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5 "
■
industry news
AERA welcomes
new members
ACTIVE
• 7 Lakes Automotive
Machine, Stanwood, WA
• All Star Transmission LLC,
Hammond, LA
• Arnold Auto Parts,
Coldwater, MI
• Auto-Szlifs, Melgiew
POLAND
• Automotive Machine Shop,
Jacksonville, TX
• Besnik Engine Design,
Center Line, MI
• Bobby Deans Atwood Auto
Machine Shop, Atwood, TN
• Camd Machining Co Inc,
Landisville, PA
• Carquest of Cleveland,
Cleveland, TN
• Circle Machine & Cylinder,
Obernburg, NY
• Dans Cylinder Head Co,
Portland, OR
• Diesel Power Parts &
Machine, Missoula, MT
• Diesel Specialists LLC,
Baton Rouge, LA
• Discount Auto Salvage,
Birmingham, AL
• Dutka Automotive,
Peotone, IL
• DVC Machine,
Forest Grove, OR
• EPW, Bakersfield, CA
• Fisk Automotive Machine
Shop, Hanahan, SC
• Gotelli Speed Shop,
San Francisco, CA
• Griffs Engine & Machine,
Sandusky, OH
• Hamilton Motorsports &
Machine, Minot, ND
• Head & Block Specialty,
Stoney Creek, ON CANADA
• HDS Auto Parts & Machine,
Escondido, CA
• High Desert Auto Supply,
Apple Valley, CA
• Hortas Machine Shop,
Las Vegas, NV
• Inyeccion Diesel del Istmo,
Juchitan de Zaragoza
MEXICO
• JB’s Diesel Doctor,
Monticello, AR
• Leindecker Racing Engines,
Center Valley, PA
• Mendoza & CIA,
Cochabamba BOLIVIA
• Neers Repair Service,
Marysville, OH
• Passion Customs &
Accessories, Stettler AB
CANADA
• Pat’s Machine,
Oklahoma City, OK
• Paul Waller Garage Inc,
Plainview, TX
• R-AM Co Racing,
Smithville, MS
• Rectificaciones de Bajio
Leon MEXICO
• Rectificaciones y
Refacciones Miguel,
Mazatlan MEXICO
• Reedy Diesel,
Lebanon, PA
• Rod’s Automotive Machine
Shop, Falcon, CO
• Rossis Engine & Drive Train,
Gilroy, CA
• Southern Engine
Reconditioning,
Berkeley NSW Australia
• Stockbridge Auto Care,
Stockbridge, MI
• Talleres Papi Simono,
Santo Domingo
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
• Top End Performance,
Grand Junction, CO
• Vilebrequin Universal Inc,
St Leonard PQ CANADA
• Virginia Diesel, Evington, VA
• Waitschies Crankshaft
Service, Victoria, TX
ASSOCIATE
• Accredited Marine Surveyor
East Northport, NY
• Heartland Sales Co
Lincoln, NE
• Motor Warehouse/National
Auto Parts, Miami, FL
• Shanghai Bestech
Mechanical Technology
Shanghai CHINA
MEMBERGETTER
• Brendan Baker,
Engine Builder Magazine
calendar
• Dave Monyhan,
Goodson Tools & Supplies
Winona, MN
JANUARY 21-24
HEAVY DUTY
AFTERMARKET WEEK
(HDAW)
SEMA unifies IMIS
and PRI trade shows,
returns to Indy in 2013
The Mirage Hotel
Las Vegas, NV
www.hdaw.org
The Specialty Equipment
Market Association (SEMA)
acquired the IMIS trade show
with plans to consolidate it
with the PRI show, also
purchased by SEMA. SEMA
will return the PRI show to its
former home at the Indiana
Convention Center in
downtown Indianapolis with a
Thursday, Friday and Saturday
schedule, December 12-14,
2013. For more information,
go to www.performance
racing.com.■
FEBRUARY 22-24
RACE &
PERFORMANCE EXPO
In memory of
Becky Babcox
Long time automotive
aftermarket veteran Mary
Rebecca “Becky” Babcox
passed away peacefully on
October 15, 2012, in Akron,
Ohio, after a long battle with
Multiple System Atrophy
(MSA). She was 60 years old.
For many years, Becky was
co-owner of Babcox Media
with her brother Bill Babcox.
Becky retired from the
company in 2006, after nearly
30 years in the business. She
was named “Woman of the
Year” by the Car Care Council
Women’s Board that same
year.
In addition to serving as
Corporate Secretary for
Babcox, Becky was Publisher
of Automotive Rebuilder
magazine, known today as
Engine Builder magazine. She
was an active participant of
the rebuilding industry, serving
as board member of PERA
and numerous other
aftermarket associations,
including AERA, APRA and the
Car Care Council’s Women’s
Board.
Becky was a graduate of
Emory University and received
her MBA from The Ohio State
University. She is survived by
her son, Rob.■
Pheasant Run Resort
St. Charles, IL
www.raceperformance
expo.com
MARCH 14-16
HOTROD &
RESTORATION
TRADE SHOW
Indiana Convention Center
Indianapolis, IN
www.hotrodshow.com
MARCH 21-23
MID-AMERICA
TRUCKING SHOW
Kentucky Fair and
Exposition Center
Louisville, KY
www.truckingshow.com
APRIL 13
AERA TECH & SKILLS
CONFERENCE
Hosted by
DeAnza College Auto Tech,
Cupertino, CA
MAY 16
AERA TECH & SKILLS
CONFERENCE
Hosted by MAHLE-Clevite
and Driven Racing Oil,
at Richard Childress Racing
Welcome, NC
JUNE 8
AERA TECH & SKILLS
CONFERENCE
Hosted by
Liberty Engine Parts Inc
Pittsburgh, PA
www.liberty-engine-parts.com
DON’T
BE
FOOLED
BY THE CARD THAT TURNS OUT
TO BE A JOKER!
Don’t be fooled by blustery showmanship or “sleight of hand” marketing claims - make sure
you know the card you hold may get you burned. Clevite® engine bearings have defined
the standard for technology and performance for decades. Engine builders, working on
everything from stock replacement motors to the highest horsepower and most demanding
performance and heavy duty applications, know that their reputation hinges on every turn
of the wrench – and every part on the block. That reputation is too valuable to trust it to
some low-cost supplier with second-rate quality as it may be YOU that ends up looking like a
Joker. www.mahle-aftermarket.com
■
industry news
AERA President
Paul Hauglie
presents Ellen
Mechlin with a
recognition
award at a
luncheon
in honor of her
retirement on
Dec. 12, 2012.
AERA announces the retirement
of Controller Ellen Mechlin
AERA would like to thank Ellen Mechlin for
her tenure at the association and wish her
the best of luck in her retirement. Ellen has
been a very strong financial leader with the
association from day one. She has helped
secure the financial stability of AERA with
her guidance in budgeting and investment
advisement along with her day-to-day
accounting responsibilities.
Ellen was born and brought up in New
York City, graduated from Lehman College
in New York. She has lived in the Chicago
area for 30 years. She has been a CPA for
over 25 years, working in public
accounting at various firms. She came to
AERA from Vance Publishing, a magazine
publishing company that produces over 25
publications for various industries. She has
been with AERA for 11 years, and has
enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a
great team environment.
Ellen has been married for 38 years to
her husband Stuart, a retired marketing
executive, and they have two sons, Alex
30 and Mark 28. Alex is a videographer
and internet marketing consultant and
Mark is a firefighter in Maryland. She has 3
sisters and a brother who all live in the
New York area, and she is looking forward
to spending time with her family, travel and
volunteer work in her retirement.■
AERA introduces Controller
Melissa Rizzi
AERA is pleased to announce that Melissa
Rizzi has joined the staff at AERA. She
holds a Bachelors of Science in Business
Administration (accounting concentration)
from DeVry University, and has been in the
non-profit accounting sector since 2004.
Prior to AERA, she held the position of
Business Manager at Prairie Crossing
Charter School in Grayslake, Illinois, and
previously was the Controller at St. John
Lutheran Church and School in Wheaton,
Illinois. She also was on staff at Trinity
Lutheran Church and School in Roselle,
Illinois. Additionally, she has property
management accounting and retail
accounting experience. Melissa truly
enjoys the challenges and intricacies of
non-profit accounting and management.
Melissa was born and raised in the
Midwest and is the proud mother of three
girls, Amanda, Elisabeth and Jenna. With
young children, much of her free time is
spent enjoying their activities, but when
she can find time for herself, she enjoys
music and cooking. Her family is spread
throughout the country, so she enjoys
traveling whenever she can.■
2013 China International
Remanufacturing Summit
The 3rd Annual China International
Remanufacturing Summit will be held
April 11-12, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza
Beijing Chaoyang U-Town Hotel.
This year’s summit will provide a
platform to familiarize participants with
China’s policies and regulations for the
used equipment and remanufacturing
industry, gaining a thorough understanding
of the market’s future and challenges, thus
optimizing one’s development strategies in
China. Speakers from China’s central
government and leading companies will
share with attendees their valuable
experience and insightful opinions
concerning one of China’s most booming
industries.
For more information, visit
www.duxes-events.com/uerm_3.■
Engine Parts Group, Inc.
Honors Top Suppliers
Five suppliers to Engine Parts Group, Inc.
(EPGI) were honored at the group’s recent
winter shareholders meeting. These
“Featured Suppliers” were Durabond
Bearing Co., Ferrea Racing Components,
Hastings Manufacturing Co., Melling
Engine Parts and SA Gear Co.
Each year, EPGI shareholders choose
its “Featured Suppliers” from more than 90
companies providing engine parts to the
group. The five are selected based each
company’s ability to offer extraordinary
value, exceptional programs, policies, and
building and maintaining excellent working
relationships. Companies chosen for the
“EPGI Featured Supplier Award” also must
be the primary source in its product
category to at least 80 percent of EPGI
members.
Founded 23 years ago, EPGI is the
largest engine parts distribution network in
the U.S. The group is made up of
independent specialty engine parts
distributors who warehouse a full line of
internal engine components for domestic
and import passenger car, light truck,
heavy duty, industrial, marine, agricultural
and performance applications. Engine Pro
operates 35 distribution centers
throughout the U.S. and Australia.■
Smith Brothers Pushrods
Moves to New Facility
Smith Brothers Pushrods has recently
moved to its new manufacturing facility in
Bend, Oregon. At 46,000 square feet, the
additional space and convenient new
location will allow the company to increase
production, stock additional inventory and
materials, and expand its product lines.
Smith Brothers Pushrods was started
in California in 1953 by Hank and Joe
Smith. The business was later moved to
Bend, Oregon in the early 1990s. In 1999,
the company was purchased by Dennis
and Kristen Marshall and operated out of a
4,000 square-foot building. As the
business grew, they moved into larger
buildings in 2002 and again in 2005.
The company says it has expanded its
operations to include not only the
manufacture of custom and OEM
replacement pushrods, but they have
developed their own line of rocker arm
adjusting screws and nuts, extra strong
Harley-Davidson pushrods along with a
H-D fast install pushrod upgrade kit.
For more information about
Smith Brothers Pushrods, visit
www.pushrods.net.■
BY JIM RICKOFF
Nearly 200 AERA members and
industry friends celebrate
AERA’s 90th Anniversary at IMIS
Hi Team! I hope you all had a great 2012 and are ready for an
even better 2013. AERA’s 90th year was celebrated with a
fantastic anniversary party at the IMIS show in Indianapolis,
Indiana, on Friday December 7, 2012. Nearly 200 members and
industry friends joined in the celebration at the Indianapolis
Convention Center to reflect and celebrate 90 years of successful
operations of obtaining and distributing technical knowledge to
engine builders, rebuilders and installers world-wide. Yes, there is
some “wow factor” there when thinking about how long 90 years
of successful operation for any entity really is. It’s a long time but
even more importantly is the positive role this association has had
on our industry throughout the years. Let’s keep moving in the
right direction and with any luck, someone else will be writing
about us in another 90 years.
The dinner party truly couldn’t have been any nicer when you
consider who was able to attend and enjoy the evening. We had
10 past AERA Chairmen of the Board members attend and many
past and present members of the Board in attendance. Many
AERA staff members were in attendance, too, which made for a
great event. However, the majority of those in attendance were
active and associate members enjoying the networking and
reflecting on times past.
The evening started with a few kind words from current
Chairman of the Board, Dwayne Dugas, owner of Dugas Engine
Service LLC of New Iberia, Louisiana. Dwayne introduced new
AERA President Paul Hauglie. After Paul introduced himself, his
wife Jennifer, and staff, he had the honor of introducing our
keynote speaker for the night. Robert Yates, famed engine builder,
NASCAR team owner champion and Hall of Fame member,
entertained us with his modest recap of his career. He’s one of us;
his true love of building engines – any engine – propelled him to a
career of greatness. Robert stayed throughout the evening talking
and reminiscing about his past. (continued)
LEFT: Keynote Speaker Robert Yates (middle) with AERA President
Paul Hauglie and his wife Jennifer.
ABOVE: Our friends from Rottler – pictured left to right, front row:
Ed Kiebler (Sales Manager), Sara Grim (Sales & Marketing Admin),
Marty Merz (Rottler Rep); back row: Craig Whitman (Lead Service
Technician) and AERA Tech Specialist Mike Caruso.
LEFT: AERA Technical Specialist Dave Hagen (right) with
Scooter Brothers of Comp Cams and SEMA.
Former AERA Chairmen of the Board in attendance were, from left to right, front row: George Sotsky, Dennis Terrill, Tom Lipschultz, Scott Wichlacz, Mike Eighmy;
back row: Dwayne Dugas (current Chairman), John DeBates, Eddie Browder, Richard Hartmann, Mike Schaefer, Domingo Gonzales.
BY JIM RICKOFF
In addition to everyone’s enjoyment, what a treat it was for
the nine students from Northwest Technical College in Bemidji,
Minnesota, who Robert Yates chose to sit with during dinner.
The stories those young engine builders will have for life will be
priceless. Special thanks to Robert for sharing his time and stories
with us. It truly was a treat.
Throughout the evening we projected a historical slide show
created by Maria Beyerstedt and myself. This presentation
reflected on AERA’s 90 years of success. Old photos from our
beginnings, through photos of our many trade shows, past and
current staff members, Board of Directors along with photos of
our current Tech & Skills Conferences made for an enjoyable,
reflective event.
After the party closed, many of us carried on with old friends
at the local establishments. Good times with old friends can’t be
beat. In fact, many of us thought it would be nice to have one of
these parties annually… wishful thinking, but perhaps some type
of annual event is possible.
If you haven’t heard the show news by now, SEMA, who
recently purchased the PRI Trade Show and the IMIS Trade Show,
has announced that they will eliminate the IMIS Show and move
the PRI Trade Show to the Indianapolis Convention Center in
Indianapolis, Indiana, December 12-14, 2013. This is great news
for most exhibitors who had stretched budgets to make these
back-to- back shows happen. Now, one major hard core
performance show will make it easier for attendees and exhibitors
alike.
Also important to note, AERA’s sponsored “Engine Room”
technical presentations that we had at IMIS were so well received
that we are currently working with PRI show staff to help
BY JIM RICKOFF
Save the
Date!
APRIL 13
DeANZA COLLEGE
AUTO TECH
Cupertino, CA
MAY 16
MAHLE-CLEVITE AND
DRIVEN RACING OIL
Richard Childress Racing,
Welcome, NC
JUNE 8
LIBERTY ENGINE PARTS
Pittsburgh, PA
JUNE 22
NATIONAL PERFORMANCE
WAREHOUSE
Los Angeles, CA
SEPTEMBER 18-19
AERA AND PERA
AER Mfg. Inc.,
Carrollton, TX
SEPTEMBER 27
ROTTLER MFG.
Kent, WA
facilitate these same programs. I’ll report
more on this as details become available.
What I can report on with some detail
are the six Tech & Skills Conferences that
we have scheduled for 2013 (see sidebar).
In addition, we have a few more
conferences that will formalize in the near
future and we’ll keep you posted on their
progress, too.
AERA’s Regional Tech & Skills
Conferences hosted by associate members
across the country have become a great hit
with active members looking for technical
information. In addition, they help
members network with other shops and
suppliers more easily as we spread them
across the country, hopefully making travel
a little easier for attendees. Hosts also love
the concept, which helps brings customers
together and showcases their products and
services for a “win-win” situation.■
OCTOBER 9
PARTS WAREHOUSE SUPPLY
Kansas City, MO
** TBA **
SUNNEN AND DART
Macomb Community College,
Warren, MI
•••
CONFERENCE
HOSTING
OPPORTUNITIES
Jim Rickoff is the Editor of Engine Professional
magazine and AERA’s marketing consultant.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, call
507-457-8975 or e-mail: [email protected].
If you are interested in hosting a
conference next year, please contact
Jim Rickoff at 507-457-8975 or
email [email protected].
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PACKARD INDUSTRIES
DMAX builds 1,500,000th
Duramax Diesel Engine
GM’s segment-leading
6.6L powertrain achieves
heavy-duty milestone
BY DAVE HAGEN PHOTO © GENERAL MOTORS
General Motors announced the production
of its 1,500,000th Duramax 6.6L diesel
engine at its DMAX Ltd Joint venture
with Isuzu Motors Ltd. DMAX Ltd was
established in 1998 and GM introduced
the Duramax diesel in the United States in
its 2001 model year.
Available in GM’s Chevrolet Silverado
HD and GMC Sierra HD pickups, the
engine delivers a segment-leading 397
horsepower at 3,000 rpm and 765 lb.-ft.
of torque at 1,600 rpm. The Duramax is
also available in GM's full-size Chevrolet
Express and GMC Savana vans.
The award-winning Duramax 6.6-liter
V-8 is a four-valve high pressure common
rail direct injection diesel currently
equipped with a diesel particulate filter to
meet current stringent emissions
requirements.
“Our Duramax diesel is one of the
best in the industry,” said Betty Wessel,
DMAX Chief Financial Officer, “Duramax
has become a great success story and is a
world-class engine with superior quality,
industry-leading horsepower and
competitive fuel economy.”
The milestone demonstrates the
productivity of the employees and the joint
partnership between GM, Isuzu and the
IUE-CWA, said DMAX Chief Executive
Officer Maho Mitsuya.
“This is a significant achievement for
our facility and our employees here at
DMAX,” Mitsuya said. “We’re committed
to building quality into every engine –
whether it’s our first or our 1,500,000th.”
The 584,000 square foot DMAX facility
currently employs 517 people.
Ongoing engine changes have made
this engine one of the cleanest and fuel
efficient diesel truck engines. The current
Duramax diesel now runs cleaner with
NOx emissions reduced by at least
63 percent than
2010. The key is
the new Selective
Catalytic
Reduction (SCR)
after-treatment
system that uses
urea-based Diesel
Exhaust Fluid (DEF).
When the engine is
running, small amounts
of DEF are injected into
the exhaust stream where
it works with a catalyst to
convert NOx emissions into
water vapor and nitrogen. EF is
housed in a 5.3-gallon tank, which
should last about 5,000 miles, depending
on the type of driving with the fill point
located under the hood and marked with a
blue cap.
Greater Highway Fuel Economy
The 2012 Duramax delivers up to 11
percent greater highway fuel economy
than 2010 models. The new 36-gallon fuel
tank, combined with these fuel economy
improvements, enables a highway driving
range of up to 680 miles. Several
improvements play a part in this
impressive result. They include:
• A lower idle speed (reduced from 720 to
640 rpm).
• Optimization of the combustion and
after-treatment systems to increase miles
between regenerations of the Diesel
Particulate Filter. Every regeneration
cycle uses about 0.7 gallon of fuel.
The cycle in the 2012 Duramax has
been increased up to 700 miles (from 400
on the 2010 Duramax), contributing to the
greatly improved highway mileage.■
The 6.6L Duramax engine is used in the
Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD
pickups and Chevrolet Express and GMC
Savana cargo vans.
AERA Technical Specialist Dave Hagen has over
41 years of experience in our industry. As an
ASE-certified Master Machinist, Dave specialized
in cylinder head work and complete engine
assembly for the first 17 years of his career.
Threaded
Fasteners
TORQUE VALUES, CLAMPING FORCES, STUDS
vs. BOLTS AND THREAD TREATMENTS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
Understanding how threaded fasteners
function and installing them correctly has
a direct bearing on achieving engine
assembly precision and durability. Instead
of viewing bolts or studs as simply a
means to an end (securing things together), what we really need to consider is the
clamping force that results from fastener
tightening.
In a manner of speaking, male threaded fasteners (bolt/studs) can be viewed as
acting similar to rubber bands. Once the
underside of the bolt head makes contact
with the parent surface, the head can’t
enter the threaded hole, so additional
rotation of the bolt head causes the bolt
shank to begin to stretch. With regard to
critical fastener locations such as cylinder
heads, main caps, connecting rods, etc.,
the objective is to reach the ideal point
where this stretch provides the needed
clamping force to properly secure the
component being installed. When tightened properly (to specification), the bolt
has stretched within its designed elastic
range.
Especially for the afore-mentioned
critical components (cylinder heads, main
caps, connecting rods), threaded fasteners
serve a much more important function in
addition to simply attaching the parts.
The important role is the fastener’s ability
to provide the needed clamping force to
insure the necessary stress and to maintain proper bore geometry.
When the bolt is loosened, the bolt
shank “memory” (elasticity) allows the
bolt to return to its normal, uninstalled
length. That’s why we can think of a bolt
or stud as a rubber band. If the bolt is
under-tightened, and does not enter its
Intake manifold leaks (oil, coolant or vacuum) are common maladies, usually caused by one of two things: the deck surfaces are not flat and clean, or the bolts
were not tightened properly. Always use a calibrated torque wrench to tighten every intake manifold bolt, follow the correct tightening pattern, and “creep up” on
the final torque. Make several passes instead of one pass. For instance, if the final specified torque is 28 ft-lb, start with one pass at 10 ft-lb, another pass at 16
ft-lb and a final pass at 28 ft-lb. At the very least, perform the job with two passes…one at 15 ft-lb and a final at 28 ft-lb. The goal is to achieve the specified
clamping force, but to do this while evenly distributing the load to prevent manifold distortion and warping.
elastic range, it won’t provide enough
clamping force. If over-tightened beyond
its elastic range, the bolt can enter it yield
point, and can permanently weaken. If
there’s no elasticity, the bolt can’t do its
job in terms of providing clamping force.
It’s just sitting there, filling a hole. Taken
a step further, if over-tightened, a bolt can
shear. We’ll delve into this in greater
detail, but hopefully you get the drift.
Bolt or stud diameters are based on
the load required for component clamping performance. That’s why ¼” bolts
may be used in one location, and 3/8”
bolts in another. A smaller-diameter bolt
requires less torque value to achieve ideal
clamping load, and a larger-diameter bolt
requires more torque value to achieve
ideal clamping load. Although not a perfect analogy, you can somewhat view
threaded fasteners as “fuses.” The diameter is based on the requirement for the
specific job, just as the amp rating of a
fuse is based on the requirement for a
particular circuit.
Taking advantage of a threaded fastener’s clamping load potential isn’t a
matter of guesswork. Especially for critical fasteners, such as any involved in the
brake system, steering system, suspension,
engine, transmission, differential and
wheels, all threaded fasteners must be
tightened to their specific-application
torque value. If you don’t pay attention
to torque values, it’s like buying a set of
pistons and sticking them into cylinder
bores without measuring oil clearance, or
like building a front suspension without
measuring any wheel angles. It’s a dumb
way to go.
HOW MUCH TORQUE IS NEEDED?
We need to modify our thinking in this
regard. It makes more sense to consider
what load is required instead. After all,
torqueing to a specific value is simply a
means to an end. The load is the important factor. Installation torque is simply a
factor that needs to be considered when
trying to achieve a specific load.
When torque is applied to a nut or
bolt head, most of the input is spent in
overcoming friction. At the end of the
process, 85 – 95% of the energy transferred through the wrench has been lost.
In other words, the clamp load itself may
only represent 5 – 15% of your effort
(this is a good example of why using a
stretch gauge to tighten rod bolts makes
so much sense).
Because of this frictional loss factor,
slight variations in the frictional conditions can result in huge changes in the
resulting preload. Variables include surface roughness, surface finish, lubricant;
load range reached, dimensions, temperature and torqueing sequence.
As you can see, it’s just as important
to ensure consistent friction conditions as
it is to seek a consistent torque. If the
dimensions and surface finish are fixed
factors, the preload target range will
depend on the lubricant and the tightening method.
The greater the friction, the higher the
torsional stress in the fastener body. Since
torsion is a function of the imposed friction, a given material reaches its yield
strength sooner when the friction is high
as opposed to low. During tightening, the
apparent yield strength drops by 10 –
20% from the yield strength measured in
tensile.
THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
Deck plates (also called torque plates or honing
plates) allow you to place real-world stresses in
the engine block to simulate the installed cylinder
head. This allows cylinder bore honing to obtain a
more precise creation of a round and uniform bore.
ers will be tightened in a spiral pattern,
starting at the center and gradually
working outboard. As you’re looking
at the top of the cylinder head, visualize a spiral pattern that starts at one of
the center fasteners. The spiral will
intersect the opposite row center, then
as the spiral widens in diameter, each
successive fastener location is tightened.
That may sound confusing at first, but
if you take the time to study the bolt
hole layout of the head, you’ll begin to
see what I mean.
As a consequence, when regular preloads are required, good quality engine
oils are sufficient for thread, washer,
under-nut and under-head lubrication. In
addition, the relatively higher friction will
prevent any loosening under vibration. A
black oxide finish may help to ensure
consistent preloads (past the mandatory 3
– 6 pre-tightening procedure to break-in
the mating surfaces).
When higher loads are needed, the
inevitable torsion stress can be minimized
by choosing slicker threads. Less friction
will bring the yield point up a few percent, allowing the clamp closer to yield. It
will also reduce the residual torsion that
is present when the wrench is released.
•
CHOOSE LUBES CAREFULLY
Whenultra-slick lubes are used, they
require high preload to prevent backingoff under vibration. For this reason, be
aware of under torqueing and make sure
that your fastener is not losing clamp
during service, which can result from
compression of the mating part or
stretching of the fastener.
Also, be absolutely confident in your
torqueing procedure. Slick lubes will
emphasize the precision of any torque
wrench.
•
TIGHTENING STEPS FOR CYLINDER HEADS
In order to optimize your results, following are steps to consider:
• Pressure should be well-distributed
along the joint before significant loading is applied. Towards this end, it’s
•
•
recommended that the first tightening
step is made at 20-30% of the final
desired torque value. This should prevent localized damage due to excessive
pressure. In other words, perform the
tightening process in multiple steps,
rather than tightening a bolt to the
final value in one step.
Each additional tightening step should
guarantee balanced and progressive
loadings. After the first preload step,
try to keep the torque targets consistent
with the angle of turn needed to reach
that torque. For example, the second
step could be achieved in approximately two 60-degree turns, and the last
step in a single 90-degree turn. This
will ensure good repeatability.
Most applications can be achieved in
three steps, but more steps can be used
if you’re dealing with a great deal of
compression.
If you opt for a multi-step procedure,
make sure that the steps are not too
close to each other. Static friction is
more difficult to overcome than
dynamic friction, which means that if
the steps are too close to each other,
the wrench might click before even
moving the nut or bolt head. In other
words, don’t try steps that are only a
few ft-lbs apart.
ALWAYS follow the tightening pattern,
or sequence that’s specified for your
particular heads and block. If you’re in
a bind (2AM before a race and you
don’t have the specs handy), it is generally accepted that cylinder head fasten-
TORQUE PLATES
A detailed look at the what, why and
where of these stress-inducing cylinder
shaping helpers.
Torque plates (also called deck plates)
are thick slabs of metal that are fastened
to the deck of a cylinder block during the
cylinder bore honing process. A deck
plate allows you to simulate an installed
cylinder head, which places the same
stresses in the block as the block will
experience when fully assembled. The
reason for this? Engine blocks distort
when assembled. A block may look like a
big, beefy chunk of iron or alloy, but as
the “serious” fasteners are tightened to
their respective values, the block is subjected to distortional forces that you may
have a hard time imagining. This distortion is most prominently seen in the cylinder bores. As the main caps and cylinder
heads are clamped onto the block, cylinder bores are subject to forces that can
create tapered, barrel-shape and out-ofround dimensions in an otherwise perfectly round bore. Granted, some blocks
(lighter, thinner-wall blocks) are more
subject to bore distortion than others, but
the forces that create bore distortion are
present in all assembled blocks.
If a block’s cylinder bores are properly
bored and honed, they are round.
However, when we begin to assemble the
engine, tightening main caps and cylinder
head fasteners to their required values,
one or more cylinders may begin to distort. This means that when the engine
operates, the pistons and rings are forced
to deal with tight spots and loose spots in
their bores. Once you understand this, it’s
not difficult to understand how this can
cause increased friction and wear, as well
THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
as compression and oil blow-by and loss
of power. Even where these bore distortions are extremely minor and might
cause no noticeable ill-effects in a street
engine, it should be obvious that a race
engine simply won’t perform to its potential if the rings are fighting and fluttering
their way home on every stroke of the
crank.
In order to try to compensate for this
potential bore distortion, we install a
deck plate to the block deck. This theoretically creates the same block distortion
that the assembled engine will see. With
the block in this stressed condition, we
then hone the cylinders to their final
dimension, maintaining a round (consistent from top to bottom) cylindrical condition.
PS: when installing a deck plate, you
may need to install a used (already
crushed) head gasket (some deck plates
require this, while others don’t). It’s also
best to use the same brand and type of
cylinder head fasteners that will be used
on the assembled engine. And naturally,
the deck plate must be torqued in place,
following the same values and tightening
pattern required for final cylinder head
installation.
TORQUE PLATE FOR BORING?
While many engine builders that use
plates dedicate them for the honing operation only, it does in fact make sense to
stress the block during the boring process
as well. This is to minimize the potential
skipping of the honing stones if gross distortion is present. If the cylinders are
stressed during boring, this will help to
minimize the later work that the honing
SOURCES FOR TORQUE PLATES
■ B-H-J Products, Inc.
Newark, CA • 510-797-6780
www.bhjinc.com
■ Goodson Shop Supplies
Winona, MN • 800-533-8010
www.goodson.com
■ Peterson Machine Tool
Shawnee Mission, KS
800-255-6308
■ Sunnen Products Co.
St. Louis, MO • 800-325-3670
www.sunnen.com
machine must perform in order to correct/overcome the bore dimensional distortion. In short, if you plan to bore and
hone, and if you plan to use a deck plate
for honing, you may benefit (in terms of
cylinder bore profile) by also using the
plate for the initial boring phase as well.
It simply makes sense to use a torque
plate to stress the block for honing (and
boring) whenever possible. Yes, this represents an investment for the machine
shop (average cost is around $200 - 250
or so per plate), but if you hone a certain
type(s) of block on a routine basis, the
cost can certainly be justified.
When you consider the added cost,
both in terms of purchasing the deck
plate and the time it takes to install it,
you should understand that the machine
shop needs to pass this added cost along
to you, the customer. If the shop doesn’t
charge a few extra bucks for the use of
the deck plate, he’s giving his investment
away, and that’s just not fair to the shop.
So, don’t complain if the shop charges
you an extra $10 - $30 extra for the deck
plate use.
Don’t operate under the assumption
that only X-brand or X-model of block
distorts, while Y-brand or Y-model does
not. There is enough deviation in casting
quality and casting material rigidity
among any family of blocks to warrant
concern for bore shape in an assembled
state. You wouldn’t assume that a cylinder is sized properly without measuring,
and you wouldn’t assume that a valve
seats properly without making the appropriate checks. Why then, would you
assume that the cylinder wouldn’t distort
when the head is clamped down? If it
sounds like I’m pushing hard for the use
of deck plates, and that is exactly the
case. I firmly believe in their use, and of
the benefits of the end result. The moral:
use ‘em if you got ‘em.
When using a deck plate in the honing
process to achieve the finished size, it’s
best to remove the initial couple of thousandths, then allow the cylinder to cool
(as the heat buildup may pull the bore
into a barrel shape). Once the cylinder
has cooled, then remove the final .0005 .001”. This will help you to get the most
benefit of a deck plate.
GASKETED vs. NON-GASKETED PLATES
In terms of stress approach, there are two
types of torque plates for use on blocks:
those that require the use of a crushed
head gasket and those that don’t. When a
gasket is used on a flat-deckside plate, an
air gap is created at the gasket fire ring,
to simulate the fulcrum effect that will be
seen when the head is attached. For production/high-volume use, special deck
plates that do not require head gaskets
are made by slightly spot-facing the deckside bolt holes. This simulates the fulcrum
effect (allowing the bolt clamping force to
draw down at the bolt hole areas, which
creates a similar effect of the loads that
would be created if a gasket was in
place). Basically, the gasketless versions
are intended for high-volume production
engine rebuilders who don’t want to mess
with keeping and using an inventory of
head gaskets, while the gasketed versions
are better suited to the low-volume,
smaller shop that wants to simulate as
closely as possible the load distribution
that the block will see when assembled.
Also, counterbored plate models are
available (where the top side bolt holes
are recessed to create an obstruction-free
top side) for those shops what want to
mount a boring bar on top of the plate.
TORQUE-TO-YIELD
Understanding this method of
cylinder head clamping
Once upon a time, it was common practice to re-torque cylinder heads after initial use. This was necessitated by the
expected relaxation of the compressed
head gasket after initial clamping. In far
too many of today’s motors, this procedure of re-torqueing simply isn’t practical,
due to the extremely difficult access to
cylinder head bolts, caused by an extreme
overcrowding of the engine bay. While it’s
still easy to access the head bolts on a
carbureted race engine or restored muscle
car, it’s a real pain in the time clock to
perform this service on a late model
engine that features direct injection, a
cumbersome upper intake plenum and a
maze of wiring harnesses, plumbing and
vacuum hoses.
The engineering answer to this was
the advent of the torque-to-yield cylinder
head bolt. As I mentioned earlier, when
any bolt is tightened (any threaded bolt
or stud, not just head bolts), it stretches
by design. This is referred to as the bolt’s
elasticity. This stretch creates clamping
force...the more the bolt stretches, the
greater the clamping force becomes...to a
point. When the stretch enters the bolt’s
yield point, the stretching (and therefore
its clamping force) stops, and begins to
diminish.
Similar to a rubber band, the bolt will
stretch to a point, retaining its elasticity,
and will be able to “spring” back when
tension is released. Once it’s stretched to
When installing a deck plate (for cylinder bore honing), it’s best to install a used
(crushed) head gasket. This more accurately simulates the final assembly, and
the gasket serves as a spacer to prevent any metal pull-out around the bolt or
stud holes from interfering with the precision mating of the deck plate to the
block deck.
Deck plate positioned onto a Honda race block prior to cylinder honing. This
block will use cylinder head studs during final assembly, so the same type
studs are used when securing the deck plate. Note that some deck plates are
made of cast iron, while others are made of aluminum. It’s best, where
possible, to use a deck plate that features the same type of material that is
used in the cylinder head.
When installing a deck plate, the
tightening sequence pattern must
replicate that of the intended cylinder
head installation. It’s important to
understand that cylinder bore geometry is
directly affected by the stresses that
result from installing the cylinder head(s).
BELOW: Clean honing coolant is
constantly supplied to cool the stones and
cylinder walls and to flush metal debris
during the honing process.
THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
As with cylinder heads, always follow the correct
tightening sequence when installing the engine
block’s main caps. Correct tightening value and an
even distribution of the clamping load can directly
affect main bore geometry. Improperly-tightened
main cap fasteners can result in main bore
distortion, which in turn will affect main bearing
clearances.
its yield point, it stops generating tension
and beyond that point, will break.
The same phenomenon takes place
whenever a bolt is tightened. Ideally, we
want to stretch the bolt to a point just
short of its yield. In that way, we take full
advantage of its clamping force, without
yielding the bolt. When loosened, it will
spring back to its original length, retaining its elastic property.
A torque-to-yield bolt is designed to
provide maximum clamping load on its
initial tightening, since we don’t expect to
return to the job by re-torqueing the bolts
in order to provide more crush for a nowcompressed head gasket. With a TTY
bolt, we arrive at full “long term” clamping load during the initial tightening
process. When the gasket does relax, the
TTY bolts continue to provide sufficient
clamping load to maintain adequate gasket seal.
TTY bolts are designed to be tightened within a small window of
tension...just short of i’s yield point. The
torque spec for a TTY is generally higher
than that of a standard head bolt (a non
TTY bolt), because we’re taking full
advantage of the TTY bolt’s designed
elastic range. If a TTY bolt was used in
an older engine, but using old, non-TTY
torque specs, the TTY bolt probably
won’t stretch enough to provide the
clamping force that it’s capable of. The
likely result: head gasket leaks because of
low clamping force. Likewise, if new TTY
specs (involving both torque and bolt
angle) are used on non-TTY bolts,
chances are good that you’ll stretch the
bolts beyond their elastic range, or break
the bolts, or damage the female threaded
holes in the block.
In short, TTY bolts are designed to
provide more stored energy. In simple
terms, they’re designed to stretch more,
providing a long-term clamping load
without the need to re-torque.
Most TTY cylinder head bolt specs
will involve both an initial torque (in ft.
lbs. or newton/meters), plus a specific
degree of bolt head rotation (this is called
torque plus angle tightening). Regardless
of how silly the extra step of angle tightening may seem to some people, there is a
legitimate reason for this approach.
Since the bolt engineers (these guys
understand bolt stretch a lot more than
most of us) already know how much
stretch, and therefore clamping load, will
occur based on how far the bolt head
rotates, they use the angle of bolt head
movement to determine exactly how
much load is being exerted.
A torque spec alone cannot be used to
exactly determine bolt stretch because of
the friction variables that come into play
during tightening. A certain amount of
torque loss is caused by the friction of the
bolt head underside to the cylinder head
contact surface, and by the friction of the
thread engagement. The type and amount
of oil/lubricant on the threads provides
yet another variable in terms of friction.
Depending on how smooth and burrfree the bolt head contact area is, and on
how smooth and uninterrupted the
threads are on both the bolt and the
female threaded hole, a torque reading
alone really can’t provide accurate and
consistent clamping load information.
The resistance caused by bolt head or
thread friction is read by a torque wrench
in the same way bolt stretch is read...it’s
all resistance to movement. If enough friction is created by these variables, a reading of 40 ft. lbs. on a torque wrench may
in reality only provide the equivalent of
maybe 20 ft. lbs. that actually works to
stretch the bolt. And if the bolt was
designed to stretch to its just-short-ofyield point at a true 40 ft. lbs., this inadequate bolt stretch will mean insufficient
clamping load on the gasket, which
means a probable gasket leak or failure
down the road.
So, although some of us may not like
to deal with TTY torque and angle specs,
we really don’t have a choice. That’s the
way it is.
SHOULD TTY BOLTS BE REUSED?
This is an issue that will stir debate. A
TTY bolt is designed to stretch to a point
immediately prior to its yield point. On
that basis, it is theoretically possible to
reuse them. Some car makers claim that
it’s OK to reuse TTY bolts a specific
number of times. However, that recommendation is based on the assumption
that each bolt has been properly tightened
in the past. Since you have no way of
knowing if a TTY bolt has been improperly tightened, perhaps past its yield, the
safest course of action is to always use
new TTY bolts in every single application. This recommendation is also made
by the leading gasket makers, including
Fel-Pro and Victor-Reinz. In fact, Fel-Pro
has released a number of tech bulletins on
this very subject, emphasizing the need to
replace TTY bolts in every case (refer to
Fel-Pro bulletins #4522-91, 4774-93,
4904S and 5052-96; as well as Perfect
Circle’s Machine Shop Service Bulletin
CH-7). Considering the cost of the bolts,
it’s a cheap insurance policy to protect a
costly engine rebuild.
TIGHTENING TORQUE-TO-YIELD BOLTS
When tightening a TTY bolt, you will
invariably have to meet both a torque
and angle published spec. For instance,
the bolt spec may dictate that the bolt is
torqued to 45 ft. lbs., then tightened further by degrees of bolt head rotation (let’s
THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
Whenever using a
torque wrench, support
the wrench head with
your hand in order to
prevent unwanted
angle misalignment.
This is especially
important when using
socket wrench
extensions.
say 45-degrees). Some bolt specs may ask
you to reach an initial torque, followed
by several steps of rotation (20-degrees,
followed by 20-degrees, followed by 10degrees, for example).
In order to apply a specified torque,
obviously you’ll need to use a torque
wrench (needle type or click type). In
order to tighten the bolt further by angle,
you’ll need an angle meter. These are
available as separate units that are
attached to the wrench. They feature
indexable needles and provide a means of
holding the meter base in position (so
that only half of the meter moves...either
the needle or the meter scale). This holddown may be in the form of a mechanical
stop built into the meter, or a remote
cable secured to a convenient location on
the cylinder head via a clamp or magnet.
Some of these are junk, and some are
very good (Lisle Corp. makes one that I
like very much). On the good side, they’re
very inexpensive, so you can afford to try
a few out in order to settle on one you
like.
ALL ABOUT TORQUE WRENCHES
A torque wrench measures the amount of
turning force applied to a threaded fastener (nut or bolt). Torque wrench scales
usually read in foot-pounds (ft-lb) or
inch-pounds (in-lb.) and Newton-meters
(Nm). When using the foot-pound scale,
one foot-pound equals one pound of pull
on one foot-long lever arm.
There are three basic types of torque
wrenches commonly used for automotive
use: the flex bar, the dial indicator and
the sound indicating types. The flex bar
type (also called the scale type or beam
type) features a stationary needle that
runs the length of the shaft handle. The
needle indicates applied torque against a
printed scale that’s located at the base of
the handle. This type of torque wrench
offers no pre-set limit, and there is no felt
or audible “release” when a specific
torque value is reached.
The dial indicator type features a dial
indicator readout for visual display. Both
the flex bar and dial indicator types provide visual displays of applied torque.
The sound indicating type will signal
applied torque by momentarily releasing
the wrench a few degrees when the preset
torque value is reached. The release is
usually accompanied by a “click” sound.
However, there are some release-type
torque wrenches that will release upon
reaching the preset torque, but may not
provide an audible click. The release/click
type wrench is adjusted by means of a
micrometer scale on the handle.
If the torque wrench releases momentarily and/or clicks, this is referred to as a
“signal” type. The “indicator” type refers
to the visual display units such as the flex
bar or dial indicator style.
Admittedly, this can be somewhat
confusing, since there are so many different types available (some use a flex bar
with no release, some use a dial indicator
with no release, some use a click signal,
some use a silent release, etc.). Some indicator models feature a memory pointer
that remains at the maximum reading,
until manually reset.
Torque wrenches are designed to permit an operator to determine applied
torque on a threaded fastener. They measure torque in ounce-inches, pound-inches,
and pound feet (in addition to metric
scales). Regarding foot-pound measure-
ments, some sources will use the term
pound-feet while others use the term footpounds. The two terms are interchangeable. Metric scale torque wrenches are
available in Newton meters (Nm), meter
kilograms (mKg) and centimeter kilograms (cmKg), with Nm the more common scale. Many torque wrenches provide dual scales for reading in either
English or metric formats.
Any adjustable torque wrench (the
commonly used micrometer-handled click
type for example) should be set at its lowest torque reading when not in use. This
is something that many technicians commonly forget. If left stored at a hightorque setting, the calibration may be
affected over a long term. When you’re
done with the wrench, readjust it to the
minimum setting before storing it in the
tool box.
Never abuse a torque wrench. It’s
designed as a precision instrument and
should NEVER be used as a pry bar or as
a disassembly/assembly tool. Handle all
of your “wrenching” duties with common
wrenches, and only use the torque wrench
as the final-adjuster to reach a specific
torque level. Don’t use it as your allaround wrench.
When using an adjustable torque
wrench, be careful not to over-tighten by
applying torque past the release point. At
very low settings, the “click” may not be
heard, especially in a noisy shop. It’s best
to become familiar with the “feel” of the
release, rather than relying on the sound
of a click.
When using an indicating type torque
wrench (such as a flex bar or dial indicator type), try to read the indicator while
viewing it at 90-degrees to its surface.
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THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
Reading the indicator at an angle will
provide errors due to line of sight.
Most torque wrenches operate accurately only when held by their handle
grips. Don’t use cheater bars to extend
your grip further away from the wrench
head, and don’t grab the handle closer to
the wrench head. Only grip the wrench
by its designated grip area.
Any busy shop should plan to have
their torque wrenches recalibrated once
each year at a minimum. Also, any time a
torque wrench has been dropped, it
should be rechecked for calibration. This
is a procedure that many shops ignore,
primarily because they’re not reminded of
the importance of this check. Torque
wrenches are delicate, precision pieces,
and they simply will not remain in perfect
tune without care and routine maintenance.
RECALIBRATING TORQUE WRENCHES
An important procedure that’s too often
overlooked
When was the last time you sent one of
your torque wrenches out for a recalibration service? If the response to this question is “What?” you need to read the following info.
Torque wrenches, by virtue of the
environment in which they operate, can
be subjected to a great deal of wear.
When used in an engine rebuilding shop
that lives and breathes precision torque
values, this wear level is at its zenith, even
in the best-intentioned hands.
Surprisingly, dropping a torque wrench
onto the shop floor may not cause as
much calibration damage as you might
think. With that said, we need to strongly
emphasize the need to treat any torque
wrench with great care. While it’s certainly not recommended to toss this precision
instrument around the shop like a soccer
ball, an occasional oops may not cause
severe calibration changes (we use the
term “may” because it’s always possible
for any hard impact to damage the tool).
If abused badly, such as using the torque
wrench as a hammer, etc., the wrench can
be internally damaged if the impact force
is severe enough. The bottom line: don’t
band the thing around. Treat it according
to what it is: a precision instrument that
deserves respect and care.
The most compelling reason to send
your torque wrenches out for recalibration include life cycle and over-torqueing.
If the torque wrench is used on a very
occasional basis by a hobbyist, say 5
times per year, the wrench probably may
require recalibration every ten years or
so. If however, the torque wrench is used
on a regular basis in a professional shop,
the operating cycles increase dramatically.
Think about it: if you torque 32 cylinder
head bolts, 10 main cap bolts, 16 connecting rod bolts and 16 intake manifold
bolts per engine, that’s a minimum of 74
cycles of use per engine. If you torque the
main caps twice (once for align honing
and once for assembly), torque the rod
caps twice (once for reconditioning and
once for assembly), that raises the number of torque wrench cycles to a minimum of 100 per engine. That number
will rise even higher if you deal with 4bolt main caps, and even higher if you
perform a complete pre-assembly in addition to final assembly. If you work on
two engines per week, that means that
your torque wrench experiences somewhere in the neighborhood of at least 800
cycles per month, which equals around
9,600 cycles per year. If you rebuild a
greater number of engines, and when you
add-in the other miscellaneous torqueing
applications (oil pump, water pump,
exhaust manifolds, repairing shop equipment, etc.), even a small shop can easily
run over 12,000 to 20,000 cycles per
year. The point is that the calibration of
the torque wrench has a finite lifespan.
The initial calibration setting won’t last
forever, and as the use of the torque
wrench increases, the life expectancy of
the original calibration decreases proportionately. While there are no strict guidelines that can be used across the board, a
routine of recalibration should be established for any working shop’s torque
wrenches.
If not used properly, calibration can
be affected, possibly resulting in overtorque (stretched cylinder head bolts or
stripped bolt holes in the block, etc.),
inadequate torque, or uneven torque.
Remember, when tightening a cylinder
head’s fasteners, uneven or excessive bolt
stretch can result in uneven or inadequate
clamping. This uneven clamping force can
lead to cylinder head warpage, coolant
leaks, combustion leaks and even cylinder
head cracking..
Torque wrench manufacturers commonly see damaged torque wrenches that
are returned for repair service, with broken handles. This is a clear indication
that these precision instruments are not
being handled with the care that they
require. If external damage (such as a
broken handle) is common, it’s safe to
assume that it’s also common for the
tools to be used inappropriately as well.
Granted, engine builders, as a rule, treat
their tools with a much higher level of
respect and care than would occur in a
tire shop or general service garage, but in
the heat of the day, accidents can happen
which can lead to tool abuse.
When using any style of torque
wrench, it is critical to stop as soon as the
desired torque value is achieved. In the
case of a “click” type torque wrench, you
must stop applying force the moment the
click is heard/felt. On average, the typical
user tends to stop too late, achieving
about a 10% increase in torque. On a
critical application such as engine assembly, this can create a real problem. For
example, if the specified value is 110 ftlbs, and the operator continually exceeds
the “stop” signal, the application could
experience 121 ft-lbs or more (and often
in an uneven format, when dealing with
multiple fasteners on the same component). It may not seem like much of a
problem at first, but uneven or excessive
torqueing can occur, even when a torque
wrench is used, if the tool is used improperly.
When you use a click-type micrometer
style torque wrench, you’re dealing with a
mechanism that features an internal
spring. This spring is pre-loaded via a
screw adjustment when the wrench is first
assembled and calibrated. When you feel
or hear the “click,” you’re working
against the spring and a cam mechanism.
When you apply a selected level of
torque, the cam over-centers a bit as the
wrench is pulled to the selected value.
The heart and soul of this type of torque
wrench is the spring mechanism, and the
amount of preload on the spring can
change over time. If the device is overtorqued past the selected setting, this
abuses the spring and will definitely cause
an out-of-calibration problem.
By the way, after using an adjustablesetting torque wrench, always back the
setting off to the low side, in order to
remove excessive pre-load from the internal spring. This will greatly extend the
life of the spring. Make a habit of backing the adjuster down to a low setting
before you store the tool in your box or
cabinet.
Every time you click a torque wrench,
that “click” represents one cycle of use.
All torque wrenches probably need to be
recalibrated or at least re-tested after
5,000 cycles (although some manufacturers recommend recalibration after as
many as 10,000 cycles). Granted, 5,000
cycles may seem like an extraordinary
amount, but as we mentioned earlier, that
THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
level of use can easily occur in less than
six month’s use in a machine shop. Most
torque wrench manufacturers recommend
that their products should be recalibrated
at least once each year under normal use.
However, torque wrench operation in a
busy engine rebuilding facility hardly
qualifies as “normal” use.
Even if the torque wrench is not externally damaged, wear can take its toll,
because of multiple moving internal components. It’s easy to understand how a
few thousandths of an inch of wear can
cause dramatic calibration changes.
Another aspect of torque wrench use
that can seriously affect calibration is biodirectional use…using a torque wrench in
a counterclockwise direction in addition
to clockwise rotation. When applying
left-hand force through a torque wrench,
you’re fighting a losing battle, because
everything is stressed internally to bias
the right hand side. Once you force the
torque wrench in the opposite direction,
you’re making it do something it wasn’t
intended to do. This left-hand application
of force must overcome the built-in righthand stress, moving it past neutral,
towards the left. Calibration on the left
hand side can be severely out of specification. The result is that you not only
potentially damage the right-hand calibration, but you also arrive at an unknown
torque value when applying left-hand
force. If you require left-hand operation,
this can be specified when ordering a
torque wrench (or when one is being
recalibrated). If calibrated for left-hand
pulls, the same wrench can also then be
used for right hand pulls. If your shop
performs left-hand torqueing on a fairly
routine basis, it’s best to dedicate that
torque wrench as your left-hand device,
and label it accordingly, although I don’t
see this as a common requirement for the
average engine shop.
By the way, if a ratchet type torque
wrench is damaged (if the ratcheting
mechanism breaks), it is a certainty that
the wrench is also out of calibration and
must be serviced accordingly. Never
attempt to repair any torque wrench on
your own. In all cases, the tool must be
sent to a specialty service shop (the
wrench manufacturer or an independent
repair facility that is approved by the
manufacturer).
Is recalibration required for all types
of torque wrenches? The answer is a
resounding “yes.” Regardless of the
design (beam type, micrometer-adjusting
click-release type or dial type), they all
feature moving components that can wear
out. A great misconception with regard to
torque wrenches relates to the ratcheting
feature of the click-type version. Some
users commonly believe that the tool is a
ratcheting wrench that also measures
torque value, As a result, some users tend
to use the torque wrench to install as well
as final-tighten a fastener. In reality, the
torque wrench should never be used to
install a fastener. The bolt or nut should
be installed to initial clamping force with
a conventional wrench (fixed wrench or
ratchet and socket), and final-tightened to
value using the torque wrench. Don’t be
fooled by the convenience of the ratcheting feature. Only use a torque wrench to
perform the final tightening. This will
help to save the internal mechanisms and
the calibration settings, which will extend
the life of the torque wrench.
you’re covered for whatever job enters
the shop. Examples include ¼-drive in a
range of 5-50 in lb, a ¼”-drive in 30-200
in lb; a 3/8”-drive in 10-100 ft-lb, 3/8”drive in 50-250 in lb, a 3/8”-drive in 1001000 in lb; a ½”-drive in 10-150 ft-lb
and a ½”-drive in 25-250 ft-lb. If you
also perform heavy-duty engine work, or
take in the occasional hub or axle job,
you may need a ¾”-drive wrench in 100600 ft lbs. The moral of the story: if you
only own one torque wrench that you try
to use for a wide variety of work, you
will not be able to achieve accurate
clamping loads for all jobs.
PICK THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB
All torque wrenches are not universally
adaptable to all jobs. It’s important to
choose a torque wrench that features
your torque value requirement in the middle of its range. For instance, if you need
to tighten a fastener to 100 ft-lbs, don’t
use a torque wrench model that has an
upper range limit of 100 ft-lbs. Instead,
use one that features a range of, say, 25 –
250 ft-lbs. If tightening a fastener to 50
ft-lbs, use a torque wrench that has an
upper limit of about 100 ft-lbs, etc.
Generally speaking, torque wrenches perform at their most accurate level when
the application is in the mid-range area of
the wrench’s calibration spectrum. As a
result, you may need more than one
range of torque wrench for your tool
inventory, depending on the type of work
that enters your shop. Obviously, you
need to achieve both ft-lbs and in-lbs
readings, which requires separate torque
wrenches. However, even when dealing in
the ft-lb format, multiple torque wrenches
should be used. For instance, when
torqueing connecting rod bolts (let’s use
45 ft-lbs as a sample average), you should
use a torque wrench that has a maximum
range of, say 100 ft-lbs in order to use
the “middle” of the range. When torqueing main cap bolts (let’s use 110 ft-lbs as
our sample), you should use a torque
wrench that features a 200 or 250 ft-lb
maximum range. To some technicians,
this may seem like a great deal of bother,
but if you use torque wrenches at all, the
whole point is to attain accurate a repeatable clamping values. If that’s your goal,
then go the extra mile and maintain several torque wrenches, each with a different low-to-high value range. In that way,
• Don’t use a ratcheting type or dial type
torque wrench to remove fasteners
(left-hand operation can damage calibration), unless the torque wrench has
been specifically designed for left-hand
operation.
THE DON’TS OF TORQUE WRENCH USE
• Don’t use a torque wrench as a generalservice wrench to tighten or loosen fasteners, or as a pry-bar.. Use it only for
achieving final torque values.
• Don’t immerse the torque wrench in
solvent. Function and calibration will
be affected if the internal lubricants are
washed away.
• Don’t apply a cheater bar to a torque
wrench. This can overstress the
wrench, and can lead to inaccurate
torque readings.
• Use of socket extensions are permitted,
as long as the extension is not positioned at an angle that is different from
the torque wrench drive. For example,
the use of a universal joint can cause
the socket to operate at an angle relative to the drive, which will affect the
accuracy of the value reading. Use of a
wobble-type extension or U-joint will
cause inaccurate values if the driveline
angle is altered (the line from the drive
head to the fastener).
• When tightening any fasteners, try to
hold the torque wrench “in-plane” as
much as possible. Don’t push the
wrench inward toward the workpiece
or pull outward away from the workpiece during final tightening. Any
inward/outward pressure will dramatically affect the resulting torque value.
• Never attempt to adjust a torque
wrench outside of its intended range.
For example, if the range maximum is
100 ft-lbs, do not try to adjust the
wrench higher and “guess” what the
final value would be. For example, a
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THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
“smidge” beyond the 100 ft-lb mark on
a 100-max torque wrench does not
mean that you’re achieving 105 or 110
ft-lbs. It only means that you’re off in
no-man’s land, playing one heck of a
guessing game.
USE OF ADAPTERS
As long as the adapter (socket extension,
etc.) is in-line with the torque wrench
drive, no compensation is required.
However, if an adapter is used that effectively lengthens the wrench is used (such
as a crow’s-foot wrench), a calculation
must be made in order to achieve the
desired torque value.
For those occasions when a straight
socket can’t be used, a special attachment
might be needed (such as a crow’s foot).
The use of an offset adapter changes the
calibration of the torque wrench, which
makes it necessary to calculate the correct
torque settings. Following is a method of
calculating this change:
E
Effective length of extension, measured along the centerline of the
torque wrench.
L
Lever length of the wrench (from
center of the wrench drive to the
center of the adapter’s grip area)
TW Torque setting on the torque
wrench
TE Torque applied by the extension to
the fastener
FORMULAS
TW = L divided by L+E, x DESIRED TE
(where the adapter makes the wrench
longer)
or, TW = L divided by L-E, x DESIRED
TE (where the adapter makes the wrench
shorter)
If you want to know where to set the
torque wrench when using an adapter
that alters the effective length of the
wrench, you must calculate to compensate for the adapter. If the distance from
the wrench drive to the center of the bolt
makes the wrench longer, the final
wrench setting must be adjusted to a
lower value in order to compensate. If the
distance from the wrench drive to the
bolt center makes the wrench shorter, the
wrench must be set to a higher value in
order to compensate.
Let’s say that you want to torque a
bolt to 140 ft-lbs, but you’re using a
crowsfoot adapter. Let’s say the length of
the torque wrench is 12” (from center of
the handle to center of the drive). Let’s
also say that the crowsfoot is aiming
away from the wrench drive, making the
distance from the center of the wrench
drive to the center of the bolt 1”. This
makes the wrench 1” longer. In this case,
you would divide the length of the torque
wrench (L…from the center of the handle
to the center of the drive) by L+E, then
multiply that ratio by the desired value.
In this example, the formula would be
as follows: 12 / 12+1 x 140 = 12 / 13 x
140 = .923 x 140 = 129
So in this case, where the crowsfoot
adapter has made the torque wrench 1”
longer, the wrench would be set at a value
of 129 ft-lbs, in order to actually achieve
a value of 140 ft-lbs.
If the crowsfoot is aimed towards the
handle (turned 180-degrees from the
prior example, and we still want to
achieve 140 ft-lbs of torque, we know
that the adapter has now made the
wrench shorter (because the center of the
bolt is now closer to the center of the
wrench handle)…
12 / 12-1 x 140 = 12 / 11 x 140 =
1.0909 x 140 = 152.7
So in this case, where we want to
achieve 140 ft-lbs, but the wrench has
been made 1” shorter, we adjust the
TORQUE WRENCH SUPPLIERS/
REPAIR FACILITIES
This is a sample listing, and
certainly does not include all
suppliers in the U.S.
■ Angle Repair Service Inc.
Beckley, WVA
304-253-5729
www.anglerepair.com
■ Central Tools Inc.
Cranston, RI
401-467-8211 • 800-866-5287
■ Gauge Repair Service
Torrance, CA
310-212-0912
■ K-D Tools
Lancaster, PA
717-898-6571 • 800-866-5753
■ Mac Tools
Columbus, OH
614-755-7117
■ Snap-On Inc.
Kenosha, WI
414-656-5530
wrench to a setting of 152.7 ft-lbs in
order to actually achieve the desired 140
ft-lbs of torque.
SUMMARY
If the adapter makes the wrench longer,
we must back-off on the adjustment setting.
If the adapter makes the wrench
shorter, we must raise the adjustment on
the setting.
RECALIBRATION COST
Not every recalibration service shop will
charge the same amount. However, in
order to gain a ballpark idea of this cost,
I contacted the folks at Angle Repair
Service (a premier torque wrench recalibration and testing facility in Beckley,
West Virginia that’s used by a number of
the leading wrench manufacturers). Their
typical recalibration fee is $25. Turnaround time is an astounding 24-48
hours, which means that for a paltry $25,
your torque wrench will be back in service in a heartbeat. Considering the cost
and time involved, there’s really no
excuse for ignoring this critical maintenance procedure. It’s a very good idea to
have your torque wrenches recalibrated
on a regular basis, depending on frequency of use and its level of abuse. Don’t
wait for the wrench to start exhibiting
problems. Rather, set up a routine of
shipping the wrench off for recalibration
on a regularly-scheduled basis.
TIGHTENING
CONNECTING ROD
BOLTS
MEASURING CONNECTING ROD BOLT
STRETCH
Published torque specifications aside, race
engine builders have long realized that the
correct approach to tightening connecting
rod bolts is to stress the bolts into their
“working” range of stress, but not
beyond. Since OEM connecting rod bolts
may vary in terms of their ideal torque by
as much as 10 ft-lbs from batch to batch
due to variations in heat treating and
materials, if the concern is to arrive at
both peak bolt strength as well as maintaining concentricity of the rod big-end,
the rod bolts should be measured for
stretch instead of simply tightening until
the torque wrench hits its mark.
In simple terms, in order to measure
bolt stretch, first measure the total rod
bolt length (from the head surface to the
High quality performance aftermarket connecting
rod bolts (like this one from ARP) feature a dimple
at each end to accommodate the use of a rod bolt
stretch gauge. Here you see the dimple on the bolt
head.
Connecting rod bolts are precision crafted to
provide the proper diameter, length and tensile
strength required for this specific application.
NEVER substitute a generic bolt for connecting
rod use!
Note the dimple at the connecting rod bolt tip. The
smoothly-chamfered surface allows precision fit of
a stretch gauge. All high-quality performance
aftermarket connecting rod bolts feature these
dimples, for those builders who prefer using the
stretch method during rod bolt tightening, as
opposed to using only torque measurement.
LEFT: Note how the stretch gauge dial indicator
plunger nestles into the rod bolt head dimple. The
stretch gauge must rest in the center of the
dimples in order to obtain accurate and repeatable
stretch readings.
tip of the shank) in the bolt’s relaxed
state. Then measure the bolt again after
the nut has been tightened to value.
The difference in length indicates the
amount of stretch the bolt experiences in
its installed state. For the majority of production rod bolts, stretch will likely be in
the 0.005” to 0.006” range. If the stretch
is less, the bolt is probably experiencing
too much friction that is preventing the
proper stretch (requiring lubricant on the
threads). If stretch is excessive, the bolt
may have been pulled beyond its yield
point and is no longer serviceable.
While an outside micrometer may be
used to measure the rod bolt length, the
most accurate method is to use a specialty
fixture that is outfitted with a dial indicator. Excellent examples of this gauge
include units from Gear Head Tools, ARP
and Goodson Shop Supplies. Gear Head’s
bolt stretch gauge features a heat-treated
aluminum frame (with a very handy
thumbhole) with a specially modified dial
indicator with sufficient spring tension to
hold the gauge firmly to the ends of the
rod bolt. The indicator can be rotated for
right or left hand operation, and the
lower anvil is adjustable to accommodate
various bolt lengths. Goodson Shop
Supplies also offers a rod bolt stretch
gauge, P/N RBG-4, featuring spherical
points for consistent and repeatable readings, and can also be rotated for right or
left hand operation. Also, ARP offers its
own bolt stretch gauge, P/N 100-9941,
designed with 0.0005” increments, with a
heavy spring and ball tips.
There is a debate among some engine
builders regarding the validity of measuring rod bolt stretch, due to potential compression of the rod material as the rod
cap is clamped to the rod. While this can
occur, the use of a stretch gauge remains
the BEST practical method of accurately
determining bolt load.
Connecting rod bolts can be viewed as
high-tensile springs. The bolt must be
stretched short of its yield point in order
for accurate, and most importantly,
repeatable, clamping of the rod cap to the
rod. Improper or unequal bolt clamping
force can easily result in a non-round rod
bore.
Stock, or production, rod bolts typically offer a tensile strength of approximately 150,000 – 160,000 psi. However,
due to variances in bolt production, tolerances can be quite extreme, with peak
bolt stretch occurring anywhere from, say
0.003” to 0.006”. If the installer uses
only torque in the attempt to achieve bolt
stretch, he runs the risk of unequal rod
bolt clamping loads, due to the potential
inconsistencies between bolts.
High performance rod bolts are manufactured to much tighter tensile strength
tolerances. ARP, for instance, calculates
each and every rod bolt for stretch, and
the bolt packages include reference data
to that effect. The instructions actually
recommend that a specific amount of bolt
stretch should be achieved on each bolt
(ARP cites 190,000 psi as their nominal,
or base tensile rating, with actual ratings
much higher in some applications).
How can unequal/inadequate rod bolt
tightness affect the connecting rod big
end bore shape? Let’s cite an example: If
one technician reconditions the connecting rods using torque value alone to tighten the rod bolts, and another technician
who is responsible for final assembly uses
the bolt stretch method, the final result
can be out-of-round bores. This is
because of frictional variances that will be
encountered. As a result, the assembler
using the stretch method may achieve a
THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
higher clamping load on one or more
bolts as compared to the loads imposed
when the rod reconditioner torqued the
nuts without regard to actual bolt stretch.
When a bolt is tightened with dry
threads, as much as 80% of the torque
can be exerted because of friction as
opposed to bolt stretch.
In a high-volume production rebuilding facility, technicians may not have the
time to measure for bolt stretch.
However, a slower-paced operation that is
attempting to obtain maximum accuracy
(for a race engine, as an example), is far
better off using the stretch method
instead of relying only on the torque
method.
A set of connecting rod bolts’ instructions may list both a torque value and a
stretch range, effectively giving you a
choice of methods. Yes, tightening only to
a specified torque value is quicker, and
measuring bolt stretch requires more
time, but the best results will be achieved
by measuring bolt stretch. So, unless
you’re in a rush, take the time to measure
stretch, tightening each rod bolt to the
recommended stretch range. It’s all about
the quest for precision.
FRICTION FACTOR
If a bolt is tightened using straight
torque, you may not necessarily achieve
the desired pre-load due to the variable of
friction. Since we can’t predict the frictional loss, measuring rod bolt stretch
provides the most accurate method of
ensuring that the clamping loads will be
both sufficient for the task and that each
pair of rod bolts will achieve EQUAL:
loads.
Bolt stretch is generated by a number
of factors, including tensile strength and
mass (the length of the bolt being
stretched). The effective diameter of the
bolt contributes to this. For example, let’s
consider two 3/8” x 1” bolts. One features a 1”-long shank, with threads on
the full 1” of the shank length. The other
bolt features ¾” of shank length that is
full-diameter and smooth, and only ¼” of
thread length at the tip. The bolt with
partial thread will stretch less, because
the shank area between the head and nut
engagement area has a thicker cross-section. The partial-thread bolt will have a
.375” diameter shank, while the allthread bolt will have only a .324” shank
(due to the smaller root diameter inside
the thread path).
ARP, to cite one example, calculates
the stretch number for every bolt. On the
spec sheet that is included with every bolt
set, this stretch goal is listed, in addition
to a torque value, but the torque value
should be used as a guide only. ARP does
not want the installer to use a torque
value as the final indication of bolt
stretch, Rather, the bolts should be individually measured for stretch, to assure
that each bolt is installed at its optimum
strength.
While we cannot control the reaction
of the connecting rod base material, at
least consider the potential compression
of the connecting rod material itself during bolt clamping. As the bolt is tightened, the head of the bolt will tend to
embed itself into the rod, slightly compressing the stock material of the connecting rod under the bolt head.
Production rods are typically softer,
allowing the head of the rod bolt to sink
into rod, until the material under the bolt
heads “work hardens” under compression. ARP recommends that the bolt
stretch is based on the bolt itself, and not
on the compression of the rod, since we
can’t accurately predict what the rod does
in this state. Since too many variables
exist in terms of rod bolts and connecting
rods, we can’t draw any generalized conclusions regarding ideal connecting rod
bolt stretch. However, to use the Chevy
small block 350 as but one isolated
example, ARP typically looks for an
installed bolt stretch of .0063”. Since
each engine/rod/bolt application differs,
we cannot assume that ideal bolt stretch
would be the same for any given application.
SPECIAL TORQUE/ANGLE WRENCHES
Thanks to advancements in technology,
torque wrenches are now available that
allow you to achieve both torque value
and applied rotation angle without the
need for a separate angle gauge.
One example is Snap-On’s
Techangle series of wrenches. Featuring
sensor electronics and digital control and
readout, you can preset (program) the
torque value you want; or both torque
value and final applied angle, depending
on your needs. The electronic control
allows you to also choose between in-lb,
ft-lb or Nm, plus angle.
An internal gyroscope provides the
desired angle sensing.
Here’s how it works: you program the
desired torque value, and tighten the fastener. When you reach the programmed
torque value, the wrench beeps and
vibrates.
Then, if you need additional angle
rotation, you program the desired angle.
When you continue to apply pressure
and reach the programmed angle, the
wrench again beeps and vibrates.
The Preset angle range is 5 to 360
degrees, with a resolution of 1 degree and
accuracy of +/- 1 degree. Unlike the use of
a separate angle gauge, where you can’t
ratchet (with an angle gauge you must
start and continue the angle rotation in a
steady one-direction sweep), this tool
allows you to ratchet without “losing”
the angle memory. Pretty cool.
Two models re currently available,
including ATECH2FR100, with a torque
range of 5 to 100 ft-lb; and
ATECH3FR250, with a torque range of
12.5 to 250 ft-lb.
STUDS vs. BOLTS
ADVANTAGES OF USING ENGINE STUDS
AND STUD INSTALLATION
Understanding the advantages of using
studs vs. bolts, and tips on achieving
proper clamping loads.
In far too many cases, the engine
builder’s attention focuses on selection of
the proper components for a specific race
engine build, determining proper clearances, intake and exhaust volume and
flow, surface finishes and precision assembly. Threaded fasteners, the vital link that
secures everything together, are often
taken for granted. Here, we’ll discuss a
variety of issues and concerns directly
relating to the most important components of any engine….studs and bolts and
their handling.
MAIN STUDS
For a performance application, studs
should be used whenever possible instead
of main cap bolts, in those instances
where a choice is available. Studs provide
the ability to obtain much more accurate
torque values because the studs don’t
twist during tightening as do bolts.
Because the studs remain stationary during nut tightening, the studs stretch in
one axis alone, providing much more
even and accurate clamping forces. Also,
because the use of studs results in less
force applied to the block’s threads, this
extends the life of the threaded holes in
the block. This is especially important
when dealing with alloy blocks. The use
of studs also eases main cap installation,
and contributes to main cap alignment.
There is less chance of main cap walking
because the studs remain stationary during cap clamping.
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THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
MAIN CAP STUD INSTALLATION TIPS
Before installation begins, clean the
block, the caps and the studs thoroughly.
Any debris on the threads can easily
affect thread engagement quality and can
cause incorrect torque wrench readings.
In order to ensure that the block’s female
threaded holes are clean and uniform,
they should be chased. Never use a cutting tap to perform this task, as this will
cut, shave and remove thread material,
which can reduce thread strength.
Instead, use only dedicated thread chasing
taps, which will restore threads by “forming” instead of cutting. Also make sure
that your torque wrench is properly calibrated. All torque wrenches should be
checked for calibration at least once each
year (more frequently for heavy use).
Even new torque wrenches should be
checked, as it’s not uncommon for even
some new wrenches to be out of calibration by as much as 10 ft-lbs.
Use consistent tightening techniques.
In other words, don’t turn quickly on
some nuts and slowly on others. The best
method is to slowly “creep” towards the
pre-set value. Quick-banging to reach the
“click” on a ratcheting click-type torque
wrench can result in uneven and inaccurate values.
In the majority of cases, screw the
studs into the block FINGER-TIGHT
ONLY. Do not double-nut the stud and
tighten severely. Remember…the torque
value given for the installation refers to
the tightening of the nut only, not the
stud itself! If you desire a “permanent”
installation, apply a small amount of
anaerobic compound to the “coarse”
threads that engage in the block. Loctite
242 or a similar grade is acceptable. If
you use Loctite 271 or similar highstrength compound, the studs will be
extremely difficult to remove at a later
date without the application of high heat.
If a locking compound is used, be sure to
immediately install the main cap before
the compound sets, to avoid any possible
misalignment of the studs in relation to
the cap. This means installing the cap
and tightening the nuts to specs, before
the thread compound hardens. This
allows the necessary preload to be placed
on the stud-to-block thread engagement
before the compound hardens. Use of a
locking chemical really isn’t necessary,
unless you want to ensure stud position
during repeated and hurried main cap
changes (such as quick changes between
heats in a drag race application, etc.).
Also, if the block will be subjected to
extreme vibration (such as in a Funny
Car or Top Fuel motor), the use of a
locking compound may be a good idea
for insurance purposes. In most cases
though, it probably isn’t necessary.
When installing the studs, simply
make sure that full thread engagement
has been achieved. In other words, make
sure the studs “bottom-out” in their
holes. Again, tighten finger-tight only.
Once the studs are installed, install the
main caps and check for stud-to-cap
alignment (check for binding…the caps
should slip over the studs smoothly).
Lubricate the exposed (fine) threads of
the studs, and be sure to also lube the
washers and nuts. Note: torque specifications WILL vary, depending on the lubricant used. Moly lube offers a more consistent torque reading than various oils. If
Moly is used, be sure to follow the torque
specs for Moly. If oil is used, follow the
specs for oil. They WILL be different!
With caps in place, the nuts should be
tightened to the specified torque value
three times. As noted earlier, if an anaerobic compound is applied to the stud-toblock threads, the nuts must be torqued
before the compound sets.
To achieve best overall (and optimal
long-term) results, the block should be
align-honed after stud and main cap
installation.
CYLINDER HEAD STUDS
Again, as in the case of main studs, the
use of studs is always preferred as
opposed to bolts. However, this may vary
depending on application. On a street
engine application, or in a situation
where the heads would be difficult or
impossible to remove with the engine in
place, studs may not be the best choice
from a cylinder head service standpoint.
For example, if a master cylinder or other
component prevents a cylinder head from
being removed or installed with the
engine mounted in the vehicle, bolts may
be a better choice simply in terms of practicality. However, if the situation allows,
the use of studs will usually provide a
superior assembly.
The use of head studs will aid in cylinder head installation, simply from a
standpoint of gasket and head alignment.
This is especially helpful in a race engine
application where frequent head removal
will occur (between rounds in drag race
applications, for potential engine service
in an endurance race engine, etc.).
In terms of function, the use of studs
provide much more accurate and consistent torque loading. When a bolt is
installed, the act of tightening results in
both twisting (torsional load) and stretching (vertical, or axial load). This results in
the bolt being exposed to two forces at
the same time, as well as experiencing
frictional loads at the thread engagement.
When a stud is installed (finger tight in
the block), the stud stretches on its vertical axis only. The exposed end (top) of
the stud features “fine” threads, which
allow more precise and therefore accurate, torque readings when the nut is
torqued to spec.
Another advantage of using studs is
potentially increased working clearance at
the nut. For instance, a smaller-head 12point nut may be used, which could provide additional needed clearance at the
top of the cylinder head (as opposed to
conventional hex heads found on bolts,
which may (in some cases) provide a tight
fit for the outer diameter of a socket (if
close to a boss, etc.).
HEAD STUD INSTALLATION TIPS
Make sure the threads in the block and
on the studs are clean to provide accurate
torque readings.
Since many applications feature cylinder threaded holes that are open to water
jackets, it’s advisable to coat the “coarse”
end of the studs with a quality thread
sealer. If you are certain that the holes are
not open to water, you may skip this step,
but if in doubt, apply the sealer. It can’t
hurt. As with main cap studs, if you prefer that the studs are installed more permanently, you may apply an anaerobic
compound to the threads. In either case,
whenever a sealant or locking compound
is applied, the cylinder head must be
installed immediately following stud
installation so that the nuts can be
torqued to value before the compound
sets (the studs must be preloaded to allow
set-up to occur in the proper tensioned
state, to assure stud alignment). Install
the studs into the block finger-tight only.
DO NOT double-nut the studs and tighten severely. As long as full thread engagement occurs (the “coarse” end of the stud
is screwed into the hole fully), clamping
load will be achieved by tightening the
nut. If the studs are too tight in the block,
they may splay and cause a misalignment
with regard to the head gasket and the
head.
Prior to installing the nuts, lubricate
the exposed “fine” threads on the studs,
the washers and the nuts and torque the
nuts in the proper sequence and at the
values specified. Remember: torque value
may vary depending on the lubricant used
(oil or Moly lube), so always pay close
Always check the edges of main fastener holes for raised edges that would
prevent proper main cap flush mating. While the use of main cap bolts might
draw the upper threads up, creating a raised edge, studs are not installed at the
high torque values that bolts would experience, so creating raised edges
around the holes is eliminated by using studs.
Some cylinder head studs, like this ARP stud, feature a female hex drive. This
drive socket is provided to aid in stud installation. Don’t get carried away and
tighten the willies out of the stud. Finger-tight is usually recommended. The
stud simply needs to obtain full thread engagement. The clamping load will be
achieved as the nut is tightened.
Cylinder head studs were
selected for the build of this
Ford 427 FE engine. For thinwall
blocks where cylinder bore
distortion is a concern, studs
make sense because of the
more-precise uniformity of
clamping they provide.
Here we see stainless bullet-tipped studs being used to secure a carburetor.
The studs provide easy drop-on alignment for both the base gasket and the
carb, and the bullet tip provides hassle-free starting of the nut.
Here a set of ARP stainless steel studs, washers and nuts are used to secure
the exhaust header. The stud layout allows you to position the gasket and the
header, eliminating the need to hold the parts in place while trying to start the
bolts. Plus, this stud setup looks way cool.
THREADED FASTENERS
BY MIKE MAVRIGIAN
To apply thread locking material, shake the thread
locker container well before applying. Apply to the
threads. Avoid applying a bunch to the very tip, to
avoid creating a hydraulic lock in a blind hole
application.
If the application calls for moly lube, apply a dab
around the circumference of the threads. A little
goes a long way, so there’s no need to pile it on.
Here we apply ARP moly to a head bolt’s threads.
Here we apply moly lube to the underside of a
cylinder head bolt. I can’t stress this enough.
Don’t limit your lube to the threads only. By also
lubricating the underside of the bolt head, you’re
reducing friction at all of the bolt’s contact areas,
enabling you to obtain a much more precise and
even torque value during bolt tightening.
attention to the torqueing instructions
supplied by the stud manufacturer. The
nuts should be torqued three times.
There are some exceptions. Some
cylinder head studs are designed to be
installed with a slight preload to create
superior stability. As a case in point, I
recently built a couple of Honda-type
engines, using special head studs that
required a 10 ft-lb installed preload. The
stud tips featured female hex holes,
allowing the use of a hex bit on a ¼”drive torque wrench.
Always read the stud maker’s installation instructions, and follow them to the
letter. Even if a specific type of head stud
is designed to be installed with a slight
preload, NEVER double-nut and severely
tighten any stud, regardless of its design.
In most cases, studs should be installed
finger-tight, but as already noted, some
specialty studs require a slight preload.
Read the instructions!
Studs, as opposed to bolts, also offer
component installation advantages. Studs
act as guide pins when aligning items
such as gaskets, engine covers, etc. Studs
are available (ARP for example) with
“bullet” noses, where a slightly diminished diameter bare tip is featured. This
greatly eases nut installation, allowing the
nut to be dropped into position before
thread engagement begins. Good examples of this include carburetor studs, distributor studs, exhaust header studs and
oil pan studs. Instead of trying to hold a
gasket or part in place while fumbling
with bolts, trying to align the bolts to
their holes, the gasket or part can be
dropped over the studs (so alignment
poses no further problems). With the part
aligned in place, the washers and nuts can
be installed without concern for the part
being shifted out of alignment.
washer, to reduce friction between the
bolt under-head and washer and between
the bolt shank and washer. This will further aid in achieving a more accurate
torque setting. In other words, don’t limit
your lubrication to the threads only.
Consider all areas of contact/friction.
As anyone who has used anti-seize
compounds, this stuff can be very messy.
It tends to migrate everywhere. Once it
touches your fingers, it seems to show up
everywhere in the shop, and it’s nearly
impossible to clean it from clothing. My
advice is to wear latex gloves whenever
handling the container and when using
the stuff. Then, after you’ve stored the
container, toss the gloves into the trash.
Some fastener manufacturers, like
ARP for example, provide (or recommend) their own moly paste. In that case,
use that specific product. ARP, for example, has their own formulation that they
feel works best for specific head, main or
rod bolt applications. Hey, maybe it’s the
same as another brand of lube, and
maybe not. But when you’re building a
mega-horsepower monster and investing
your kid’s college fund in the engine, why
take chances? If a fastener maker recommends a specific thread lube for their
stuff, always follow their advice.
THREAD LUBRICATION
Many engine fasteners require lubrication
prior to use in order to achieve proper
clamping torque, and to prevent seizing
due to corrosion or galling. Lubrication
of the threads (with the appropriate material for the task at hand) insures that
torque readings will be accurate. Dry
threads may tend to gall (metal of the
hole transferring to the metal of the bolt),
creating unnecessary friction, which leads
to an artificially high torque reading.
For example, if the bolt threads experience undue friction, a torque wrench
reading of 50 ft. lbs. may actually result
in a torque setting of only 30 ft. lbs. In
such a case, while the assembler thinks
the torque is correct, the clamping force
may be inadequate. And as we all know,
improper and insufficient clamping force
is often the culprit when a gasket fails to
seal under stress.
While some bolts may require a seal
to prevent pressurized liquids from escaping (where a bolt passes into a water
jacket for instance), and others may
require a thread locking material, virtually any thread coating that is chosen will
help in achieving a more accurate torque
reading.
Especially for critical bolts (cylinder
head, main cap, connecting rod), remember to apply a small smear of lubricant to
the underside of a bolt head or nut as
well, to reduce friction between the bolt
head (or nut) and the parent material
during tightening and torqueing. Also, if
hardened washers are used, be sure to
coat the washer faces and the I.D. of the
THREAD SEALANTS
A number of situations require the sealing
of threads to prevent passage of fluids or
pressure (fuel, oil, coolant, vacuum). A
cylinder head bolt may pass into a water
jacket or through an open head deck
(exposing the threads to coolant or pressurized oil) or a pipe plug may be used to
seal the crankcase or an oiling gallery, or
a threaded fitting may enter a vacuum
port area in an intake manifold. In any
case, the threads must be sealant-coated in
order to prevent leakage.
A number of sealing approaches are
available. Some, like Teflon sealant, are
ready to use immediately and cure over a
24-hour period. Some are anaerobic and
will cure only when the bolt is installed.
Others are solvent-dried, and must be
allowed to breathe (allowing the solvents
to evaporate) before assembly.
A choice of thread sealant can be a
matter of personal preference, as a number
of options exist.
Teflon thread sealant has been a longtime favorite used in sealing threaded fittings on fluid, hydraulic and pneumatic
connections. Teflon paste lubricates threads
and provides an immediate seal for threaded fittings on an engine such as sensors,
plugs and plumbing connections for oil,
fuel, vacuum, coolant or oil locations.
Teflon paste also provides about a 24-hour
window of opportunity for final adjustments. Citing Loctite’s PST Teflon sealant
as an example, the operating range is -65
degrees F to +400 degrees F.
Loctite’s 565, citing another example, is
an anaerobic high-temperature thread
sealant, designed to seal threaded connections at fluid, pressure and vacuum areas.
It’s import-specified, and approved as a
Vibra-seal replacement. It carries a temperature rating of 375 degrees F, and withstands 10,000 psi. Applications include
head bolt through-holes, vacuum valves, oil
and coolant fittings, intake manifold
switches, etc.
Hylomar, as we mentioned earlier, provides an excellent cylinder head bolt seal,
and is also great for any threaded connection that needs extra fluid or pressure sealing capabilities.
Fel-Pro’s Gray Bolt Prep provides a
thread seal, while also offering thread
lubrication during assembly.■
Mike Mavrigian has written thousands of technical
articles over the past 30 years for a variety of automotive
publications. In addition, Mike has written many books
for HP Books. Contact him at Birchwood Automotive
Group, Creston, OH. Call (330) 435-6347
or e-mail: [email protected].
Website: www.birchwoodautomotive.com.
AUTOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE
FASTENER SOURCES
A&A MFG.
(wide array of brackets,
tabs and gussets for
fabricating mounts)
19033 174th Ave.
Spring Lake, MI 49456
616-846-1730
www.aa-mfg.com
AEBS
8270 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92126
858-693-3200
www.aebsracing.com
A1 TECHNOLOGIES
7022 Alondra Blvd.
Paramount, CA 90723
562-408-1808
www.a1technologies.com
ABBOTEC INC.
101 Canyon Ct.
Weatherford, TX 76087
817-441-1570
ARP, INC.
1863 Eastman Ave.
Ventura, CA 93003
800-826-3045
www.arp-bolts.com
BOLT DEPOT.COM
866-337-9888
www.boltdepot.com
CRANE CAMS
530 Fentress Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
386-252-1151
www.cranecams.com
CROWER CAMS &
EQUIPMENT
6180 Business Center Ct.
San Diego, CA 92154-5604
619-661-6477
www.crower.com
MOROSO PERFORMANCE
PRODUCTS
80 Carter Dr.
Guilford, CT 06437
203-453-6571
www.moroso.com
DORMAN PRODUCTS
R&B COLMAR
3400 E. Walnut St.
Colmar, PA 18915
MR. GASKET
PERFORMANCE GROUP
10601 Memphis Ave. Ut 12
Cleveland, OH 44144
216-688-8300
EMHART TEKNOLOGIES
Automotive Division
P.O. Box 868
Mt. Clemens, MI 48046
586-949-0440
MS PERFORMANCE
13928 Balboa Blvd.
Sylmar, CA 91342
818-833-9095
www.msaerospace.com
FASTENER SPECIALTIES
1005 Callowhill Rd.
Perkasie, PA 18944
215-822-7201
PIONEER INC.
5184 Pioneer Rd.
Meridian, MS 39301
601-483-5211
THE FLIGHT SHOP
P.O. Box 602
Brigham City, UT 84302
435-723-3469
www.theflightshop.com
PROTEX FASTENERS LTD.
Arrow Rd.
Redditch Worcs B98 8PA,
United Kingdom
+44 1527 63231
www.protex.com
CARRILLO INDUSTRIES
990 Calle Amanecer
San Clemente, CA 92673
949-498-1800
www.carrilloind.com
MANLEY PERFORMANCE
PRODUCTS
1960 Swarthmore Ave.
Lakewood, NJ 08701
800-526-1362
www.manley
performance.com
CHROME HARDWARE
SUPPLY
3838 E. Grove St.
Phoenix, AR 85040
888-629-2476
www.chromehardware
supply.com
MARYLAND METRICS
P.O. Box 261
Owings Mills, MD 21215
800-638-1830
www.mdmetric.com
COMPETITION CAMS
3406 Democrat Rd.
Memphis, TN 38118
800-999-0853
www.compcams.com
MILODON INC.
2250 Agate Ct.
Simi Valley, CA 93065
805-577-5950
SPECIALTY FASTENERS
1537 W. McKinley St. Ste 18
Azusa, CA 91702-3265
626-969-6789
SPS TECHNOLOGIES
301 Highland Ave.
Jenkintown, PA 19046
215-572-3308
McMASTER-CARR
SUPPLY CO.
200 Aurora Rd.
Aurora, OH 44202
330-995-9555
www.mcmaster.com
Piston Seizure in
Diesel Engines
BY STEVE SCOTT
If you’ve been around diesel engines very long, you’ve most likely
heard of someone that has experienced a piston seizure. Normally,
a piston seizure is not caused by a poor design, or that the engines
are plagued with this problem, it’s just that most diesel engines are
operating under heavy commercial loads that place a high demand
on cylinder components. Diesel engines are commonly designed as
a power source for most industries, and to perform properly the
cylinder components and operating conditions must be correct. If
not, there’s a fair chance you could have firsthand experience of a
piston seizure.
rush to get the engine back up and running, so developing a
process to systematically inspect, organize, record, and preserve all
components associated with the failure, and then setting aside the
time for a thorough examination, are vital steps to failure
analysis.
The most common reasons for misdiagnosing an engine
failure:
• Not clearly understanding the complaint or problem
• Preconceived opinions
• Evidence being discarded or destroyed
• Not gathering and organizing the facts
• Not recording and observing the facts
• Not taking time to logically go through the evidence
Examining the evidence on a seized piston may indicate
whether the seizure originated at the crown, or at the skirt of the
piston. In the photo below, you can see where the crown is
beginning to scuff. The damage is primarily around the top of the
piston and progresses downward. This could be the result of over
fueling, a timing problem, an air restriction, or inadequate crown
cooling.
Let’s start by looking at the four basic designs of pistons used
in diesel engines. The aluminum piston has been around for
decades. With this design, a steel insert is cast into the piston to
support the piston rings, and the bond between the steel insert
and the aluminum piston body is critical in this design. More
recent aluminum piston designs have an oil gallery cast into the
crown. Engine oil is sprayed into the gallery to help cool the
piston crown. The articulated design uses a steel piston crown and
an aluminum skirt, with a piston pin holding the two pieces
together. Next, is the one piece steel piston that has gained in
popularity over the past decade. And lastly, a steel piston
produced by friction welding the crown and skirt together.
Differences in material and design can cause these designs to
react differently during a piston seizure condition. Aluminum
pistons are more susceptible to thermal expansion, and require
additional clearance in the cylinder. Steel piston designs do not
expand as much, and are designed to have minimal piston to
cylinder clearances. In any case, either with an aluminum or a
steel piston, seizure can result in a catastrophic engine failure.
Excessive temperature (heat) is the number one reason for
piston seizure. However, identifying and correcting the source of
the heat is critical to successfully repairing the engine. If the cause
is not corrected, there’s a strong probability that the engine will
fail again. All too often critical information is thrown out in a
The burn pattern on the top of the piston can also give you an
indication of various problems affecting the combustion. The
photo on the top of the opposite page shows the injection spray
pattern high in the piston bowl. Common causes for this
occurrence might be advanced injection timing causing
detonation, or lugging could also contribute. This condition can
result in fuel wash and scuffed rings. The photo below it shows
Injection
spray
pattern
high in the
piston
bowl.
Advanced
stages of
crown
erosion.
An
example of
skirt overheating.
advanced stages of crown erosion. As the crown overheats, it
softens, and the injection pressures actually erode the edge of
the crown.
As mentioned earlier, the aluminum piston designs are
more susceptible to thermal expansion. The third photo on
the left is an example of skirt overheating; however, it can be
difficult to determine the root cause. An aluminum piston is
thickest at the corners of the pin bosses, and as the piston
grows or expands, the clearances to the liner are reduced or
eliminated and the piston begins to scuff at what is called the
¼ points of the pin boss. High coolant temperatures, lack of
heat transfer, and lack of crown cooling can all contribute to
this type of failure.
Center point scuffing on the skirt (as shown in the
bottom photo on the left) can indicate that the engine has
been operating at high RPM or high load too quickly after
start up. Depending on how severe and often repeated, this
type of skirt damage can continue to expand around the
entire skirt and seize the piston.
Most heavy duty pistons at room temperature are not
round, they are elliptical (oval), and due to thermal
expansion they change dimensionally as they reach operating
temperatures. Allowing the engine to warm up gives the
piston time to reach the correct operating profile.
Center
point
scuffing on
the skirt.
PISTON SEIZURE IN DIESEL ENGINES
BY STEVE SCOTT
Gold color indicates that there has been a good oil supply and
moderate (not too high) crown temperatures.
This photo indicates high crown temperatures.
Inspecting the bottom of the piston crown can give you insight
into how the piston crown was being cooled. In most engines, a
piston cooling jet sprays engine oil on the underside of the piston
crown. This absorbs heat from the piston crown and cools the
piston skirt. The gold color in the photo on the left indicates
there’s been a good oil supply and moderate (not too high) crown
temperatures. The photo on the right indicates high crown
temperatures. Coked, burnt, or crusty oil on the underside of the
piston confirms there was oil flow while the piston crown was
operating at very high temperatures. Lack of discoloration under
the crown can indicate that no cooling oil was reaching the
crown. These are examples of traditional aluminum piston crown
operating temperatures. Later model applications use pistons
designed for higher operating temperatures such as gallery-cooled
pistons, two piece articulated pistons, and one piece steel pistons,
so the method for cooling the crowns can differ.
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BY STEVE SCOTT
Checking maintenance records, and if the engine is equipped
with an ECM (electronic control module) checking it for critical
event codes, are also good sources of information. Sometimes,
common causes of seizure can be identified by looking into the
engine’s history. If the engine has been operating successfully for
an extended amount of time, you may be able to eliminate some
of the possible causes. Obviously a failure could be from a
defective part; however a fitment problem between the piston and
cylinder would most likely be evident shortly after assembly.
Likewise, something as simple as rolling a cylinder liner o-ring
during installation can distort the cylinder liner, reducing
clearances and resulting in a hot spot that can lead to piston
seizure.
Not all diesel engines have replaceable cylinder liners. In some
engines, the cylinder bore is repaired using a machine sleeve, or by
boring the cylinder oversized. Cylinder distortion in these types of
engines can be a little more challenging to identify since properly
machining or measuring the cylinder bores may require attaching
a stress plate to simulate the same force or stress as would the
cylinder head. Once the stress plate is tightened in place, the
cylinder bores in the block are brought into the dimensional form
or shape they will be operating in after the engine is assembled.
If a block that distorts in its free state is honed round without
a stress plate, the cylinders will not stay round when the engine is
reassembled. These photos show polishing on the high spots of a
cylinder. While the piston rings can conform to some amount of
These photos show
polishing on the high
spots of a cylinder. While
the piston rings can
conform to some amount
of distortion in the
cylinder wall, they cannot
conform to larger
amounts of variations as
shown here. Cylinder
bore distortion can result
in oil consumption,
compression loss and if
great enough, piston
seizure.
BY STEVE SCOTT
distortion in the cylinder wall, they cannot conform to larger
amounts of variations as shown here. Cylinder bore distortion can
result in oil consumption, compression loss and if great enough,
piston seizure.
Another component that has contributed to more than its
share of piston seizures is the piston cooling jet (or tube) found in
some diesel engines. There are several different designs of these
tubes, some have a single spray tube, others have twin tubes, some
are made from metal, and others are plastic. These tubes spray
engine oil up to the bottom of the pistons to cool the piston
crowns. Depending on the application, some are adjustable while
others are not. But the one thing they have in common is if they
get damaged, plugged, or misaligned, then they can cause piston
seizure. If the cooler tube is broken, you may find a small polished
or impact area on the tube or piston skirt where the tube was
contacting the piston. If not removed, these tubes can also be
damaged or broken when the piston and connecting rod
assemblies are being installed.
In addition to the piston being cooled by the lube oil, 1/3 of
the piston’s heat is transferred through the piston ring to the
cylinder liner, and removed by the engine coolant. The engine’s
cooling system, and the condition of the coolant, is vital to this
process. Weak coolant can lead to scale deposits building up on
the outside of the liners and passages of the block, creating a
thermal barrier. A 1/16” thick build up of scale can reduce the
engines’ cooling systems efficiency by 40%(or more) according to
Cylinder liner erosion is shown in the photo above.
various studies. If the heat cannot properly dissipate through
the rings, then the piston can overheat.
In summary, cylinder components are designed to
withstand the demands of the operational parameters of the
engine. Like any other part or component, if those
conditions or demands go beyond the limits, then there’s a
risk of failure. Identifying the root cause and correcting the
problem is the key to successfully repairing the engine.■
Steve Scott joined the service department at IPD in
1982, working with parts, service and sales for a
variety of equipment, diesel, and natural gas engines.
Since 2004, he has been the director of product
development and technical support for IPD. For more
information, email [email protected].
AERA attends
AETC Conference
BY STEVE FOX
AERA attended the 23rd Annual AETC
(Advanced Engineering Technology
Conference) held just prior to the PRI
Show in Orlando, Florida. This conference
is a three day event with eleven speakers
and a round table discussion to close out
the event. The conference brings together
engine builders from different segments of
the engine building industry.
If you are in the performance industry
and have never attended one of these
conferences, I would highly recommend it.
The people you can network with and talk
to is worth the price of admission alone.
Where else could you sit down with a
former car chief in NASCAR and have a
conversation over lunch? Or talk face-toface with the lead engineer from one of the
top camshaft manufacturers in the
country? You have the ability to do this at
AETC. This is a great opportunity to
interact with people who are not always
accessible.
In three days you will be amazed at
how much information is provided and
how much you can learn. One of the
benefits of this conference is the
knowledge base you can draw from. You
will hear comments or statements from
people that will get you thinking about
how you can take that information and
use it in your everyday business. You will
learn something from this conference and
that is the whole idea; walk away with
something you can take back and use at
the shop.
Here’s the list of presenters and their
topic of discussion for the 2012
conference:
• Mike Osterhaus – Melling Tool
Company, “How to Design and
Optimize Performance Oil Pumps and
Systems”
• Tim Anderson – Racepak, “Using
Track-Based Data Acquisition to
Increase Performance Beyond the Dyno”
• Scott Diehl – Driven Racing Oil,
“Utilizing Advanced Base Oil
Technology To Enable Performance
Oiling Strategies”
Round table discussion at the
23rd Annual AETC Conference in
Orlando, Florida.
• Dr. Robert Prucka, PHD – CU-ICAR,
“Simulation Based Manifold Design to
Improve Engine Performance”
• Justin Callies – CU-ICAR Co-Presenter,
“Simulation Based Manifold Design to
Improve Engine Performance”
• Chris Brown – ARP Fasteners,
“Explaining Proper Fastener Strategy to
Maximize Power and Durability”
• Brad Green – Mahle, “Understanding
Pistons in a Performance Engine and
How to Optimize for Power”
• Billy Godbold – COMP Cams, “How to
Increase Performance Beyond Limits
with Cutting-Edge Valvetrain
Technology”
• Bob Sturk – Federal Mogul, “Engine
Bearing Science Applied to Maximizing
Performance and Durability”
• Lake Speed Jr – Joe Gibbs Racing
Engines – “Finding Extra Hidden
Horsepower to Build Championship
Winning Race Engines”
• Ron Sledge – King Engine Bearing,
“The Science of Making Power Through
Optimizing Bearing Lubrication,
Clearances & Tolerances”
The 2013 AETC Conference will take
place December 9-11 in Indianapolis
Indiana. For information regarding the
2013 conference, check online at
www.aetconline.com. You can check
online for registration for next year’s
event. This is a must attend event for the
performance engine builder.■
AERA Technical Specialist Steve Fox has
over 25 years experience in the engine
building industry with 10 of those years
spent working in the machine shop. Steve
is an ASE-certified Master Machinist, as
well as a longtime member of the drag
racing circuit.
Ron Sledge
from King
Engine
Bearing
Scott Diehl
from Driven
Racing Oil
Mike
Osterhaus
from
Melling
Billy
Godbold
from Comp
Cams
Donny
Cummins of
Racepak
Lake Speed
Jr from
Driven
Racing Oil
AETC Conference luncheon
AETC Conference luncheon
SPEED READ
BY JOHN GOODMAN
1
409
ENGINE
BUILD
Ordinarily, an engine build of this type would go in a specialty
engine issue but timing doesn’t always give you perfect
opportunity. Besides, this engine is performance oriented and done
in a typical engine shop. No clean room, no special environmental
controls, no quartz halogen lighting and a little shop clutter
because after all, this engine is coming out of a busy shop and
many different components from many different engines are
continually moving through the shop. This is precisely how we
want it for this build.
There has been a resurgence of interest in the Chevy 409
engine as of late. This is evidenced by the number of off-the-shelf
performance parts available from guys like Bob Walla who has
taken it upon himself to single handedly make cast iron and
aluminum replacement blocks available where few existed before.
(Bob makes aluminum 409 cylinder heads and intakes, too.) Bob
was gracious enough to provide us with block print specifications
as original GM 409 engine blueprints are just not available.
Others manufacture 409 replacement parts too but these vendors
have been well documented in many past 348/409 engine build
articles so we will not repeat them here. For our purposes, we
would like to see how much reliable performance is available
using as many stock GM parts as possible. Granted, lists of
possible stock GM parts that fit or can be modified to fit a 409
block are limited but some do exist and can help significantly
reduce cost of a stroker build. Additionally, and in contrast to
other engine build projects, we hope to point out all the pitfalls
and potential dead ends that even a well experienced shop can
experience. Unless your shop production builds these vintage
engines, you most likely will run into problems of one sort or
another.
Block
Since this engine is ultimately bound for a 1962 two door Impala
post car (to be driven nearly 100% of its time on the street), we
were not so concerned with finding anything rare. Besides, the car
is going to be more of a hot rod than restoration so our only
thought was to begin with good, rebuildable parts.
We began with two worn out 409 truck blocks (Figure 1).
These blocks had the typical large cylinder reliefs used to reduce
compression. If you are lucky enough to find a passenger car
block, these reliefs are much smaller or non-existent and offer
higher compression ratios. The block we selected (best one of two
available) was pitted badly in most of the main bores and ends of
2
3
4
cylinder head decks (Figure 2). Once you select a block, do one
thing before investing in sonic measurements, pressure testing or
any other machine operation. Measure the entire block to
determine extent of wear. This is important because on the block
we selected, only a visual inspection was performed on lifter
bores. We didn’t catch the .002”-.003” oval wear in each lifter
bore until very late in the block prep process. (Figure 3). Fixing
this bore wear problem was a journey in itself and discussed in
depth later in the article (Figure 4). You want to qualify cylinder
bore wear and any pitting that will necessitate boring to an
oversize. Deck condition, thread condition, deck and pan rail
warp and any visible cracks should be determined before spending
money blueprinting it (if you can find blueprints). If the block
passes these initial inspections and measurements, you are ready
to begin.
Beside boring cylinders .060” over standard, our block needed
lifter bore renewal and only two options were available. If you
have not yet purchased cam and lifters, it may be as simple as
reaming existing bores out to a Ford lifter diameter. This gives
5
6
you about .030” total stock removal or well within bore wear
that put you down this path in the first place. But since our
project block was so far down the reclamation process and Chevy
solid lifters were already purchased and modified, we wanted to
use them rather than buy a new set of Ford lifters. Now, we found
out there are no lifter bore fixtures available to do this repair on a
409, at least that we could find, so desperation began to set in.
Auto Machine in St. Charles, Illinois has some very clever owners.
Jim and John DeBates found that their Rottler block boring
machine has a 45 degree block holding fixture and their milling
machine’s head can be rotated in two directions. As the lifter bank
angle (spec supplied by Bob Walla) is just shy of 45 degrees, the
block and fixture were mounted on the milling table and centered.
The milling head was rotated one degree and now matched the 44
degree lifter bank angle. Walla also provided lifter bore center
dimensions and that was all we needed to ream all lifter bores to
accept BHJ bronze bushings. What was a seemingly impossible
task turned out to be a doable fix for any shop with a 45 degree
boring fixture and milling machine. Now, it needs to be said that
originally, cost of replacing the already purchased and modified
Chevy solid lifters with Ford was deemed too expensive. If you
find yourself in this same position, know that cost to set up the
engine for lifter reaming is the same for both processes. Difference
in cost is only between new lifters and BHJ bronze bushings.
Right from the beginning, a stock GM forged 454 steel crank
was selected mostly because I had one stored in my garage for
years and it seemed a perfect opportunity to use it. Used steel and
cast GM 454 cranks are not difficult to find and likely you will
have to regrind whatever stock crank you get in order to perfect
equal stroke and index. A 454 crank is a great stroker item as it
fits the 409 block with just a few modifications. At the time we
were considering this crank for the 409, timing covers were
limited to stock 348/409 and that meant the snout on the 454
crank had to be turned down, shortened and a new keyway slot
cut according to 409 spec. Performing these modifications would
allow use of a stock 348/409 timing cover and seal. Today, you
can buy a 409 timing cover with a 454 crank seal and eliminate
crank modifications in that area.
The second issue was main bearing bore diameter. Many 409
stroker projects simply turn 454 crank mains down to 409
diameters but I never really liked the idea. As the project block
had a great deal of deep water pitting in some of the main saddles
(Figure 5), it was felt that align boring main bores to 454
diameter was the best choice. This leaves factory crank journal
hardness in place and gives us a much better choice of main
bearings. It also gave us an opportunity to use three nodular iron,
four bolt center main caps from a junk 454 block (Figures 6, 7,
8). Once align boring was complete; we were able to drop the
crank in to see what interferences existed. Right away, we saw
7
8
409 ENGINE BUILD
BY JOHN GOODMAN
that the crank oil slinger diameter had to be reduced in order for
it to fit the rear main cap. A pretty straight forward fix on a lathe
and quickly done. With crank in block, it was found that the two
inboard counterweights had to be trimmed. There was no way
around it and I could see more heavy metal in my future (we
opted to make this engine internally balanced). We didn’t have
rod bolt interference issues like many other stroker 409 builds
because we used a set of SCAT 6.135” long rods specifically
designed and made for this stroker conversion. SCAT rods use
shorter bolts that give clearance and eliminate need for grinding
on the block.
Crank
As mentioned, the crank used for this project is a stock GM 454
forged steel unit from around the mid 1990’s. You have to use an
earlier crank mostly because of the rear seal configuration. Early
454 cranks use a two-piece rear seal. I used a forged crank but
others have successfully used nodular cast iron shafts even when
mains are ground to 409 spec and no nitriding for hardness is
performed. If a stock 454 shaft is used (.250” extra stroke over
stock 409), all rod journals should be checked for equal stroke
length and correct index. If either is out by more than two or
three thousandths, the shaft should be ground undersize to
achieve maximum and equal stroke on index. Fortunately, the
forged steel shaft we used was right on the money for stroke and
index (a huge surprise) but we did find one main journal to be
.001” big. If this engine had retained stock 409 main housing
diameters, the required shaft grinding would have fixed the
problem. But since we opened main bores up to 454 diameter, we
would either need to grind crank main journals .010” under or
seek -.001” main bearing shells. One call to Bill McKnight at
MAHLE Clevite and he recommended the undersize main shells
we needed to put proper clearance in that one journal.
Lastly, and after some lengthy conversations on balancing, it
was decided to internally balance the engine. Because this is a
performance engine, parts are often changed. If we had stayed
with external balance, any change to the rotating assembly
(flywheel or clutch) would necessitate a complete tear down of the
engine for rebalancing. That just isn’t practical so we had to bite
the bullet and order heavy metal (Tungsten). Tungsten is installed
in crankshaft counterweights to offset reciprocating weight (rods,
pistons, pins, locks, etc.). Now, here is where you can reduce or
avoid using large amounts of heavy metal to achieve internal
balance. Even if it costs a little more, try and reduce reciprocating
component weight as much as possible. Pistons and pins can be
substantially lightened especially for a 409 slug along with
connecting rods. Some builders claim having used little to no
Tungsten when internally balancing a stroker 409.
Oh, and don’t forget to clean and chase all threads in the
crank. Don’t take any chances finding damaged threads after the
engine is together. Better to find and fix thread problems (if
possible) before you spend money on the crankshaft.
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409 ENGINE BUILD
BY JOHN GOODMAN
Pistons and Pins
As mentioned earlier, here is an area where a great deal of weight
can be removed from reciprocating parts. The builder has many
choices as quite a few manufacturers like Diamond, CP, Ross, JE
and others all offer pistons for the 409. I particularly like the CP
X brace pistons. They are very light and strong but didn’t fit my
budget. But mostly it was the time it would take to have them
custom made. What I found was a set of off the shelf 409 Ross
pistons, pins and double spiral locks expressly for a 4” stroke
crank and 454 long rods. They were even on sale so how could I
pass them up? What I should have done is have Ross or the boys
at Auto Machine remove much of the solid aluminum behind the
dome. That would have reduced the amount of heavy weight
going into the crank and not compromised reliability one bit. But
time was short and it didn’t get done. If I had it to do over again,
I would have had that weight taken out of those pistons.
Cylinder Heads and Valve Train
A good friend of mine had a pair of aluminum Edelbrock
Performer RPM heads that he wasn’t using. They were new,
complete, untouched and in need of a little port massaging.
Another dear friend, the late Joe Mondello, offered to wake these
heads up realizing that along with outstanding street performance,
they had to offer drivability as well. Before Joe could get to these
heads, he tragically and unexpectedly passed away. I feel Joe’s
passing personally and I know the industry does too. We miss
you, Joe. But Calvin Hill, Mondello’s new shop manager, finished
the porting just the way Joe would have done it and handed back
a pair of gorgeous heads (Figures 9, 10). We needed flow data for
a cam grind so I thought it informative to post those flow
numbers with this article. These numbers compare a set of stock
cast iron 690 heads against ported and unported aluminum
Edelbrock Performers (Figure 11). As you can see, quite a flow
improvement was made over stock yet civil enough for street use.
It was a given from the start that quality roller rockers were to
be used. I won’t mention the manufacturers name because there
are so many to choose from it really doesn’t matter. Just pick your
favorite and go with them. One word of caution about roller
rockers; clean all rockers thoroughly and soak them in oil before
final assembly. I have heard of good roller rockers fail at the
bearings and it may have been avoided by pre lubing. Needle
bearings are generally splash fed and on a new start up, there may
be quite a delay until fresh oil reaches rocker bearings. By the time
oil gets to those small needles, it may be too late. We stayed with
the stock 1.7:1 ratio although any ratio is available for a 454 big
block. Again, reliability and drivability were paramount to this
project.
Pushrods are .080” wall seamless chromemoly steel, guide
plate compatible and can be selected in .005” long increments to
achieve desired rocker geometry. You may have to ask around
about getting these pushrod length selections but they do exist.
Having pushrods come in different lengths saves time making
these lengths yourself.
Finding quality true roller, double row timing components for
a 409 was a little hard to accomplish but one call to Cloyes solved
this problem. While you are at it, ask them to look for timing
chains in .005” over and under lengths. They are color coded and
can be distinguished by how many links are in color. One link
indicates .005” longer; two links .010” and so on. You may have
to call around and ask counter guys to take some time finding
them for you but these parts do exist. At a glance you can tell
9
10
11
what length timing chain is on an engine when the timing cover is
removed.
Fasteners
Our industry has many choices for nuts, bolts and studs so I will
simply say use what you are comfortable with. We selected ARP
because of our failure-free experience with their fine products and
ARP has cylinder head bolts and four bolt main stud kits on the
shelf for 409 engines.
Camshaft and Lifters
This was an area of raging debate. On one side were the roller
lifter/cam people and on the other, conventional solid lifter/cam
folks. Given cam failure problems we have seen lately with nonroller cams, it was a strong argument to go roller. Also, cast iron
lifters these days are no longer hardened to the core but described
as hardenable. I don’t know if this change in nomenclature is a
reason for cam failure but intuitively, I doubt it. The only other
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409 ENGINE BUILD
BY JOHN GOODMAN
option, if I was to stay with traditional solid lifters, was to use a
tool steel lifter. Cost of a high quality roller lifter and a similar
quality tool steel lifter set was deep into $1,000. Just not in the
budget, I am afraid, so back to a conventional solid lifter/cam
arrangement.
Once it was decided to take an old school approach, we had
Vern Schumann qualify each lifter individually for dimension and
features. The elliptical face of each lifter was measured and would
you know it, one of them was way out of spec. You would never
have caught this visually as all lifter faces looked the same but
that single defective lifter could have easily caused a cam failure
without anyone knowing why. I strongly recommend a shop take
a little extra time to qualify all hydraulic and solid lifter faces
before installing them in an engine. It is easy to do and takes just
seconds to qualify. Simply chuck a lifter in a machine that can
hold them and run a dial indicator across the face. You should see
the same movement of the dial from low (edge of lifter) to high
(center of lifter) and back to the other edge. You can also place
the dial indicator at any point on the lifter face and rotate the
lifter. There should be no movement of the dial. If there is, then
the elliptical face has been ground off center and lifters exhibiting
such a machining defect should not be installed. One other little
trick Vern did for us was to grind a small flute along the side of
the lifter body. This takes pressurized oil directly to the lifter/cam
lobe interface to assist simple splash method for lubrication.
Today, it is possible to buy lifters with a hole already drilled
directly into the face that accomplishes the same thing and well
worth the extra cost, in my opinion.
We spent a lot of time talking about lifters so what about the
cam? When it comes to custom ground cams, I don’t look any
farther than Dema Elgin of Super Lobes. Dema has ground cams
for just about every racing venue and so many high level engine
builders that I think even Dema has forgotten how many. Dema
rightly asks for a ton of engine specs and flow numbers along
with a few questions about how the engine is to be used. There is
no guess work with Dema. He gets you as close to correct as one
can get on the first try. So, Dema ground a cam that is optimized
for the engine. There is absolutely nothing more to say here other
than Dema felt we should have no reliability problems using a
conventional cam/ lifter arrangement. Neither do we.
One last thing on cams; We are going to strictly follow
recommendations by Lake Speed Jr. (Joe Gibbs Racing oil) and
use correct break in oil followed by the correct blend for the type
of duty this engine will see. Aftermarket oils have come a long
way and play a critical role in the performance and reliability of
engines both racing and street. This is cheap insurance as far as I
can tell.
Oil Pump
Why take time explaining the oil pump? Because it isn’t quite the
same pump we often choose. Our choices for a wet sump pump
were either a big or small block Chevy. Vern Schumann, a
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409 ENGINE BUILD
BY JOHN GOODMAN
longtime friend and clever engineer, developed a wet sump pump
that improves the external oil by pass circuit. Unlike normal cup
or spool plug by pass devices that are slow to react, Schumann
features an oversized seated ball valve for instant reaction time.
Anyone who has ever suffered a stuck by pass valve can
appreciate going to a seated ball arrangement. But what interested
me most about this pump is the near instant positive oil flow right
off start up. No more lag time for the pump to prime and “catch
up” with required oil. In some ways, this pump acts like a dry
sump pump by delivering fresh oil quickly. There are other stated
benefits but I will let Vern tell you about those.
Carburetors (induction)
We had a genuine GM 409/425 HP 2X4 intake manifold mostly
trying to retain as much of the stock look of an original 409 as
possible but those big aluminum heads kind of blew that idea out
the window. Surprisingly, there are not many intake manifold
alternatives that work with these Edelbrock heads (besides
Edelbrock) and most of those take the AFB or Edlebrock
carburetors only. The idea of going to a fabricated manifold was
out of the question. Cost was one big factor but a fabricated
manifold gave the engine too much of a race car look. So, the
search was on to find a reasonable solution.
Troy Patterson of TMP Carbs wrote an article for the JanuaryMarch 2011 issue of Engine Professional on Holley carbs using
TMP’s Weber Power Plates. Troy had some very interesting ideas
12
on how to fuel engines so he was our first choice to build and
tune the two Holley 4150 carbs for the 409. I would encourage
you to go back and read that article but for our purposes, Troy
wanted to make sure we were sufficiently fueled at wide open
throttle (WOT). He finds that all too often, carburetors are
chosen for low to mid RPM range efficiency and WOT tends to
lean out. Going to slightly bigger carbs helps ensure enough fuel
for the entire RPM range without drivability issues.
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Right off the bat, Troy faced a carb spacing problem with the
two 4150’s (too little on almost all manifolds) so an adapter plate
had to be made (Figure 12). Also, since the Holley’s were
reoriented 90 degrees (turned sideways), linkage became an even
bigger issue. With a bit of ingenuity, Troy configured an elegant
linkage arrangement that looks clean and adjustable (Figure 13).
One nice side affect to this approach is that the adapter plate,
carbs and linkage can be unbolted from the intake and mounted
on another intake if desired. This turned out to be an elegant
solution to a difficult carb spacing and linkage problem. Troy said
these carbs will yield snappy throttle response at around 2000
RPM and bog free off idle. This is exactly what we were looking
for.
Ignition
No guesswork here. We went with a tried and true MSD HEI
distributor and 6AL digital ignition box and coil. Due to the size
of those monster Holley’s a small diameter distributor cap was a
must.
The Build
John and Jim De Bates from Auto Machine in St. Charles, Illinois,
said not to mention them in this article but I just couldn’t honor
that request. Auto Machine builds some of the rarest engines to be
found (old and rare restoration engines). Often, parts have to be
made because originals are no longer available. This shop pays
close attention to detail and because of the deep experience Jim
and John enjoy, every engine represents the best that can be had.
So, it was no surprise that this shop was chosen for the build.
Besides, I think Jim really wanted to do this engine. It was a
different part configuration from most stroker 409 builds and
utilized much of what the shop has to offer by way of equipment
and machining. I think you will agree, the end result was a work
of art. Due to time constraints, we did not get to dyno the engine
as planned. But since this project was not intended to squeeze
every last horsepower, it really didn’t matter other than for final
tuning. Our best second choice was using a run in stand to check
for leaks, set timing and make any final adjustments before fitting
it in the car (Figure 14, 15).
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed the build as much as we did building it.
There were some surprises along the way but there always seem
to be with a vintage build of this type. Hopefully, you realized
15
that even with the best planning, things do not always go in the
direction you wanted. Finding worn out lifter bores after so much
work was done to the block was agonizing. Finding there were
few if any alternative fixes for this problem made things even
worse. But a creative shop always finds a way and when engaging
a project like this, shop and customer expectation of these
problems should always be considered before the project begins.■
John Goodman served as president of AERA from 2005-2012.
Prior to that, he was director of the Advanced Technology
Center (ATC) for Micromatic-Textron. The ATC focused on
manufacturing honing solutions and studies for OEM engine
manufacturers. Testing of traditional and unique honing
abrasive systems, coolants, fixtures, tools and software were
primary responsibilities of the ATC lab. Contact John at
[email protected].
New Member Needs
Information in Spanish
…AERA has it!
BY STEVE SCHOEBEN
I am always curious how others in the same field of work conduct
business, and am eager to tour another shop when invited to do
so. What types of engines do they rebuild/repair, what types and
brand of equipment they use, the shop layout, procedures they
follow, and how they acquire business always interest me.
So while in Mazatlan, at the ‘Mexican Cabin’, I had an
opportunity to visit an automotive machine shop: “Rectificaciones
y Refacciones Miguel Lizarraga”. Miguel Lizarraga has been in
business for over 30 years. Rafael, his son, manages the shop, and
has been a part of the business since he was 15 years old.
Although Rafael is an Electrical Engineer by education and trade,
he, being the only son (with 3 sisters), is carrying on in the family
tradition…working in the machine shop. They are well known in
Mazatlan and the surrounding area for servicing auto dealerships,
farming community, general repair shops and the “do-ityourselfer”.
It was obviously to me they are quite diversified in their
abilities to service their customer base, offering complete
machining services.
Just to name a few: crankshaft repair, fuel injector rebuilding,
block and line boring. They do it all! In addition to machine
work, they provide the customer with information, helping to
facilitate the repair and installation of their work. As an example:
lash settings, torque values and timing alignments. Rafael told me
this was a big customer draw over his competitors. They also
offer vehicle repair and installation of their product, enabling
them to control quality and avoid comebacks.
After touring their shop, I realized it was not all that different
from mine or any other shop in my area (Minneapolis), utilizing
some of the same equipment, along with a very similar mix of
work. After a good rap session of broken Spanish and English, I
came to realized what they really needed, INFORMATION! It’s
INFORMATION that makes the world-go-around, no matter
where you may be. Then the light bulb went on, and as a member
and good steward of AERA, I explained the many benefits that
AERA has to offer, such as; PRO-SIS SA, tech manuals and access
to the tech line (IN SPANISH, no less). Because of the language
barrier, many shops in this part of the world do not understand
the benefits of becoming an AERA member.
One of AERA’s many assets is Yolanda, who is fluent in
Spanish. She is able to assist current Spanish speaking members
and helps to facilitate new memberships. With her assistance,
Miguel and Rafael became new members of AERA.
Welcome Aboard Miguel and Rafael Lizarraga!
Bienvenidos Miguel y Rafael Lizarraga!
No matter where in the world you may be, it is always fun to
forge new relationships with peers who share the same passion for
what we do. We can always learn something from each other,
New AERA members pictured above, from left to right — Foreman Rafael
Lizarraga, Steve Schoeben (Headwerks), and Owner Miguel Lizarraga
(Rectificaciones y Refacciones Miguel Lizarraga) and their facility in
Mazatlan, Mexico.
taking something back to our own shops. One takeaway for me
was their working hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m to 6 p.m.
After all, we are in Mexico, and siestas are observed! I’m thinking
about changing my shop’s hours!■
Necesita más información sobre AERA? Llame a Yolanda al
815-526-7347 o al 888-326-2372. [email protected].
Steve Schoeben is the owner and operator of HeadWerks, Inc., an automotive
machine shop serving Minneapolis and surrounding areas since 1991. HeadWerks
specializes in the repair of all types of cylinder heads, ranging from industrial
applications and light diesel to motorcycles, antiques, racing and European autos.
For more information, please call (952) 884-6306 or email [email protected].
BY STEPHEN KIM
Reputations aren’t built overnight, and the
School of Automotive Machinists has been
educating the world’s premiere race engine
builders since 1985. Whether it’s in NASCAR
Sprint Cup, NHRA Pro Stock or IndyCar, SAM
graduates are pushing the limits of engine
design every race weekend.
Education in
the Fast Lane
The School of Automotive Machinists provides an endless stream of
talent for the most high-profile engine shops in the country.
What do NASCAR Sprint Cup champions
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony
Stewart, and Matt Kenseth have in
common? They all rely on the SAM
graduates to charge to the front of the
pack every race weekend. While every race
team’s engine shop is responsible for giving
their drivers the horsepower they need to
win races, many of the talented craftsman
building those winning engines got their
training at the School of Automotive
Machinists (www.samracing.com). Based
in Houston, Texas, SAM’s impact on
professional racing is quite possibly the
most prolific of any vocational program
ever conceived. Consequently, SAM isn’t
just a great place to go for aspiring engine
builders, but it’s also a tremendous
resource for established engine builders
looking for fresh talent.
Bold statements like that are
meaningless without evidence, but the
proof is very compelling. Some of the highprofile race teams that rely on SAM
graduates everyday include Don
Schumacher Racing, Hendrick
Motorsports, John Force Racing, RoushYates Racing Engines, Penske Racing,
Cosworth Engineering, and Cagnazzi
Racing. The reason is very simple: SAM’s
entire curriculum is based on teaching the
art of building race engines. It goes far
beyond regurgitating information
presented in engine assembly manuals.
Instead, the program strikes a balance
between engine building theory and
practical hands-on training. SAM’s highly
specialized program covers everything
from engine block machining and shortblock assembly, to cylinder head porting
and camshaft dynamics, to dyno tuning
and track testing. “We’re in the business of
turning out race-winning engine builders,
not just certificate holders,” SAM Director
of Education Judson Massingill explains.
“Our graduates walk out of the classroom
and straight into top race teams. It means
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great job. Everyone at SAM takes great
pride in our proven track record.”
From Engine Shop to Engine School
Winning championships at the highest
levels of racing requires the ability to
recognize talent both behind the wheel and
at the engine shop. What the Doug Yateses
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plates attached—even extreme “mountain motors” and many diesels
ABOVE AND BEYO ND H O N I N G
©2 0 1 2 S u nnen, St. Lou is, MO USA
A12-1
BY STEPHEN KIM
Since SAM started out as a full-service engine shop that was later converted
into a vocational school, students receive training on machining equipment that
is widely used throughout the industry. By the time they finish the program,
SAM graduates are experts in operating boring bores, honing machines, deck
resurfacers, and crank balancers.
that authenticity traces back to the school’s
founder, Judson Massingill. Like many
kids growing up in the ‘60s, Judson cut his
hot rodding teeth street racing. With his
’69 Camaro Z/28 serving as his
accomplice, Judson hustled enough money
out of the competition to pay for his way
through school. A racer to the core,
Judson’s goals in life were to go racing,
and to get a university education to
become a more competitive racer. As
events transpired, it just so happened that
both of these goals would eventually lead
up to the birth of one of the industry’s
most respected vocational schools.
Like many racers, Judson always
searched for ways to go faster. However,
unlike the competition that merely copied
what they saw around them, he realized
that the key to going faster was first
understanding the fundamentals of engine
dynamics, then applying fresh outside-thebox concepts and ideas to push the limits
of horsepower production and reliability.
The plan worked well, as Judson’s early
engine combinations cleaned house on the
local street racing scene. Word quickly
spread about this kid that built killer
engines out of his garage, and fellow racers
started bringing him work. A college
student by day and an engine builder by
night, Judson built everything from hot
street motors to serious drag and circle
track combinations. His talents eventually
caught the eye of a local Texas oil tycoon,
who hired Judson to run the engine shop
for his Winston Cup and ARCA race
teams in 1977. The privateer effort proved
quite successful, winning the 1980 ARCA
200 at the Daytona International
Speedway. Later that year, Judson and his
The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) awarded
SAM with the prestigious School of Excellence award for the 2011-2012 school
year. The award recognizes schools that maintain a high level of achievement
among their students, and SAM was one of only 13 schools nationwide to
receive the award.
wife Linda purchased the shop, and
opened the doors to Northwest Engine
and Supply.
With Linda running the books and
logistics of the shop, Judson focused his
efforts on building some of the best motors
in the business. Northwest Engine and
Supply earned an outstanding reputation
at both the local and national levels,
building motors for street cars, power
boats, drag cars, circle track cars, and road
race machines. Despite the shop’s success,
finding qualified machinists and engine
builders was a constant challenge. “We
spent several years training each of our
employees on how to operate machinery
and build engines. Then as soon as they
became proficient at what they did, they
quit and started up their own shops,”
Judson recalls. “After our shop foreman
quit, I got frustrated and told Linda that
we’re nothing but a training facility for
machinists. We knew all along that finding
qualified machinists was one of the biggest
challenges facing our industry, so we
decided to start a business doing what we
had already been doing for free. It started
out as a few training seminars here and
there, but after two years of jumping
through bureaucratic hoops, we started the
School of Automotive Machinists in
1985.”
Race-Inspired Curriculum
You can’t teach someone to think like a
racer unless they’re fully immersed in a
racing environment. That’s why SAM
packs its facility with in-house race cars
that compete in national events across the
country. The stable includes a ’99 Camaro
SS and a ’95 Mustang, which both run
deep-8-second passes in the quarter-mile,
and a ’98 Camaro than runs high-9s in full
street trim. Not only do SAM students and
instructors design, build, and dyno test the
engine combinations for these race cars as
class projects, but they also serve as the pit
crew at the track. Consequently, it’s not
surprising that SAM students excel in the
field when going to work for big-name
engine shops after graduation. In essence,
SAM’s facility is a full-service engine
shop—complete with block machining
equipment, several engine assembly rooms,
a cylinder head porting department, a flow
bench, an engine dyno, a five-axis CNC
machine, and a chassis dyno—that just
happens to have classrooms as well.
SAM breaks down its curriculum into
three programs: Block Machining,
Cylinder Head Machining, and CNC
Machining. Each program takes nine
months to complete, and is far more
comprehensive than what their names
suggest. The Block Machining program
includes courses that cover basic machinist
math, internal combustion engine theory,
engine disassembly and inspection, how to
operate machining equipment, engine
assembly and blueprinting, and engine
dyno testing. Students have the
opportunity to build and dyno test engines
of their own.
While short-block design is critical to
the success of any race engine, Judson
realizes the substantial role that cylinder
head design plays in the overall
horsepower equation. He impresses this
point on his students from day one, and
SAM’s Cylinder Head Machining program
continually produces some of the best head
porters in the country. In addition to
After Graduation
With the variety of
projects that roll
through the doors at
SAM, students have
the opportunity to
work on old relics
they would typically
have no exposure to.
Students designed
and built this 461
cubic inch big-block
Oldsmobile motor,
which produced 514
hp and 540 lb-ft on
the dyno.
teaching airflow theory and cylinder headrelated math in the classroom, the
program covers cylinder head disassembly,
machining, blueprinting, and assembly
procedures. Furthermore, students learn
the art of head porting from highly
experienced instructors, and test the results
of their work on the flow bench and dyno.
Although SAM’s Block Machining and
Cylinder Head Machining programs give
students more than enough training to step
right into a professional engine shop, the
school has recently added a CNC
Machining program to its coursework as
well. A testament to SAM’s commitment
to evolve with the cutting-edge trends in
the racing industry, the school’s newly
acquired Haas five-axis CNC machine
offers students yet another tool to help
maximize the horsepower potential of the
race engines they will one day build in the
field. “CNC machines are going to be
everywhere very soon because they’re
becoming so much more affordable.
Teaching our graduates how to program
and operate CNC machines is going to
give them a leg up on the competition,
which is why we felt the need to add CNC
courses to our curriculum,” Judson
explains. “Even basic machine work, like
machining lifter and cam bores, are now
being done on CNC machines. Manually
doing operations like that on a mill or
boring bar takes five times as long. Our
goal is to give our graduates the skills they
need to succeed in a rapidly changing
industry that is becoming increasingly
dependent on technology.”
The CNC Machining program offers
rigorous courses that utilize Mastercam
CAD/CAM software and FARO
coordinate measurement machines.
Additionally, the program provides lessons
on digitizing techniques, and fixture
fabrication and setup. Once completing
the CNC Machining program, graduates
are proficient in digitizing cylinder head
ports, creating CNC machining programs,
and machining blocks, heads, and specialty
components on a five-axis machine.
Students also learn how to use CNC
machining to keep intake port, exhaust
port, and combustion chamber design
consistent and repeatable from cylinder to
cylinder.
When scrutinized individually or as a
whole, SAM’s three-pronged curriculum is
impressive both in its comprehensiveness
and in its relevance to the needs of the
industry. Race engine shops, however,
aren’t the only ones that agree.. In 2011,
the Accrediting Commission of Career
Schools and Colleges approved SAM’s
application for an associate’s degree
program. Now students graduating from
SAM may also earn an Associate of
Applied Science degree in Automotive
Engine Block & Cylinder Head
Machining.■
For more information about the
School of Automotive Machinists,
please call (713) 683-3817 or visit
the website, www.samracing.com.
Completing any educational
program is always something
to take pride in, but it’s often
tempered by the challenges
of finding a job. Fortunately,
SAM’s unparalleled reputation
in the automotive and racing
industry gives its graduates
access to powerful networking opportunities. In fact,
when the top teams in
NASCAR Sprint Cup, NHRA
Pro Stock, ADRL, NMCA,
NMRA, and IndyCar have
openings for skilled engine
builders, they often contact
SAM to tap into its vast pool
of graduates. Big-name
shops aside, countless
regional engine shops specializing in street/strip
engines for grassroots racers—such as Lingenfelter
Performance Engineering,
Mast Motorsports, Katech,
and BES Racing Engines—
turn to SAM to help fill their
job openings as well.
Engine shops aren’t the only
businesses in need of skilled
machinists. Many of the automotive aftermarket’s top
manufacturers employ SAM
graduates as well. Some
examples include Dart
Machinery, Brodix, Airflow
Research, GRP Connecting
Rods, Indy Cylinder Head,
Wilson Manifolds, Wiseco,
Trickflow, ProCharger, Total
Engine Airflow, and World
Products. Furthermore, some
graduates aspire to blaze
their own trail, and many
open up their own successful
engine shops. For both
prospective students and
employers alike, the School
of Automotive Machinists’
unique race-inspired curriculum can help you get to the
finish line first.
• For more information, visit
www.samracing.com.
Saving Outboard Engines
…Before and After
BY DAVE METCHKOFF
Since the inception of 2-stroke outboard motors, pound for
pound, or to say more appropriately – cubic inch for cubic inch,
these motors put out more horsepower and torque than any big
block V-8. The combination of high R.P.M., water leverage and
foot pounds of torque create an incredible amount of output
which isn’t for the faint of heart. Along with this tremendous
power, comes tremendous responsibility. Yes, eventually these
powerful 2-strokers develop engine wear, when and if they’re not
properly maintained, and engine failure is inevitable.
Outboard engine manufacturers have long urged their
engineering departments to develop a cylinder and piston
combination that puts out horsepower with indestructible
performance. These have been lofty goals, and the manufacturers
have come very close. But, unfortunately for the end user (and,
thankfully for you), the indestructible engine has not been
produced.
Manufacturers have tried a variety of cylinder styles. They
started with 2-stroke cylinders. Then, with the clean air mandates
brought to you by under educated politicians, more currently is
the developed 4-stroke motor which is becoming more prominent.
Another design challenge was whether outboard engines should
be manufactured with a bore-able sleeved cylinder, or an
aluminum cylinder with either chrome or nickel-silicon carbide
coating (also known as Nikasil.) The advantages and
disadvantages are still debated by engineers, engine builders and
racers. O.E.M. cylinders with cast iron have beaten engines made
with coated aluminum cylinders, not only in dyno tests, but on
the water. The same can be said for engines with coated
aluminum cylinders when challenged against the sleeved cylinders.
Engineers continue to explore this issue.
Consumers may feel that this has nothing to do with their
weekend water excursions. As long as the boat runs hard and
continues to be reliable, what does it matter? Consumers rarely
worry about what’s in the engine, only what precious cargo it’s
carrying. It doesn’t usually matter when the boat is new. But with
today’s economic challenges, fiscal cliff threats and political power
plays, many boat owners are bringing out the “old”, or buying
used boats instead of new, which inherently increases the odds
that the inevitable engine failure will happen well before the US
economy nose dives off the fiscal cliff. 2-stroke motors are the
most efficient horsepower producing gas burning engines made to
date, but the reality is that engine failure occurs when the motor is
pushed to the limit, while poorly maintained (not unlike the
political punditry located in Washington, DC).
When new motors are released, they’re reviewed and receive a
tremendous amount of well deserved praise. The boat’s handling
and ergonomics notwithstanding, the motor’s output is what
generally receives the most attention. Boat owners are no different
in their performance mentality and expectations as the street hotrodders counterpart. They’re in the market for reliability,
Yamaha 4-stroke block sleeves installed.
combined with horsepower. 2-stroke engines tend to get worn out,
but not as quickly as the newer higher performance 4-strokes. On
2-strokes, stresses on worn cylinder bores will be pushed only so
far, and failure becomes a reality. With 4-strokes, the valves will
wear as quickly as the cylinder bore, if not sooner.
Many outboards today are chromed or Nikasil coated
aluminum. This surface material is very hard by design. The
factories proclaim less ring friction to cylinder wall and better
heat dissipation with coated cylinders. As the motors wear down
or have lean conditions, the coating begins to wear. Normally the
coating is .004” to .008” in thickness. If at any time the coating
wears or flakes away, aluminum, behind the coating, begins to
show itself. If the piston is exposed to raw aluminum, the piston
will immediately melt into the aluminum until seizure occurs.
BY DAVE METCHKOFF
Nikasil/chrome lined cylinders cannot be
readily repaired as the coatings are not
bore-able. Therefore a new motor is the
owner’s first thought. The price for
replacing a worn cylinder costs an average
retail price of about $1,500.00, an
expensive, needless fix.
In the case of cylinders with sleeves
standard from the factory, sleeved
cylinders dissipate heat with excellent
efficiency and, most importantly, piston
rings seal tighter in sleeved cylinders. This
ring seal is vital for the motor to sustain
greater torque for wider power curve
duration. This torque will make the motor
feel much stronger, even though there may
be less R.P.M. output. L.A. SLEEVE has
been manufacturing cylinder sleeves since
1945. In that time they have become one
of the largest recreational cylinder
rebuilding centers. There is probably no
situation in terms of engine failure that
we’ve not seen. We’ve gathered
information regarding engine failure for
years, and in fact we’re still learning. And,
we enjoy sharing this information with
anybody willing to listen.
New 4-stroke out block bored to size.
Heat transfer is not an issue. The
NASCAR teams still run cast iron
produced blocks. Cast iron cylinder sleeves
are conductive material by its nature.
Centrifugally spun cast iron has a more
dense micro structure and grain flow than
even the factory material. Key to heat
transfer in a sleeved cylinder is cylinder
bore preparation. We stress installers to
hone aluminum or iron cylinder walls
almost to a plateau. The fine surface will
create contact on virtually all points on the
sleeve surface. Heat will race through the
sleeve and through the aluminum jacket
Replacement sleeves for Mercury outboard motors.
more efficiently. Only stipulation: it takes nearly two and a
half minutes longer to achieve maximum thermal expansion
rate. Therefore, if you encourage your customers to take an
additional few minutes to heat their motor up, it will be
unlikely a problem will ever occur.
Ring seal has always been one of the engine builder’s
many major concerns. Why? Ring seal means compression.
Compression means everything when convincing a dyno
that the motor is strong. The cast iron sleeve is more
receptive to oil retention. Iron sleeves will hold a finer film
of oil. Therefore, slippery slick lubricity of the cylinder bore
allows the ring to ride on the oil not the cylinder bore.
The plating is very hard, but can be more abrasive than
iron when worn. Therefore, should the motor get blow-by
or the oil lose viscosity, the ring will wear down quickly
running on the plating. When the rings wear down, the
motor will lose compression. It will run, but it will run
lethargic. Ring seal is the key to compression. Compression
is the key to torque. And, as you’re aware, torque equals
horsepower.
With the advent of aftermarket plating, the debate over
re- sleeve or plating is here to stay. The proponent of plating
will proclaim the false hope that plating is lighter (average
4-stroke sleeve weight 30oz.), plating is harder (sleeve will
never flake or peel) and the co-efficient of thermal
expansion is better (expansion rate iron: .000006 per 1000
degrees which is minimal considering a seizure will occur at
about 480 degrees at the intake side of cylinder).
When our cylinder repair department receives a block
with original plating, the block is bored out very carefully
and the chrome-moly cast iron sleeve is installed. Once
installed, they’re meticulously match ported. The re-sleeve
process will initially save about half the price of a new
cylinder, and in the long run, save more money. If the engine
again fails, the sleeved cylinder can simply be bored to
accept a new oversize piston. Usually, three oversizes of
BY DAVE METCHKOFF
pistons are available. Remember, boring
for an oversize piston cannot be performed
on a coated cylinder.
Boat owners with O.E.M. cast iron
sleeved cylinders have more options when
their engines wear. Frankly, the rebuilding
process can be related to repairing process
of aluminum V-8’s, diesel or tractor
engines equipped with removable cast iron
sleeves. Repairing each hole usually
consists of a simple bore job, a new piston
kit and gasket set, and your customer is
back on the water. If the cylinder is just
slightly scored, running a hone through the
bore can also put the cylinder into good
running condition. Eventually, after several
bores through the largest piston oversize,
nearly all outboard motors can be resleeved with replacement sleeves.
If you already service boat motors for
your local consumers, we encourage you
to offer your customers preventative
maintenance checklist to keep these
failures from happening in the first place.
Your customers will never forget you
assisting them in the prevention of failures,
when their motor eventually fails. They
will come back to you if the trust is built
in advance. Your customers should know
the four deadly sins which cause engine
Armageddon meltdown:
1. Lack of proper and timely
maintenance. Those maintenance
schedules are made for a purpose. Get
lazy, pay the price.
2. Cold seizure caused by not warming up
a motor properly. Outboards are in a
naturally cool environment to begin
with. Can’t wait to get on the water?
Just a minute longer for warm- up
helps your motor reach proper running
temperature. Otherwise, stick a piston.
3. Lean seizure caused by insufficient oil
pre- mixture, old gas and/or air leaks.
Don’t forget gasoline and oil can get
stale when sitting for extend periods of
time. Note: if located in California,
recommend 89 Octane. Why? 89
Octane contains the least amount of
detergents. The 87 and 91 Octane can
be harmful to both two and four stroke
plated motors. Check and tighten head,
case and engine bolts. Be sure to follow
correct torque recommendations.
4. Fuel blow-by caused by excessive
piston clearance.
Hear a piston rattle or slap that wasn’t
there last time you rode? Check piston
and ring clearance before the heat
blowing by the rings causes your
cylinder to grenade.
Follow regular maintenance, and the
decision to re- sleeve will not likely apply.
But, for those to whom the seizure bell
tolls, the decision should be easy.■
Dave Metchkoff from L.A.SLEEVE Co. Inc.,
in Santa Fe Springs, CA. For more information,
call toll-free 800-822-6005 or email:
[email protected]. Website: www.lasleeve.com.
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TECHSIDE
BY LAKE SPEED JR.
The Truth About
Engine Oil
While you may think the whole “Zinc”
issue has been beaten like a dead horse,
the reality is very few people actually
understand what has changed in motor
oils over the last decade, and the real
problem lies in the fact that these same
people are the ones who stand to suffer
from these changes. Typically, the average
hot rodder or racer knows the least about
the motor oil going into that very
expensive engine.
While many professional engine
builders know that motor oils have
changed, many of them would not know
the difference between ZDTP and ZDDP.
What’s that you ask? Isn’t all Zinc the
same?
Let’s get the facts straight about Zinc.
When we talk about Zinc in motor
oils, what we are really talking about is a
family of additives called Zinc
DiakylDithioPhosphates – better know as
ZDDP.
Many different types of ZDDP
additives exist – Primary, Secondary, and
Ary. These different types of Zinc have
different activation thresholds. You see,
Zinc is not a lubricant until the ZDDP
reacts under heat and load to create a
phosphate glass film that protects the
metal surface.
That is critical to protection. Zinc
needs heat and load for it to activate and
then lubricate the surface. Some types of
Zinc activate faster under less heat and less
load than other types of Zinc. These “fast
burn” Zinc additives provide better
protection during engine break-in because
they react faster and establish that
protective Phosphate glass coating quickly
during the critical break-in phase.
All types of ZDDP function in the
same manner. Zinc is a polar molecule, so
it is attracted to steel surfaces. Under heat
and load, the Zinc reacts with the steel
surface and creates a phosphate glass film
that protects the steel surface by forming a
sacrificial film that covers the peaks and
fills in the valleys of the steel surface.
How much heat and how much
load is required to activate the Zinc
depends on the type of Zinc in your
oil. Secondary ZDP is the most active type
of Zinc, but it is also blamed for reducing
catalytic converter life. Newer, less active
ZDPs are being used in the API SN and
GM dexos 1 oil specification in order to
meet increased demands on catalytic
converter life. This means the type of Zinc
used in your favorite brand of oil may
have changed, if you are still buying oil for
your hot rod at the big box retail store.
This new, less active Zinc was
introduced in 2010 for the 2011 model
year cars and trucks.
Are you ready for some good news?
The key to how much and what type of
Zinc your engine needs depends on your
engine’s valvetrain. If you have a stock
valvetrain and no other performance
modifications, then an API licensed oil is
all you need. Every API licensed oil will
protect stock engines under normal street
driving cycles.
When you start making performance
modifications or begin racing, everything
changes.
Higher lift cams with longer durations
and greater spring pressures need a faster
response from the Zinc. Oil development
in race engines show that faster acting
ZDTP does a better job protecting highly
loaded valvetrains. Basically, the Zinc
package needs to be optimized for the
application, and this is where the
confusion ensues.
Many people have had good success
with premium API licensed products in
stock engine applications (as well they
should). However, this can create a false
perception that API licensed oils should
work in every application, but this is
simply not the case. When you go beyond
normal valve lift, operating temperatures
and cylinder pressures, the oil formula
needs to adapt to these “new”
requirements.
Because the modifications fall outside
the OEM guidelines used by the API to
determine oil performance
specifications, an API performance
level does not apply. This leaves the
consumer in the dark. If that knowledge
leaves you feeling less than confident, then
you may not want to learn about
detergents and dispersant additives in
motor oil that actually compete against the
Zinc in your engine.
What? That is right. Zinc is not alone
in your motor oil. Several other additives
like, detergents, dispersants, Viscosity
Index Improvers, and others all compete
against the Zinc inside your engine –
sometimes with negative consequences.
Back in August of 2005 (less than a
year after API SM was introduced), the
Society of Tribologists and Lubrication
Engineers published a story stating that
Calcium based detergents and dispersants
competed against the ZDDP for surface
space, and that caused some wear issues in
passenger car engines. Around this same
time, many engine builders began to
experience a rash of flat tappet cam
failures during break-in.
The level of ZDDP had also been
reduced in the API SM oil spec, and along
with the increased use of calcium
detergents and dispersants, the critical
balance had shifted. The results were
nearly catastrophic for independent engine
builders and camshaft manufacturers. The
rate of flat tappet cam failures escalated at
an alarming rate.
The decrease in ZDDP from 1,000
ppm down to 800 ppm was called out as
the cause for the rash of cam failures. This
failed to take into account the change in
ZDDP to detergent balance. So many
engine builders switched to diesel oils that
contained higher levels of ZDDP, and that
worked sufficiently until the diesel oils
underwent a reduction in ZDDP down to
1,200 ppm in October of 2006. By the end
of 2007, engine builders were again on
hunt for a higher Zinc solution. This time,
many switched to properly formulated
break-in oils (high in ZDDP and low in
detergent). Some still held onto the diesel
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TECHSIDE
BY LAKE SPEED JR.
oils, and added an off the shelf ZDDP
supplement.
The ZDDP supplement was a step in
the right direction, but it still fails to
address the abundance of detergent during
break-in. Plus, who knows what type of
ZDDP you are adding? Is it fast burn or
slow burn ZDDP.
Having the right balance of additives is
the key to application specific protection
and performance.
Here are the facts as they relate to off
the shelf motor oils:
• Prior to 1993, the ZDDP content of
motor oil was not limited.
• By 1996, the ZDDP content was limited
to 1,000 ppm, but no cam failures due
to that level of ZDDP were reported.
• By 2004, the ZDDP level was down to
800 ppm in API SM licensed oils. This
was mandatory for API licensed oils that
were SAE 10W-30 or less. Diesel oils are
typically 10W-40 or higher, so these
viscosity grades can contain up to 1,200
ppm ZDDP in accordance to the API
CJ-4 Diesel engine oil standard.
However, all of these oils have increased
levels of detergents and dispersants since
the late 1990’s. The increased detergents
and dispersants allow for longer drain
intervals and help to keep engines
cleaner when the engines are forced to
use exhaust gas recirculation to limit
emissions.
Again, all of these changes make sense
in the context of modern passenger cars
and fleet diesel engines. The problem lies
in using these products in applications they
were designed or intended for – racing,
track days and hot rodding.
A proper race oil should be designed to
protect under extremely intense conditions,
and then be changed on a regular basis.
Good racing oils allow the user to change
the oil filter after each weekend event and
add fresh oil and a filter as long as the oil
still looks to be in good condition. As soon
as the oil shows signs of darkening, change
the oil.
A proper hot rod oil can go all year
long (up to 3,000 miles) before needing to
be changed. Also, a hot rod oil is designed
to protect in the garage as well as on the
track. Many hot rods are not daily drivers,
so they see extended periods of storage. A
good hot rod oil provides storage
protection as well as wear protection.
Again, back to the word – balance.
There is a lot of hype. A lot of
products, but only one real truth – the
proper balance is what makes an oil right
for an application.
A perfect example of that is an API SN
motor oil. While this spec motor oil is
limited to 800 ppm of a catalytic converter
friendly ZDDP, an API SN oil can break in
a flat tappet camshaft. The flat tappet cam
in question has less than .400 valve lift
and no more than 215 psi valve spring
pressure. So, an API SN oil will protect a
flat tappet cam, but you won’t see success
trying to break in a big block Chevy cam
with over .500 valve lift and over 300 psi
valve spring pressure with an API SN oil.
You see, it is the different demands of the
valvetrain loads that dictate what balance
is required to protect.
The bottom line is that bigger lift,
longer duration cams with more spring
pressures need a proper break-in oil to
establish that critical anti-wear film. After
break-in, use a hot rod style oil for
street/strip use to maintain that protective
Zinc film. For race applications, use a
proper racing oil to deliver race specific
performance.
A stock V-8 may look very similar to a
hot rod V8 or a racing V8, but in reality
each of these applications needs a different
balance to provide the proper protection
for your investment.
The good news is that specialty oils are
now available that provide the application
specific protection performance engines
need, and now that you know this, you
can choose the correct oil for your engine.
The even better news is that you don’t
really need to understand the complexities
of ZDDP and detergents. All you really
need to know is the phone number to your
oil supplier. Give them a call and describe
your application, and let them give you a
recommendation. If you can’t reach the
tech department, try a different oil
supplier. With today’s technology and
plethora of products, it should not take
more than a day to obtain a proper
recommendation based on your specific
application.■
Lake Speed Jr. from Driven Racing Oil is the son of
Lake Speed Sr., who raced in NASCAR from 1980 to
1998. For more information, call at (704) 239-4401
or e-mail [email protected]. Find more
technical data at www.drivenracingoil.com.
When should you choose a racing oil over
a high performance oil?
Let’s face it, the days of just choosing your favorite
brand 20W-50 and putting it in your muscle car, race
car and lawn tractor are over. While each engine is a 4
stroke, the engines themselves and the motor oils are
more specialized. So that means you have to decide
which oil is right for your muscle car, which oil you will
use in your race car, and what oil you will use in your
lawn tractor.
The key to selecting the right oil for any application
is matching up how the engine is used with oil
chemistry for that type of use. Now back to your lawn
tractor. If you are just cutting grass, the factory
recommended oil is just fine, but if you are drag racing
the lawn mower, please remove the blade! And while
you are at it, drain the oil and put in some racing oil.
You see, how the engine runs determines what
type of oil to use.
A car that makes a short drive to work 5 days a
week needs more TBN than a race car that runs 50
laps each weekend. What is TBN you ask? TBN
stands for Total Base Number, and it measures how
much acid neutralizing power is in the oil. You may not
realize it, but corrosive wear is one of the major forms
of wear in your engine. In fact, one of the main reasons
for increased engine life today has been the reduction
in corrosive wear. That’s right, many older engines did
not wear out – they corroded.
Short trip driving is the worst for producing engine
killing acids. Water is a by-product of combustion, so
some water vapor always makes its way into the
crankcase of your engine. If the engine does not run
long enough to get warm enough to evaporate the
water vapor out of the engine, the water vapor builds
up. When the engine cools down, the water vapor
condensates, and now you have water in your engine.
The water mixes with the sulfur in the oil and the
partially burnt fuel to create a very corrosive chemical
cocktail.
To fight this, oil engineers have developed
detergent and dispersant additives to fight corrosion.
The power of the additives relates to the TBN value of
the oil. A very strong detergent and dispersant
package will have a high TBN value, and that signifies
an oil that is good for frequent short trip driving.
Ok, so why not use a high TBN oil in my race car?
Simply put, the harder the engine runs, the less
TBN your engine needs. That may seem counterintuitive, but it actually makes sense when you know
that Detergents and Dispersant compete against the
Zinc anti-wear additives and EP extreme pressure
additives your race engine needs.
Nobody building a race engine lowers compression
ratio, installs lighter springs and a smaller cam to make
a production engine into a race motor. Nope, you do
the opposite, and when you do, you increase all the
contact pressures in the engine. The increased
pressures and loads in the engine need extra anti-wear
protection, so the oil engineers add more anti-wear
additives like “zinc” (ZDDP, ZDP or ZDTP) and EP
extreme pressure additives like Molybdenum and
Sulfur. These anti-wear and EP additives form sacrificial
films that protect your race engine from adhesive wear
due to the higher loads in a race engine. Anti-wear
additives and EP additives like ZDP and Molybdenum
Disulfide act like armor to shield your engine parts from
adhesive wear.
The detergents and dispersants that fight corrosive
wear are trying to strip that armor off your engine
parts. All of these additives are needed to protect your
engine. The key is selecting the right balance for your
engine.
While race oils provide more anti-wear and EP
additives to fight adhesive wear, the lower level of
Detergent and Dispersant require more frequent oil
changes to control corrosive wear.
Since a daily driver is more prone to corrosive wear,
the right oil for your daily driver needs a higher level of
Detergents and Dispersants, and the engine in your
daily driver is built with smaller camshafts and lighter
valve springs that safely run on lower levels of antiwear additives.
When you have an older muscle car that does short
trip driving and sees extended periods of sitting in a
garage, you need a higher TBN oil to protect against
corrosive damage. However, many older muscle cars
also have “old school” push rod valve trains and good
sounding camshafts. Now what do you do? Don’t
worry, the oil engineers have found the right balance of
increased anti-wear additives and TBN for your hot
rod – enough ZDP for your camshaft and enough TBN
to protect your engine during winter storage.
So what about that drag racing lawn tractor? Use a
racing oil, and keep a good eye on the oil. Drag racing
is a combination of the worst of both daily driving and
racing - short trips, low temperature and really high
loads. The best recipe for low adhesive wear and low
corrosive wear in a drag racing engine is to use a high
quality racing oil and change it often. Again, keep a
close eye on the oil. As long as the oil looks good and
smells normal, the oil is good. If the oil turns dark,
begins to smell like fuel or turns milky, change the oil.
These are all signs of fuel dilution and chemical attack
on the oil, so the best defense for your engine is to
send in fresh troops with the correct weapons to
protect your engine for the way you use your engine.
I know this process takes a little more thought and
work, since engines, especially race engines, cost a lot
of money but spending a little extra time and money
on your oil program will more than pay off in extended
engine life.■
ON THE SAME PAGE
BY MIKE CARUSO
The Chevy
Small Block Bible
How To Build Max Performance
Chevy LT-1/LT4 Engines
How To Build Max Performance
Pontiac V8 Engines
By Thomas J. Madigan
(Foreword by Vic Edelbrock Jr.)
By Myron Cottrell and
Eric McClellan
By Rocky Rotella
• Information: This book shows us how
to choose, buy and build the Ultimate
Small Block from GEN-1 to today’s LS
versions. It covers every SBC since 1955,
building on a budget, choosing the
correct parts for any combination, basic
machine work and includes LS series. It
covers everything that you can think and
it is just awesome!
Section #1 The Revolutionary Small
Block the revolution begins, around the
block and the New Era (pgs.12-72);
Section #2 Nuts and Bolts building for a
purpose, setting a budget, basic machine
work (pgs. 73-149); Section #3 Digging
In hardware, case study my first build
(pgs. 150-195); Section #4 The Ultimate
Small Block a dream come true-build
your own super small block, the LS an
engineering perspective, parts you can
only dream about, and GM builds 100
millionth small block Chevy engine (pgs.
196-219); #5 Bench Racing; #6 Lesson in
Fuel; #7 Resources and an index (pgs.
220-239).
• Suggestion: It has a great layout with
plenty of very clear, important pictures,
many of them in the machine shop.
There is plenty of input from the “Boys”
Herb Fishel, Ed Pink, Paul Phaff, Mike
Sessa, Robert Jung and many others. As
the book title says “The Chevrolet Small
Block Bible” is the definitive SBC
resource. Remember many years ago
people that were doing the engine work
did not have time to take pictures. Now
it’s easier, just grab your phone and snap
a picture. This book is very good and I
recommend you get a copy. (Printed in
2012 by Motorbooks Workshop MBI
#194562; ISBN ID#13: 978-0-76034219-0)
• Information: The GM Chevy LT1 and
LT4 V8 engines are a special breed.
When working on these engines there are
many procedures as well as tips that
Myron has learned over the years. He is
passing this information along in book
form from years of hands-on experience.
Chapter #1 Basic design, year and
model differences, desirability, upgrades,
modifications and oil pan, oil pump,
pickup and windage tray; #2 Rotating
assembly, crankshafts, connecting rods,
pistons, flywheels, hub and damper; #3
Heads, valves, head flow data,
performance capabilities, factory heads
and aftermarket heads; #4 Valve Train,
timing chain and covers, camshafts,
lifters, pushrods, rocker arms, valve
locks retainers, spring seats, valves and
valve springs; #5 Air and Fuel
Management; #6 Ignitions and Electronic
Controls; #7 Engine Assembly; #8 Dyno
Results from thirteen different engines
and all types of racing including
performance street usage. There is an
Appendix cylinder flow data page and a
Source Guide page.
• Suggestion: You can benefit greatly
from having this book at your fingertips.
The day I received it at the office, I used
it to answer one of our members’
questions. Don’t let this book slip by.
Myron has been working on this book
for years and it was worth the years of
waiting – Great Job, Myron. (Printed in
2012 by SA Design #SA206; ISBN ID#
978-1-934709-50-4)
• Information: Chapter #1 History; #2
Blocks; #3 Crankshafts; #4 Connecting
Rods; #5 Pistons and Rings; #6 Cylinder
Heads; #7 Valve Trains; #8 Intake
Manifolds; #9 Exhaust Manifolds; #10
Ignition; #11 Oiling System; #12 Tuning;
#13 Performance Combinations – plus a
Source Guide.
• Suggestion: Rocky really did a great job
of covering everything and I personally
liked the cylinder head information. There
is a great selection of heads available for
making big power for you or your
Pontiac engine customers. This book
brings you up to speed with the latest
information so you or your customer will
know what is available today. Armed with
this information you can now make an
intelligent decision about what you need
to do to make a specific amount of horse
power. This allows you to figure out the
amount of money needed to build the
engine so you can now sell the job. Go to
your local book store and use the ISBN
number to order it. (Printed in 2012 by
SA Design #SA233; ISBN ID# 978-1934709-94-8)
AERA Tech Specialist Mike Caruso has over 50 years
of engine rebuilding and high-performance
experience. An ASE-certified Master Machinist, Mike
came to AERA from FEL-PRO’s high-performance
R&D and tech line, where he worked for 11 years.
Mike would like to hear from AERA members
in the shops! What type of book information would
help you do your job better and/or faster? Contact
him via email: [email protected] or call 815-526-7609.
T7(60Z(
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Consider that lubrication scientists use
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to compare the quality of different
base oils. The index is based on Pennsylvania Crude, which is the highest
quality conventional oil you can drill
for. PA Crude has a viscosity index of
100. The very best synthetic base oil
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until now has been PAO, which is
quite a bit better than any conventional
as it features an index number of 140.
mPAO has a viscosity index of 200 –
solid evidence of its enhanced lubrication properties!
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Oil is the lifeblood of any engine.
When it comes to highly complex performance engines, it’s critical to choose
the oil that meets your engine’s specifLF QHHGV :KLOH LW LV RIWHQ GLIÀFXOW WR
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engine oils, rest assured that lubricant
technology is constantly evolving at
the highest levels of motorsports, and
Driven Racing Oil™ is a major player
in those developments. One such breakthrough that Driven has recently incorporated into all its synthetic options is
mPAO – a next-generation synthetic
base lubricant. While you may never
have heard this name before, what this
stuff does will impress anyone who understands the difference between pistons and petunias. By using an mPAO
base for creating its performance lubricants, Driven is able to create a lightweight motor oil that retains a high
HTHS (High Temperature High Shear)
viscosity to give you the best lubricant
possible - an oil that’s less sensitive to
heat, doesn’t break down under extreme
friction and just plain works better.
+YP]LU»ZT7(6VMMLYZ_[OL]PZJVZP[`PUKL_
HSSV^PUNP[[V[OYP]LPUNY\LSPUNLU]PYVUTLU[Z
Dyno tests show that engines consistently gain one-and-a-half horsepower with the new oil formulations containing mPAO. As you can see, this is
a huge advance in oil technology and
Driven included it in all of its synthetic oils automatically. Many motor oil
manufacturers, if given the opportunity, would have created a brand-new
product using mPAO and given it an
ultra-premium price to match its performance. But Driven, which currently is the only company with access to
this next-generation technology, has
chosen to use it everywhere it can at
no additional cost to its customers.
9HJL7YV]LU5(:*(93L]LS
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Winning championships at the highest
levels of motorsports is the primary
goal of Driven Racing Oil, so while
other brands may claim to be performance oils, only Driven backs it up by
actually racing the same stuff you can
buy off the shelf. Only Driven Racing
Oil puts the very same oil it sells to
you in every Joe Gibbs racing engine.
From full synthetic race oils to engine
break-in oils, Driven Racing Oil offers
a wide range of race-winning products
that deliver performance, protection and
value. Countless hours of testing and
millions of dollars in R&D have been
devoted to Driven Racing Oil products
- and the results speak for themselves.
Innovations In
Lubricant TechnologyZero Compromises
(866) 611-1820
-05+469,;,*/50*(3+(;('
DRIVENRACINGOIL.COM
1VPU\ZVU
9106j
AERA Online Training
Certification
As of January 2, 2013, 131 people have enrolled in the AERA
online training course for certificates in Cylinder Heads and Engine
Machinist. Congratulations to those who have completed
both certificates…
AERA
ONLINE
TRAINING
AERA Engine Building
and Machining
Certificate Program
• AERA now offers a comprehensive online training program (not just
a test) leading to diploma-quality certificates in Cylinder Heads and
Engine Machinist. Technicians who successfully earn either
certificate will hold proof that they have an elevated understanding
of machining fundamentals, measuring tools, shop safety,
fasteners, engine theory, engine diagnosis, engine disassembly,
component cleaning, inspection, crack detection and repair,
component reconditioning and cylinder head and block
resurfacing.
• Each program is an online, self-paced course with up to one year
to complete. Gary Lewis’ book, Automotive Machining & Engine
Repair, will be included with the $150 registration fee. Everything
a technician will need is contained in the program with video clips
and supplemental readings at key locations within the program.
The book will be used as a syllabus when not online.
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David Roland, Macomb Community College, Macomb, MI
Jim Connor, Automotive Training Center, Warminster, PA
Todd Riggs, SRC of Lexington, Lexington, KY
Joe Wahrer, Allen Correctional Institute, Wapakoneta, OH
Tom McCully, Automotive Training Center, Exton, PA
Joe Holthof, AIS Engines, Grand Rapids, MI
Tom Shoffner, DNJ Engine Components, Chatsworth, CA
Eric Bouchard, AIS Engines, Grand Rapids, MI
Damian Mitchel, AIS Engines, Grand Rapids, MI
Armando Guerrero Sr., Carquest of Surprise, Surprise, AZ
John Johnson, Niagara College, Welland, ON Canada
Kevin Hachkowski, Niagara College, Welland, ON Canada
Paul Wiley, Niagara College, Welland, ON Canada
Chris Amy, Elk Point, AB Canada
Garrett Moldoff, Northeast Automotive Parts, Nassau, NY
Rob Kerr, Workman Auto Repair, Brighton ON Canada
Randy Whaley, Workman Auto Repair, Brighton ON Canada
Mike Beattie, Niagara College, Welland, ON Canada
Christopher Ens, Precision Engines, Whitehorse Yukon,
Canada
Matthew Tedder, MTP Drivetrain, Many, LA
Jeff St Peter, SPR Enterprises LLC, Port Washington, WI
Arthur Olivo, Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria, CA
Kevin Alford, MTP Drivetrain, Many, LA
Francisco Trevino, Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria, CA
Bradley Mallen, Automotive Training Center, Warminster, PA
Elishia Tedder, MTP Drivetrain, Many, LA
Jaime Sherburne, Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria, CA
Mike Kloeber, Perkins Pacific, Ridgefield, WA
Matthew Peebles, Matts Motorsports, Melbourne, FL
Greg Wheeler, Niagara College, Welland ON Canada
David Hippler, MTP Drivetrain, Many, LA
Kurt Scoffield, M & W Machine, Three Forks, MT
James Fallen, Engine Lab, Tampa, FL
Kirk Roelfsema, Crowder College, Neosho, MO
Dave Naugle, Engine Lab, Tampa, FL
Kenneth Alkire, Cresap Automotive, Cumberland, MD
Rafael Valle, Deltona, FL
Chad Shuey, Ono, PA
Curtis Sargent, MTP Drivetrain, Many, LA
Jeffrey Myers, MAP Automotive, Philadelphia, PA
Aaron Brooks, Springfield, MO
David Brigham, B & H Auto Supply, Middleboro, MA
Jeffrey Box, MTP Drivetrain, Many, LA
Chris Lore, MTP Drivetrain, Many, LA
Sam Heisen, Santa Monica, CA
Adam Huff, Carquest of Canada Ltd, London, ON Canada
Fred Thompson, G & S Auto Parts, Littleton, CO
Paul Spakowski, Skyline College, Pacifica, CA
Joseph Gotelli, Gotelli Speed Shop, S. San Francisco, CA
To find out more about AERA Online Training, call AERA at 815-526-7600, ext. 202 and ask for Karen or e-mail: [email protected].
Karen can answer all your questions and, when ready, register you to begin the program. To register immediately, please fill out the form
on the opposite page and return to AERA.
➠
AERA ONLINE TRAINING
AERA Engine Building and Machining
Certificate Program
REGISTRATION FORM
NAME
COMPANY NAME
AERA ID NUMBER:
COMPANY ADDRESS
CITY, STATE, ZIP
PHONE
E-MAIl AddRESS (REQUIRED )
SIGNED BY
REGISTRATION FEE: $150 per person INCLUDES Gary Lewis book
AMOUNT ENCLOSED:
■ CHECK — PLEASE MAKE PAYABLE TO AERA.
CREDIT CARD: ■ VISA ■ MASTERCARD ■ DISCOVER ■ AMERICAN EXPRESS
CARD NUMBER:
EXPIRATION:
CSC:
CARDHOLDER NAME:
CARDHOLDER SIGNATURE:
If paying by credit card, please fax completed registration form to AERA
toll-free fax 888-329-2372
Or, mail your completed form with payment to: AERA, 500 Coventry Lane, Suite 180, Crystal Lake, IL 60014.
Call AERA toll-free if you have any questions: 888-326-2372 or direct at 815-526-7600.
SEALING
SCIENCE
FEL-PRO®
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“OTHER” GASKET
“Other” gasket part began leaking
coolant at 140 hours.
UNIQUE “FEL-PRO ONLY”
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applied with computercontrolled precision in stateof-the-art Federal-Mogul
manufacturing facilities. Another
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example of Fel-Pro sealing science
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©2012 Federal-Mogul Corporation.
All rights reserved.
tech
TB 2603
Additional Head Gasket Option for 2007-12
Mini Cooper 1.6L N14 Engines
The AERA Technical Department offers the following
information regarding an additional thickness head gasket for
2007-2012 Mini Cooper 1.6L N14 engines. This information
should be considered any time the cylinder head is removed from
above subject engines.
Before removing the cylinder head, loosen and re-torque each
head bolt to ensure thread strength and integrity. There have been
many instances of stripped head bolt hole threads in these
aluminum cylinder blocks. Determining a complete repair during
teardown is well advised rather than finding out during assembly
procedures.
Before any surfacing operations are performed, a coolant
pressure test is advised to detect coolant leaks from possible
cracks or porosity conditions. Use the following data after sealing
off all coolant holes.
1) Compressed air supply at regulator valve must not exceed
43.5 psi (3 bar).
2) Heat cylinder head to 140°F (60°C).
3) Submerge head in water bath and observe for bubble
formation.
Measure the cylinder head flatness with a straight edge:
• Maximum deviation from level, longitudinal is .00394”
(.100 mm)
• Maximum deviation from level, transversal is .0020”
(.050 mm)
If the cylinder head is re-machined, a thicker coating + .012”
(.300 mm) is also available for service personnel.
Head Gasket Thickness
• .0354” (.900 mm)
• .0472” (1.20 mm)
Part Number
STD. 11127595138
+.012” (.300 mm) O/S 11127586908
Important: Rubber coating on cylinder head gasket must not be
damaged under any circumstances before or during installation.
This engine requires all new head bolts to install the cylinder
head. Follow the suggested torque values listed below and torque
bolts in an outward pattern starting from the center with the 10
mm bolts first.
Bolt Description / Torque Value
• 10 mm x 145 mm
Torque value: 22 FT/LBS (30 Nm) +90° +90°
• 8 mm x 95 mm
Torque value: 15 FT/LBS (15 Nm) +90° +90°
• 8 mm x 35 mm
Torque value: 22 FT/LBS (30 Nm)
TB 2604
High Engine Oil Pressure On 6466 & 6076
John Deere Diesel Engines
The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information
regarding observed high engine oil pressure after building a 6466
or 6076 John Deere diesel engine. This bulletin concerns engines
that experienced service work to the engine oil cooler.
These engines use an engine oil cooler and the cover plate
contains a spool valve similar to those used in an automatic
transmission valve body. The spool valve is used to control oil
fluid paths which alter with different pressures. Checking the
spool valve fit and orientation is part of the engine build process
before the cover plate is attached to the pump body with an inbetween gasket.
The directional mounting gasket has two locating bolt holes
and two oil path holes for this vertical mounted oil cooler. It is,
however, possible to physically mount the gasket in either
direction with only one being correct. The incorrect positioning
of the gasket will block off the oil return oil hole, creating
excessively high engine oil pressure. In this instance, the
mounting gasket (C in Figure 1) was found incorrectly installed,
thus blocking off oil return port. Installation of a new gasket in
the correct orientation resolved the higher engine oil pressure.
If this engine assembly would have been dyno-tested before
releasing to the customer, the high pressure condition would have
been observed and this problem could have been resolved in a
short period of time.
Find engine specs
fast and easy
PRO-SIS SA ENGINE SPECIFICATION SOFTWARE, GIVES YOU ACCESS
TO NEARLY 7,000 ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS WITH JUST A CLICK
OF YOUR MOUSE — PLUS, YOU CAN ADD YOUR OWN CUSTOM ENGINE
INFORMATION TO THE PRO-SIS SA DATABASE. SO, BY THE TIME
IT TAKES YOU TO FIND THE MANUAL, WITH PRO-SIS SA YOU’VE
ALREADY FOUND YOUR SPECS AND ARE BACK TO WORK...
THAT’S A MONEY-MAKING DIFFERENCE!
WWW.AERA.ORG/PRO-SIS
TOLL-FREE 888-326-2372 / 815-526-7600
500 COVENTRY LANE, STE 180, CRYSTAL LAKE, IL 60014
tech
TB 2605
Revised Head Bolt and Oil Orifice for 2005 Honda
3.5L Engines
Installation
If you’re using 12-point head bolts, follow the torque angle
method in these steps following the torque sequence shown in
Figure 3.
The AERA Technical Committee offers information on a revised
cylinder head bolt and oil orifice usage for 2005 Honda 3.5L
engines. This information should be considered any time the
cylinder head has been removed.
Head Bolt Design Changed for V6 Engines
This article applies only to 2005 Honda V6-equipped models
built in North America. In July of 2005, the Ohio engine plant
and Alabama assembly factory changed the type of cylinder head
bolts used to assemble V6 engines.
The original head bolts used were 6-point, elasticity range
bolts. Those bolts use a three step torque method. The new
revised head bolts are 12-point plasticity range bolts, which
require a torque angle method of tightening. See Figure 1.
Figure 3 – Head Bolt Torque Sequence
Figure 1 – Different Head Bolt Design
As a rule, you should never mix these two different bolt types.
Mixing the bolts, or switching between their bolt tightening
methods, could cause bolt failure or cylinder/head distortion.
Always order the same type of head bolts that originally came
with the engine. If for instance, the engine came from the factory
with 6-point bolts, don’t order 12-point bolts, even if you’re
replacing all the bolts. The parts catalog lists both types of bolts
for ‘05 vehicles. You can take the guesswork out of ordering if
you’ve got the vehicle’s engine number before ordering.
Before reusing 12-point bolts, qualify the bolt by measuring
the bolt diameter in two places as shown in Figure 2. If either
diameter is less than 11.3 mm (0.44 in.), you must replace that
bolt. If you’re using 6-point bolts, you can keep using the same
ones again and again, unless, of course, they’re damaged.
1) Apply fresh engine oil to the threads and under each bolt
head.
2) Use a beam-type torque wrench to torque the bolts in
sequence shown below to 22 FT/LBS (29 Nm). If you’re using
a preset torque wrench, make sure you torque them slowly to
prevent over tightening. If a bolt makes a noise while you’re
torqueing it, loosen that bolt and torque it again from the first
step.
3) When you’re done torqueing all the bolts, tighten them
further in two steps (90 degrees per step) in sequence. If
you’re using new bolts, tighten those bolts an extra 90
degrees. If you tighten a bolt beyond the specified angle,
remove that bolt and re-measure its diameter. Replace the bolt
if needed. Don’t loosen it back to the specified angle.
Figure 4 – Torque Angle Method
Figure 2 – Measure Bolt Thread
If you’re using 6-point head bolts, follow the three step torque
procedure, observing the torque sequence shown in Figure 3:
1) Apply fresh engine oil to the threads and under each bolt
head.
2) In sequence torque the eight bolts to 29 FT/LBS (39 Nm),
Repeat 29 FT/LBS (39 Nm)
Different oil control orifice locations:
Depending on the engine model being worked on, the
location of the cylinder block oil control orifice is different.
The locations vary between these two types, and if you
install these orifices in the wrong spot, you could cause long
term damage to the engine. Refer to Figure 5 to determine
the correct location.
Are you an
engine guy?
We are! Contact us because we have the answers
for engines. For more information, go online to
www.aera.org or call toll-free 888-326-2372.
Join today!
Go to page 94 for a membership application.
Figure 5 – Oil Control Orifice Locations
THE RIGHT
PUSHROD
FOR
YOUR APPLICATION
PERFORMANCE CARS, TRUCKS, MOTORCYCLES,
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AERA Technical Bulletins
also available online
www.aera.org
DESIGNED FOR USE IN THE MOST DEMANDING ENVIRONMENTS
AERA mails Engine Professional magazine
quarterly. The technical bulletins in English and
Spanish can be found online at www.aera.org. If
you have any questions or if you need technical
support send an e-mail to [email protected] or call
toll-free (888) 326-2372.
1 800 367 1533
62958 Layton Ave, Ste. 4
Bend, OR 97701
www.pushrods.net
tech
TB 2606
H-Ring Alignment Checking Tool for Mack
ASET & E-Tech Diesel Engines
The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information
regarding a new H-Ring alignment checking tool for Mack ASET
and E-Tech diesel engines. This tool is required any time lifters or
camshaft work is being performed.
An H-ring alignment checking tool (tool #J 46083) has been
developed for E-Tech™ and ASET™ engines. The tool allows the
technician to check H-ring alignment from the crankcase side of
the engine rather than having to remove the cylinder heads to
check alignment from the top of the cylinder block. This tool,
which is available from the O.E. Tool and Equipment Group of
SPX Corporation (Kent-Moore), must be used to verify H-ring
alignment after a camshaft failure, or any time the camshaft and
valve lifters have been removed from the engine for any repair or
overhaul.
Any valve train failure that results in excessive valve lash or
that subjects the lifter body to rotational force, such as a broken
rocker arm, broken rocker shaft, broken rocker shaft mounting
bolts and cam/lifter failure, can result in dislodging the H-ring or
rotating it out of alignment. If the dislodged or misaligned H-ring
is not corrected, failure of the cam lobe and lifter will result.
A check for upward dislodgment of the H-ring can easily be
made from the top of the engine without having to remove the
cylinder heads, by using a length of welding rod (approximately
15 inches long) and a straightedge positioned on the cylinder
head top rail.
It is mandatory that the H-ring alignment tool be used to
check H-ring alignment any time the camshaft and valve lifters
have been removed from the engine for any reason. If it is
determined that an H-ring is not properly aligned, the cylinder
head(s) must be removed, and H-ring installation tool #J 41683
must be used to properly install the new H-rings. Under no
circumstances should the H-ring alignment checking tool, or any
other method of installation, be used to install the H-rings from
the bottom of the engine.
The H-ring alignment checking tool consists of two simulated
valve lifters mounted on a short piece of flat stock. The two
simulated lifters, which correspond to the mating lifter bores for
each cylinder in the block, are secured to the flat stock with
Allen-head bolts and pinned in place so that alignment relative to
the H-rings in the lifter bores is always maintained. A handle for
inserting the tool into the lifter bores, is mounted to the flat stock
between the two lifters. On the handle is an insertion depth
groove that aligns with the oil pan mounting surface of the
cylinder block to signify that the H-rings are in proper alignment.
Figure 1 – H-Ring Alignment Tool, J 46083
Until development of the H-ring alignment tool, the only
proper method of determining H-ring alignment was by removing
the cylinder head and using the H-ring installation tool. With the
H-ring alignment checking tool, however, H-ring alignment can
easily be checked from the bottom of the engine after the
camshaft and lifters have been removed.
The H-ring is a guide ring located in the valve lifter bore that
prevents axial rotation of the valve lifter. Alignment of the H-ring
relative to the camshaft is critical to ensure that the lifter roller is
properly aligned on the cam lobe.
Figure 3 – H-Ring Alignment Checking Tool Components
Figure 2 – H-Rings in Lifter Bores
Burrs, nicks or any other types of damage will hinder
insertion of the H-ring alignment checking tool into the H-rings.
The tool must be handled and stored carefully so that it is
maintained in good condition. It is critical that the simulated
lifters remain in proper alignment relative to the H-rings.
To use the H-ring alignment checking tool, simply insert it
into the lifter bores from the bottom side of block.
Figure 4 – Inserting Alignment Checking Tool into Lifter Bores
If both H-rings are in proper alignment, the tool will
insert fully into the lifter bores, and the insertion depth
groove on the handle will align with the oil pan mounting
surface of the cylinder block. Note: The H-ring alignment
checking tool cannot be used to determine if an H-ring has
been dislodged and pushed up into the lifter bore. H-ring
height must still be checked and verified by using the
procedures outlined in service bulletin SB-213-033.
Unique bore gage for fast,
precise hole measurement
Needs no electricity or
compressed air
Figure 5 – Insertion Depth Groove Aligning with
Oil Pan Mounting Surface
If either of the two H-rings is not in alignment, the tool
will not fully insert into the lifter bores, and the insertion
depth groove will not align with the oil pan mounting
surface. If it has been determined that an H-ring is not in
alignment, the cylinder head must be removed and the pair
of H-rings for that cylinder must be checked with the H-ring
installation tool (tool #J 41683) to determine which H-ring
is misaligned. When replacing the H-ring, refer to service
bulletin SB-213-033 for information on determining proper
H-ring fit and the applicable engine service manual for
proper H-ring installation procedures.
Sunnen’s PG Bore Gages take
an intuitive approach to hole
gaging with a mechanical
design and speedometer-type
scale for quick visual
confirmation of ID (inside
diameter) by a busy machine
operator. The gage combines
lab-precise accuracy
(±0.000025"/0.0006mm) with
a shop-hardened design that’s
compact, portable and
mountable on machining stations. PG gages can be used to
examine the entire bore for diameter, taper, barrel, bell
mouth, out-of-round and lobing. Various models are available
for gaging IDs from 0.090" to 4.310". Metric models cover IDs
from 2.0-109.47 mm.
For more information visit
sunnen.com or contact your
Sunnen representative
at 1-800-325-3670.
tech
TB 2607
TB 2608
Coolant in The Oil On 2008-2011
Kia 2.0L Engines
Engine Component Caution For 1999-2012 Caterpillar
C15 Diesel Engines
The AERA Technical Committee offers
the following information regarding
engine coolant in the engine oil supply for
2008-2011 Kia 2.0L G4GC engines. This
condition is first noticed as low coolant
levels with no signs of leakage.
Continued coolant leakage may
damage engine bearings, resulting in
major engine damage.
The AERA Technical Committee offers the following information regarding
major engine components for 1999-2012 Caterpillar C15 diesel engines. The
engine requirements for specific applications required various component
enhancements for the crankshaft and connecting rods. Pistons, rings and pins
also changed. Some components are also shared with the C16 and C18 engines.
Replacement of these components must match the failed parts to physically
fit into the engine. There are three different connecting rods possible as shown
in the following table.
Before ordering engine parts be sure which combination of components
you’re working on.
The source of this leak is a cracked
cylinder head as observed in the photo
above. This particular head had three
such small cracks located adjacent to the
screw-in core plug holes. Pressure testing
the head revealed small leaks at all three
locations. Repair of these cracks is
unlikely as the entire area is not readily
accessible.
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MARKETPLACE
Attention AERA Members! Advertise your business card with Engine Professional magazine
and capitalize on the fastest growing hardcore engine publication in the aftermarket…
MARKETPLACE
is for AERA
members only.
It will be featured in
every issue of
Engine Professional
magazine.
Business Card Ad (3.5" x 2")
Four times a year,
over 15,000
copies of Engine
Professional are sent
to an audited list of
engine professionals.
1x Rate $200
4x Rate $170
All ads run full color at no extra charge.
To advertise in this section, you must be an AERA member.
For details on how to join, visit www.aera.org.
“Marketplace” Business Card Ad Order Form
Name:
Company:
AERA ID #:
Address:
City, State, ZIP:
Phone: (
)
Fax: (
)
E-mail:
Rate $____________ x # of insertions ______ = Total $__________________
■ Visa
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■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■
NOTE: Please mail payment to Karen at AERA (see address below).
E-mail electronic artwork (JPG or PDF) to: [email protected]
If you do not have an electronic file, mail business card along with payment.
Expiration Date (MM/YY) ________ / ________
3-digit CSC: ________
Print Cardholder Name
Cardholder Signature
Fax toll-free 1-888-329-2372
Or, mail with your payment to: Engine Professional Magazine / AERA, 500 Coventry Lane, Suite 180, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 U.S.A.
Questions? Please contact Karen at AERA toll-free 888-326-2372 or 815-526-7600 / [email protected].
Hal Fowler 404-427-0171 / [email protected] or Jim Rickoff 507-457-8975 / [email protected]
E-mail artwork to — [email protected]
AERA is a network of professional
engine builders, rebuilders and
installers with the expertise and
connections to provide you with the
right answers when you need them.
If you’re in the engine building
business, there’s no tool more
important than an AERA
membership.
NEW BENEFITS FOR
AERA MEMBERS
New Credit Card Processing through TSYS
Low member-only processing rates through TSYS (a top-ten
processor), electronic check services, free online reporting,
all major credit card and debit cards, gift and loyalty
programs. Contact Kit Barret at TSYS Merchant Solutions at
800-516-6242 ext. 4077.
An AERA membership also gives you:
• Toll-free technical support
• Specialized engine specification software
• Four engine specification manuals and
annual membership directory
• Engine Professional magazine
New Discount Program with HP
Discounts on computer hardware and supplies, no costs
or minimum orders, free ground shipping.
New Online Certification Program
The only online certification program available for
engine builders.
New and Improved Products from AERA
AERA carries a variety of high-quality shop supplies, unique
items which have been selected and produced based on
input from members … new and improved temperature
recorder labels, tags, bags, and more!
• Regional Tech & Skills Conferences
• A voice in Washington, D.C.
• Special discounts from a number of “partner”
companies to help AERA members reduce costs
on insurance, shipping, utilities, waste removal and
a variety of other services.
Join today!
Complete the membership application on the next page
and return to AERA. For more information, call AERA
toll-free 888-326-2372 or visit www.aera.org.
AERA – Engine Builders Association
Crystal Lake, IL 60014 U.S.A.
toll-free 888-326-2372 / 815-526-7600
fax 888-329-2372 / 815-526-7601
www.aera.org • email: [email protected]
APPLICATION FOR U.S. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP
ELIGIBLITY REQUIREMENTS: Applicant should be a proprietorship, partnership or corporation that has adequate automotive shop
equipment and performs either engine machining, engine modification, engine assembly or engine installation and whose principal business
serves the automotive, truck, tractor, marine, diesel and other classes of retail, industrial and commercial accounts and not primarily sell used
parts (which term does not include remanufactured parts) in their main place of business.
1. Please remit a sheet of company letterhead, company business card or company invoice with application.
2. If your business meets the above criteria, please complete the form below. (Please print legibly or type.)
COMPANY INFORMATION
Company Name
Date business started
Contact Person (one name only)
Business Address
City, State, Zip
Phone
Fax
Email
Website
How many personnel in your shop?
(include part-time personnel)
Please check the appropriate categories for listing
in the AERA Membership Directory:
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
AC – Custom, passenger car and light truck engine rebuilding
AD – Diesel, heavy-duty and industrial engine rebuilding
AF – Foreign, motorcycle and small engine rebuilding
AH – High-performance engine rebuilding
AL – Drive line rebuilding
AM – Marine engine rebuilding
AP – Production engine rebuilding (100+ per month)
AY – Cylinder head rebuilding specialist
AI – Engine installation
Other
AERA MEMBERSHIP DUES
Select the appropriate personnel category for your shop.
Number of shop personnel:
■
■
■
■
1 - 3........................................$359
4 - 8........................................$440
9 - 24......................................$568
25 or more ............................$671
($29.92/month)
($36.67/month)
($47.33/month)
($55.92/month)
PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY APPLICATION
■ ENTIRE AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $
★ MONTHLY PAYMENT PLANS AVAILABLE: Contact AERA for details.
CREDIT CARD: ■ VISA ■ MasterCard ■ American Express ■ Discover
■ CHECK: Please make check payable to AERA
Cardholder Name (please print)
Card Number
Expiration:
Security Code:
Cardholder Signature
I attest that my firm meets the above requirements and give AERA permission to verify the information.
Signature
Title
★ RECOMMENDED FOR MEMBERSHIP BY:
Send application and payment to: AERA, 500 Coventry Lane, Suite 180, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Or — fax your completed application
with payment to 888-329-2372 (toll-free) or 815-526-7601. You may also apply online at www.aera.org. If you are already an AERA member,
please give this application to a friend. Call AERA toll-free 888-326-2372 (or direct 815-526-7600) with any questions.
ADVERTISER INDEX
Monthly
Payment
Options
AERA now offers monthly installment
payment options for your
annual AERA membership and
PRO-SIS support fees.
• Credit card
• Direct withdrawl from
bank account
There will be no additional fees if you
elect to pay monthly.
Example: A small (1-3 man) shop pays
an annual rate of $359 or $29.92 per month
for 12 months (credit card or direct withdrawl
from bank account).
For more information, call Karen
at 888-326-2372 or
e-mail [email protected].
Access Industries ...........................................................5
ACL..............................................................................21
AERA ..............................................15, 80-81, 85, 93-94
ATI................................................................................53
Cloyes ............................................................................9
Comp Cams.................................................................57
CTP / Costex Tractor Parts ...................inside back cover
CWT Industries...............................................................1
DNJ Engine Components ...................outside back cover
Driven Racing Oil..........................................................77
Durabond .....................................................................85
Elgin .............................................................................27
Endurance Power Products .........................................61
Engine Parts Group Inc. (EPGI) ....................................58
Enginequest .................................................................67
ESCO Industries...........................................................55
Federal Mogul / Fel-Pro ..........................................82-83
Fluidampr/Vibratech .....................................................25
Fowler Sales & Service.................................................68
FreightQuote.com ........................................................82
Goodson ......................................................................52
Hastings ................................................inside front cover
IPD...............................................................................89
Jamison .......................................................................43
Joe Baker Equipment Sales .........................................70
K-Line ..........................................................................42
L.A.Sleeve ....................................................................82
MAHLE Clevite ...............................................................7
Martin Wells (IPD) .........................................................47
Maxiforce .....................................................................71
Melling..........................................................................31
Packard........................................................................15
PEP........................................................................46, 56
QualCast ......................................................................44
Quality Power Products................................................29
Regis............................................................................73
Rottler ..........................................................................96
S.B. International............................................................3
Safety Auto Parts .........................................................45
Smith Brothers .............................................................87
Sunnen ..................................................................63, 89
Superflow.....................................................................69
Topline ....................................................................78-79
Tracto-Parts Center......................................................13
Ultrasonics, LLC...........................................................17
United Engine and Machine (UEM) ...............................35
ADVERTISING
OPPORTUNITIES
AERA – Engine Builders Association
Crystal Lake, IL 60014 U.S.A.
toll-free 888-326-2372 / 815-526-7600
fax 888-329-2372 / 815-526-7601
www.aera.org • email: [email protected]
Get your advertising message directly into the shops who are building, rebuilding and installing engines professionally by advertising in
Engine Professional magazine.
Engine professionals worldwide will receive this full-color publication
four times per year. Each issue will be filled with highly technical and
application-driven articles from our staff of writers, as well as feature
contributions from industry professionals.
For more information, download a media kit from our website at
www.aera.org/ep or contact our ad sales staff.
Ad Sales • Hal Fowler 404-427-0171 [email protected]
• Jim Rickoff 507-457-8975 [email protected]
For ad payment, circulation, membership information:
Call AERA toll-free 888-326-2372 or 815-526-7600.
P69
5-Axis CNC Cylinder Head
Digitizing and Porting Machine
F69ATC
CNC Machining Center with
Automatic Tool Changer
SG8 Cylinder Head Valve Seat
& Guide Machine utilizing
FIXED Pilot Tooling
SG80A Heavy Duty
CNC Cylinder Head Valve
Seat & Guide Machine
S8 Cylinder Head and
Block Surfacing Machine
F8A
Programmable
Cylinder Boring
and Resleeving
Machine
HP6A
Programmable
Power Stroke
Automatic Diamond
Honing Machine
SG9M Cylinder
Head Seat & Guide
Machine utilizing
UNIPILOT Tooling
SG9A CNC Cylinder
Head Seat & Guide
Machine utilizing
UNIPILOT Tooling
F69A
Programmable
Automatic
Machining
Center for Small
Size Blocks
F109
Multi Purpose CNC
Machining Center for
Medium to Very Large
Blocks
F69A Multi
Purpose CNC
Machining
Center for Small
to Medium
Connecting Rods
SG7 Cylinder Head
Valve Seat & Guide
Machine utilizing
FIXED Pilot Tooling
F99Y CR Multi Purpose
CNC Machining Center
for Medium to Very Large
Connecting Rods
F79Y
Multi Purpose CNC
Machining Center for Small
to Medium Block Heads
VR9 Centerless Valve
Refacing Machine
VR7 Valve
Refacing Machine
F99Y Multi Purpose CNC
Machining Center for Medium to
Large Blocks
Since 1923 Rottler Manufacturing has developed precision
performance racing and engine rebuilding machinery with
unmatched dedication, diversity and innovative product
development. Rottler’s advanced designs and equipment
continue to meet the most demanding engineering needs
of engine builders around the world.
Rottler offers a complete range of machines for every type of
engine builder from a performance racing shop, to a diesel jobber
shop or a demanding production remanufacturing facility. Rottler
has a machine for your specific application. Rottler equipment is
manufactured to the exacting standards demanded by the most
accurate machining companies in the world.
8029 South 200th Street
Kent, WA 98032 USA
1-800-452-0534
THE CUTTING EDGE
+1 253 872 7050
www.rottlermfg.com
www.youtube.com/rottlermfg www.facebook.com/rottlermfg
email: [email protected]
96 JAN-MAR 2013 engine professional AN AERA INTERNATIONAL QUARTERLY PUBLICATION