Engine Block Archives - Import Car
Customer States: Honda Soda Can Tab Fix

As I removed the timing belt and balance shaft belt, I noticed this soda can tab holding one of the crank sensors in place. Apparently, the customer knew of this from a year ago when the balance shaft belt broke but couldn’t afford the sensor or a new water pump.

Head Gasket Q & A

One reason head gaskets fail is because of engine overheating. If the engine gets too hot, the cylinder head can swell to the point where it crushes the head gasket (usually between the cylinders because this is the thinnest point). The extruded material and/or cracked combustion armor then provides a leak path for coolant and/or combustion gases.

Performance Rocker Arms

Overhead cams have been used in many European and Asian engines for years, so when Ford opted to go the overhead cam route with their 4.6L V8 engine, some predicted pushrod engines were on their way out. But, GM stuck with the pushrod design for their LS engines as did Chrysler with their 5.7L and 6.2L Hemi engines. When you add in all the older engines and current aftermarket block/head combinations that still use pushrods and rocker arms, it’s easy to understand why rocker arms and pushrods are still a hot topic for performance engine building.

Street Performer: 60 Years Of Chevrolet’s Iconic Corvette

The new Chevrolet Corvette LT1 engine, the first of the Gen 5 family of small block engines, combines several advanced technologies, including direct injection, active fuel management and continuously variable valve timing to support an advanced combustion system.

2014 Corvette LT1: The Engine Under the Hood

The art and science behind its combustion system makes the Corvette LT1 one of the most advanced V8 engines in the world.

Phaser-Style Variable Valve Timing System Controls And Operation

Phasers commonly can be found on just the exhaust cam or on both the intake and exhaust cams.

Memory Lane: Nuts, Bolts And Screws – Finishing A Chevy Restoration Project

Gary Goms discusses the mechanical challenges of restoring a truck that he began maintaining when he went to work in a gas station – back in 1957!

Tips and Tricks for Quickly and Accurately Detecting Cracks

If your customer wants you to diagnose a problem with a cylinder head or block, you’ll probably want to use one or more methods of crack detection to determine where the problems are.

Timing Belt Replacement on Jeep’s 2.4L PowerTech Engine

In its short life, the engine was available in the 2002-’06 Jeep Liberty (first generation), as well as the 2004-’06 Jeep Wrangler, but was discontinued when Jeep introduced the Compass and Patriot small crossovers.

Tech Talk: Career Building — Developing Engine Building Experiences in School

Though many high school automotive programs have been cut or reduced in recent years due to funding, community colleges and technical schools are seeing steady enrollment in their automotive programs.

Subaru Outback Head Gasket Repair

The Subaru is a 2002 Outback with 109,982 miles. It has excessive oil leaks from the driver’s side head gasket and some from the passenger’s side. The vehicle had been repaired under warranty by the dealer at about 65,000 miles, and most likely the repairs were done without taking the engine out with probably only one head gasket being replaced. To complete the repair, follow the steps outlined in this article.

Cylinder Block Cracks on 4.6L Cadillac Engines

A subject certainly worth knowing about are cylinder block cracks on the Cadillac 4.6L DOHC engine. You may never see one of these cracks unless you painstakingly look for it or it bites you on a warranty. However, it becomes obvious almost immediately if you need to resurface the block deck.