Tech Feature: The Subaru Boxer Engine: A Balance of Power
According to their engineers, these high-powered engines are ideal for all-wheel-drive applications used in Subaru vehicles because they are inherently compact – short and low.
Tech Feature: Engine Builders Have More Options Than Ever
The foundation of every engine is the cylinder block. Whether you are rebuilding a stock engine or building up a street performance engine, a circle track engine, drag engine, marine engine or whatever, you have to start with a good, solid block that’s machinable and free from cracks and other defects. That’s becoming more and more of a challenge in recent years because good cores for popular domestic engines are getting harder and ….
Tech Tip: Piston Ring Installation in Smaller Bores
The event of engine downsizing has caused many changes in almost every engine component. Piston rings are no exception. They have been reduced in diameter as cylinder bores have become smaller, with corresponding width and wall reductions. Compression rings 1.5 mm wide (.0575") are becoming more common then rings which are 2.0 mm (.0775") or wider ….
Under Pressure: Piston Service For Light Truck Diesels
The diesel engine market has been rapidly changing in recent years. Higher fuel prices and changes in emission regulations have brought about a whole new generation of clean diesel engines in both the light- and heavy-duty truck markets. According to the Diesel Technology Forum (www.dieselforum.org), particulate emissions from new on-highway diesel engines have been reduced
Engine Tuning & Chassis Upgrades
When car manufacturers come out with a new engine design, some car enthusiasts eye the new technology from a perspective of how to squeeze more performance out of it. The smaller displacement engines that are turbocharged or supercharged tend to be the most likely chosen because of their power-to-weight ratio. When Saab introduced a turbocharged
Getting a Fix on Piston Diagnosis and Inspection
Piston failures in late-model engines are relatively uncommon thanks to computerized engine controls that keep a close watch on the air/fuel mixture, and knock sensors that back off spark timing advance if detonation is detected. Pistons are also lasting longer because many engines now come factory-equipped with stronger hypereutectic alloy pistons that can withstand higher
Hot Tips From Hot Rod Builders
Sometimes the best opportunities are cleverly hidden in plain view. As one example, when Chris Lafferty of Lafferty Engine Creations was asked why he opted to expand beyond race engines into the hot rod and muscle car arenas, he snorted, “Just look outside.” His North Carolina facility sits squarely in the middle of both NASCAR
Advances in Piston Ring Technology
Piston rings have one of the toughest jobs inside an engine. They’re slammed up and down between the ring lands thousands of times a minute, they’re subjected to searing temperatures and extreme pressures, and they’re constantly scraping back and forth against the cylinder walls. In spite of all of this, the rings are expected to
Internal Engine Repairs: Begin with Diagnosing Engine Failure Culprits
Saab engine technology has evolved through the years, but the same basic design of the original B202 engine is still used in today’s Saabs. When the 16-valve 2.0L engine (B202) was developed in 1984, I was one of 10 people chosen from the East Coast area by Saab in the United States to attend a