In earlier RET-Monitor articles I have written about the application and challenges of lead-free bearings. Until now the focus has been on the main bearing shells, mainly linked to the crankcase main bearing bore shape and split line quality. In this article I will put focus on the application of lead-free bearings in the small end of the con rod, as well as the design features for creating a reliable small end.
A number articles, in both Race Engine Technology
When you visit a large motorsport trade show, as I recently did, there will be a number of engine component suppliers present, some of which will be selling high-quality valvetrain components. In the display cabinets ranged before you, among other things you are likely to see valves of all sizes, shapes and materials, there for you to examine and discuss with the various specialists manning the stands.
Among these exhibits, there is sometimes a single, Read more…
Working with a production engine and increasing the stroke on it can often lead to problems in the valvetrain. That hasn’t been the case for Rhys Millen Motorsports (RMR), who decided - with four months to spare - that it would build up a Hyundai Lambda V6 from 3.8 to nearly 4.1 litres and install a single turbocharger for the 2010 Pikes Peak Hillclimb.
By the time the engine was completed it developed 698 hp and 670 lb-ft of torque. “When we were running the Read more…
In a previous RET-Monitor article we looked at how these ‘Back Torque Limiters’ or ‘Slipper Clutch’ units operate, and their particular advantages in motorcycle applications. They allow a controlled slipping of the clutch until the speeds of both the rear wheel and the engine are matched, and have found their way into many motorcycle race formulae including World and British Superbike, Supermoto and even Motocross. While not exclusively suited to motorcycle applications, installing these units into bike-engined kit cars has become more commonplace. Read more…
Many of us will be familiar with nitriding as a method of providing a hard wear-resistant surface on some engine components. An additional benefit is that the surface is put into a state of residual compressive stress by treatment. The benefit of doing so are that the fatigue life of the component is extended, even where there is no use made of the wear-resistant nature of the surface.
One point against nitriding though, in all of its forms, is Read more…
“Ensure that the gasket is in good condition” is a phrase commonly found in the workshop manual. Anyone rebuilding an engine or transmission with the assistance of such wise words will probably recognise the phrase, but while we often spend much hard-earned cash buying new internals, the temptation as far as the gaskets are concerned is to try wherever possible to use the old ones. We know it’s wrong, evidence of a cheapskate or even a miser, but nevertheless we still do it - and sometimes even get away with it. Read more…
After all this talk about the different types of piston rings - barrel, scraper, taper scraper and not forgetting of course the oil control ring - how do we assess their effectiveness and, perhaps more important, how do we know when things are starting to go wrong?
One way, I suppose, is to look behind you. If you see a slight blue haze in the rear view mirror then either you have a fancy tinted rear window or the beginnings of a major catastrophe. And should it be the latter, there is Read more…
When we look at the offerings from the major pushrod manufacturers, we see that there are many who offer assembled pushrods made from multiple pieces - usually three - with a typical race pushrod consisting of a long, slender central section combined with two ends which are assembled into the central section. Dieter van der Put, in his recent article looked at a method of producing a single-piece pushrod from three pieces, using the process of friction welding. Read more…
When Rhys Millen Motorsports (RMR) decided to field a car in the 2010 Pikes Peak Hillclimb, it upgraded its Formula Drift engine to compete in the rarified air of the famous Colorado mountains and built an all-wheel-drive closed coupe, the RMR PM580, to contain it. The car and engine were completed in four months; there were only two tests before the climb.
Using Hyundai’s Lambda 3.8 litre naturally aspirated V6, as found in the production Genesis coupe and sedan, Read more…
Many fundamental decisions have to be made when it comes to cooling an engine in the chassis. Do we have one radiator or perhaps two? Do we place them at the front of the car or at the side - or possibly, if more weight is required over the rear wheels, can we get adequate cooling by placing it at the rear?
To those assigned with cooling the engine and students of vehicle design, these decisions are no doubt all too familiar. But when it comes to the oil system, however, Read more…
