I am learning about making engines and I am looking to build one for not too expensive, I was seeing people make them out of fridge compressors, but is there any other like machines I can make them out of. I am not looking to build one from scratch, I have experience with building engines with compressed air.

Hi Everyone,

I have a 2017 WRX with a stock FA20 motor in it. I was looking through the service manual and noticed the WRX section has a "camshaft clearance" chapter in it, whereas the STI section (different motor -- 2.5L EJ) of the manual has a "valve clearance" chapter.

Does anybody have a simple explanation of what the difference is? They both seem to measure the distance between the cam lobe and roller rocker arm.

Thanks.

Hey all,

I'm working on a Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycle and want to add an oil pressure warning light because she sometimes drinks oil at higher rpms and I forget to check oil levels religiously.

The oil pump sends oil up an oil tube to a few places, the topmost being overhead cams and I want to know that there is at least SOME flow reaching the cams. If she had higher oil pressure it could be super easy to drill and tap the oil line and add an off the shelf pressure switch, but because other riders have seen oil pressure at idle with fully warmed up oil be as low as 1.2 PSI, I don't know a way to get a reliable signal that oil is flowing without having a bunch of false positives about low oil pressure. Here are some ideas I've thought of but don't know if any are possible:

1: Somehow find a pressure switch that actuates at like 0.5 PSI
2: Some fancy electric sensor to check that oil is just present in the tube, maybe an electrode gap that's bridged by oil?
3: An inline flow meter that has little to no resistance to the flow.

Pretty stumped on this one, any advice is greatly appreciated

I got a '15 challenger with the 5.7. It has a edelbrock intake manifold- that intake works good on 6.4s but on NA 5.7s, they'll lose power unless u get more air in there. It only benefits me in the higher RPM range and then I also have a procharger that does the same thing basically. I got shorty headers since I read they can help low end torque which is kinda what I want from a cam. I want it to make more low end power...but I'm conflicted because I want to rev higher anyway lol I shift at 5750 when I'm getting on it but that's only because I'm worried about the engine not being able to handle the stress. After these mods idk where I can safely go. I got the cam & upgraded springs, hellcat lifters, & beefy connecting rods. I'll get forged pistons & pushrods too, next week I think I'll order em.. Soo where should my shift point be? He also asked about where I want my stall converter at... My tranny is stock now but I've been waiting on the shop to get me in there to talk about my transmission and what he's going to do.. Based on all that, can you give me any advice? Is it possible to make the car rev higher with a cam swap? I'm in way over my head rn lol help

Hello, I have a 2014 completely stock engine with 195k. My question is could I swap to a K24a RBB3 as pictured below? It has a Turbo, my current engine does not. Would the turbo be an issue? Thanks for the responses!

https://preview.redd.it/whzumxxvczzd1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=c4b4ec3207907c9c1f78332e3941054e34b88262

I've been working on cars for like 8 years and I never had a single impact wrench in my tools, it's ridiculous for sure that's why I want to buy one soon. My main concern is the GM balancer bolt, once I tried removing one with an air impact but couldn't.

I have an eye in craftsman bc I like that brand or Milwaukee bc I think those are the best but very pricey

Also what torque to get? 1000 FTS for every car job? suspension - balancer bolt - head bolts ?

im on tight budget btw and thanks in advance :) have a good day

I just installed the TSP chopacobra with the MDS delete and the cam phaser is locked out. I used the diablosport i3 tuner to turn off MDS with the 91 tune. It won’t idle unless I give it gas and if I put it in reverse or drive it dies. It’s not throwing any codes and I’m not sure what to do from here.

Just finished my turbo build on my ls3 Camaro Tuning went great, no issues, when I took it to the strip for its first pass about 3/4 down the track huge bloom of oil smoke out my hood stack, now it’s constantly smoking but really badly on decel. I’m an idiot and was not running a catch can, could this just be oil that was pushed passed the rings from too much crank case pressure building, also my valve cover gaskets were blown out on both sides. Worse case scenario a blown ringland possibly? Car seems to run okay other then the smoke, also turbo oil drain in -10. Looking for help or opinions, thanks!

7 psi on stock bottom end 78mm vs racing turbo

I'm trying to find crank and rod bearings for my engine and they are listed in sizes "Standard" +3 microns and +6 microns. How do I know which one to get? They do not list any values or any other information for fitment. As a complete novice should I'm confused by these size ratings. For rebuilding an engine are these plus sizes meant to have a machine shop remove material and polish the bearing mating surface on the crank and piston rods for them to fit? If so what's a safe size to get? Thanks for the help in advance!

Recently acquired a 2018 challenger rt, 5.7.

I've always been wanting to learn how to build a motor, I can do pretty much most things on a car, but when it comes to motors and what to do, im pretty clueless. I know the basics like what valves, camshaft, and what all the parts are but i don't know what I can do for power or where to start learning.

Any good guides? Youtube channels? Forums? Somewhere i can start learning about motors more

Trying to install wrist pins on my pistons but these damn things are literally impossible. How the hell do you guys do it without chopping off your fingers?

Hoping to get input from the LS crowd. Thanks to everyone in advance.. i appreciate it.

Auto tech by trade here, and it’s my personal vehicle (07 yukon - has provisions for AFM but doesn’t have it). I got it for a song a few years back with 99k miles - it was trashed and among the worst of it was low oil pressure and a resulting p0011, as there wasn’t enough pressure to move the cam sprocket during torque converter lockup in 6th gear (~1100rpm). I replaced the oil pump pickup tube o-ring (i progressively overfilled the motor while watching pressure, and got a result)…. and although i wasn’t impressed with the oil pressure, it was enough to keep the light off, and the motor has always sounded/performed great so i went on with my life.

Until this morning. 4700 miles into a synthetic oil change and p0011 (2.5yrs since last occurred). Sooo in we go. Replaced the block off plate o-rings and replaced the oil and filter. Good for a 25psi gain! But, i call over a well seasoned co-worker for an opinion on that oil… looks like copper/babbit of some nature… we both agree engine sounds perfect, i’ve repaired likely north of 50 wiped cams by now… i know how to dance to that song. So that’s what brings me here…

I’m all but certain it’s cam bearings. Or, from my recent research, likely the 3rd(?) as the worst offender. Anybody know why? Obviously stock valve springs… All the cam failures i’ve repaired have been on iron blocks, and those bearings always looked a bit shabby, but never had oil pressure issues with any one of them. So is there a reason the L92 aluminum seems to create this problem more so? I’m convinced that my pickup o-ring and block off o-rings are bandaids. However, my cam does not seem to be in the process of killing itself (wiping a lobe) and the motor is happy enough… i’d really love to wait until the cam starts to go in it’s natural fashion to change the bearings. I like the truck, and always knew i’d likely face cam failure and 6L80 failure. again, i got the truck for a song so no worries on giving it some love.

What would y’all do? I believe my 07 denali has crappy cam bearings. 122k miles. I will change them, but prefer to wait a bit. I will reduce the interval to 3000 instead of 5000 miles on oil service. It makes 12 psi hot in gear at 480-490 rpm. 25-30 hot at 1000rpm. >45psi from 2000 up. Sounds happy always. TIA

Side-note; i believe a lot of repair techs (myself included) have been band-aiding faulty cam bearings (P0011) on L92s with o-rings that fix it for now.

As much as I want to ask “could I run it” I know I can’t

The piston is discontinued Ertel 946P Dose anyone know the specs for this piston so I can order similar myself and bring them to a shop The build is a sbc 350 bored 0.030 over

Just rebuilt this engine and there is a small leak on about a 0.5" section of the very bottom of the timing chain cover. It's not dripping down from elsewhere as I've swabbed it in other areas to check for drip down.

On this vehicle you have to pull the motor to properly reseal it, which is a multi day job (I don't have a 4 post lift or power tools, just a motor lifter).

Would a small line of JB weld on it after properly cleaning it off work?

Did you need the offset rocker arms to get proper valve train geometry? A well known cam builder said I do need them for this head, called AFR and they say I do not need them. Any experiences out there?

What tools I need to have to build 1 cylinder engine, and what is more simple to build 2 stroke or 4 stroke

What sealant do you guys recommend for main cap side bolts on LS engines?

Im looking for a Chevy engine that can handle a moderately high amount of boost with a relatively high compression ratio. I've been looking into the lq9 but I want to hear from other people before I make any real decisions.

Anyone in here know of a good mechanic in the Los Angeles

Does anyone know if this model of lifters have a steel tool body?When I search them up they tell me it is cold forged. I don’t know if it is cold forged steel or what I just want to make sure.

Hi all, I finally have my truck in the shop now, about to proceed dealing with a flattened cam lobe on a cylinder exhaust. Considering the engine likely needs a rebuild, what are some suggestions you would recommend for parts and rebuild specs for this 360 FE, to maybe turn it into a 390? I want this motor to get the truck out of its own way and be fun to drive on the street. Not going for crazy power, but the engine is most definitely a dog now so I’m not entirely sure what to expect. I’d like to keep this to a budget of a few thousand dollars, so far the shop is quoting $440 for full inspection and diagnosis. Any parts and price input appreciated, thanks

Hello, I am part of an FSAE team and we have been attempting to run our motor on our eddy current land and sea dyno, however we are having a connection issue with our data collecting board which is likely due to the board itself. I have been looking around and it seems and I can’t find the company website. We have some older kart water dyno’s that have their own data display board. Does anyone know if I can use the water dyno boards on the eddy current dyno?

Hey Guys, I acquired an LT1 engine & trans out of a 92 vette for free (yes it has the aluminum heads). I am planning to swap out the old tired 305/TH350 out of our 67 Camaro for this LT1 and trans. The LT1 engine is in good shape, and ran before getting pulled. I know I'll need to get a new wiring harness, so far all I've found is the Painless 60502. I plan on doing a few minor things to the LT1 before putting it in like replace the cap and rotor on the optispark, new water pump and little things like that. Also I am thinking about putting a choppy cam in it something like the comp cc306 and a 3-3500 RPM converter. I've got enough mechanical and engine experience, but haven't ever played with an LT1 and I'm sure I'll have many questions, but have a few off the top of my head I need to get figured out. First, will the SBC engine mounts work on the LT1? Will SBC headers fit on the LT1? Can I use a stock type radiator with the reverse flow cooling system? Any other tips and trick or helpful hints would be appreciated. I am aware this motor is old and not an LS, but it was free and from what I gather LT1's are still great motors. Thanks!