54 replies to this topic

[Carlos W]

 

 

 

 

 

 i have not put any load on it yet

 

The advice I give when I build an engine for someone else is to NOT run it at all UNTIL it can get load on it RIGHT away. Not even run it for 1 minute.

 

With my own cars, I position them such that even before I get my hand off the key, I'm driving it right away, I doubt that they'd have 1/2 a second of unloaded run time.

 

Without load very very early on, the bores glaze very easily and then a hone is needed again to remove the glazing.

 

Once glazed, they will always smoke and never break in.

 

I'll stress, that this is the advice I give for engines I've built.

 

This is all great, but in the middle of my housing estate I just can't see how I can do it without someone reporting me to the police or something.  

 

 

Sorry Carlos, I know I'm not only slow but also thick.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at here.

 

You'e not slow or thick, and I take much pleasure in reading a lot of what you write.

 

How can I put my car under load at first start up? I can't drive it around the housing estate where I live as the vehicle wont be legal.

 

 

Ah OK, gotya now

 

Carlos, yes, I really am thick and slow mate

 

Well, the only suggestion I can make is to have your car road legal. Way I see it (and it's sometimes too simple) but what's the point of having a running engine with no legal car to use it in?

 

I'll acknowledge that it's not always possible but is more often than not.

 

When I was involved in motor sports, we'd get the engines on a dyno of some sort, whether it be an engine or chassis dyno, but something to load them up.

 

OK, let's put this another way.

 

So, let's start the engine and (I guess) let it idle and it glazes up. Then what?

 

That it will glaze up is not always a certainty (if left to Idle), yes, but getting load on it ASAP greatly reduces the chance of that to about zero.

 

I suppose I could insure it, book an MOT then drive it half way to the MOT station and back. 

 

Laws in the UK are probably different to NZ

[Spider]

Are all valve guides generally the same length? Just curious because last time i was at the machine shop, they told me that the bronze guides i had in were okay, (these are guides they put in) and said the cast iron guides i brought them where longer than the bronze ones they fitted.

 

I was only looking at various guides the other day. It would appear over the years there were 3 different lengths (that I found - maybe more?)

 

Bronze Guides are OK, but not as forgiving as Cast Iron ones. Also, to reduce broaching (shaving if you like) of these guides when fitting, I freeze them first in Dry Ice and have a setting guide to fit them so they end up the right height. Cast Iron Guides I'm happy to press in at room temp (though the normal shop practice is to hammer them in - YUK!) 

Edited by Moke Spider, 19 July 2016 - 11:56 AM.

[Spider]

I suppose I could insure it, book an MOT then drive it half way to the MOT station and back. 

 

Laws in the UK are probably different to NZ

 

 

(Sorry, I had to clean that up!)

 

And probably the Laws in Aust (which vary from state to state!)

 

Here in NSW (Aust) we are actually legally allowed to drive the vehicle - without Registration (MOT) and Insurance for the purposes of having repairs done and / or for Inspection for registration. I guess we are a little lucky in that regards and appreciate that is not the case everywhere.

 

Just another aspect of this is when you do go for your MOT, 3 things hit me in the eye;-

     1, Without a few miles on the engine, how's it going to pass the emissions test?

     2. Without a few miles on the Brakes (to bed them in), how are you going to get a decent brake reading?

     3. As above, but for the handbrake?

 

Please, don't take me the wrong way here, I'm not trying to argue against the system (what ever that might be) but just highlight some of the possible issues and ones that I don't have a legal answer for I'm sorry.

[Carlos W]

 

I suppose I could insure it, book an MOT then drive it half way to the MOT station and back. 

 

Laws in the UK are probably different to NZ

 

 

(Sorry, I had to clean that up!)

 

And probably the Laws in Aust (which vary from state to state!)

 

Here in NSW (Aust) we are actually legally allowed to drive the vehicle - without Registration (MOT) and Insurance for the purposes of having repairs done and / or for Inspection for registration. I guess we are a little lucky in that regards and appreciate that is not the case everywhere.

 

Just another aspect of this is when you do go for your MOT, 3 things hit me in the eye;-

     1, Without a few miles on the engine, how's it going to pass the emissions test?

     2. Without a few miles on the Brakes (to bed them in), how are you going to get a decent brake reading?

     3. As above, but for the handbrake?

 

Please, don't take me the wrong way here, I'm not trying to argue against the system (what ever that might be) but just highlight some of the possible issues and ones that I don't have a legal answer for I'm sorry.

 

 

Oh I completely agree with you. 

 

and in some respects you've kind of made me think of the answer. 

 

Thanks

[Spider]

 

Thanks

 

 

 

You're very welcome Carlos

[cal844]

My mate owns a garage near me(in the UK we have Trade Plates(a set of no plates which are issues by HMRC/DVSA) specifically for driving vehicles without T&T etc, maybe see your local not station if you could borrow them (they may ask for a fee or that an employee is with you in the mini)

[MRA]

awesome, thanks for the replies guys, its mainly gonna be a road car, but theres always the possibility i might want to race it, see i messed up, i threw 20w-50 in it, I'm gonna drain it and put something thinner in, plus i went with just the cast iron guides instead of the brass/bronze ones

 

Cast iron guides are fine, bronze guides on the road are just going to wear quicker also check your valves are suitable for the guide materials used., the issue with guides is that some engine builders like to ream them and make a mess of this job, I have seen 1.6mm of valve head movement on a 1000 mile cylinder head, yes it smoked like a train (steam train) however you may just have lots of oily greasy hand prints all over your engine which will smoke till gone.

 

The latest running in procedures require a loaded cycle, none of this gentle rubbish, drive it like you stole it (legally of course)

 

Never start a mini with the clutch pedal depressed ever.

[MRA]

found the problem, somehow a whole appeared in the sidewall of the intake and was sucking in oil from the sidewall of where the push rods live, too thin of a wall to weld, was afraid to make the hole even bigger, i tried my luck with some epoxy and so far so good, plus the machine shop installed and the stem seals as well, no more smoke!!  still scratching my head how the whole even got there in the first place....

 

The hole is due to somebody using a die grinder to make the inlet tracts bigger but without the knowledge to cater for the other holes about this area.

 

Putting valve stem seals on exhaust valves that suddenly stops them from smoking is more of a concern added to the above concern, whoever did your head knows nothing about head mods and really should NOT be selling them to others until they gain the necessary training / experience.

 

The reason I say this is that it is obvious the clearances on the valve stem to guides are far too high thus allowing oil to pass down them in sufficient quantities to allow for noticeable smoke.

[hotwheels]

Yea they messed it up. Either way the stems seal are all on and i patched the hole and theres no more smoke:). Now i have to fix another oil leak coming from the primary gear seal. Ive replaced this 3 or more times. Thing always leaks. Anyone have a recommendation for a certain seal?

[MRA]

I heard a rumour that MSC are getting the original proper "red" type re-manufactured. 

 

Other than that get a handful of Red, as the black (SPi / MPi) type are the best but only if you are fitting to a standard power output engine.