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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2003 Are you Unbalanced?By Carl AmundsenSeveral years ago when we were developing our crankcase ventilation system for the Tecumseh Star engine, I got some seat-of -the-pants experience with the value and need of crankshaft balancing. I was accustomed to driving a 3” bore, 3” stroke test engine, which had one of our billet crankshafts in it. The 3x3 crank had been balanced, and ran very smooth considering it was producing …

THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2003 Setting Ignition TimingBy Tom ColeAlmost every day someone calls or emails us asking how to set the ignition timing on their engine. It is an important topic because as little as one degree can be the difference between an engine that runs up front and an engine that sputters and pops its way to last place. In this article, I am going to describe what I believe to be the most accurate and reliable method to set the timing o …

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2000 OIL CLEARANCE IS NOT A MYTH IT IS A CALCULATIONBy: Carl Amundsen Date:2/8/2000Over the years I have had many opportunities to discuss oil clearance with engine builders. Some are building for their own use, some are small shops while some are large. In any event when the question is posed "HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR OIL CLEARANCE IS?" the responses vary. Some can give a good mathematical response, some don't have a clue. …

Does It Matter? A common sense approach to engine building.Historically, human nature has taught us two basic things about the question "Does It Matter ?"1 - If a problem exists, and we have the capability to correct it, we tell the world "It Does Matter".2 - If we don't have any interest or desire to correct a problem, we either keep our mouths shut or simply say "It just doesn't matter".PREFACEThis article could have been greatly expanded into …