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Re: Motor Damage

To: Keith Turk <kturk@ala.net>
Subject: Re: Motor Damage
From: "Thomas E. Bryant" <saltracer@awwwsome.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 07:12:18 -0700
Keith,

I can't sit by silently and watch this unfold. I consider myself to be
well educated in Nitrous Talk. I have learned what I know the way you
are being educated, slowly and costly. 

I suspect that the engine was too lean which resulted in a holed piston.
Was the hole a clean burn through, or a fractured hole? If it was
timing, you will normally have a hammered hole producing fractures on
the underside of the dome. A clean burn through is usually mixture. At
least that has been my experience.

I believe that someone suggested that you find your best timing and then
set up the retard. That would be my suggestion as well. I was talking to
some of those on list about timing on my motors. I used to start out by
finding how much timing the engine wanted and then go to other tune up
matters, for the last several years I have been taking others advice and
staying with 38 degrees or so. This year, because John and Lionel had
"raised the bar", I knew I had to get the most from the motor, so I went
back to my old ways. Believe it or not, our best run last week 222.134
MPH was with 49 degrees BTDC. As I have said many times, each engine has
it's own requirements, so don't set yours up like mine.

I will get the whole story of our week out later. Right now I am playing
catch up at work and washing salt off. I still have to find out how bad
we hurt the motor. A head gasket I believe. The engine temp 250 degree
gauge was pegged on every run. Something had to give sooner or later. 

Tom, Redding CA - #216 D/GCC

Keith Turk wrote:
> 
> Well the one thing we know is that the Piston didn't have a hole in it until
> I hit the N2O..... it was running 17 mph faster then it was on the Pass we
> went 218 on.... at the 3... 16 more at the 2 1/4....  The car was on the
> pass it was going to take to set the Record.... then I hit that nasty little
> Red button just to see what it would do....
> 
> Instant Hole ...Just add Nitrous... oh well...it could be worse...
> 
> Keith... ( Why Yes Doug I understand the Greed concept)
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Amo" <jkamo@rapidnet.com>
> To: "Keith Turk" <kturk@ala.net>
> Cc: "DOUG ODOM" <popms@thegrid.net>; <land-speed@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2000 10:08 PM
> Subject: Re: Motor Damage
> 
> > Keith,  in response to: "if you run a 225hp Nitrous hit on 4 degrees of
> retard
> > for less then 3 seconds... you Burn a Hole about 1/4 X1/8 in the top of
> the #2
> > Piston."    I  would argue that you cannot blame it completely on the
> ignition
> > timing, I feel that the burning sensation the piston felt was a result
> more of a
> > lean mixture than timing, Mr. Dahlgren...others....what do you think?
> >
> > You guys gave me crap when I said I used alot of bandaids this time of
> year,
> > well who needs a stinking compression gauge, we didnt need no stinking
> > compression guage, on the last thrash the day of the last qualifing runs
> we
> > fired it up, and when we shut it off and reached for the tool box for the
> > regularly scheduled compression and or leak down check, we all looked at
> each
> > other with the realization that it didnt matter what the gauge said, "WE
> WERE
> > RUNNING IT" so why the hell even look (no time to do anything about it if
> it was
> > low)?  first miles on the motor netted 193.9 running out of nitrous (2 mph
> over
> > the record), next morning WELL over the record again ran out of nitrous,
> can
> > there ever be enough nitrous, I SAY NO (especially when we ran the bottle
> for
> > over 3 miles per run), but I see why Dahlgren and others (yes Mr. Van
> Scoy) opt
> > for naturally aspirated or turbo
> >
> > Joe :)
> > Keith Turk wrote:
> >
> > > I had a Choice when I ordered them ... I could have bought four extra of
> > > each set.... but opted for a set of Plug domes for the Rodeck....
> > >
> > > there is a company in Okalahoma city ( not sure exactly but I think that
> is
> > > right ) called Rebco.... and they digitize your heads and make pistons
> to
> > > match your chambers... I bought the extra pistons for the Rodeck to have
> > > them done this winter...  The shame of it is that your exactly right had
> I
> > > an extra Piston ... I might have saved my week at Bville.... and Yeah...
> > > Dave asked the question...  He was out there building me a shopping list
> of
> > > Real Racer Tools and Parts... Geez he wants me to own a Leak down tester
> and
> > > a Valve Spring Tester..... What Nerve..LOL  oh and an extra couple of
> > > pistons and a Cylinder hone.... will the guy ever be satisfied?
> > >
> > > Next thing you know he will want me to build a Pointy Car that Goes
> FAST....
> > >
> > > Keith (barrowed two compression testors out there... both were broken...
> > > couldn't get any compression out of either of them on that #2 cylinder
> > > hmmm )
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "DOUG ODOM" <popms@thegrid.net>
> > > To: "Keith Turk" <kturk@ala.net>
> > > Cc: <land-speed@autox.team.net>
> > > Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2000 7:35 PM
> > > Subject: Re: Motor Damage
> > >
> > > > Keith; That is why they used to sell pistons to drag racers in sets of
> > > > ten.            Doug
> > > >
> > > > Keith Turk wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Well here is what we know so far.... if you run a 225hp Nitrous hit
> on 4
> > > > > degrees of retard for less then 3 seconds... you Burn a Hole about
> 1/4 X
> > > 1/8
> > > > > in the top of the #2 Piston....  Pretty little hole too I might
> add...
> > > > > didn't get near the Block and didn't appear to hurt any other
> Parts...
> > > the
> > > > > Heads are FINE.... YEEEEAAAAAA...  it was the best looking hole I
> have
> > > seen
> > > > > in a LONG time....
> > > > >
> > > > > No Bent Valves... no cylinder damage... Nothing other then this
> little
> > > Girly
> > > > > Hole.... Ain't Life Grand?.... K
> > > >
> >
> >
> >
> >

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