4 Mistakes To Avoid During an Engine Rebuild
The engine is the beating heart of your vehicle. It’s what keeps everything running smoothly. But just like human hearts during surgery, your sturdy engine becomes a little more delicate when you’re gutting and rearranging it during an intricate rebuild. If you make too many mistakes, the heart can stop working entirely.
Engine rebuilds are a great way to give an old engine a little love. They can boost performance and power, improve fuel mileage, and reduce harmful exhaust emissions. But to avoid catastrophic and expensive mistakes, you must handle engine rebuilds delicately. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid during an engine rebuild (and what you should do instead).
Take the Right Measurements
Experienced chefs can eyeball measurements, but you should never eyeball measurements when it comes to your engine. Before measuring, clean parts and inspect them for defects or substantial wear and tear. When measuring, make sure to measure the component from multiple points or angles for the most accurate results.
Taking accurate measurements will give you the information needed to make the best and least expensive choices when it comes to repairing and replacing parts. A small discrepancy in the measurement can be the difference between needing to reglaze your cylinders, which is expensive, or fit them with new rings.
Record the Process
You’re ready to put everything back together. There’s just one little problem. You have dozens of components and absolutely no idea where they go. Engines are complicated. They’re also fastidious. You can’t just toss in components and hope for the best.
To avoid making mistakes when reassembling your engine, make sure to record the disassembling process. You can watch this video when it comes time to reassemble and see the order in which everything came out.
Don’t Forget to Clean
Don’t like cleaning? Unfortunately, cleaning is a necessary part of every successful engine rebuild. Cleaning helps you identify damaged components that would otherwise go undetected. It also makes parts easier to install, since clean parts slide back into place easily. Plus, cleaning your old parts before reinstalling them will protect your new parts against premature wear.
Use High-Quality Parts
The final mistake to avoid during an engine rebuild is using cheap and low-quality replacement parts. If you want to boost power and drivability, any new parts you’re putting into the engine should be high in quality.
You might also want to consider making a few additions to your engine. If your current engine is naturally aspirated, why not turbocharge or supercharge it for that extra boost in horsepower and torque?
