A Oil leaks are one of the worst warranty claims for the automakers. They spend tons of money every year stopping weepers. In the Gen II small-block back in '92, Chevrolet deleted the keyway from the damper hub and relied on the press fit and damper bolt to retain the hub. This was done to prevent the oil-leak path from the broached keyway slot in the hub of the damper. The crankshaft still had the machining for the woodruff key. Now move to the Gen III small-block released in '97, and the damper and the crankshaft have no grooves at all. To help our old-school small- and big-blocks not leak, a small dab of silicone applied into the keyway of the damper hub before installing it will help block the leak path. You don't need to coat the entire inside of the damper hub, because the press-fit surface of the damper and crankshaft will prevent leaks like you mentioned. You weren't missing much-hope this explains what we were trying to get across.
No Free LunchQ We've all seen the ads claiming that replacing your engine-driven cooling fan with an electric motor-driven fan will result in a net gain of up to 20 hp. If it takes 20 hp to drive a cooling fan, where does the power to drive the electric motor come from? If an electric motor provides free horsepower I think I'd like to drive my torque converter with a 300hp electric motor and power it with a generator driven by a 3hp gasoline engine. This should provide plenty of power to the rear wheels and phenomenal fuel mileage as well!Mark PoteBullard, TX
A Maybe you're on to something here. Put a couple of generators under my hood and hook up two 300hp engines, one to the front wheels and the other to the rear! Instant 600 hp on tap! By the way, have you ever seen a 300hp electric motor? It's huge and weighs around 2,200 pounds. And what about the regenerative voltage controller for a paltry sum of $6,137? Oh, by the way, it takes 500 volts and 480 amps to spin that puppy. Let me know of the 3hp generator that will put out that kind of power! Let's talk about electric fans now.
As the title says, there is no free lunch. The horsepower gains from an electric motor-driven cooling fan is when the crankshaft isn't driving the fans-and the fans are off. As in drag racing, if the engine is cool when you come to the line you can run down the track with the fan off. If you're running down the freeway at a constant speed, the air through the radiator will keep the engine cool andthe fan isn't running. You have a wonderful device in your car called a storage battery. This allows you to run the fans and accessories beyondthe output of your alternator and recharge your battery when cruising at freeway speeds.
I'm pretty sure that you knew all of this, but I thought that it was an interesting question. There have been some really far-out concepts running around on the Internet.
It's All About TorqueQ I was wondering what I should go with for a carb and stall converter for my small-block-powered Monte Carlo. My current setup is a 350-cid small-block with an 800-cfm Edelbrock Thunder Series AVS, an RPM Air Gap intake, 882 iron castings with 2.02/1.60-inch valves, a Summit cam (0.488/0.510 inch max lift and 234/244 degrees duration at 0.050 inch tappet lift), 1.5 roller rockers, TRW flat-top pistons with two valve reliefs, stock rods, an Eagle cast crank, and a Moroso oiling system. My converter is currently a JEG's 2,300- to 2,700-rpm 12-inch that for some odd reason only stalls to 1,800 rpm with me foot-braking it. I know that the carb sounds big, but I tried a 750 Edelbrock and lost some on the top side. Also, should I go with a 1.6 rocker or stick with the 1.5? Right now the best I can get out of it is a 13.70 at 102.08, which is coupled with a 2.26 60-foot time. Let me know what you think. Thanks.James FullerVia e-mail