Welcome to our comprehensive guide to inboard & outboard engine surveys. This guide is for anyone planning to survey an engine, or hire someone else to do it. We’ll answer the who, when, where, why, and what of engine surveys. If we did miss your question, please let us know by e-mailing us, so we can get you an answer, and add it to the guide!
Gasoline-fueled piston engines require an ignition source to set off the explosion that converts the chemical potential energy of the air-fuel mixture into thermal energy which the engine can convert into mechanical energy. Each type of ignition source has advantages and disadvantages (which we’ll get to soon), but all have the same basic objective, which is to efficiently set off a quick explosion that burns all the fuel in the cylinder. There are four ignition systems commonly used in 4-stroke, 2-stroke, and rotary engines, along with an oddball only used in small 2-strokes.
How to Do An Engine Compression Test by Staff Writer A brief comparison of dry compression, wet compression, and leak-down tests. Read Article at Autozone Dynamic Duo by Mark Warren How to use a current clamp and oscilloscope combination to check cranking compression and the starter motor. Read Article at Motor Magazine Lab Scopes and …
Fuel Injector Circuit Waveforms by Andrew Markel This article explains the basics of a solenoid injector’s voltage and current waveforms. Read Article at Tomorrows Technician Testing Piezoelectric Injectors by Joe Clark A look at some methods of testing piezoelectric injectors, both on-engine and off-engine. Read Article at TechTips.ie Diagnosing and Servicing Gasoline Direct Injection …
Secondary Ignition: The Art Of Spark by Scott Weaver This article describes the components of a conventional distributor ignition system, and how they produce a spark. Scott also shows what a (secondary coil) ignition waveform looks like, and describes its different parts. Read Article at Tomorrow’s Technician Maintaining Engine Spark by Mac Vandenbrink An explanation …
Corrosion is an unfortunate and inevitable effect that attacks most metals. There are a few common causes of corrosion, and you’ve probably encountered all of them, even though you might not have recognized or identified them at the time. Understanding what’s going it can help you detect and prevent it in the future. This post goes through the most common causes of corrosion, the factors which speed it up, how you can slow it down, and what you should do about preventing it.
Most call them ‘outboards’, some call them ‘outboard motors’, and a rare few call them ‘outboard engines’, but what are these enigmatic beasts sitting on our transoms?
You can make a case for any or all these names, but which one’s right? We’ll go through some arguments for and against each one, to see if we can come up with a definitive answer!
Diesel engines are notoriously smoky, producing much more blue, white, and black smoke than their gasoline-powered counterparts. The fundamental reasons for this are that diesels operate at higher pressures, with lower-purity fuel, and variable fuel-air ratios. This post covers the different types of smoke, and their (complicated) causes.
Almost every compression testing guide tells you to hold the engine’s throttle wide open during a compression test, but most won’t tell you why it may (or may not) matter.
Long and short-term fuel trim are very useful indicators of engine performance relative to the manufacturer’s specifications, but before we get into what they tell you, we’ll go over what they are.