clbarclay
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| posted on 14/6/05 at 10:56 AM |
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I have one querey for the BEC drivers, how many thousands of miles has any one done with no more than minor engine matinance/modification?
A bike engine is designed for a vehicle nominaly half the weight of a 7 style car, so in theory thats twice the load/strain on the engine/gearbox.
Especially when car engine in a 7 style car typicaly have half the weight to lug around.
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smart51
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| posted on 14/6/05 at 11:35 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by clbarclay
A bike engine is designed for a vehicle nominaly half the weight of a 7 style car, so in theory thats twice the load/strain on the engine/gearbox.
Not quite, Yes, a 7 and driver is twice the weight of a bike and rider but with smaller wheels and a higher final drive ratio, the engine / gearbox
sees 1.5 times the load not twice the load.
Remember that the mechanicals of the engine are rated at full power plus a margin. At full throttle, the load on the system will be the same, you
just get less acceleration in a BEC. for constant speed driving the load will be a larger fraction of maximmum in a BEC compared with a bike.
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Hellfire
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| posted on 14/6/05 at 12:03 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by clbarclay
I have one querey for the BEC drivers, how many thousands of miles has any one done with no more than minor engine matinance/modification?
We did about 4,500 miles in ours before writing it off. No clutch problems whatsoever or rectifier problems. The only work we ever did on the engine
was to replace 2nd gear, which was faulty before the engine went into the indy, so i guess that don't count. In all however, this procedure took
about a day, so could be classified as minor repair. By its very nature though, a bike engine is light, so one person can quite easily remove and
install it on his own and in minimal time, so the majority of repairs could be classed as minor.
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 14/6/05 at 08:56 PM |
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cbarclay, see my post back on page 2, as others have said its not quite as simple as saying double the weight = double the strain on the engine. 
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 14/6/05 at 10:39 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
hmmmmmmmmmm!
I know that I extol the virtues of an XE engine (I have several of them) but I won't pretend that you can get a good one for £200.
Yes the other bits that don't break are the expensive bits but those cheap £200 engines on ebay are knackered, just fit for rebuilds, and that
is mucho expensive, try £500 for a set of pistons for a start (better than the £700 from vauxhall though)
Yes, the £200 one will no doubt run, they rarely break completely, but just like a smoky old pinto, it will make little power and be generally
knackered!
Which is why you don't buy stuff like that on Ebay unless you happen to know it's history. I've just picked up a 20XE for £170 out
of an early 16vGTE, which of course is completely rotten, but the engine runs absolutey fine, not a hint of smoke. My own 16vGTE had well over 140k
miles on it when I sold it and it also didn't burn oil.
Obviously you take more of a a risk of the alleged porosity with the later non-cosworth heads.
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NS Dev
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| posted on 15/6/05 at 08:12 AM |
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that's ok, if you can effectively get a whole car and therefore hear and try the engine then that's good.
Just beware though that on every one (of 5) Xe's that I have had apart, 90,000 miles seems to have pretty much done the big ends. They
don't give low oil pressure and they sound fine, but if you strip them, you can see the backing material. Every one I have looked at has been
like this!
The mains seem fine on every one though, oddly enough!
Worth bunging some new big end shells in, and seeing as you'd be stupid to run an XE without putting ARP rod bolts in it, which necessitates
slightly increasing the countersink on the big end cap bolt holes, then sticking some new shells in while the caps are off is not a big job.
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Stu16v
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| posted on 15/6/05 at 05:39 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
that's ok, if you can effectively get a whole car and therefore hear and try the engine then that's good.
Just beware though that on every one (of 5) Xe's that I have had apart, 90,000 miles seems to have pretty much done the big ends. They
don't give low oil pressure and they sound fine, but if you strip them, you can see the backing material. Every one I have looked at has been
like this!
The mains seem fine on every one though, oddly enough!
Worth bunging some new big end shells in, and seeing as you'd be stupid to run an XE without putting ARP rod bolts in it, which necessitates
slightly increasing the countersink on the big end cap bolt holes, then sticking some new shells in while the caps are off is not a big job.
As were the big-ends on the motor presently in my car. Alledgedly 135,000 miles when it was removed, I saw the wear on the big-ends when I fitted the
ARP rod-bolts. So I slapped them back in anyway, and ragged it stupid for 18 months, including a high number of trackdays... OK, so it might of
seemed pointless fitting the ARP bolts, but at the end of the day the shells are still doing their job, just with increased tolerances. If there is
plenty of oil pressure, there isn't too much of a problem, as it is the oil that is the bearing surface, NOT the shells...
I finally changed the shells in the middle of last year, when I fitted my dry sump kit. Now on 143,000 miles and *touches wood* still sounds as sweet
as ever. If it does go bang, I have three spares...
What am I trying to say? Dunno. I suppose worn big-end shells are only a problem if you know/care about them!!!
But as already said, best way to get an XE is out of a complete car. Every engine I currently have 'in stock' have been removed by my fair
hands from the car. Sell some of the bits on Migweb etc, and sometimes you can end up with an engine, and be 'in pocket' too...
Dont just build it.....make it!
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