How do you know when you are done?

[Compu-kart]

Short of the rod coming thru the side of the block, how do you know when its time to give up and change the engine or pack it up on race night? That is, what is the most work you will do to a sick engine while you are at track? Change springs, change heads, lash valves, complete rebuild? More, less?

 

[Ted Hamilton]

Answers will vary depending on commitment level, but if my main engine gets bad, I'll just throw on another backup rather than risk catastrophic (read: expensive) failure...

 

[jack burroughs]

IMHO, when the oil comes out with metal flake chips in it, it's time to swap it out with a spare, also when temp goes way up real fast might also be a good time. I try to never do shop work at the track.

 

[W5R]

If i know i have to pull the sidecover off, ill just change engines, especially if i know it is the rod gualding to the crank or piston seizing in the cyl. Metal in the oil is a good sign of something going wrong. If its just head stuff, heck i do that with the engine still on the kart and just pop the head off, have lapped valves and changed springs or had to change headgasket before features before lol. Temp spiking quickly is a good sign that it is trying to seize up also. I agree with Jack, i try not to have to do that stuff at the track, this is one of the big advantages of running a builder's engine or builder prepared engine, less hassle from the engine at the track on raceday. I use my own built engines at the local races usually and have an engine built by a builder for the bigger races or bigger shows.

 

[Jamie Webb]

Wow, that really depends on what type of race it is, competition level, what is on the line, and what tech will allow you to do at the track. Short of honing a block, I've just about rebuilt an entire engine on race day. Sometimes that means throwing in new parts, sometimes that means taking 2 engines and using parts off both to make 1 good engine, some times that means begging/borrowing in the pits to get the parts you need. I've reassembled a completely torn down engine in tech to reuse in another class later in the day. If you want to be there and you want to race, you do what you have to do to make it happen.

Then again, we have all had "one of those days" at the track where at some point you just say I'm done and pack it up and cut your losses.

 

[harrym]

Im with Jamie...I've built motors at the track and at the motel. I was ask once, "why are you doing that, most people would go home. and I tell them, I came to race, not watch." What ever it takes.

 

[Vintagequest]

When the fun too much resembles work.

 

[Beef071]

I've blown up two motors on a big car asphalt track in Jr. Gold in one day (In a straight up "sprint" style kart no less). We blew up our weekly road course engine and a borrowed engine from one of our buddies who ran in Stock Lite on a road course with a lot more top end. THAT is usually the cut off point.

 

[Grasshopper]

carry a spare or have a buddy that has a spare..lol, if ya cant finish the night that way,, then it might be time to look at the engine builder and possibly change

 

[DynoDon]

if you are not able to correct your problem by spark or fuel delivery put another engine on or go home

 

[bh1974]

Time wasted building motors at track is time wasted on more important items such as tires, handling. Didn't have spare engines when we first started, after having spares we realize how vital they are to a good racing program.

 

[clone king]

X2 Don.. if possible, always have a back up, & a plan B & C ready...know
If worth it & time permitting, I'd re rod and re build the whole unit if needed...jmo

 

[Jncyall]

At national races, we have done it all. Do what you need to do to make the next race! It helps to have back up engines, too!

 

[mikey56]

How do you know when you are done? ......when momma comes home, finds you working on a kart engine instead of her hunny do list.....then you know what side your butter is on....when momma says "your done"....then y'all is done!!!

 

[Compu-kart]

How do you know when you are done? ......when momma comes home, finds you working on a kart engine instead of her hunny do list.....then you know what side your butter is on....when momma says "your done"....then y'all is done!!!

LOL, I have to be careful not to MENTION the word "go-kart" in her presence!

I've changed springs and valves, rebuilt clutches, changed bearings, carbs, fuel tanks (a rock kicked up from another kart went thru my plastic tank, weirdness) top plates, chain guards, gear sprockets, chains and stuff like that. I think the only time I packed it in was when we really bent the kart frame pretty bad (among many other bent parts) after impacting the wall.

 

[clone king]

If mamma isn't happy, ain't nobody happy. Lol

 

[Mills]

I always run them until there is a noticeable loss of compression or power. If it has major idling problems or is stumbling while getting up to speed it's probably best to put another power plant on and salvage whatever you can out of the night and work on it before the next race day.

 

[Chipg56]

Time wasted building motors at track is time wasted on more important items such as tires, handling. Didn't have spare engines when we first started, after having spares we realize how vital they are to a good racing program.

I like this answer the best, most racers spend too much time on motors already, and often blame motors falsely. Think you have a motor problem? Pop on another so you have time to figure out what may be really happening.

 

[Compu-kart]

I like this answer the best, most racers spend too much time on motors already, and often blame motors falsely. Think you have a motor problem? Pop on another so you have time to figure out what may be really happening.

You hit the nail right on the head. I thought motors were our problem until we changed to LO206's. Since these engines are, as far as practical, equal we eliminated a source of our lack of pace. Well hello sunshine, found out it wasn't much of an engine problem at all. Now I have the time to get down to business on the chassis, tires, clutch and other fine points. Our lap times picked up significantly and now we are headed in the right direction for better finishing positions. I'm not going on here to say the Briggs is an awesome engine and everyone needs to get one but it did help me work on the basics of kart set-up and it will be a stepping stone for us to move on to higher powered classes.