taping the side cover of a Clone motor?

Chipg56 said:
I don't understand why so many people want to bad bad mouth Al, especially when he is correct. EGT IS a much more valuable tuning tool then CHT.
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Did the original poster ask anything other than about taping up a side cover? He never ask about CHT versus EGT or vise versa did he? He ask a simply question about some tape. Tape.....just tape....that all.......tape.
 
And why is a EGT sensor the only way to go?
I use and like my AFR gauge much better than my EGT gauge...
The AFR gauge gives exact ratios and you can tune from there
 
It isn't. I would much prefer AFR but it is illegal for on track testing, at least in WKA. Do you know of a reasonably priced AFR set up for on track testing? EGT, by the way, is illegal in the Briggs LO206 rules.
 
alvin l nunley said:
Anytime anybody tells you "always do this", such as taping up the shroud, be very cautious.
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Sorry, I lost track of this thread over the weekend and am just getting back to it. We have always taped it fully because even with 100% tape, on a hot summer day and a 20-lap feature without cautions, we're still not getting out of our desired temp range for peak horsepower. Of course, if it ever got to the point where it was getting beyond that, we'd roll back the tape. But the clones (OHV motors in general I assume) don't seem to run even remotely as hot as the flatheads used to. That's my reasoning for it, not just because someone told me to do it.

-Andy
 
jdoucette said:
any recommendations on covering up the side covers on clone motors? I hear and see different things. Most People duct tape all but three of the vents on the side cover. why is this? is it safe to this on a longer race or should it be left open?
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I recommend you try taping all but three of the vents, being that's what you see most people do. You won't know if it will cause you problems on a longer race unless you try it and it causes you problems. Sometimes to gain experience, it will cost you some cash or racing positions. Yep I know you asked so you don't have to learn the hard way, but sometimes with some things racing you have to learn the hard way. Frankly, I don't think in this case doing what everyone else does will hurt anything. But it's still your nickel and your decision. ... :)

People tape up the side cover in the belief the engine cylinder head temp must be up to a certain temperature, for the fuel to burn better and make more power. They also tape up the side cover because it can be a monkey see monkey do, sort of thing. They also tape up the side cover because someone said to do it, for various reasons.

If your asking if you should do it, the answer is yes try it. If you think it helps you did good. If it doesn't hurt anything, then it's ok too. If you think it hurt something, then quit doing it. If everyone at your track does it, everyone will continue to do it until someone who does not, starts kicking butt.


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Weather your learning about tape or the EGT, it's all about making an effort to make the engine run better. The only real way you know your engine runs better or at least good enough>> is to win.

The EGT information you got along with tape answers, is about knowing if your engine is running as well as it can, on the carburetor you have installed.

Your a racer. What ever carb you have on the engine you want it to work as well as it can. The EGT method of setting your air fuel mixture will do that for you. Beyond that all you can do is put a better carb on and again use the EGT to set your fuel mixture.

On a side note.

There are only two things which will make heat in an engine, they are making hp and abuse.

I just thought of a question in light of making hp and abuse. If I assume burning more fuel in the most efficient way will make more hp, has anyone with an EGT on a clone, ever found out via fuel setting if they can burn more fuel with the side cover taped?

I would think if you went out with the side cover not taped and set the fuel mixture via your EGT, and then taped it ... would you be able to make it run richer with it taped? My thinking is if your mixture setting was normally a little richer with it taped, you probably are making more hp. or... is my thinking not correct?
 
taping the side cover of a Clone motor?

jdoucette said:
any recommendations on covering up the side covers on clone motors? I hear and see different things. Most People duct tape all but three of the vents on the side cover. why is this? is it safe to this on a longer race or should it be left open?
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jdoucette, I hope your question about taping the side cover has been answered.

I also hope the debate your question caused, was also helpful. All things ain't easy jdoucette, ... :)
 
Thats more of a "by product benefit" than a requirement. The fins will blow the dust and most mud out.
 
If you want heat in the engine, why not tape air intake areas instead of the air outlet? Wouldn't the pressure buildup inside the shroud, fight against the turning flywheel trying to grab more air, with no place to put it? Isn't taping the outlet, turning a fan into a compressor? Where's the air go, I'd bet it squeezes out somewhere.

Wouldn't the flywheel turn easier if there was no air coming into it?

has anybody put a piece of plastic on the cover so it sticks down into the blades, to make noise like ya can do when you put a balloon on yer bicycle wheel or clothes pin a piece of card board. OH... clothes pins are them wooden things used to hang clothes outside, before mom got a dryer.

Is the cover a tech item, it must not be if they let you alter it? if not why not put a bigger cover on so the fins on the flywheel won't work as well pulling air? yep, nuther dumb idea, but would it work?

If you run tape all the time, why not just put a closed cover without an outlet on it?
 
paulkish said:
I just thought of a question in light of making hp and abuse. If I assume burning more fuel in the most efficient way will make more hp, has anyone with an EGT on a clone, ever found out via fuel setting if they can burn more fuel with the side cover taped?
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An engine runs best with the proper air fuel ratio. If it gets hot, it sometimes requires more fuel to prevent it from getting so hot that there's detonation. If the engine get so hot that you need to richen the mixture, I would think that the horsepower would be less.

Detonation is caused by excessive heat and/or pressure. If the engine gets excessively hot, you need to enrich the mixture to cool it off. Doing this will mean the mixture is not at the ideal ratio. The result is less horsepower.
 
Since this is a beginners thread I'll respond with a beginners type answer. Ran all season with no tape on the blower cover. Late in the season it was getting cold so we figured we'd tape the blower cover up some. First race engine side cover loosened up and dumped oil all over the track. No doubt the tape and side cover loosening were tied together. No more tape for us. We'll start the engine a few minutes early to warm it up.
 
Boy as an beginner If you have to do as Al says, of which he is right, you would need a few "Scientist", "Engineers", a Full Machine shop, A Loaded Snap On Tool Truck, and a good crew chief....:cool:....Better call Todd Gordon..................Look tape the dam thing half way around the front section and go racing......:)..."feel the air if it's wet bigger jet"..lol.
 
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