New engine in CSX3170

[Cobra #3170]

I am still struggling with the new short stroke engine. It has several oil leaks and terrible electronic issues that I have been working on for over two months.
We took it to a Goodguys Autox and it only made one lap the entire weekend.
That lap was a DNF because Scott went the wrong way half way through the course. In fairness to Scott it is the tightest Goodguys course I have ever seen and could confuse anyone. The car would not even start after I brought it home so I changed the cam sync sensor, crank fire sensor and then sent the ECU back for a check out. It turns out that the main wiring harness repined by the engine builder was bad. I bought a new standard harness and the car starts and seems to be ok now. We are going to try it sometime next week so hopefully the bugs are out. I have included a short video a friend took at Pleasanton, you can see how tight the course was and and hear an FE well over 8000 (limiter is set at 9300).

https://www.facebook.com/gary.wong.5...type=2&theater

[cobrajeff]

Still sounds awesome! Hope you get the bugs worked out soon.

[Ron61]

That is a tight course and I hope that you get all of the bugs out soon. The car sounds awesome.

Ron

[Bill D]

Sounds wicked as hell. Good luck in sorting it out

[1795]

Sounds very nice,and that is one tight course. Hopefully you will have it all sorted out now; those electrical gremlins can be the most difficult. Give me a mechanical problem any day to an electrical one.

Good luck.

[dallas_]

Badass!

[twobjshelbys]

I'm curious, why didn't you do the swap at the end of last season to get it sorted out before this one? You're going to miss a whole year.

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

I'm curious, why didn't you do the swap at the end of last season to get it sorted out before this one? You're going to miss a whole year.

Engine went to the builder in early December 2016 I did not get it back here until May 2017. There were some timing issues getting it installed so first time out was early June. We found broken ring gear tabs on the fly wheel just before install so lost a week fixing that. Engine was supposed to be here in April but you know how that goes. Waiting for crank, rods and pistons and arguing over minimum rod journal size. They had as much trouble with the electronics as I have had, so tuning was late etc. etc. We are really under the gun now because we have not qualified for the shootout in Scottsdale, may have to win our way in (not good). The car has new shock pistons and new needle bearing rear A arms that need to be tuned for. You could say I took on more that I could handle and would be right. The engine seems good and sound mechanically other than numerous oil leaks and now should be good electrically too. They were complaining about noise levels so I will probably have to have new longer mufflers made, luckily a company in Fresno makes exotic car mufflers from scratch. On the bright side it revs like hell and has only 20 less horse power than the old engine.

[twobjshelbys]

Old adage about 427FE:

Q: How do you know if a sideoiler is out of oil?

A: It stops leaking

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

Old adage about 427FE:

Q: How do you know if a sideoiler is out of oil?

A: It stops leaking

Ha Ha correct but this thing leaks like an FE with a Harley knuckle head parked on each side of it. Builders response "it did not leak on the dyno" There was a puddle of oil in the crate when it got to California.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by Cobra #3170

Ha Ha correct but this thing leaks like an FE with a Harley knuckle head parked on each side of it. Builders response "it did not leak on the dyno" There was a puddle of oil in the crate when it got to California.

Maybe they turned it upside down and shook it too see if it was full.

[olddog]

Originally Posted by Cobra #3170

Ha Ha correct but this thing leaks like an FE with a Harley knuckle head parked on each side of it. Builders response "it did not leak on the dyno" There was a puddle of oil in the crate when it got to California.

With the broken tabs on the flywheel, perhaps it did not leak on the dyno. There may have been damage in shipping. Did you look for more damage?

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by olddog

With the broken tabs on the flywheel, perhaps it did not leak on the dyno. There may have been damage in shipping. Did you look for more damage?

Different flywheel this one did not go with the engine they have a dyno flywheel they use. I have a Tilton starter that has more torque than the tabs could take
the welding of tabs to ring gear was defective. I replaced the tabs and tig welded them to the gear then riveted to the McLeod magnum force flywheel. Engine shipped both ways with no flywheel. Unfortunately I did not look at it closely until engine installation.

Builder does a good job on important stuff like clearances, head flow and component choice but details like leaks and electronics, forget it. Next engine will be John Kaase, this one cost enough, might as well get the master.

[olddog]

I guess the two pieces of the puzzle, I tried to put together, were from different puzzles.

Some people love running the engine on an engine stand before installing it. It certainly would help, when looking for leaks. Total access to everything. You just have to resist the urge to blip the throttle and flip it across the garage.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Cobra #3170

Builders response "it did not leak on the dyno" There was a puddle of oil in the crate when it got to California.

I think I've heard that excuse (from a builder) a few times in my life.

Engine sounds great and that's some skilled driving going on there.

[Grey 65]

You need to get you some of that "Special Sauce"....

[Cobra #3170]

Originally Posted by Grey 65

You need to get you some of that "Special Sauce"....

Boy I need something the way things are going these days. Have you run lately?