Saturday, January 25, 2014
How to Measure a Camshaft Lift
A camshaft controls the height and the duration of lift for the valves in the heads of your engine. The distance a camshaft lifts the engine valves depends on the size of the camshaft lobes. As the camshaft turns, a pushrod moves along the lobe in an elliptical pattern. When the pushrod sits on the rounded section of the lobe, the valve sits in its closed position. As the pushrod moves over the tapered section of the lobe, the valve opens. Knowing the camshaft lift--lobe length--allows you to setup your engine for maximum performance.
Instructions
- 1
Spray carburetor cleaner on the camshaft lobes. Allow the cleaner to sit on the camshaft for five to 10 minutes. Wipe the oil residue and carburetor cleaner from the camshaft with a rag.
2Open the jaws of a Vernier caliper. Slide the open jaws over the round end of a camshaft lobe. Close the caliper jaws until each jaw sits tight to one side of the lobe. Write down the measurement.
3Open the jaws of the caliper. Place the bottom caliper jaws on the rounded end of the camshaft lobe. Push the top jaw tight to the top point of the lobe taper. Write down the measurement.
4Subtract the rounded lobe dimension from the taper dimension. The difference between the two measurements equals the lift of the camshaft.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
American Automobile Lift Instructions
Working on a car can sometimes be inconvenient, especially if the parts that need replacing or examining are underneath the vehicle and too close to the ground to easily access. Elevating the car with an automobile lift is one way to get at many automotive problems without twisting your arm and craning your neck to see whats happening. Fortunately these lifts arent hard to use.
Instructions
- 1
Drive the vehicle onto the lift. Some lifts have rails that you have to park the tires on, while other lifts have a cage that will grab the vehicle by the frame to support its weight. Once the vehicle is in place, put it in park.
2Press the lift button. This will get the lift moving and it will begin to raise the vehicle up. Keep a careful eye on the vehicle as its lifted to make sure it isnt rocking or tilting, and make sure that its rising steadily rather than jerking up.
3Stop the lift. Either take your hand off the lift button and the lift will stop, or push the actual stop button once the lift is in place. When the vehicle is in the air and the lift has a good hold of it, youre ready to get to work on the car.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
How to Install a Lift Pump on a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500
The Dodge Ram series of full-size pickup trucks is manufactured by Chrysler under its Dodge brand. The 3500 models have a rated carrying capacity of 3/4 ton, although the actual carrying capacity is higher than this. The 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 with a diesel engine uses a fuel lift pump (transfer pump) to move fuel from the fuel tank to the fuel system. The fuel lift pump on this vehicle attaches to the rear of the fuel filter.
Instructions
- 1
Place a gasoline container under the fuel filter separator and turn the drain plug on the bottom of the separator in a counterclockwise direction. Drain the fuel from the fuel filter and tighten the drain plug.
2Detach the electrical connector on the fuel lift pump. Disconnect the fuel line for the fuel lift pump from the inner left frame rail.
3Remove the mounting bolts for the fuel lift pump from the fuel filter, using a hex wrench.
Discard the O-ring in the housing of the fuel filter.
4Mount a new O-ring on the fuel lift pump, then coat the O-ring with a thin layer of new engine oil. Place the fuel lift pump into position so that it is flush with the fuel filter housing. Fasten the mounting bolts for the fuel lift pump, and tighten them to 61 inch-pounds, using a torque wrench.
5Connect the fuel line to the connection on the inner left frame rail. Attach the electrical connector for the fuel pump.
6Turn the ignition on for two seconds to prime the fuel system, then check for fuel leaks. Start the engine and check again for fuel leaks.