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o.k. i've got the motor tune where i want it man it was fast.

wait did i say it WAS fast?
yes i did.

there is a design fault with modern engines in that a woodruff key is no longer used to keep things on the crank in time, just diamond coated washers that are supposed to grip the mating surfaces of the crank, cam drive sprocket and the damper.

i changed my timing cover which required removing the damper but as stated in the manual, i fitted new washers and a new bolt and tightened them to spec.

this is 75lbs. ft. and an additional 90 degrees so you don't actually know what the torque setting is when you are done so you can't check it after a suitable time.

now if i had known that all the people that mod the duratec take out the crank and get a keyway machined into it then buy a special sprocket and damper with the affore mentioned keyway pre machined because the friction washers are a load of gob sh-t and will enevitablly fail causing catastrophic damage as it is an interferance engine, i would have done the same.

yes i had north of 5000 rpm when it became a frictionless washer!

i could actually here the valves hitting the pistons.

how hard is it to machine the crank?

what is worse is the cams are installed with, you guessed it, friction washers.

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this story shall the good man teach his son,
and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.

does anyone know if a focus head has bigger combustion chambers than a 2.3 ranger as i would like to drop my compression ratio a little?

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this story shall the good man teach his son,
and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.

John, I think the 2.3 head has larger chambers. Why not just purchase a thicker head gasket from Cometic to get your compression where you want it. Additionally, my 2.0 Duratec is running 14.5 CR and I am still using the new friction washers for the crank. The cams are keyed and I run to 9000 redline . Dave

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Sidewinder

Ouch. Are you planning to rebuild, or replace?

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-Justin

"Orville Wright did not have a pilots license." - Gordon MacKenzie

I feel your pain, Brother Hennessey...

From what I can see, the crank setting is so screwy that you'd have to do it individual to yours.

Damn throwaway engine design.

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Walt
06 RX-8 Shinka
04 RX-8 GT
06 325xi
Some people never have anything except ideas. Go do it.
Emissions & fuel economy haven't exactly been areas of strength for past rotary power plants, but absolutely no one with a soul has ever cared.

John,
Sorry to hear the engine jumped time. I agree the woodruff key is the "better" solution to these engines. Hope you can salvage parts and get another used engine to re-build easily. I beleive the torque setting for the lower crank wheel and pulley is about 175 lb-ft rather than 75. Regardless, I do not have my book handy. Mine has stayed together after 4 four cover removals during various build -ups. Good luck, my aftermarket crank and timing gear is keyed, but the outer pulley and timing shutter wheel is not at this time. Dave

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Sidewinder

i think its all down to the blower making so much torque low down. and the rate at which the engine gains revs

of course the removal of the fan and associated parts has allowed the motor to rotate easier but i think the drag of the blower out strips any load reduction gained.

you cannot check the tightness of the crank bolt because you don't know how tight it is due to the 90 degree addition to the torque setting, the major problem is holding the crank while you torque the bolt tight in the car, i stuffed string down the spark plug hole and turned it to TDC, clearly not good enough.

crank machining is around $170.00, keyed sprocket is $74.00 with key crank damper needs to be machined for the keyway.

i will need some valves for $85.00 for a set of 16 and a head gasket as suggested from cometic 0.066 thick is $ 125.00.

if the pistons are damaged beyond salvage, i will fit forged pistons and h beam rods, i may do this anyway, i don't want to take it apart again because of piston damage from too much boost

i will also probably go for a smaller crank pulley as it will slow down the blower a bit as i do not have room for a bigger blower pulley.

then all of the misc. seals and gaskets

then the whole thing balanced.

i will keep the stock cams, Dave how did you key the cams? did you use aftermarket sprockets or were you able to drill them and pin them to the cams?

i will not risk the friction washers in anything and this is flat out BAD engineering on the design of the engine, it may work for stock applications but you are flirting with danger if you make any big numbers or even middle sized ones, in fact i would never rebuild one of these engines in any form relying on LUCK to keep it in time.

so if anyone can write me a blank check for a couple of grand, it would be greatfully accepted, i would put your name on the car ------ in half inch letters under the carpet

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this story shall the good man teach his son,
and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.

John, How can a blank check be for a couple of grand? Shouldn't a blank check be blank?

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Bill H
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

So my pea brained mathematical take on this is:
(BLWR+TORQ)~RPM(-fan+parasitic hp)= (+or-)(hp rotation + <load reduction)+~90*torque setting=PRICELESS EXPERIENCE $$$$$$

Myself I believe in KISS

Just my 2cents vent

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Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

When I need to torque the front crank bolt I remove the starter and jam the ring gear, worked 30-40 times for me

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Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

I second that! Mazda has a special tool for blocking the ring gear on the 13B, to do the evil flywheel nut to 350+ torque spec.

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Walt
06 RX-8 Shinka
04 RX-8 GT
06 325xi
Some people never have anything except ideas. Go do it.
Emissions & fuel economy haven't exactly been areas of strength for past rotary power plants, but absolutely no one with a soul has ever cared.

Hey Mr. H!
I will donate to your cause... But you have to leave a couple of cylinder heads with me...

"This could be the start of a beautiful friendship." -- Rick Blaine in Casa Blanca


JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

John,
Now I understand the circumstances. The blower definitely caused drag on the crank pulley. I was not aware you had a blower. My cams and sprockets are all after market and came with the key ways.
The cams are slotted to be adjustable if you want to play with cam timing. No blower for me, just cams and compression. I used a big pin recommended in manual to hold the crank pulley in place while torqueing it down. Good luck with the rebuild. Dave

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Sidewinder

well if you want to send me one then you would need to make it out to me and sign it, just leave the amount blank.

thanks for your offer of financial help, it will be most graciously received!!!

_________________
this story shall the good man teach his son,
and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.