Engine & Under Bonnet

[john_trickle]

Includes hardware, associated components, and accessories for performance tuning and appearance improvements. The customising scope deals with modifications that do not involve changes to the internal components of the engine. Includes airflow, engine management, header/extractors, turbo/supercharging and relocating/hiding engine bay components,
Like any project, it must begin with end goal, a plan and a budget. A realistic goal is very important, as this must reflect both the performance gains you wish to achieve and your budget. You must also decide whether you want performance, cosmetics or a combination of both, as this may affect some component choices. Depending on the desired performance gains the plan may be executed in stages or done in one step.

Where you start will obviously depend on what type of car, engine and aspiration (forced induction or natural) you have, and the degree of modification. Some homework on your particular vehicle to determine what mods are best suited is very important. For most car/engine combinations you should be able to find examples of modifications and the subsequent performance gains to help in your planning. If not, or you just want to start fresh, I suggest what we call a “Dyno assessment”. Your car is placed on a chassis dynamometer and a number of tests are carried out to determine what modifications will best suit your car and budget. A small expense up front that could save you thousands on unnecessary modifications.

There are some general rules that apply to all engines. As the internal combustion engine is based on an air pump, that is, drawing air in through an intake and pushing hot gases out of an exhaust, ensuring that it can do this efficiently is where you would normally start. Most production cars do not have an ideal intake or exhaust system for performance. The intake mods required may be as simple as modifying your existing air box or a full replacement of the entire intake system may be required. Same goes for exhaust systems; some may require only a muffler change and others, a full system. With such modifications it would not be necessary to modify cooling system, driveline or fuel system components.

If you are after maximum performance without changing internal engine components, or the “show stopping” impact of a custom twin turbo installation, then you may consider forced induction (turbo or supercharging). Most factory engines will tolerate 5-10 psi boost without falling apart. However, you will need to pay some attention to your drive line, as forced induction will dramatically increase the torque produced by your standard engine. For manual transmissions you will need to upgrade your clutch and for automatic transmissions an increase in line pressure and altered shift points may be required. In most late model vehicles this can be achieved through reprogramming the PCM (Power train Control Module) or TCM (Transmission Control Module). Your fuel system will also need upgrading. The cost to turbo or supercharge your engine will vary dramatically depending on the degree of custom fabrication required. If a kit is available for your application it will be cheaper than a custom installation but may not have the appearance or performance that you desire.

The final step in any engine performance build up is engine tuning. This can make or break your performance package (literally!!!) If you have a preferred engine tuner then I would suggest a consultation before you start to ensure that the tuning of your package will work and fit the budget. With the growing availability of 'Piggy-back' processors, chip tuning and ECU reflashing software it is now possible to accommodate most engine performance upgrades without the need to replace the ECU. There are advantages and disadvantages associated with some methods so it is essential that the method of tuning used covers all the functions your package requires.

In summary, for your performance upgrade to be successful it must meet your expectations and budget. Never be afraid to ask questions and discuss your ideas with a professional. Make sure that each component or modification is compatible with the next.





RADIATOR SHROUD
Here is one of the simplest and coolest modifications to do. Take one piece of aluminium sheeting, some tin snips, 30 minutes of your time, and you have a better looking engine bay and a cooler running engine.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... _asm37.pdf


FIBERGLASS AIR BOX
Want a cold air box for your ride but can't find one for your model off the shelf? Not to worry, with a spare weekend, some fibreglass and a little hard work you can make your own.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... _asm37.pdf


NITRIOUS OXIDE
Until it appeared in the movies, only dentists and drag racers knew much about nitrous oxide - the wonder gas that can give your car Stars Wars-like hyper acceleration. So heres a look at why and how a shot of nitrous oxide can turn even a Daewoo into a babe-winning racer.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... itrous.pdf

READING PLUGS
Ever noticed how some of the hardcore race guys pull their plugs out after every run and spent a good half-hour studying their appearance? It's not some secret from the past, the the realisation that having the occasional quick look at your spark plugs can tell you a lot about the internal state of your engine.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... 0Plugs.pdf


COOLER CLEAN
When you first buy an intercooler, it's quite often a great-looking piece of gear, with big shiny end tanksand a large evenly finned core. However, in most instances they don’t stay that way for long. Being located right in the damaging airstream at the nose of the car, there's a fair amount of road trash that is punted their way. Unknown to some, but a dirty intercooler quite often doesn't work as well as it should.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... 0Clean.pdf


THERMO KING
There are some pretty good reasons for getting rid of a conventional mechanical cooling fan and swapping over to some thermos; additional power, the potential for better cooling and a neater more reliable engine bay, to name a few. Trying the whole lot together and getting the fans to work in a decent 'factory style' fashion might be a little harder though.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... 20King.pdf


BOOST JUICE
Any enthusiast will agree high octane fuel is good, but what sort of benefits does it offer the typical performance car owner? With the help of Hi-Octane Racing, Martini Racing Products and the TuneHouse Workshop, we set about performing some real world testing of various high octane fuel.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... _asm41.pdf


FUEL PUMP
Big power demands more fuel. Installing a higher flowing fuel pump ensures your engine is not starved of fuel. Here's how to install a Walbro 255LPH into a Forester
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... _asm41.pdf




DIAGNOSTIC DILEMMA
Here we will shed some light on the often heard term OBD-II (On Board Diagnostic System), inculding what it is and what it does.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... ilemma.pdf


MANAGEMENT BASICS
Here is a brief overview of what an ECU has to do in order to keep your engine running.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... basics.pdf


THE LOWDOWN ON HOSE BITS
Take a peek under the bonnet of any well set up car and you'll notice a couple of things; everything is where it should be and all the connections are neat, tidy and professionally fastened.
In fact, nowhere is there more drama to be found in the modern modification process than with fixing fluid and air systems to an engine.
How many times have you seen cars on the dyno or on the track with blown intercooler pipes, water leaks or fuel erupting from the manifold?
It happens a lot, that's for sure, but the good bit of news is that with some intelligent component selection and a bit of time spent attending to the details, getting an excellent and reliable under-bonnet result is only a couple of hours and a handful of dollars away.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/Hose%20Bits.pdf



PACKIN HEAT
It's a well know fact that engines get hot under the bonnet, right? I mean who wouldn't be able to comes to grips with the basic concept that part of the generation of power is the generation of heat? So, the more power you make, the hotter it's going to get under the bonnet. There aren't to many people that understand just how much time and effort manufacturers put into not only controlling heat, but channelling and forcing it around in the engine. The following information is eye-opening to say the least.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... 20Heat.pdf


EVIL CLUTCHES
The clutch would have to be one of the most abused components in a car. Some get dumped at 6000 revs, others might have to handle the torque of a blown 5.0-litre V8. But the cruellest of all is the little old lady who's so deaf she can't hear the the engine revving its head off up the hill as she uses the clutch pedal as a footrest.
We all know what a clutch does (it allows the engine power to be gradually applied to the gearbox, and disengaged to permit smooth gear changes), now its time to learn how it does it.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... utches.pdf


H20 INJECTION
Water Injection has been round for a long time but not may people really know about how it works and the full potential it has for their engine.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... ection.pdf


RUMPY PUMPY
It doesn't take much more than another handful of boost, a bigger exhaust and a free-flow filter to stretch the limits of a factory fuel pump. And when this happens, you will know all about it with a lean-running engine, popping and banging at full noise, and a potentially burnt piston. The trick then with fuel pumps is to replace them before stuff goes wrong.
http://www.motoractive.com.au/articles/ ... 0Pumpy.pdf