Are aluminum crank pulleys bad?
On a well maintained engine with bolt-ons or low amounts of boost like what most owners probably run, a lightweight aluminum crank pulley will not have any life threatening consequences. The engineering reasons are that most modern engines have a short (increasingly strong) crankshaft operating under 8,000 RPM.
Are lighter pulleys worth it?
In a nutshell, YES, lightweight aluminum pulleys do free power and torque. The dyno charts consistently prove that lightweight pulleys improve power, torque, and response across the entire power band. No other modification in the same price range can offer similar gains across the entire power band.
Do lightweight pulleys make a difference?
As a result of the reduced load on the engine, a set of lightweight pulleys has the additional benefit of being more efficient as well, meaning that you might even see an increase in MPG (if you keep your foot out of it.)
Does pulley add horsepower?
Horsepower gains from underdrive pulleys can vary by vehicle, engine, number of accessories and the amount of underdrive (improvements of up to 5–15 HP at the wheels have been seen). Additional and significant performance improvements can be seen by reducing the weight of the pulley versus the original pulley.
What is the difference between a pulley and a flywheel?
The main difference between them is their function. The function of a flywheel is to provide a rotating mechanism more inercia, so it won’t be so affected by other forces (Such as friction or gravity). The function of a pulley is to transmit the rotating motion from one shaft to another through a belt.
What are the criteria for designing a flywheel?
In aspects of design, the criteria for designing a flywheel are mainly the weight and the diameter, so the inercia provided by it is the required. The criteria for designing a pulley are the diameter, so the transmission ratio is the desired, and the surface finish, so the belt won’t slide when it’s working.
What kind of crankshaft is the 4a-g?
The 4A-G crank is by all appearance a high performance piece of hardware. Unlike many production crankshafts which are nodular cast iron, the 4A-G is forged. It is a forged carbon steel, five main bearing, fully counter balanced affair.
How can I check the straightness of my crank?
A quick method to check the crank can be done with the crank mounted on top of the main bearing caps, e.g., the crank sitting on the main bearing saddles. With a cleaned crankshaft and main bearings, the crank can be checked for straightness by first re-installing the crank and all the bearing shells in the block.
How do you remove a flywheel on an aluminum engine?
You can hear the air impact wrench when it gets under a severe strain, it starts to slow down and then POW, the flywheel pops loose. On most aluminum block engines, such as Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh, etc., a flywheel knock-off tool can be used to remove the flywheel.
How does a small engine flywheel system work?
These engines had a magneto ignition system. There’s two magnets attached to inside the flywheel, the ignition coil is fastened on a stator to the bearing plate and a rope was used on a large notched pulley that’s attached to the flywheel to crank the engine. There is no battery and no charging system involved.
Are there any batteries in a flywheel engine?
There is no battery and no charging system involved. These were used on self-contained, stand-alone engine units, such as truck-mounted air compressors, generator/welders, water pumps, etc., and they were popular with the U.S. Military because there was no recoil starter and very few ignition parts to give trouble.
What can cause a cast iron flywheel to crack?
Oil, grease, dirt on the crankshaft and/or flywheel tapers or even an overtorqued nut or bolt could cause the center in a cast iron flywheel to crack in the keyway or the threaded stud of the crankshaft to break off. Cast iron flywheels always crack at the weakest point, which is at the keyway.