Im very interested in learning about engines as a hobby even though my major is computer science. But as a hobby, how did you all get started in learning about engines? Reason for asking in this forum is because if i post it in "5th gen" or something then people who dont have as much expierence might post crap. Did you all start with a manual and just do what you can and went from there? or took a class? or learned form these boards or what?
pretty soon i plan on building a NA motor for the reliablilty (thus no FI) and I want to install some pistons, cams, intake, exhaust, etc etc. but i dont know where to start or what means what, like 11.5:1 compression....where'd you get such numbers? what do they mean or effect? that type of stuff.
thanks (if i dont get flamed or anything of the sort)
i have above basic knowledge of cars but it has nothing to do with building an entire engine.
I can't speak for everyone else, but I just jumped in with a manual and start working on the car. Couple that with various webboards like this one, talking to other gearheads, and that will get you a very good start.
I agree w/ludikris...I broke my engine & started taking it apart. Learning a bunch as I go & got a lot more to learn by far. I bet half the people on here have forgotten more about engines than I'll ever know. I've been reading a bunch & asking tons of questions.
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That's one bad mother - shut your mouth - ... i'm just talkin bout my lude
www.mdpreludeclub.org
www.ohpoc.org
I learned everything on the Internet. I'm serious.
Just a lot of research over the cold winter while building my engine. I just took it as a challenge to do and now I'm regarded as some sort of authority on the subject, even though my sources are no different than anyone else's.
I've learned everything by reading and doing. Although I haven't cracked open a Honda engine yet, I've stripped down and built Chevy and Ford engines in the past. When the time comes to rebuild my H22 I will probably find myself doing as much as I can myself, learning as I go.
hmmm interesting, glad to see you guys started in the same direction im going. I plan on doing a valve adjustment even though ive NEVER opened a engine or seen what its like in there besides pictures. hopefully i'll get it right. probably dont really need it but hey its a start to learn about engines right? then im going to do intake header exhaust and high-flow cat.
i wanted to see how you guys got started because im a little reluctant to do it on my own since ive never done anything before besides basic things like brakes and rotors and wheels and taking doors apart. but seeing how you guys started the same direction im going i guess i'll go ahead and do it! thanks for you replies!
First, I turned the keys .. and it started...
the car was an 84 cavalier, lots went wrong .. i learnt from the bad happenings the jist of it ..
THEN - i got a honda. and it had that lever that said "hood" .. .(85 prelude base) .. from there it was hondaprelude.com, reading reading reading,
Now I've got my helms but just reading these, any time anybody says "help" i read the post to finish and get ideas on stuff.. the search feature is wikked but what really helps is if you have an unreliable vehicle, unfortunately i assume you have a prelude? .. so not much goes wrong to learn how to fix
A really great way to learn things is reading up on any of the H23Vtec / Hybrid posts .. there was a huge one I started, and Satan_SRV has tonnes of good info .. as far as the math for ocmpression .. stroke bore .. thats all greek to me still but this site is an excellent resource to get started!
I got interested because my dad always had car projects. He enjoys buying parts and conceiving projects more than he enjoys finishing them. I was in the garage with him all the time while I was growing up, working mostly on his big block Fords. I tore down my first engine, a 400ci Chevy, when I was 12, and I built my first engine when I was 15.
Get some magazine subscriptions to magazines that actually do engine articles. The import and sport compact magazines don't cover engines as well as domestic oriented magazines like Hot Rod or Car Craft. Some of the Mustang and Chevy magazines are really good also.
Another thing to do is to buy some good books. HP and SA Design publish some good books on everything from American V8's to import engines. Stay away from books that focus on the bolt on aftermarket, you just won't find the content you need.
The rest of what I learned I learned in engineering school and on the job. Now I'm a development engineer and I get paid to work on engines every day. I learn something new every day also.
In light of all of this, nothing will replace good aptitude for how things work.
the article at HOWSTUFFWORKS is amazing. great place to start and learn the basics. from there it's being on the boards all the time :P and seeing what people who know their stuff have to say.
i think once you can conceptualize a 4 cycle engine and how it works, all of the specifics make alot more sense and the very specialized lingo starts not sound so much like gibberish.
Yea, basically, i spun a bearing in my f22, then i replaced it, ran for 2 days, then went to work on my engine swap. And the fact that everyone was too lazy to help me i had to do it myself. After doing the engine swap myself, i have been able to do anything else that breaks on my car. And believe me, i have had some nice wierd problems.
Thats the best way to learn, from experience.
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AIM:ISUBIEXI
S/SI/Vtec Hybrid. RS*R Header, JDM downpipe, Custom Downpipe back 2.25 Exhaust, Intake, ""Mugen"" Programmed p13, No balancer belt, no AC, Fidanza Flywheel, ACT clutch, SI trans, Power Slot rotors, SkunkII Coilovers, Enki Rims.
Originally posted by Satan_SRV I learned everything on the Internet. I'm serious.
It shows. Hahahah!!!
The best place to start on a Honda is the Helms. Excellent manual, shows you how to do everything step-by-step, even if you aren't mechanically inclined. Pick up the books that MG mentioned and start reading up on tech posts on boards (looks like you already are). I had one kid tell me he searched my posts here and read ALL of them. That's a little nutty, but you get the idea.
I don't anything about engines.. I just make it up as I go along and it tends to be right.. :P
Actually inthe case of the Prelude I read the Helms cover to cover 4 times when I got my car.. and then I started taking things apart... but before that I was always tinkering with anything that burned fuel ... even before I could drive..
I learned everything from doing lots of research on the web. I also built my Go-Ped engine, so that taught me alot (even though it is a 22.5cc signle cylinder 2-stroke).
ive been at team-integra.net for over a year now and learned a lot from there with my integra. but i never really had the time or money to work on my car, i only went for audio ****. but now that i have a prelude, i relize i want something that will blow others away in a autoX course, but at the same time be tip-top reliable.
I learned how clutches worked then camshafts then pistons then valves, now i know how the whole engine works and moved on to how Vtec works from howstuffworks.com but it just doesnt get technical enough, its too simplified if you know what i mean. but i'll take all of your advice and buy myself a helms on my next paycheck.
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lets say i wanted to know the differences between the USDM prelude 01 pistons and the JDM type-S pistons, where would i start? just by searching? thats what you guys would do? or do you have a specific source for things like this?
Originally posted by [SUB[EX] Yea, basically, i spun a bearing in my f22, then i replaced it, ran for 2 days, then went to work on my engine swap. And the fact that everyone was too lazy to help me i had to do it myself. After doing the engine swap myself, i have been able to do anything else that breaks on my car. And believe me, i have had some nice wierd problems.
Thats the best way to learn, from experience.
I am the same way, i new a decent amount about cars before i did my swap. Everyone was too lazy to help me do it so i basicly did it myself, but i learned so much from it.
i just learned from my dad, the internet, and i read the 2 vol. of honda builders handbooks from sa. these are great books, and they hold true for all 4 stroke motors for the most part. as far as the net goes,there is tons of great info, but you really have to have your filter on to sift through the crap. take EVERYTHING you read on the net with a grain of salt, and try stuff yourself. example: i wanted to have 5th gen wheels when i first got my car, but everyone on the net told me it couldnt be done. now i know better. there are many more examples....
marsh
omg...i just had to bring this thread back alive...i posted this exactly 1 year ago and now im laughing at the questions i asked...i could answer my own questions in the back of my head now, PO.COM rules!
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