Our research in the field of engine fault and repair

While conducting yet another market analysis, we suddenly noticed that our efforts to introduce modern engine repair technologies sometimes end up tilting at windmills. Beyond the age-old question of “repair or replace” an engine, which isn’t as simple as it seems, other serious factors come into play. And some of them naturally tend to turn engine repair into a cross between a losing lottery and a scam.

As a result, repairs become not only unprofitable but also dangerous for the consumer – it’s easy to pay money that won’t make the engine run, but nobody will pay back the money. This immediately raises new questions. For example, is there an alternative to poor-quality repairs? But to answer that, we first need to answer a more serious question…

Why is engine repair often poor-quality in practice?…

The question of profitability and return on investment arises every time when it is necessary to purchase some expensive equipment to equip/re-equip a workshop. And the question is quite natural, since the answer to it allows us to understand what funds, from where and for how long it is necessary to attract for this purchase. At the same time, this is also a very important question, since the answer also determines the feasibility of the purchase, as well as equipment options in case the selected position turns out to be unprofitable.

To answer it, we need to study the market, where we are waiting for simply sensational results. But they will not be unexpected for anyone if we pose the question as … 

Purchase of new equipment taking into account the payback of the engine repair shop…

Valve grinding is traditionally not the most important repair process for some engine mechanics. Indeed, why grind them if you take more abrasive paste and lap whilst all not be erased. Meanwhile, high-quality grinding of the valve chamfer is extremely important, without it it is impossible to perform high-quality repair of the cylinder head. In addition, a machine for processing seats can only work in tandem with a machine for grinding valves, and if someone, through ignorance or thoughtlessness, decides to break this pair, then his next step will be a return to grandfather’s lapping technologies. But this is not the entire list of problems that await those who want to use the right technologies, since valve grinding machines differ so fundamentally that not every machine can normally grind all valves in a row. Hence the traditional question of how not to get into trouble, not to fall into a puddle, not to get caught on a rusty lure or a beautiful wrapper, but to make the right choice from dozens of possible options, is still relevant when … …

We buy a new machine for grinding valves…

For most repairmen, the machining of cylinder head seats is an even more mysterious process than, for example, honing. It is in the machining of seats that 100-year-old myths still prevail among engine mechanics, not only preventing the correct repair of seats, but even simply understanding the essence of this type of machining. Meanwhile, being a captive of old-fashioned techniques, not knowing either the technologies or the equipment for machining, it will not be possible to repair the cylinder head of a modern engine. Just as it will not be possible not to get into a mess, not to fall into a puddle, not to get caught on a rusty lure or a beautiful wrapper, but to make the right choice from dozens of possible options when it is necessary …

Equipping the workshop with a new machine for machining the seats…

Crankshaft grinding machine today is undoubtedly one of the most, and maybe even the most expensive item in the entire range of engine shop machines. Moreover, this item is also the most accurate, since grinding accuracy is not a fraction of a millimeter, but microns. And in general, for a grinding machine, an accuracy of 5 microns is somehow not even a conversation about anything (since it should be more accurate).
Unfortunately (or fortunately), the times when you could grab an ancient machine from the distant Soviet life for next to nothing are long gone. Today, such machines are no longer available, and they do not meet modern requirements.
You can already hear the cries: how come they do not answer? What if you look? Indeed, it would be nice to understand all this and find out …

What is crankshaft grinding and how to deal with it…

Honing of bores (cylinders) is traditionally one of the most mysterious processes for many repairmen. It is honing that is associated with a large number of different repair defects, which sharply reduce its quality and, accordingly, the durability of the repaired engine. Moreover, some honing defects do not lie on the surface of the cylinder, but are hidden by a veil of technology and the tools used. And this often gives rise to various myths on the topic of honing, which further confuse the matter. Well, as a result of misunderstanding the essence of the process, cylinder blocks come out defective not only because of incorrectly selected honing modes, but sometimes also because of incorrectly selected equipment.
To unravel this tangle, we conducted our own investigation on the topic of what honing is and how to deal with it.

And here is what comes out of this honing…

Everyone knows that starting your own business is difficult. And when it comes to opening your own engine repair shop, the number of difficulties increases squared. And one of the main problems is, of course, money — how much is needed, and where to get it in such quantity? Since everyone knows very well that a lot of money is needed to equip a mechanical shop. Or even a lot. But how to calculate? And what work to do, and what equipment to buy? It is clear that the most expensive is not available, but the cheapest — will it do? And where to get it? And how?

And gradually it becomes clear that the problem is much more complicated than it seems, and it can no longer be solved. Head-on. But if you think about it, then …

Here’s what can come out of this shop…