I cooked my Predator :(

[Bosch]

I believe there is a minor disconnect going on between exchanges. But I'm having a pretty good time seeing how these engines work, so I hope people will continue to play along.

In my example, pretend that I have the rocker arms removed. So with valves not moving, the piston is free to go up and down and there is no defined compression or exhaust cycle. True?

BUT... when I line up the dots, & I have the piston at top dead center, and I set the rocker arms in place, that is defining and establishing the compression stroke, yes? if I followed those steps in that order, is it possible to get it wrong?

 

[Poboy kartman]

Let's put it this way....as soon as you install the cam...the engine has a compression and exhaust cycle.....it's the cam that determines that....not connecting the rest of the hardware required to actuate the valves does not mean the piston is on a definite compression stroke one time it goes up and exhaust the next.....it will compress on every stroke until you get the valves opening and closing.......

I think that you would be correct doing it like you said.....in otherwords I think that without moving the crank after installing the cam you would be on TDC on the compression cycle.....but I can't say that with certainty.......

And as far as lining up the dots.....one dot on the crank.....one on the cam....pretty much standard.....but no way lining up the dots puts the piston at TDC ....they will line up with piston not at TDC.....and then you have to go back in and correctly clock the cam....or you have an engine that doesn't run......

 

[Bosch]

Well said, thanks.

 

[Bosch]

I went back and looked again, and I made a rookie mistake... I set the valve lash with the side cover off, doh. So when I put the side coverback on and seated the cam shaft in the inside face of the cover, it threw the clearances all to **** up at the rockers. It's all good now.

A little embarrassing, perhaps, but hey.. if it helps someone else then good deal.

 

[Xtreme Yard Karts]

I went back and looked again, and I made a rookie mistake... I set the valve lash with the side cover off, doh. So when I put the side coverback on and seated the cam shaft in the inside face of the cover, it threw the clearances all to **** up at the rockers. It's all good now.

A little embarrassing, perhaps, but hey.. if it helps someone else then good deal.

Yep, that will do it. -lol Glad you figured it out!

 

[Poboy kartman]

It's always the little things that get ya.......

You don't try to cross a highway with 30 cars coming at you at 70mph from both sides.....

But....it's that one time you are crossing a side street and forget to look left and a lone car going 40 takes you out......

 

[velocity]

If you're looking into predator type clones our contracting company has about 40 to 50 pre blown sitting in a storage building for Parts lol. They r ok for "light usage" but Imo if its heavy usage get a used honda. I've seen valves go through Pistons con rod bolts fall out ect. On predators not even hours old used on mixers compactors and other small equipt with q/c stickers still. Attached.

if at first you dont succeed get a bigger hammer....

 

[Bosch]

The engine lives! Which is certainly good news.
But I still have no idea what took place when it locked up.

HOWEVER, this does mean one very important thing: I now own TWO running Predator engines, but only ONE go kart. This is a problem. What ever shall I do...? (You can guess where this is going, right?)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPebXPcnxwU&feature=youtu.be

 

[Poboy kartman]

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