This section is to illustrate and talk about the worse end of this industry……the carnage! It comes in all forms and can be caused by numerous reasons. In our years of experience we have seen a lot of “cause and effect” and have been able to quantify what can causes damaged parts in high performance vehicles.
Poor Selection of Parts!
- This relates to parts that are not adequate to handle certain power levels for example. Also in todays market there are many “knock off” of parts that seem like a good deal but in fact are inferior parts. For example we see this a lot with camshafts/lifters that come from China. Redline prefers to buy its parts from well established American company’s who have demonstrated years of credibility and industry support! Redline Motorsports will only endorse and supply the highest quality of parts in our builds!
Improper Installation Methods!
- The internet makes ever install look like its a 5 minute job due to good marketing. The reality is there is a right and wrong way. In this day and age many like to ignore the manufactures instructions and just wing it…usually never ends up well. We often see issues with improper lifter preload, shady fuel system installs and poor wiring that can contribute to a poorly running engine or even a failure! Redline Motorsports takes a great amount of pride in our workmanship which has cumulated from 32 years of performance experience.
Improper Calibration!
- Often customers have no problem spending money on all the exposed parts. The intakes, superchargers, billet parts and all the internet hype. The final sum of those parts integration is in the calibration of the power control systems. This is an area where more then a laptop is important. A qualified calibrator must be proficient in engine dynamics, chemistry and physics in order to properly command the functions in the controller that control the engine operation. A couple key strokes in the wrong direction can lead into catastrophic engine damage real fast besides a car that runs like crap.
Customer Abuse!!
- As much as we build cars with “higher” performance parts, abuse can still break stuff. There most certainly are limits on everything and abuse and/or improper use can certainly cause harm. These include driving habits, lack of maintaining your vehicle and also improper fuel selections.
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Worn Out Lifter Wheel
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A worn lifter is usually due to an oil issue and the use of low quality lifters. Once the lifter starts to wear it eventually stops rotating and will eat the camshaft lobe next!
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Worn out camshaft lobe
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Camshaft lobe wear although directly tied to oil quality issues, can also be tied to Chinese knock off camshafts sold by many online suppliers.
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Bent Pushrod
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This happens when the pushrod looses its preload between the lifter and rocker arm! Can be caused by improper preload setup, over revving the engine or poor quality part.
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Blow out rocker arm
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Notorious issue on LS/LT rockers where the stamped steel end covers fall out. This is what we upgrade all rocker arms to trunnion style rollers.
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Burned Spark Plugs Electrode
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Can cause misfires and dead cylinders!
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Broken Valve Seals
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Often caused by incorrect valve spring selection.
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Broken Torque Tube Coupler
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Common issue in Corvettes!
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Imploded Catalyst
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Often caused by overheating. Can cause significant heat to build up in cylinders.