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| #Post#: 70430-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Homelite 25/30cc Red Neck Hop-up Techniques, Timing numbers, Etc | |
| By: 660magnum Date: March 20, 2016, 12:03 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| [center]HOMELITE 25cc HOP UP[/center] | |
| [center]Written and pictures by Av8tor | |
| Formatting and presentation arrangement by 660magnum[/center] | |
| This article is specifically about the Homelite 25cc, and | |
| pertains to the Homelite 30cc engine in most respects as well. | |
| However, the port measuring and porting techniques apply equally | |
| well to most small two stroke engines. I hope you find it | |
| helpful. | |
| First and foremost, it is important that one never attempt to | |
| �hop up� a worn engine. The results will be frustrating at | |
| best. All important components should be in perfect condition, | |
| and I always recommend starting with a new ring as well. I have | |
| seen engines that still ran pretty well gain 800 rpms by only | |
| replacing a worn ring. | |
| Second, a coordinated approach is always needed when hopping up | |
| any engine. The modifications need to work together to achieve | |
| good results. It does no good to bolt on a huge carburetor for | |
| example, and leave the stock, restrictive exhaust in place. | |
| Common errors such as this create an engine that actually runs | |
| worse than stock. | |
| Third, unless you are willing to go through a lot of parts and | |
| do a lot of testing, stick to known, proven modifications. | |
| Parts cost a lot of money, and if you make a modification that | |
| doesn�t work, well, you just created an expensive paper weight. | |
| Don�t re-invent the wheel�. | |
| And lastly, don�t �polish� the ports. Just a nice finish with a | |
| small sanding drum to clean up the casting is all that is | |
| necessary. �Polishing the Ports� is old tech, and it has been | |
| proven that a slightly rough port actually flows somewhat better | |
| than a mirror smooth port. Seems odd, but it�s not if you know | |
| some of the intricacies of fluid dynamics. | |
| You will need the proper tools of course. Torx drivers, | |
| screwdrivers, etc., etc. as normal, plus a few special tools. | |
| Here are some that I use: | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082720&d=142686787… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082721&d=142686787… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082722&d=142686787… | |
| Most of them are self explanatory. The small light on the end | |
| of a flex cable is my favorite for checking port timing as I can | |
| insert it inside the engine and really see when a port opens or | |
| closes. The Dremel cutters are all carbide. Don�t try to use | |
| grinding stones on aluminum or magnesium! They will immediately | |
| clog up, then can over heat and explode! Lastly for the Dremel | |
| is a small sanding drum tool. (Good for final dressing up of | |
| the ports.) The tool that looks like a spark plug is my | |
| Positive Stop for finding TDC, (Top Dead Center), and the last | |
| is a length of PVC tubing with a piece of thick, hard emery sand | |
| paper securely glued onto the end. This is for removing the | |
| squish band. A person should also have some small jeweler�s | |
| files in flat and round. They should be heated and have the | |
| last 1.5� or so bent at about a 20 to 30 degree angle. These | |
| are for dressing and chamfering the edges of the ports to | |
| prevent damage to the piston and/or ring. I do it with the | |
| small round carbide tool in my Dremel, but, one slip and, well, | |
| remember what I said about expensive paper weights? | |
| I don�t need to mention about eye protection and a dust mask for | |
| use while porting and grinding on metal do I? Didn�t think so�. | |
| The first step, after disassembly, and a thorough cleaning and | |
| inspection of parts, is to mock up the engine the first time to | |
| take baseline measurements. Hopefully, we already have the | |
| Frank Bowman modified piston and special ring in hand. Then we | |
| start taking our baseline measurements, but one of the | |
| measurements will require the squish band to be removed first, | |
| so I do that using the PVC tube with the stiff sand paper glued | |
| on it. The PVC tube is a nice smooth slip fit into the | |
| cylinder. One could make a special cutter to do this, but | |
| unless you do a lot of engines it wouldn�t be worth it. Just | |
| use the sand paper tool. Push it up against the squish band and | |
| push and turn to remove the band. Check often, and be very | |
| careful not to scar or score the cylinder bore with the tool. | |
| You are done when you can insert a screwdriver or scribe into | |
| the cylinder head area, and no longer feel that �step� around | |
| the outer edge of the combustion area. Here is the cylinder | |
| with the squish band ground out. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082723&d=142686787… | |
| Another thing we are going to be doing is to �stuff the | |
| crankcase�, and now is a good time to take a measurement of that | |
| to see what will be required. As you can see, there is quite a | |
| large gap between the crank pin and the backing plate. We want | |
| to reduce that to about .025� for better engine efficiency. | |
| (Increased secondary compression ratio.) | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082724&d=142686787… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082725&d=142686787… | |
| Now we can do the first mock up assembly and start taking actual | |
| measurements. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082738&d=142686953… | |
| First we set up the degree wheel and pointer by finding TDC. | |
| This is the only proper way to find Top Dead Center of the | |
| piston, and is called the �Positive Stop Method�. You install | |
| your positive stop, (seen screwed into the head in the picture | |
| above), and set the degree wheel and pointer so that it shows | |
| the exact same degree reading whether the piston is up against | |
| the stop going in one direction, or the other. In this case the | |
| piston hits the stop at 35 degrees when I rotate the engine | |
| clockwise, and when I rotate the engine all the way around | |
| counterclockwise and the piston hits the stop again, it also | |
| shows exactly 35 degrees. You move the degree wheel or the | |
| pointer as necessary to achieve this; equal in both directions. | |
| Now, and only now, when you take the Positive Stop out and the | |
| pointer shows �TDC�, the piston is actually and truly at Top | |
| Dead Center. Now we can take the port timing measurements. | |
| Here�s what I got for stock readings: | |
| INTAKE OPEN: 60 degrees BTDC | |
| INTAKE CLOSE: 60 degrees ATDC | |
| Total Duration = 120 degrees | |
| EXHAUST OPEN: 106 ATDC | |
| EXHAUST CLOSE: 74 ABDC | |
| Total Duration = 148 degrees | |
| A special note here because I know people will ask. Here�s how | |
| you find that exhaust duration: | |
| 180 � 106 = 74 degrees. 74 (from ATDC to BDC) + 74 (ABDC) = 148 | |
| total degrees the exhaust port is open. If it is easier for | |
| you, just count the total open degrees on the degree wheel. | |
| This is just a baseline measurement. This is an older engine, | |
| so the exhaust duration is not too bad. Newer engines have been | |
| coming out generally with a much lower exhaust port duration. | |
| However, the intake duration is rather low. All this will | |
| change however, when we lower the cylinder to raise the | |
| compression. When the cylinder is lowered, the exhaust port | |
| timing is lowered, and the intake port timing is raised. (The | |
| exhaust port will open later, and close earlier, and the intake | |
| will do the reverse when the cylinder is lowered.) So when we | |
| lower the cylinder, we will lose ground with the exhaust port | |
| total timing, but gain some with the intake. We�ll compensate | |
| when we do our porting. | |
| Next, while working with the degree wheel in this first mockup, | |
| I like to use my dial indicator to see how much piston movement | |
| affects port timing. This could be figured out mathematically | |
| using the piston stroke, rod length, and some tricky math, but | |
| it is quick and easy to do it with the dial indicator, and fool | |
| proof. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082739&d=142686953… | |
| I measure how many degrees of wheel movement it takes to move | |
| the dial indicator .100�. (For best accuracy do this test | |
| measurement with the piston at about mid travel, and don�t try | |
| to figure for just one degree or a smaller dial indicator amount | |
| as it won�t be as accurate; use .100�.) In this case, 10 | |
| degrees of wheel movement moved the dial indicator .100�. So | |
| dividing 10 into .100�, we find that each degree of the wheel | |
| moves the piston .010�. That�s a nice easy number to work with. | |
| Now, here is an important fact that is absolutely imperative to | |
| remember when working with two strokes. Whatever amount you | |
| take off a port top or bottom to change the timing DOUBLES the | |
| timing change. This is because you are not only changing when | |
| the port [U]opens[/U], but [B][U]also[/U][/B] when the port | |
| [U]closes[/U]. | |
| [B][U]Example: [/U][/B] | |
| 20 degree change desired. | |
| 20 x .010� = .200� | |
| .200� divided by 2 =.100� (Because both opening AND closing is | |
| changed.) | |
| .100� to remove from port opening edge for a 20 degree timing | |
| change. | |
| So now we know that in order to make a (for example) 20 degree | |
| port timing change, we would remove .100� from the top of the | |
| exhaust port or the bottom of the intake port. If we removed | |
| .200� it would change the timing [B][U]40 degrees[/U][/B] | |
| because remember, when we make a change to a port, it alters | |
| BOTH the opening AND the closing of the port. | |
| The next thing to check/measure, is the quench or squish | |
| distance. This is also sometimes called �Deck Height�, though | |
| that term is not exactly correct for this application. What we | |
| need to know is the distance from the piston to the head at TDC. | |
| The way to do that is to bend a piece of soft solder, (not | |
| silver solder) so that it will go into the spark plug hole and | |
| go over against the cylinder wall. We then rotate the engine | |
| several times while holding the solder secure in one position | |
| and making sure it is touching the cylinder wall. The piston | |
| will smash the solder flat, which we can then measure and this | |
| gives us the piston to head clearance. I normally use 1/8� | |
| electrical solder for this, but the clearance was so wide in | |
| this engine that I had to use larger diameter plumbing solder. | |
| The pic is a bit blurry, but you can see from the gap in the | |
| calipers that it was a large piston to head clearance. It | |
| measured about .080�, while we want a much smaller gap of .020�. | |
| (.015� absolute minimum for safe operation.) Lowering the | |
| cylinder and closing up this wide gap will give a nice raise in | |
| the compression ratio of this engine. Now we know about how | |
| much to remove. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082740&d=142686953… | |
| So, the crankcase is set up in the milling machine, and we | |
| proceed to take off .060� to arrive at the .020� clearance that | |
| we want. (I actually took a bit more off, because I like to | |
| make a new, slightly thicker cylinder base gasket and so I | |
| allowed for that.) Some people make up a spud to mount the | |
| cylinder in a lathe, and remove material from the cylinder base. | |
| I prefer to take the material off the crankcase when possible, | |
| because then if you ever have to replace the cylinder, you won�t | |
| have to do the machine work again. The squish clearance can | |
| always be fine tuned with different thickness gaskets if you | |
| take enough off the crankcase to allow for that. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082741&d=142686953… | |
| Next comes the cylinder porting. There are several important | |
| items to note here. One is obvious but critical; you can always | |
| take more material off, but you can�t add it back on. So I | |
| recommend that you take perhaps half of what you calculated you | |
| would need to, and then mock the engine up again, and measure | |
| your port timings. See if they are what would be expected for | |
| the amount you took off. If you go too far, well, there we are | |
| with a paper weight again! You might want to do the porting in | |
| three stages instead of just two. Grind a little, check, grind | |
| again. (Hey, if it were quick and easy anyone could do it | |
| right??!!) | |
| Another thing is that you must [B][U]always[/U][/B] clean up and | |
| chamfer the port edges after grinding on them and before mocking | |
| the engine up again. If not, the raw port edges where you | |
| ground them will scar, score, and destroy the piston and ring. | |
| (More paper weights!) It is your choice whether you remove the | |
| ring or not for these mock up tests. If you do, be careful as | |
| it is very, very easy to break a ring while taking it off or | |
| putting it back on. If you don�t take it off, just be very | |
| careful when assembling the engine that you don�t break the | |
| ring. Go slow and easy, if anything needs forced, something is | |
| not right. | |
| So the Homelite 25cc comes with a bridged exhaust port. We have | |
| had the piston modified with a pin and a special ring for use | |
| with a pinned piston, all done by the Ring Master, Frank Bowman, | |
| so we can remove that port bridge for better exhaust flow. The | |
| pin will keep the ring from rotating and ever getting caught in | |
| the exhaust port, so, away with that bridge! | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082742&d=142686953… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082743&d=142686953… | |
| As a quick side note here, that is the quick and easy way to | |
| tell a Homelite 25cc from a Homelite 30cc. They are identical | |
| on the outside, but the 30cc does not have an exhaust port | |
| bridge. | |
| Some of the later model Homelite 25 and 30cc engines have a hole | |
| in the cylinder just above the exhaust port that leads into a | |
| corresponding hole in the muffler. Opinions vary as to what | |
| that hole is for, but the most probable one is that it is for | |
| EGR, or Exhaust Gas Recirculation. We don�t want that for our | |
| engines, so if yours has that, drill and tap it for a set screw, | |
| and plug the hole with a set screw with Loctite. Take care that | |
| you don�t penetrate the cylinder with the tap threads, as that | |
| may cause a burr in the cylinder. | |
| Now for the actual porting. There are several ways to mark the | |
| ports for grinding, and I have used them all at one time or | |
| another. One is to use magic marker or machinist�s Dykem to | |
| color the area above or below the port so that it will show a | |
| scribed mark. You can then very, very carefully position the | |
| piston so that it�s top edge will be where you want the new top | |
| of the port to be, and reach in through the spark plug hole and | |
| scribe the cylinder near the port, using the piston as a guide. | |
| Another is to do the same magic marker or Dykem marking, but use | |
| a calipers to get your distance, and then use a right angle | |
| scribe to make your mark. And lastly, you can also use a piece | |
| of pin striping tape or a similar piece of tape cut from | |
| electrical tape. Use a long tweezers or medical hemostats, and | |
| position the tape the appropriate distance above or below the | |
| port. You can then grind to your mark, (or the tape), but as I | |
| mentioned I highly recommend going only part way and doing an | |
| engine mock up and measuring/checking your results and progress. | |
| Remember, when changing port timing we ALWAYS remove only from | |
| the TOP of the exhaust port, or the BOTTOM of the intake port. | |
| All in all I recommend the tape method as probably being the | |
| easiest and most fool proof means of marking your port for | |
| grinding. Using the bottom of a vernier calipers or using a | |
| dial indicator are ways of gauging the distance; another would | |
| be to find or make something of the thickness desired, to gauge | |
| the distance you want to grind the port top or bottom. It | |
| really is difficult working up in that small diameter cylinder | |
| with a head that can�t be removed. So just take your time and as | |
| I keep saying; go slow and check your work often. Here are some | |
| porting pics. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082752&d=142687227… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082753&d=142687227… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082754&d=142687227… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082755&d=142687227… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082756&d=142687227… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082757&d=142687227… | |
| Resist the urge to grind out that little �nub� in the intake | |
| port. It is there to help keep the piston ring from bulging | |
| into the intake port and getting damaged. Leave it there. | |
| Also, the transfer ports are not addressed in this treatise, | |
| because they are very critical and you should only attempt | |
| modifying them after you are very adept at porting. They must | |
| be kept identical, both in opening times, and ANGLES! If you | |
| mess them up, the engine might end up running worse than stock. | |
| Just check that the transfer ports align at the cylinder to | |
| crankcase interface, and smooth the transfer port entry slots in | |
| the crankcase itself. | |
| Now we will address �Stuffing the Crankcase.� I determined that | |
| a 1/8� piece of aluminum would be the correct thickness to get | |
| the .025� crank pin to backplate clearance I wanted, so I made a | |
| plate out of it to the shape of the inner surface of the | |
| backplate. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082762&d=142687300… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082763&d=142687300… | |
| I sanded both the back plate and the aluminum spacer, cleaned | |
| them with acetone, and then installed the spacer using JB Weld | |
| and a counter sunk screw in the middle. A counter sunk screw is | |
| not really needed as the crank pin goes around the middle and | |
| won�t hit a bolt head. However, if you use a regular bolt, be | |
| sure to check that it doesn�t hit the connecting rod. If you | |
| think you will ever need a crankcase pressure tap for a smoke | |
| pump, or remote carb pulse, here would be a good place and time | |
| to put one. Use the pressure tap to help hold the plate in | |
| place instead of a bolt. The JB Weld actually does the holding, | |
| the bolt is just there to firmly hold the plate in place while | |
| the JB Weld dries, and to help me sleep better at night. It | |
| sure would be messy if that plate ever came loose while the | |
| engine was running�. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082764&d=142687300… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082765&d=142687300… | |
| Now we have a much more reasonable piston to crankpin clearance | |
| and our crankcase is STUFFED! Note that this is another spot | |
| where you can fine tune your clearance with gaskets. Using | |
| thicker, thinner, and/or multiple gaskets on the backplate will | |
| get you where you want to be; .025�. | |
| Now on to final assembly and the last checks. Use a small | |
| amount of two stroke oil on all bearings and give them a spin. | |
| Don�t load the engine up, just a few drops on each bearing is | |
| plenty. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082766&d=142687300… | |
| A pic of the thicker cylinder gasket I made. (use notebook | |
| cardboard, cereal boxes, file folders, etc. to make gaskets.) | |
| Harbor Freight sells a really neat hole punch kit that makes | |
| making gaskets fun. (Well, sort of�.) | |
| I don�t use any sealer on the base gasket normally, and NEVER | |
| use any sealer on the carb adapter or carb gaskets. | |
| Put a nice film of two stroke oil on the piston, ring, and | |
| cylinder wall and put �er back together for the last time. | |
| (Hopefully!) | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082767&d=142687300… | |
| With the cylinder bolted on, a final check of the squish | |
| distance shows a perfect .020�. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082768&d=142687379… | |
| #Post#: 70431-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Homelite 25/30cc Red Neck Hop-up Techniques, Timing number, | |
| Etc | |
| By: 660magnum Date: March 20, 2016, 12:12 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| Continued . . . | |
| Here you can see where I used a carb gasket with a larger bore, | |
| and have ported out the intake manifold adapter to accommodate | |
| the larger carb bore. The manifold gets really, really thin at | |
| the impulse port slot, and near one of the mounting screws when | |
| you do this. On more extensive, high rpm builds, I make a dam | |
| and add manifold surface area near that one screw using JB Weld, | |
| and use a smaller head screw. Then, also using JB Weld, I fill | |
| in the impulse hole and slot, and use an external pulse port and | |
| hose to activate the fuel pump in the carb. By doing this I can | |
| port the manifold adapter hole larger than you see here. If you | |
| want a really nice handling engine, go with a carb with an 11mm | |
| venturi. If you want a bit more power, a 12.7mm venturi is the | |
| way to go, but will be a touch more finicky on adjustment and | |
| throttle up transition. (Not too badly though; that�s the size | |
| carb used on the Zenoah G-26 engines.) | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082769&d=142687379… | |
| Some people like to make a metal plate that they bolt to the | |
| back of the engine with countersunk screws, and then the plate | |
| bolts to the firewall to mount the engine. I don�t like adding | |
| the extra weight, and so I just use studs to mount the back | |
| plate, and then those same studs go back through the firewall | |
| with washers and nuts on them. Simple and light! | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082770&d=142687379… | |
| As to the muffler, you can purchase one from various sources | |
| that will be much better than the unmodified stock muffler. If | |
| not, you will definitely have to modify the stock muffler to go | |
| along with the other modifications here. It is much, much too | |
| restrictive and power robbing. What I do, is carefully undo the | |
| crimp that holds the muffler halves together. I then remove all | |
| the original baffling, screens, packing, or whatever else you | |
| might find in there. The only thing you want to leave is the two | |
| bolt spacers. These need to be there to keep the bolts from | |
| smashing the muffler when tightened. Then re-assemble the | |
| muffler and crimp it back together with the bolt spacer tubes | |
| located inside. You then need to make either one outlet with | |
| about a 5/8� diameter tube, or two outlets with at least �� | |
| diameter tubes. Braze shut any other holes in the muffler, clean | |
| it with the wire wheel on your grinder, and paint it black with | |
| engine paint. Done this way, the muffler is actually about as | |
| light as an aluminum muffler, because the aluminum is much | |
| thicker than the steel. They work fine. So� | |
| Here is the engine all assembled. | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082771&d=142687379… | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082772&d=142687379… | |
| Final specs: | |
| Squish distance = .020� | |
| Crank pin to back plate clearance = .025� | |
| Exhaust Open: 102 degrees ATDC | |
| Exhaust Close: 76 degrees ABDC | |
| Exhaust total: 154 degrees | |
| Intake Open: 67 degrees BTDC | |
| Intake Close: 67 degrees ATDC | |
| Intake Total: 134 degrees | |
| What I generally recommend is 150 to 155 degrees on the exhaust | |
| and 130 to 140 degrees on the intake for operation from around | |
| 7000 to 8000 rpms or a bit above. | |
| For operation at 9000 and slightly above, 160 to 165 on the | |
| exhaust and about 150 on the intake seems to work well. Much | |
| more duration than 165 degrees on the exhaust is getting into | |
| tuned pipe area/timing. | |
| If you are going for the higher rpms and the most power, | |
| definitely go with the 12.7mm venturi carb. | |
| All done and NO paper weights created! Yes!! | |
| This engine turned an APC 16 x 8 prop at 8400 rpms on the test | |
| stand on the first run. A bit more power and a good bit less | |
| weight could be realized by getting rid of the magneto and going | |
| to electronic ignition. This would also provide for easy hand | |
| starting and an even lower idle. It handles very nicely and is | |
| responsive throughout the rpm range. A bit more running time and | |
| a slightly larger carb would easily see 8700 rpms on the same | |
| prop, and CDI electronic ignition would help as well by | |
| eliminating the drag of the magneto flywheel, and optimizing the | |
| ignition timing. (Which should be set at 28 degrees.) This is a | |
| very nice, reliable engine. The boat guys run these engines at | |
| 10,000 rpms, so unless you run them lean or without oil, they | |
| should last forever at under 9000 rpms. | |
| Here she is, singing away on her first run! | |
| [img] | |
| http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2082773&d=142687379… | |
| #Post#: 70432-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: Homelite 25/30cc Red Neck Hop-up Techniques, Timing number, | |
| Etc | |
| By: 660magnum Date: March 20, 2016, 12:15 pm | |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | |
| [center]Pinning a free piston ring . . . [/center] | |
| [center]Written by Av8tor[/center] | |
| [center]Formatting by 660magnum[/center] | |
| The pin should be about the diameter of the ring groove. I use a | |
| little piece of gas welding rod. You use a drill press to drill | |
| a perfectly straight hole about .003" smaller than the size of | |
| the pin in the ring groove. You want to locate it where there | |
| are no ports in the cylinder, like in between the transfer and | |
| the exhaust port. This is critical. Then I use a bit of JB Weld | |
| on the pin, and with the piston held in a padded "V" block, very | |
| carefully drive the pin into the hole with a hammer and a small | |
| pin punch. (It's a three handed deal.) Start it straight and | |
| don't miss, or you'll ruin the ring land. Usually you size the | |
| pin to be the full depth of the ring land plus the distance of | |
| the hole you drilled, so as to be able to handle the pin and | |
| drive it in properly. But the pin has to end up being only 1/2 | |
| the depth of the ring groove. So you have to very, very | |
| carefully grind or file down the pin until it is only sticking | |
| up halfway into the ring groove. Once again, this is critical as | |
| if you don't get it right, you will either break Frank's special | |
| ring when you assemble the engine, or have a tight spot there | |
| because the pin is holding the ring up. Not good! The other | |
| thing is most people don't realize that the piston ring must | |
| seal on the bottom of the ring groove in the piston as well as | |
| against the cylinder wall. If you damage the ring land, or | |
| groove, the ring won't seal well and the engine will be down on | |
| power. | |
| Note that the Homelite 30cc engine, which is identical to the | |
| 25cc except for the bore size, has a pinned piston and an | |
| exhaust port without a bridge from the factory. It weighs | |
| exactly the same as the 25cc, and is a better candidate for your | |
| airplane engine. As of the date of this posting, I have been | |
| seeing Homelite 30cc engines in the Ryobi brand of string | |
| trimmer, and in some of the Homelite brand handheld leaf | |
| blowers. | |
| The pin should be whatever you can find that is about the same | |
| diameter as the width of the ring groove. It is a bit tough to | |
| drill a hole in a ring groove that is larger than the diameter | |
| of the groove, and often times when you try to do so, you will | |
| break a bit and/or damage the ring groove. That's why I suggest | |
| measuring the width of the groove, and then planning to use a | |
| pin that is close to the same diameter. Do not quote me on this, | |
| but it seems as though the last time I did one, which was some | |
| time ago, I used a gas welding rod with a diameter of .063" to | |
| make the pin. | |
| Then, since you want a press fit in the aluminum for the pin, I | |
| suggest precision measuring the pin with a micrometer, and then | |
| using a drill bit that is .003" less than the diameter of the | |
| pin for your hole in the piston. You will really need a drill | |
| press and a "V" block for the piston for doing this procedure, | |
| as the hole has to be perfect. If done by hand, it will surely | |
| not be perfectly straight nor round, and you will not be able to | |
| trust the press fit of the pin. That could be disastrous for the | |
| engine. | |
| The depth will vary with the different pistons encountered with | |
| the various Homelite 25cc engines. In some cases, you will break | |
| right through the ring land while drilling, and of course, that | |
| is as deep as you can go. In other cases, the drill will go | |
| partly into the piston crown, and partly into the interior of | |
| the piston. Once again, that will determine your depth, as once | |
| the hole breaks through to the interior of the piston, don't | |
| bother drilling any farther. And lastly, the drill might go | |
| entirely into the piston crown, and never break through to the | |
| interior area of the piston. In that case, I would drill the | |
| hole, let's say, approximately the same depth as the depth of | |
| the ring land. | |
| Use a tiny bit of JB Weld on the pin when punching/pressing it | |
| in place. Just be sure to clean any excess JB Weld away before | |
| it dries. And when you grind that pin down to be only half way | |
| protruding into the ring groove, be super careful that you do | |
| not damage the ring groove while doing so. | |
| Vee block source . . . | |
| http://www.plastixrevolution.net/products/soft-jaw-vise-blocks?utm_medium=cpc&u… | |
| To align the chuck perfectly with the "V" block by chucking a | |
| bit in the drill press, and lowering the chuck while adjusting | |
| the position of the "V" block until the drill bit hits perfectly | |
| in the bottom center of the "V". I then, using a very sharp fine | |
| point punch, center punch exactly where I want to drill the hole | |
| in the piston. (Remember that this must be in a spot of the ring | |
| groove that will not align with any ports in the assembled | |
| engine!) Then, using a drill bit less than half the size of the | |
| hole I eventually want, I carefully position the piston in the | |
| "V" block aligned with the drill bit and drill the hole. Using a | |
| high speed on the drill press chuck, and very light pressure | |
| when drilling the hole helps keep it on track. Once the small | |
| guide hole is drilled, I follow up with the final size drill I | |
| want the hole to be. | |
| Chuck a pin vise into my drill press to drill very tiny holes. | |
| Just be careful, as some of the cheaper pin vises do not | |
| actually center the drill bit well in their chucks. This is not | |
| too noticeable when using the pin drill by hand, but it will | |
| really wobble when chucked into a drill press. | |
| ***************************************************** |