Tuning up a car’s combustion engine is an essential task for a car to perform correctly and have as long a useful life as possible. However, if you do not want to take it to the mechanic, we will explain the keys to get the best possible set-up starting with knowing how an engine works.
What is engine tuning?
The tuning of any engine is basically the entire set of operations that are carried out to ensure that said power unit reaches optimum performance and performs in the right conditions. To achieve this, all carburetion, ignition and all adjustments that affect distribution must be thoroughly reviewed and corrected if necessary. A perfect set-up can only be achieved by using a test bench. Through this platform it is possible to control numerous inputs such as the maximum power that the vehicle can give, the distribution of power torque and choosing all the essential values to achieve the best set-up that allows us to amortize the investment made in the useful life of the car. The proliferation of the hybrid car also changes the situation.
In theory it may seem very simple but when we move on to the practical part it will be necessary to focus on possibly the two most important elements. These are the maximum power that can be achieved and also that this is completely regular, through a torque that is as correct as possible. Low-end power units, and therefore those used by the majority of the population, practically never have a perfect set-up. As kilometers accumulate, there are variations between them. Thus, in these cases, the power unit must be fully customized to get it perfectly tuned and correct these small imperfections that can be found.
In addition, on a day-to-day basis, we can also understand as fine-tuning all those tasks related to ensuring that all the mechanical part of the car, or vehicle in question to which we refer, works correctly and functions properly. Tuning is especially important when we refer to the field of competition or sports cars. In Formula 1 or MotoGP, the set-up of the vehicle is of paramount importance to achieve a good result in the race on Sunday. Instead, people who want to show off an impressive car will also need to properly customize their power unit setup and all the things that come with it.
Benefits of tuning up the engine
All in all, getting the engine ready is an extra job that not many are willing to accept. Some will take you to the mechanic, which is another option we have available to you, while others will decide to just do the required checkups on your vehicle. Be that as it may, worrying about this point has numerous benefits. The most prominent are the following:
- Control vehicle consumption. If the car engine is not balanced, the fuel consumption can be increased sharply. In this way, at an economic level it ends up being a totally avoidable expense in the long term.
- Extend the life of the car or motorcycle. Obviously, controlling the power unit and all the elements that surround it will also allow said vehicle to have a longer useful life and therefore get more out of it.
- Make sure to pass the annual ITV if that is the case. In Spain, when a car turns 10 years old, it will be forced to pass the Compulsory Technical Inspection annually. Thus, if we periodically check the engine tuning, we will also make sure that we can overcome it and avoid having to solve the problem and return after fifteen days.
- Avoid unnecessary repairs at the mechanic. Controlling the tuning of the vehicle can avoid having to go to the mechanic or the corresponding workshop. Basically because it is possible to anticipate the problems and the bill that will fall to us if it is time to repair.
Following these tips, although it may seem like an unnecessary expense, ends up being a profitable investment in the medium and long term. We avoid repairs, throwing money away in a totally avoidable way and also having to dispose of a car ahead of schedule to buy a new one with all that this entails . Currently, car prices are getting higher despite the numerous announcements to get a more modern car park than years ago in our country.
How to time an engine?
Once we have the context ready, we go with the practical part on how to get an engine ready in a certain period. The first principle of any type of tuning is to get the spark that occurs in the cylinders in the compression cycle when we start the vehicle to be completely synchronized. Otherwise, our vehicle will not start when we make contact with the key, and if it does, it will not do it correctly. Allows to save to fix the battery. The procedure that we will explain below is suitable for all those engines that have between three and eight cylinders. The first item to look at will be the number one cylinder. Your dead point should coincide with the compression period. To perform the check. We will remove your spark plug, taking special care not to bend the valves.
The goal is to get the camshaft and crankshaft to rotate simultaneously and in sync. In this case, the engine tuning will be completely correct. Using a screwdriver that is not too thick, and placing it on top of the piston, we will observe each of the marks that should be written on the camshaft. If they are not clearly visible, we can use some type of white paint to mark them correctly. In this case, and with great care, we must previously move the crankshaft approximately 15 degrees until they are on a par with the marks described above on the camshaft. These marks will serve as a reference so that the time band is installed correctly. However, it should not be forgotten that this is just a procedure and that tuning an engine can be done in totally different ways. In fact, it is possible to use our own reference marks to get the spark timing and the car to start correctly.
Once this set-up has been achieved, using a time gun we can verify that the power delivery is completely correct. If this is not the case, it will also be indicated that some other accessory element could also be damaged, causing the vehicle to not function properly. We must set a calendar in which to review the set-up, and other elements such as oil levels to achieve our maintenance objectives correctly. Thus, the tuning of an engine is ideal to evaluate the state of the vehicle and to know if it consumes too much, if the oil levels are adequate and if we are receiving the power that we are entitled to. This is similar to running a speed test on an Internet connection router. With this, we will be able to reduce totally unnecessary expenses and be able to enjoy a vehicle for a longer period of time.
