maintenance
maintenance i want to know what you guys with all out drag cars are doing for maintenance like offseason and such are you goin as far as me and rebuildin motor every off season? -tony-
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 371
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From: Savannah, TN
If it's not broke leave it alone. I look at my oil and do oil analyis a few times a year (My dads best school friend owns a oil company) Plus a System1 oil filter is a good investment. Check the valves evey few races. any time we have to pull a head i have all the springs checked and new seals. Buy good stuff and stay ontop of your tun up Datalogging is the best thing i have ever done Phil
Put her on a rack and check all bolts, cables & shocks. Change the oil in motor & tranny. New plugs, check all fluids and front/rear tires for wear. Thats about it for me.
Coach
Coach
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 371
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From: Savannah, TN
This is somthing i forgot to post was i started data logging my coolant presure. It will tell you with out taking apart. also fuel pressure and wastgate CO2 pressure and then compare to boost pressure.
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we change the oil after every track session wether its 1 pass or 10, we go over the whole car and nut & bolt it making sure everything is right, overkill yea maybe but if ya find one thing wrong before ya hit the track it makes it all worth it....as for winter, the minimum is valve springs and compression check, along with any new upgrades
Chef is talking about my car, and Eastside's race cars in general.
Every trip I take to the track it gets fresh oil and filter, I change the fuel filter at the start ov every season and about mid summer as well to be safe. I do put coolant in the car in the winter but I flush it all out and fill the car with distilled water in the spring time (this way I don't worry about it freezing in the winter) I put the car up on jackstands, go under it, check all the nuts/bolts on any moving suspension part, inspect the shocks and whatnot, check the tires for any cuts, etc.
I change the tranny fluid usually every 30 passes or so, which usually works out to 2 or 3 times a season. The car gets a compression check and new valvesprings every year, along with a rear end fluid change, brakes get checked and bled. seals too if they look worn at all when the springs are off. I've done it this way for 3 seasons now and have had not a single failure at the track.
This year I am taking off, but when I get back to it I will be having the tranny gone thru, and the motor will come apart to get some rings and bearings, and probably convert it to a solid roller so I can spin it a little higher as I feel the intake change I'm making will let it breathe up top better then it does right now. Probably gonna change the gearing as well since I think the 4.10 to 3.73 hurt the car a little bit, I think 3.90's are gonna go in it this time in an attempt to get it to leave harder, and use more of the upper RPM power that the solid roller should get me.
While the motor is apart, everything will get checked out, crank, rods, pistons, anything doesn't look good I'm replacing/upgrading it. Probably go to a double roller timing chain too while it's apart as well.
Every trip I take to the track it gets fresh oil and filter, I change the fuel filter at the start ov every season and about mid summer as well to be safe. I do put coolant in the car in the winter but I flush it all out and fill the car with distilled water in the spring time (this way I don't worry about it freezing in the winter) I put the car up on jackstands, go under it, check all the nuts/bolts on any moving suspension part, inspect the shocks and whatnot, check the tires for any cuts, etc.
I change the tranny fluid usually every 30 passes or so, which usually works out to 2 or 3 times a season. The car gets a compression check and new valvesprings every year, along with a rear end fluid change, brakes get checked and bled. seals too if they look worn at all when the springs are off. I've done it this way for 3 seasons now and have had not a single failure at the track.
This year I am taking off, but when I get back to it I will be having the tranny gone thru, and the motor will come apart to get some rings and bearings, and probably convert it to a solid roller so I can spin it a little higher as I feel the intake change I'm making will let it breathe up top better then it does right now. Probably gonna change the gearing as well since I think the 4.10 to 3.73 hurt the car a little bit, I think 3.90's are gonna go in it this time in an attempt to get it to leave harder, and use more of the upper RPM power that the solid roller should get me.
While the motor is apart, everything will get checked out, crank, rods, pistons, anything doesn't look good I'm replacing/upgrading it. Probably go to a double roller timing chain too while it's apart as well.
yea next winter ill plan on doin all the same takeing shocks out maybe get them dynoed make sure there still up to par, go over everything, but you guys change your oil that often damn. so what like every 10 to 20 passes you change it? ya thats true put coolant in the car in the winter, i forgot bout that.
I change my oil every track trip. Wether I make one pass or 4. Average track trip is about 5 passes... oil comes out close to the color that it went in.
But, if something started to go wrong I'd catch it right away.
I buy the filters a case at a time and my local napa usually cuts me a deal on them since I buy them in bulk, and I usually buy the oil @ walmart in 5 qt jugs, whcih is the cheapest place I have found so far. Castrol 20-50, been running that for 3 years, absolutely no motor failures. Motor was built clearnanced for a heavy oil, and it's worked out great.
Next go around I am going to use the rotella 15-40, just because the aditives are better, and it's about the same price. Plus it's the same oil I run in my diesel pickup, so I may just get a 55 gal drum of it since every track trip (about 10 a season on average, figure 6 qts each trip) and the truck gets 12 qts every 5500 to 6000 miles (oil interval is supposed to be 7500 but I plan to change it a little earlier due to the emmissions stuff sooting teh oil up, stupid dodge and their 2010 emmissions on a 2008 truck) I'll go thru a 55 gal drum quick enough to justify it.
But, if something started to go wrong I'd catch it right away.
I buy the filters a case at a time and my local napa usually cuts me a deal on them since I buy them in bulk, and I usually buy the oil @ walmart in 5 qt jugs, whcih is the cheapest place I have found so far. Castrol 20-50, been running that for 3 years, absolutely no motor failures. Motor was built clearnanced for a heavy oil, and it's worked out great.
Next go around I am going to use the rotella 15-40, just because the aditives are better, and it's about the same price. Plus it's the same oil I run in my diesel pickup, so I may just get a 55 gal drum of it since every track trip (about 10 a season on average, figure 6 qts each trip) and the truck gets 12 qts every 5500 to 6000 miles (oil interval is supposed to be 7500 but I plan to change it a little earlier due to the emmissions stuff sooting teh oil up, stupid dodge and their 2010 emmissions on a 2008 truck) I'll go thru a 55 gal drum quick enough to justify it.