Cylinder leakage test

Dan Bennett · 11-06-2024, 01:10 PM

Probably stating the obvious, and may not apply to some racers but the years I worked with teams running Jenkins engines he had two things that he concentrated on. Yes, he was known for reading spark plugs - a lot of teams would send somebody over to our trailer so he could give an opinion on their plugs but first and foremost he had two things he insisted on.

First, the amount of leakage. He insisted on very low numbers. Second, on variation between cylinders. If he didn't like what he saw, he always asked for the engine back for a refresh. I remember other teams thinking he was being excessive (or maybe being too cheap or just didn't have the money) ignoring the request. And of course, they'd cry real tears when they started having problems qualifying.

This was not troubleshooting if the car had lost performance, It was checked regularly. We used to talk about a lot of things, but he would never discuss the hone finish he had come up with.

Came back to edit to include another example of how much he thought of keeping things where he wanted them. He told me that shortly after starting to use the ZL1 aluminum block, he found that heat cycles would quickly take the bores out of round. He then set up a system so he could keep a block heater running 24/7, even when in the trailer (or maybe ramp truck at the time, don't remember}.

11-06-2024, 01:10 PM	#12
Dan Bennett Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 439 Likes: 852 Liked 595 Times in 136 Posts	Re: Cylinder leakage test Probably stating the obvious, and may not apply to some racers but the years I worked with teams running Jenkins engines he had two things that he concentrated on. Yes, he was known for reading spark plugs - a lot of teams would send somebody over to our trailer so he could give an opinion on their plugs but first and foremost he had two things he insisted on. First, the amount of leakage. He insisted on very low numbers. Second, on variation between cylinders. If he didn't like what he saw, he always asked for the engine back for a refresh. I remember other teams thinking he was being excessive (or maybe being too cheap or just didn't have the money) ignoring the request. And of course, they'd cry real tears when they started having problems qualifying. This was not troubleshooting if the car had lost performance, It was checked regularly. We used to talk about a lot of things, but he would never discuss the hone finish he had come up with. Came back to edit to include another example of how much he thought of keeping things where he wanted them. He told me that shortly after starting to use the ZL1 aluminum block, he found that heat cycles would quickly take the bores out of round. He then set up a system so he could keep a block heater running 24/7, even when in the trailer (or maybe ramp truck at the time, don't remember}. Last edited by Dan Bennett; 11-06-2024 at 01:20 PM.