> Fact. It's easier to burn a hole in a piston (or burn a valve) with a
> too lean running air cooled engine. Many air cooled three or four
> cylinder motorcycles will run the middle cylinders richer for the
> better cooling.
>
> -Aron Travis-
>
Aron,
Maybe you can help clear up a fuzzy picture in my mind. When you
hear of somebody missing a shift and "airmailing a piston through the
hood", is this just a figure of speech? What is the physical damage
to an engine when somebody "blows a piston"? Can it really separate
from the con rod and break through the head? Or does the con rod
usually stay with the piston and separate from the crank? While I'm
thinking about it, what does it mean to have "spun a bearing" in an
engine? The only catastrophic engine damage I've ever seen
personally is a broken crankshaft, but the owner just noticed a bad
noise, tore down the engine and found the problem. No fireworks or
anything. I'm really curious to hear what all these colorful phrases
mean in technical terms.
Scott
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