Ep011 - How to balance pistons and rods at home

Vlog 011 - How to balance pistons and rods at home
Sunday Funday in the garage, balancing pistons and rods so your engine will rev buttery smooth to the moon. This is no replacement for a full on rotating assembly balance, but it does help.
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Пікірлер: 90

  • @saiason3904
    @saiason39045 ай бұрын

    This dudes out here building engines with the weed scale

  • @billadams8521
    @billadams85214 жыл бұрын

    Do not I repeat! Do not do it the way he explains it. It's all worng. I'm a builder for over 30 years.

  • @lazaromarino9200

    @lazaromarino9200

    4 жыл бұрын

    Agreed. Weighing rod as a whole negates the individual weight of small end and large end of rod.

  • @ImpalaLfx

    @ImpalaLfx

    3 жыл бұрын

    It has to be balance with the crank I believe for the spinning force

  • @Gregory_Avila

    @Gregory_Avila

    3 жыл бұрын

    If anything is fake news this video is it. KZread

  • @stephencooper5040

    @stephencooper5040

    3 жыл бұрын

    I was hoping someone else noticed this as well. One end of the rod is rotated and the other end is reciprocated.

  • @montinaladine3264

    @montinaladine3264

    2 жыл бұрын

    Certainly it's not exactly correct. And I would like to see a bit more professionalism by cleaning up the piston tops! How much carbon is up there? However Mr Bill Adams, if you make that comment, you have to follow it through by explaining why it's all wrong. Not just claim it without any explanation. Explaining why it's wrong is more important than telling everyone how long you have been "a builder" for.

  • @ryandavis930
    @ryandavis9305 жыл бұрын

    I was taught to have a jig that supports the wrist pin end of the rod level while the big end is on the scale (center of wrist pin and rod bearing level). The big end being thrown around and having more mass has a greater effect on balance. Enjoying the channel keep it up.

  • @Forcefed2002

    @Forcefed2002

    5 жыл бұрын

    Same

  • @redneckswitwheels

    @redneckswitwheels

    4 жыл бұрын

    Guys ur correct this isnt the proper way

  • @patpowell862

    @patpowell862

    4 жыл бұрын

    Ageed, mass balance along with weight, I would have gone 557.5g to equal mass depending on piston weight with wrist pins etc. I enjoy the balancing part of all builds, oh, keep a log book for your builds.

  • @midnyte_ryder

    @midnyte_ryder

    2 жыл бұрын

    Glad I wasn’t alone. I am definitely not novice but I never thought to balance rods and pistons but makes sense. However if you venture into balance it’s not just weight it’s actually adjusting it balanced. I immediately thought of a tire and the same thing applies. I’d never thin the skirt either. It’s an excellent concept and I’ll surely do it but my way. Maybe right maybe wrong. Either way thx for the vid homes

  • @charleskuss8538

    @charleskuss8538

    2 жыл бұрын

    Ryan is absolutely correct. Rods need to be balanced "end for end" as well as for total overall weight. The upper half of the rod is considered as reciprocating weight, while the bottom end is considered rotating weight. Simply removing weight from the bottom, may make things worse, instead of better. You also would not weigh pistons with carbon on the crown! All parts must be absolutely clean before starting.

  • @reparandodetodo3768
    @reparandodetodo37682 жыл бұрын

    Thank you sir This is very helpful info That help me for my future project

  • @FUNKYTEE540
    @FUNKYTEE5407 ай бұрын

    You can have a weight matched set of rods with much more mass on one end or the other. They always should be checked on a proper jig to equalize the small and big ends and then balance the total weights of the set.

  • @Shadowman444w
    @Shadowman444w5 жыл бұрын

    Conrod slight imbalance isnt a worry ' its the crank you should concentrate on

  • @Rynowhite14
    @Rynowhite142 жыл бұрын

    I'm thinking about doing this myself on an upcoming build. Would it be more accurate to use two small scales in a fixed position? This way, you could get both sides of the rods and pistons, and try and match them up?

  • @brantkinnsch
    @brantkinnsch10 ай бұрын

    Well this just popped up on my feed it's old so I guess I won't be getting any responses. The rod is one of the most critical things to measure correctly. No balancer that does it for a living even gives a crap about overall rod weight. They will ask you for your big and small end weights that all the balancing machine wants. Also he is forgetting the bearing and the ring pack as well as the pin clips. Doesn't seem like much but it adds up.

  • @PATuners
    @PATuners5 жыл бұрын

    Good video

  • @adamstilldrives
    @adamstilldrives5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks dan

  • @b16crxturbo

    @b16crxturbo

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching! 👍

  • @midnyte_ryder
    @midnyte_ryder2 жыл бұрын

    I dig the concept but dude it’s like engine 101 to never play with the skirt… I’d plow some depressions into the thick of the dome bottom. You were relieving areas of the piston you should not. Either way a great video 🤘🏻

  • @davidgomez3737
    @davidgomez3737 Жыл бұрын

    What did you do to them that you had to balance them do i have to balance them if i took the pistons out to put all new rod bearing and put the piston back in?

  • @seanstubbs2620
    @seanstubbs26205 жыл бұрын

    ask James when it's built if he wants to test drive it lol

  • @WideOpenThrottleGarage
    @WideOpenThrottleGarage5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the tips ill be doing this before I head over to pfi at the end of the month

  • @NeXuSMusiic
    @NeXuSMusiic5 жыл бұрын

    Hi Dan! Greetings from Europe, i really like your videos and your attitude :) Did you balance small and big end from the rods on your high hp builds or just like the method in your video explained? And which rods do you usually use on your builds? Thanks for your content and again best greetings from the other side of the world 😂 haha

  • @b16crxturbo

    @b16crxturbo

    5 жыл бұрын

    I have balanced rotating assemblies in the past on higher hp builds. Rod selection for me depends on HP goals for the build. I like Eagle or Skunk2 Alpha for your average street build. 👍

  • @bloodmotorsports
    @bloodmotorsports6 ай бұрын

    This way u get lucky sometimes but eventually Can spin a bearing but it does work if your in a jam and need to get back racing many have done it and it does work 👌🏽👌🏽

  • @globuslive
    @globuslive3 жыл бұрын

    is there chevy volt charger hanging around? ))

  • @thepoopsoup
    @thepoopsoup Жыл бұрын

    Wrist pin locks, rings ,bearings? Oil weight? CARBON OFF PISTONS

  • @user-cs6us5px1s
    @user-cs6us5px1s5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for another excellent Video

  • @SamuelPhi
    @SamuelPhi4 жыл бұрын

    Hi, thanks a lot for the awesome video. You have saved me a decent amount of money. It's quite simple, I'll do it on my Toyota corolla. Sam from Zambia, Sourthern Africa.

  • @Coyote9smilespergallon
    @Coyote9smilespergallon2 жыл бұрын

    So say all my rotating assembly has been balanced, prior about 3k miles, I lifted the head because I didn’t get the head and block decked, but like your piston I had a tiny crack on a ring land, Diamond series pistons, and a couple wavy ring land pinching rings , so 3 bad pistons, I’m buying new pistons, can I not just weight match those pistons to each other and go with it?? Or do I have to send the crank rods pistons etc back to be all re balanced together,?? Thank you

  • @joshcaswell7928

    @joshcaswell7928

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes you can match the weight and go back with it I've done it many times. Just be sure to use the wrist pin and rings in the weight. Try to get a piston that's equal or heavier than what you have already. The only way to add weight is to weld inside the wrist pin so it's much easier to remove weight. Best of luck

  • @tonyv9712
    @tonyv97125 жыл бұрын

    I'm thinking the carbon build up on top of the piston accounts for some of the mass

  • @hectorae86

    @hectorae86

    4 жыл бұрын

    Exactly the thing I was thinking, they need to bee petrol soaked for 24 hours or cleaned in some other way.

  • @johngouker4757

    @johngouker4757

    4 жыл бұрын

    It’s for the basics ! We’re talkin’ a tenths /hundreds of a gram , no big deal for the street !

  • @jakethesnake1503

    @jakethesnake1503

    4 жыл бұрын

    Well they're just for example. Just be aware of where he shaves weight because some people take it off the wrong areas

  • @wtfjpgmailcom
    @wtfjpgmailcom2 жыл бұрын

    You need to do this process with the wrist pis and rings all at once with the Pistons rods are done separate

  • @IndiansAuto
    @IndiansAuto4 жыл бұрын

    Weighing all that carbon in the top on the pistons!!

  • @dextermccoy1016

    @dextermccoy1016

    3 жыл бұрын

    my thoughts too????

  • @dextermccoy1016

    @dextermccoy1016

    3 жыл бұрын

    i have done this as a shade tree work, grind or file off the jagged edges of the cast along the beam as i weigh them to match the lightest on old 327 chevy

  • @nsboost

    @nsboost

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yup 😣

  • @juancamaney3562

    @juancamaney3562

    3 жыл бұрын

    Good call

  • @greghays7605
    @greghays76055 жыл бұрын

    Good stuff Dan!

  • @rgreerjr
    @rgreerjr5 жыл бұрын

    Wouldn't you also want to weigh the wrist pin along with the piston?

  • @b16crxturbo

    @b16crxturbo

    5 жыл бұрын

    That's a good point and something I normally do. I forgot to mention it. 😐

  • @greghays7605

    @greghays7605

    5 жыл бұрын

    He had them out...just missed the camera

  • @redneckswitwheels

    @redneckswitwheels

    4 жыл бұрын

    Clearly he doesn't have the proper setup

  • @PowellMoore
    @PowellMoore5 жыл бұрын

    Speaking of pistons and rods, that skateboard rack is badass!

  • @b16crxturbo

    @b16crxturbo

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! GSR rod length seems to be perfect to display the boards at a nice angle 👍

  • @montinaladine3264
    @montinaladine32642 жыл бұрын

    Getting the rods within a gram of each other is fine. Spending hours trying to get the conrods to within tenths of a gram to each other is a waste of time, because in the real world (inside the engine) the rods have oil all over them! And how do you know how much oil is on each rod at any given time? That alone can change rod weights significantly. Every rod is not going to have exactly the same amount of oil on its surface each stroke. I only learnt that in the last few days. We can always learn more. I'm just passing it on.

  • @dannymartinez8522
    @dannymartinez85222 жыл бұрын

    Everybody here is neglecting your work and that your doing it wrong. So when u place everything back to the engine did it make a difference? Less vibration?

  • @joshdobson2737
    @joshdobson27375 жыл бұрын

    Do you know and or get along with the Wyatt sketchy da..... something about both of your time time-lapse Film is close enough to therapy

  • @b16crxturbo

    @b16crxturbo

    5 жыл бұрын

    I do, Wyatt is good people! Thanks for the compliment!

  • @joshdobson2737

    @joshdobson2737

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@b16crxturbo no,thank you! ;)

  • @royreddick2934
    @royreddick29344 жыл бұрын

    I don't know about anyone else, but you didn't balance the rods right, you need to balance both the small end and the big end of the rod, and the material you take off of the piston is wrong too.

  • @hybridmusclegarage4590
    @hybridmusclegarage45903 жыл бұрын

    if you believe someone who is Weighing all that carbon with the piston. you need to follow his every step. Unreal!!

  • @jjmccloud
    @jjmccloud2 жыл бұрын

    I thought balancing the rods meant doing it in 2 parts, Big end & small end of the rod

  • @madewithscraps
    @madewithscraps Жыл бұрын

    WOW! Without offense; you are totally incorrect. The con rods need to be suspended on each end, thus reciprocating and oscillating. The pistons should have been cleaned. I owned and operated an automotive performance machine shop for 33 years, and years before balancing engine assys. for other shops. I am acquainted with different manufacturers of equipment but preferred the older style Stewart-Warner for perfection. Every single one of the thousands of engines I built was balanced and included in the engine cost. Never play with the piston skirt, pin boss areas are preferable for removal areas. The aftermarket rods you show came with a balance weight sheet for each end. There is a strong chance that you created more of an imbalance of components than balancing. You could have made a simple jig for suspending the rods properly. Overall weight is not the answer.

  • @mariocooldude9092

    @mariocooldude9092

    5 ай бұрын

    I want to replace my factory dished Pistons with flat tops how critical is it that they weigh close to what the OEM's did???

  • @-jimmyjames
    @-jimmyjames4 жыл бұрын

    why weigh the carbon?

  • @b16crxturbo

    @b16crxturbo

    4 жыл бұрын

    This was an old set of pistons I was using just to show the process.

  • @-jimmyjames

    @-jimmyjames

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@b16crxturbo thanks man

  • @gruntohseven5803
    @gruntohseven58034 жыл бұрын

    I always remove material from the rod bolts.Dont grind on the threads though,that would just be dumb.

  • @redneckswitwheels
    @redneckswitwheels4 жыл бұрын

    I am always amazed at the comments...I get guys dont know so they come to youtube to learn...sometimes I do as well. But damn...the fact this guy clearly doesn't know how to properly weight n balance rods is concerning because there are guys who will do what this guy is doing and ruin stuff. Please dont do this because this isnt how its done

  • @b16crxturbo

    @b16crxturbo

    4 жыл бұрын

    Component weight matching is not the same as doing the rotating assembly. This is something you can do without the special equipment required for doing a rotating assembly. I have used this process on 4cyl engines making 800+ whp and it works for me.

  • @peanutbutterisfu
    @peanutbutterisfu Жыл бұрын

    There is a difference where you take the weight off.

  • @andersolsson1198
    @andersolsson11988 ай бұрын

    How can you try to teach what you cant do correct yourself ?..

  • @madchanicsgarage2969
    @madchanicsgarage29695 жыл бұрын

    Wouldnt you want a better scale and to take the bolts out so you'll have a more accurate reading?

  • @b16crxturbo

    @b16crxturbo

    5 жыл бұрын

    Not sure I follow on the bolts? I can see using a better scale, although this method has worked well for me.

  • @madchanicsgarage2969

    @madchanicsgarage2969

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@b16crxturbo I just figured you'd take the bolts out of the rods before weighing them. Seeing how detailed you are 👍 thanks for posting and replying btw.

  • @mr.schmoe5867

    @mr.schmoe5867

    4 жыл бұрын

    If the bolt is installed when running, why take it out to weigh it? That would be short of the actual weight.

  • @Guitarwannabee
    @Guitarwannabee4 жыл бұрын

    nope wrong..

  • @TechnikMeister2
    @TechnikMeister26 ай бұрын

    Oversimplification. Rods can all weigh the same, but where that weight is carried in the rod matters. It's the same for pistons. What is important is the weight characteristics of a rod and piston assembly that share one crank journal. This is why you need to have the whole rotating assembly dynamically balanced. Thats that is a true art and few machine shops can do it correctly.

  • @tracybennett882
    @tracybennett8822 жыл бұрын

    Lose the carbon on the pistons

  • @Schlipperschlopper
    @Schlipperschlopper Жыл бұрын

    sadly soon illegal in EU and USA!

  • @alaindussault8225
    @alaindussault8225 Жыл бұрын

    Should balance both ends of your rods…

  • @royreddick2934
    @royreddick29344 жыл бұрын

    Warning Warning don't hire this guy to balance your engine.

  • @vg23air
    @vg23airАй бұрын

    lol nope dont do this unless you are racing me, then do it this way

  • @Headsup9550
    @Headsup95502 жыл бұрын

    I'm afraid you don't understand the idea behind balancing a rotating/reciprocating mass. What you're doing here is the equivalent of weighing the car's hood in order to balance the tires..

  • @samhkelleysr
    @samhkelleysr10 ай бұрын

    Dude, you totally did that wrong. The problem with your method of weighing rods is that you cannot tell where the extra weight is at in the rod. Is the extra weight at the rod big end or the rod little end? Which end do you remove the extra weight? It matters, which is why professional engine builders weigh each end of the rod.

  • @chadjones1431
    @chadjones14315 жыл бұрын

    I stopped watching as soon as he said ''it does matter if the scale is accurate''.

  • @mikerose9313

    @mikerose9313

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hes right though, just should have worded it better. If the scale is off, it wont matter, because the important thing is having the rods all weigh the same, the pistons weigh the same. if the scale is off one way or another, theyre still gonna match.

  • @Shade_tree_garage01
    @Shade_tree_garage01 Жыл бұрын

    balanced WRONG, weigh you little end and big end, theyre different weights which need to match one rod to the other within 1 or 2 grams

  • @LuiCharly001
    @LuiCharly001 Жыл бұрын

    Hey Goofy ...... that´s a complete scrap - job !! You ask why ? Because You have no clue about rod - movement and measurement ....... Better You start a documentation on Mickey-Mouse .....