6 Tips For Setting Up Your OHV And Using Red-E Oil......

The following recommendations are being made as a result of our extensive testing and suggestions by many engine builders and are meant to be used as a guide in your particular application. Many factors should be taken into consideration such as outside air temperatures, humidity, elevation and size of track.

Recommendation's by:  Bob Berlin, Berlin and Associates, Spring Hill, FL.

• Valve Guides - The preparation of the valve area of an engine is 1 of 2 key areas that an engine builder can actually pick up a small gain in HP thanks to the lubricating qualities of Red-E oil. It is extremely important that the valve guides be reamed square with the port and parallel (the stem hole should not be tapered or barrel shaped). On nearly all engines the valve to guide clearance target should be about .0002" (yes .0002"). This tolerance can be accomplished very easily by buying a .248" decimal chucking reamer and some hi-quality cutting oil from your favorite tool supply store. This will give you a finished guide bore of about .0002" - .0003". If you have prepared the guide correctly, you will not see any galling of the valve stem after you run it. With this clearance and guide preparation, drop a small amount of Red-E on the valve stem and the valve should move freely in the guide for the entire length of the valve travel. Set the valve lash as close to zero as you can and still be able to start the engine when it's cold. Not to worry, after the engine warms up, you will have more than enough valve clearance. If all this has been done correctly, you will have a crisp clean front runner. If done incorrectly, you will end up with a mid-pack runner that feels like it's pulling a trailer.

• Piston Clearance - This is the other area that if done properly will give you an extra shot of power. The key to fitting the piston is to begin with a round cylinder bore that is square to the crankshaft. By using Red-E, you will be able to fit the piston with much less clearance than you have been able to in the past. It would not be uncommon to use the old .001"/inch of bore rule and not have to worry. By having a round cylinder and correctly fitted piston you will notice that the rings will tend to seat quicker and there will be little or no blow-by. If done correctly, you will notice a difference coming out of the corners. Let's hear it for Red-E.... Now here's one last little tidbit of information. Before you start assembly, take some extra-fine emery cloth and buff off the sharp edges of the piston skirt. This helps prevent any metal rollup on the skirt and thus helps prevent the possibility of a piston seizure.

• Ignition Timing - Under normal conditions, by switching to Red-E, your engine will tend to run a little cooler. This provides the builder with a little flexibility in the amount of spark lead he can use on your engine (normally increasing it a couple of degrees). The correct amount of spark lead should be determined on the Dyno and the length of the tracks that you normally run. Red-E will give you a wider window for this decision and minimizes the fear of heat build up and/or detonation.

• Spark Plug - By tightening up your engine, the amount of oil that reaches the combustion chamber is dramatically reduced and thus allows the engine to run cooler. To compensate for this cooler running, a hotter spark plug should be used. It is not uncommon to go to the next heat range hotter or even two heat ranges. This will contribute to a more complete burn in the combustion chamber and eliminate the unwanted high RPM mis-fires.

• Carb Mixture - This is one of the scariest and most difficult things to do with a freshly rebuilt engine, but it's necessary and will prove worth doing. After a vigorous practice session pull your plug and check it. It should show a very light tan discoloration on the electrode ceramic and No black soot on the rim of the plug. Don't be afraid to lean it out until you accomplish this. This process will definitely give you an uneasy feeling, but as long as you are not blistering the ceramic, you are safe. A leaner engine will run much faster than a fat (rich) engine. You will know when you have leaned it out too much, your RPM's will drop off dramatically and your head temperature will climb.

• Gearing - If you build your engine as described, you will definitely see a need for different gear ratio. During those vigorous practice sessions, be sure to check your RPM's. Don't be alarmed if you have to start taking teeth off of the rear sprocket to keep from turning it too high.
If you build your engine using the 6 tips mentioned above and put 14-16oz of Red-E (I prefer 14oz) in the crankcase, you should expect more engine power, longer engine life, and more first place trophies (that means more fun).

We want to sincerely thank everyone who use's Red-E 4Cycle and invite anyone who has questions regarding how to tune for Red-E to please give us a call.