Racing and Engine Tear Downs

[buster]

Does anyone have experience in racing and performing engine tear downs? Just curious. We all obsess over PPM on here but it seems quite common that spectrographic analysis, as repeated here before, really only gives you insight into viscosity/TBN/contaminants. Wear metals seem to be about the same for most oils and even when their are differences, I don't think it makes a difference.

An interesting comment by Spector had me thinking about this:

quote:

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As I have stated before I have one where the lead has average 25 ppm for 12 years over 7500 OCI and still going strong at 170,000 miles. Most people on here fret over lead exceeded 5 ppm!

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Do race teams use oil analysis as well as tear downs?

 

[Brett Miller]

I used to work with a sprint car team back in the late 80's. We would change oil every 2-3 races and often the oil filter every race. We always cut our filters apart. An engine was run 12 nights then overhauled.

 

[sprintman]

A member of the "Pennsylvania Posse" I bet? What was your local track and which others did you run?

 

[crossbow]

My father used to tear down his engines...but usually only if something exploded.

You don't really worry so much about how well your oil lubricated, or if fuel power was cleaning your valves, when your piston/valvetrain pieces looks like that

.

 

[EmbarkChief]

Is that the valve stuck in that piston!

 

[Brett Miller]

Yes, Jim Nace, Camel Express #26. We ran Williams Grove, Selinsgrove and Susquehanna on a weekly basis in addition to any midweek special shows.