How are you bench starting your engines?

[rcx132]

I'm curious how people here are testing repaired or rebuilt engines when they're removed from the car.

Last time I had to use a spare gearbox as the starter mounts to the gearbox. There's also the cooling to think about.

 

[stuvy]

The last bike engine was with my best mate holding it in place in the garden with no headers on and kicking it

We had a frame for beetle engines as where Iv worked we specialised in those a long time back

 

[daleyd]

The last bike engine was with my best mate holding it in place in the garden with no headers on and kicking it

We had a frame for beetle engines as where Iv worked we specialised in those a long time back

View attachment 390891

Is it a coincidence he appears to be missing the end of his index finger

 

[sasquar]

a series stuff (what i play with mostly) is easy enough, it just sits on the sump/geaxbox, garden hose jubilee clipped into the top bottom hose if youre going to be running it for more than 30 secs, and maybe strap it to a pallet if its anything a bit spicy, just so it doesnt fall over....

 

[Dee J]

While there's an undoubted visceral delight in firing up a rebuilt engine.... But unless you've radically modified it, I'm not sure what you'd learn. Think Flight of the Phoenix.

 

[hotponyshoes]

You can hold a starter in place with nuts/bolts via flat bar straps to the block holes.

Unless you are testing them often enough to warrant building a test bench it's normally quicker/easier just to stick it back in the car.

 

[stuvy]

While there's an undoubted visceral delight in firing up a rebuilt engine.... But unless you've radically modified it, I'm not sure what you'd learn. Think Flight of the Phoenix.

Ours was to go in a sidecar and made out of three unknown engines so needed it as a spare but needed to know the bottom wasn’t knocking or head rattling