Aluminum cyl head question????
 

I HAVE CANNFIELD ALUMINUM HEADS ON MY 540s. JUST HAD THEM REDONE WITH NEW GUIDES ON BOTH SETS,VALVE JOB ETC. BOAT WENT GREAT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND HAS SLIGHTY FELL OFF ON TOP SPEED. I DID A COMPRESSION TEST AND LEAKDOWN TESTON BOTH MOTORS ONLY TO FIND I HAVE 7 WEAK CYLS BETWEEN THE TWO MOTORS. ALL LEAKING OUT EXHAUST VALVES. QUESTION IS ARE THE EXHAUST GUIDES PUSHED THROUGH WATERPORTS? IT LOOKS ALL WET AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE GUIDE THAT STICKS INTO THE EXHAUST PORT.

Do yopu have INCONEL valves??? you can tulip valves and start to lose sealing ability...

If you tulip the exhaust valves, and they dont seal well, it can suck water back in from the exhaust when the piston goes down. Thats probably where your water is coming from.

I would start there for sure......been there..!

They r inconnel. I have a cam with 110 centerline. I'm just trying to see if the guides didn't seal properly. That's why I'm wondering if they go through watterports

Yes they do and guides can rot through

Yea...but even with messed up guide....should still seal....look for tuliping

Inconel valves can tulip also.

What did you have timing set at? Considering both engines are showing issues, Im gonna rule out exhaust problems, cracked head, etc. .

I believe your heads have the guides thru the water jacket, but not sure with a canfield head.

Yes they do!!!! I had inconel tulip this summer......got lucky it didn't break....

my guess is timing set to low and egt,s are sky high,i have seen this happen even with inconel valves.

I think It may just be reversion them. Gonna have them re checked and see what happens. Just wondering if the new guide did not seal properly where salt is all stucvk around where they press through

+1.

It alwas was about 12.5 -1 fuel ratio not any leaner, timing was at 34 degrees

or if the timing was off the valve seats in a aluminum head can move..or you got bad gas that screwed them up..

Valves are not tuliped

machine shop that did the guide work said that the exhaust guides do not go through a water port and no tuliped valves so i thinking reversion is the issue. can anyone confirm thi,s that the guide does not go through a water port?

You need to talk to Foxwell Motorsports. He actually help develop the canfield head which is supposed to be really awesome. He can definitely help you with the head design question.
As far as the cam, you are probably experiencing reversion. Your cam LSA (lobe separation angle) should 112 to 116. Pending on setup.

were the exh seats pounded out ,if so the seats could be to soft

I'd be looking at the cam...

does canfield make a head for the gm 496:party-smiley-004:

Yes, they have heads that will wake up that 496 ! Less expensive then AFR and Dart. Made in Ohio, great head, thick deck and flows better then AFR, or Dart !
Canfield has been around for over 20 years making awesome cylinder heads. Call up Foxwell Motorsports, he helped develop the head and sells them also.
You can not go wrong with Canfield heads.

Proof please that in an apple to apple comparison a Canfield will outflow an AFR .

You need new cams, call me

I thought Canfield heads went out of business??? I remember people having issues with them cracking years back??

110 degree seperation... Only with a dry exhaust.

+1 lsa 112 min

Pull the heads and inspect the guides and chamber. It could be just a bad guide job ? Cant say without looking at them. I would definitely get a new cam if you are going to use wet exhaust. Foxwell would be the guy to help you on the heads and cam. since he well versed in both Canfield and marine.
As far the heads cracking. Yes, the Canfields cracked under extreme pressure and usage around the lower exhaust head bolt and rocker tip. But these were heads running 1000 pound open pressure springs. Which is extreme mountain motor stuff. I do not think that will be a common problem here. Yes, they are still in business just building heads for other people. they do not really advertise. I guess they have the clients always ready to buy from them. From top builders to us. I know Carl Fultz and a few other top engine builders used and are using Canfield. they will stamp their name on them and port them.
I think for flow numbers, the AFR 315 cnc ported flows about 380 at .600 lift. Canfield 310 flows about 386 at .600 lift out of the box as cast. A light port on Canfields produces over 400 on mid lift, not .700 lift. For more flow numbers please contact Foxwell Motorsports since he has way more experience and can tell you about comparing head to head.
Now Canfield has released some updated old versions. The new head will be out this spring. Both heads have addressed the extreme pressure breakage issue. the new heads will be even better than the old heads.
I like them for the flow characteristics, you do not have to heavily port them to get good flow numbers. I did see in Foxwell website ported a 310 which supported 800 plus horse. not bad for a head under 3000 assembled. Everyone has different tastes and like different things. That is why we have choices to suite everyone.

No disrespect to the OP but rtc74 where are you getting all this information on Canfield heads? Out of the 1000's of threads I have read on forums about heads I have never heard anyone say buy Canfields over AFR, Dart or Brodix on a BBC application. Shoot you can't find any info on them in Google.
Good to see another head company in the mix.

I spoke with Mr. Foxwell today about Canfield heads. I have used them before on various applications years ago. Back in the day, when I talked to Carl Fultz and other big engine builders they suggested Canfields. Unless I was building a major huge motor, like a pro stock motor. They were able to get better numbers from Canfield. That was my experience, and it will vary from builder and person.
If you want more info look up Carl Fultz enterprises or Carl Fultz racing, and Foxwell Motorsports. Canfield make the heads For Carl Fultz. I know these guys still use them. The flows can vary, since different people port different ways. This could go on for years.
All the heads you listed are good heads. If you give any of those heads to a good porter you will have good results. Some guys only use Brodix, or AFR or Dart. Any head can be ported to outflow another head. All depends on who you talk to. Everyone has different tastes and experiences with cylinder heads.
I am glad we do have options to choose from. It would be a very boring world with only one option.

Rtc74
First, you have been asked by members of this forum to quantify and qualify your claims regarding the performance advantage claimed repetitively in your posts. Absent data, these posts have no merit other than perceived advertising value.

Secondly, if your intent is to add credibility to your claims by name dropping, I’m sure Carl FOLTZ, of CFE Cylinder Heads would appreciate it if you spelled his name correctly.

Many head porters, including Foltz, used the Canfield casting, when they were readily available, as the blanks for their custom/program heads. While the Canfield is a very good casting, that has no relevance to the assertions you are making here.

Bob

thank you Bob for that info.

Bob,
You are right, I did not mean to hi jack the thread. I did post people to help the person with the issue.
I do apologize for the misspelling of Mr. Foltz's name. It was a typo on my part.
I was trying to answer a question about the flow numbers. I did state, to refer to the webpages supporting the numbers. I do regret even mentioning flow numbers now.
So, let us end this subject completely off the basis of the threads true intention.
I apologize for hijacking the thread. Bob, thank you for the correction.
Merry Christmas to everyone