Re: Help! Dealer woes . . .

[Frank Deutschmann <fhd@panix.com>]

Dan Bocek sez:
> Here's another interesting tidbit: of course I'm replacing all of the
> valve springs, but how do I know one won't break on me again in the
> future?  John at Sport Wheels suggested that we have the springs
> 'magnafluxed' to check for any initial stress in the metal.  Anyone
> know anything about this?
>                                                     Dan Bocek
>                                                     dan@di.com

Magnafluxing new valve springs seems like a bit of overkill to me --
its expensive, and for a complicated shape like a spring, very
difficult to do right (i.e.: difficult to get meaningful info from).
There are lots of magnaflux processes, some using visible light, most
using UV light, but all rely on the magnetic properties of the
material under test.  Magnaflux is commonly used on cranks (especially
after mods or racing use), rods, bearing caps, half shafts, etc.

If you are going to proceed with magnaflux examination, be sure to
hire someone who knows their stuff -- kits are available for
small-timers, but they are practically useless.  Places that do
airplane repairs (even small planes) are a good place to get
recomendations from; the FAA requires magnaflux examination on lots of
airplane parts.  If you can, watch -- its an interesting process, and
talking to the people that do it can be very enlightening.

-frank
-- 
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