[rescue] Deloreans...

[rescue at sunhelp.org]

On Sun, 5 Aug 2001, Mike Hebel wrote:

> Ok, would someone mind defining the term "wet-cylinder" for me?  I've
> never heard it before.

Most small engines have a block which, at it's most basic, is a largish
hunk of metal into which are one or more drilled holes for the piston to
move about in. Occasionally, those holes are drilled a bit larger than is
required for the piston and the "extra" space is take up by a sleeve or
liner. This is a "dry" liner, and is quite common.

Some engines, however, are built a bit differently. Rather than taking
a largish hunk of metal and drilling holes in it, they take a hollow
metal box and drill holes through the top and bottom plates. A hollow
cylinder is then inserted into those holes and the remaining space is
filled with coolant. That hollow cylinder is the liner. It is referred
to as a "wet" liner because the liner itself is in direct contact with
the coolant.

Wet liners offer easier re-bores than unlined engines and offer
better cooling than engines equipped with dry liners, but at the cost
of more complicated and expensive assembly.  The also have a few other
issues (more touchy head gasket replacement, usually).  Neither design is
unilaterally better.

-James