Powder coating on engine?????

[Rick B]

Hi to all. Rick's rebuild is going well (so far!) Engine is apart, and I am getting it in boxes to send to Ollie's. MFI pump is on the way to Gus. My question is on powder coating the engine parts. I have already had the various bits of sheet metal done that surround the engine.

What about:

(1) the chain covers? Inside and out?
(2) the sheet metal that guides airflow between the cylinders?
(3) the oil drain cover?
(4) Upper and lower valve covers?
(5) fan blades and housings?
(6) are there other parts that are normally powdercoated?

Will the powder coating resist oil sufficiently if it is on the inside of a part? The chain housing covers look like they are coated on the inside with something.

The guy at the powdercoating shop said that magnesium parts sometimes emit gases during the powdercoating heat cycle. Any special things to consider here?

Thanks in advance. Hopefully, I will learn enough during this process to help others in the future.

[DUK]

If it were me....

1)- NO
2)- Yes
3)- No
4)- NO
5)- Yes
6)- Engine Mount Bar and Cover

[jimbauman]

I wouldn't do the fan - a good cleaning and clearcoat looks nice. Here are some recent examples.





JB

[turbobrat930]

First off, if the guy you are thinking about paying to powdercoat your parts doesn't tape off the areas of the parts that should not be coated...RUN away from him. I would NOT have anything powdercoated that sees the inside of the engine. All of the parts above can be taped, so the powdercoat does not get on any surface that sees the inside of the engine. ... The Outside of the chain cases, valve covers, fan, and fan housing can all be powdercoated. On the fan, the tips of the blades need to be taped off so no powdercoating gets on there, otherwise you will run into possible clearance issues. I have both of my valve covers, fan, and fan housing powdercoated.. I did them myself and they look great as well as powdercoating free on the sides that see the inside of the engine.

again, if the guy who you are paying does not tape off the parts... run away!!!

here are a few pics of the stuff i did.... If you see the high temp tape on the calipers... thats what needs to be applied to keep the powder off of the part that does not need coating...

[HawgRyder]

Be careful about powder coating anything that might be a heat transfer part.
This is an air-cooled engine...if you coat (or paint) anything that would normally radiate heat...the engine might over-heat.
I have seen ppl paint the cylinders of motorcycle engines with the wrong material, and the engine did not last for more than a few hours.
Good luck
Bob

[OldTee]

HawgRider has a point. Most bang for the buck is the fan housing and fan. I also do the upper valve cover. The lower valve covers have fins and do radiate heat, they cover the exhaust valves (more heat) and oil sits down there (more heat). Anything else, no.

Be careful what you paint on the fan and housing. The alternator is a close fit and paint will interfer. The ends of the fan blades and the center are other areas to avoid.

[dtw]

I do the cooling tin between the cylinders and around the engine perimeter. Holds up great if properly prepped. Generally speaking, I would not PC any surfaces facing inside the motor. Process excellence dictates that we do not open that can of worms. And yes, while PC does resist oil and most contaminants, it can flake off of oxidizing/outgassing/dirty surfaces. This is particularly true of Mg parts.

[turbobrat930]

Originally Posted by OldTee

The lower valve covers have fins and do radiate heat, they cover the exhaust valves (more heat) and oil sits down there (more heat).

Be careful what you paint on the fan and housing. The alternator is a close fit and paint will interfer. The ends of the fan blades and the center are other areas to avoid.

The fins that are cast into the lower valve covers are there for strength only...not to radiate heat. They were made as a result of the older style lower valve covers leaking. Do you really think oil sits there long enough (lower valve cover area) to be able to dissapate any heat? I doubt it... when these engines are running, the scavange pump sucks out so much oil, and so quickly, there would be no time for the oil to exchange its heat.

As far as the fan shroud and the fan itself... old tee is right, and that was the point I was trying to make. There are several areas that are very tight clearances. These need to have NO powdercoating there, or you will be scraping it off to get things to fit back together correctly.

[stevepaa]

valve covers, engine tin, fan and housing
did you also consider ca plating the screws, nuts, etc