by gofaster » Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:01 pm
Part of the difference in your readings may be due to temperature differential changes, and partly due to paralax viewing of the meniscus in the inclined manometer.
Temps change quickly, and if you don't have the FlowCom hooked up you have to quickly and accurately record temperatures, and manometer readings, and then move on to your next lift setting. If you just leave the SF-110 run at a given lift for a while, the temps will change fast, and your readings will change.
The inclined manometer has a mirrored scale, so you have to look straight into it to make sure you are seeing the meniscus properly.
Without having your FlowCom hooked up, you absolutely have to have the manual or at least a copy of the temperature corrections to accurately flow test. With the FlowCom installed you need to remove the thermometers and installl the FlowCom temp sensors in their place. Then the FlowCom will make the temp corrections for you.
Adding the depression control and Performance Trends software will cut your testing time down unbelievably! Plus with depression control, the bench runs so much cooler that you can take a little time to probe a port with flags, flow balls or a pitot, and not be in great danger of overheating the motors.
Superflow sells a basic manual for the SF-110, and they sell an expanded manual that covers the SF-110 bench and the FlowCom installation and operation.
I used my SF-110 for a long time without electronics, writing everything down on copies of the test form in the manual, and spending hours with a calculator figuring out the test results. I could kick myself for wasting all that time. The electronics are so nice to use, I can't express how much it simplified and speeded up my cylinder head testing. I mention PT software because that is what I have on my SF-110. If you check out the forum, Mouse (a forum member and contributor) also makes software.
When I first got my FlowCom, I put the video in a TV in the shop and watched the video while I played arounfd with the FlowCom. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it.
Jim