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Any engine experts?? Student working on a 2001 KTM 520SX motor - FORMULA SAE

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1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  luizoliveira147 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

Just a quick intro on me: my name is Luiz, from Brasil, I have a wr250x which I mostly track, and I am a mechanical engineering student in Southern California.

My school has a Formula SAE team, where we build a racing car from scratch, and this year we are using a 2001 KTM 520SX engine. This is my first year volunteering with the team, and I'd like to get a good base on everything I can about KTM engines, including this particular 2001 model.

If any of you Junkies have some tips/advice for working with KTM engines, let me know! Any experiences taking one apart? Any special tools required for these Austrian works-of-art?

Also, we will be using a Accusump system for injecting the oil into the motor, and no one on my team has had any experience at all using such device. My knowledge on it is also very limited, so if anyone has ever used one before, let me know!

I really appreciate anyone's input... The main reason I am an ''SMJunkie junkie'' is because I feel it's the best way to reach out to people who are very effective in sharing their expertise!

Thanks!


Luiz
 
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#4 ·
Congrats on picking the KTM engine. I think you will find it rather torquey and light weight compared to the inline 4's that other teams generally use. The negatives of choosing this engine are that you may be limited with performance parts, it will have higher vibrations and a lower peak RPM.

I was involved with Baja SAE while I was in college and I learned more from that club than any classroom.

If you want to do any more reading on the rules or regulations for Formula SAE, check out this site:
http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/

I know in baja SAE we couldn't touch the engines but I think in Formula SAE they can change intake and exhaust, and maybe modify the internals.

As for the oil system, just make sure that you are getting enough oil to the head (but not too much)

I would reccomend a flow meter on a KTM to check the factory flowrates, then adjust your system to meet the requirements of the engine.
 
#5 ·
Yea, the FSAE project is really cool. I kinda wish my school also had the Baja, but I am more into the formula cars anyways...

Yea, we are allowed to work on the engine basically as much as we want, as long as we meet the basic requirements (cannot exceed about 600cc, we need an air restricter on the intake, and minor other stuff).

As of now we are planning to go with fuel injection as opposed to the original carburated system, which I think is pretty cool. Now I am only thinking if the Accusump oil system is overkill for this car. It's not like we are really gonna be pulling high-Gs on it, so I gotta just basically do some other research on that.

I'll keep you guys updated! Thanks!
 
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