Chrissi &=20 Randi

www.CozyGirrrl.com
ClickB= onds=20 10/$7.50
CG Products, Custom Aircraft Hardware
Chairwomen, Sun-N-Fun= =20 Engine Workshop

In a message dated 10/24/2012 7:09:53 P.M. Central Daylight Time,=20 cbarber@texasattorney.net writes:

Ok, to start this rant/post out, as annoyed as I am, I need to be=20 grateful. I flew the other day, Friday, and everything was=20 great. I was just flying over the airport after some modifications = to=20 test systems (replaced the front cover o-ring AGAIN...this time with a=20 small cylinder pressed into the hole with the O-ring aro= und=20 it to prevent it from slipping out...along with the silicone ring around = the=20 O-ring). I was up about ten minutes and all my gages were well in t= he=20 green and the engine seemed to be running solidly. I turned on down wind = at=20 about 1500 feet, looked down at my gages again and noticed my water and o= il=20 temps were both red with coolant temps at 260 degrees. Damn. = =20 Called for clearance to land as I reduced power. Pegged my best lan= ding=20 and taxied back to the hangar without incident resulting in injury.

I only had time to remove the cowl and note that the cowl was wet= but=20 had to leave for the day. I returned the next day and started it up= with=20 only a little difficulty and noted the radiator was not getting=20 warm...thus concluded no flow. I ordered a new water pump=20 from Mazdatrix with expedited =20 shipping and installed it. I figured the water pump was likely twent= y=20 years old and a new one would hurt. Just as I was buttoning it up an= d=20 reinstalling the pulley on the new water pump I was mo= ving=20 the stainless water hose out of the way for the=20 wrench and FINALLY saw the REAL problem. The stainless steel w= ater=20 hose had shifted and rubbed up on the e-shaft pulley a= nd=20 gouged two small holes allowing my coolant to blow into the atmosphere=20 of greater Houston.

Sigh. Ok, repaired the hose today. Filled the system with = new=20 coolant (still has some in the radiator with is under the engine). = Ok,=20 for those of you in the know, you know it was hard to start (yes, I have = been=20 here before). Finally, with much difficulty and a jump box=20 the engine started...and ran well...but, after taking = a few=20 minutes to warm up, it jumped to about 200 degrees. I shut down and= as=20 expected by now, steam came out of the tail pipe and I could hear the wat= er=20 boiling in the chambers. Sigh again. I pushed the plane into = the=20 hangar and pulled a plug, pulled the prop through and steam shot out of t= he=20 plug hole.

Ok, this sucks, but at least my engine did not seize and=20 it kept running for a normal landing AND, I do know how to rebuild these= =20 things (even if apparently do not know how to properly= tie=20 back a water hose as not to rub on a fast moving e-shaft=20 pulley ). So, the tear down is inevitable.

Hopefully the damage is limited to the O-rings.....gee I hope I didn't= warp=20 the plates, I just cant afford that right now (so they most certainly are= =20 warped....).

Just wanted to share.

Chris Barber

Houston

2.2 hours in Phase One=20 testing