Mailing List flyrotary@lancaironline.net Message #10883
From: Al Gietzen <ALVentures@cox.net>
Subject: Engine run - Good news/bad news
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2004 18:12:24 -0700
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>

Some further sorting out on the engine today.  The major good news/ bad news:

 

  1. I teed together the rotor 2&3 MAP ports with the rotor 1 port, and added about an 18” length of 3/8 dia vinyl hose before the EC2 port to add some accumulator volume.  Started the engine and YES; achieved smooth running at 1600 rpm with the mixture setting between 1:00 – 2:00 position.  Joy! J Thank you Dave, Mike, Rusty.  (Yes this constitutes poor experimental practice, making two changes at the same time, but I can check that later.)

 

  1. The joy was short-lived because it was only a one minute run while I had the redrive drain line disconnected.  Taking the drain line off gave the first clue.  No sign that a drop of oil had ever been there.  The amount of oil in the container after the run – zippo; not a drop.  I took off the feed line and there was oil sitting in the fitting.  Feeding to a container, I ran again for less than 30 seconds, and sent more than a pint into the container.  Complete blockage inside the drive.  The prospect of removing the prop, drive and disassembly is not a happy one.

 

Other items:

 

  1. Adjusted calibration of temp readings to be correct at room temp, and checked response of all senders with heat gun.  All responded normally.  High temperature calibration check coming later; I’m picking up pyrometer gun from a friend tomorrow.  Some spots of flat black paint in key places should give me a good check – ah-h-h; when I can run again.  He is also giving me a fuel pressure guage to verify FP readout.
  2. Checked voltage reading, compared voltage at pin 9 connector P3 (EM2 disconnected) with readout from EM2.  Differred by 0.1 volts.  For roughly a 10’ run of #22 wire that suggests about 0.6 amps.  I don’t recall the EM2 draw, but this seems close enough
  3. Tried to check the O2 sensor output using a flame from a propane torch.  Nothing.  I’ll probably try again to get a voltage reading at the sensor when I can run again.  It still gives close to full scale reading no matter what mixture setting.

 

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