It actually started. We turned it
off and it started again. WAHOOOOO. But a mear wahoooo doesn't quite
express the amazing feeling and sense of accomplisment of first engine
start of the 2nd gen, turbo housing 13b.
David and I rebuilt it about 1.5
years ago. Dave did most the teardown, cleaning, measureing tolerance
etc and we both rebuilt it following along Bruce T's video and the
Haynes shop manual. Dave final install on the CC engine mount and
Tracy's PSRU. I ran the wires, hoses...and the rest. A true joint
effort.
We tried last night to no avail.
Turns out when I wired the injector switches based on a great diagram
from the Flyrotary list, the illustration stated "top" and I installed
that end up with the swithes being up when on. However, when I was
checking my wires this pm I noticed that power was coming through the
switch when the switch was down.....doh! So, I turned them over
and rechecked the rest of my wires and grounds.
In a damn optomistic gesture while
in a pessimistic mood, my hangar mate, Richard Sessions (who is
restoring a VariEZ) and my S/O, Jana and I pushed the tale of the
Velocity out the hangar door (of course it started sprinkling
<g>) (Dave was still at work). We took basic security
procedures, ie showing Jana how to use the fire estingusher. I turned
on the switches (including the now correclty mounted injector
switches), turned on the primary fuel pump, hit the starter button and
DAMN, it fired.........SCARED THE HELL out of us.......you should have
seen my two Cairn Terriers (Winston and Madison) head for the hills
(well, Houston has no hills, but y'all get the idea). We kinda looked
at each other in a mixed shock and amazement and checke that we didn't
blow anything off. We actually mixed fuel, air, compression and spark
and got combustion.....who'ed of thunk it?
We waited for the portable battery
charger/starter to bring the battery back up and tried again. Switches
up, Pumps on, press the starter button......damn, it sputtered and
started (after some cranking). It started to rev really fast, or
seeminly so, so I brought the throttle to closed, which didn't stop it,
so I cut the fuel pump and it stopped. Go figure.
Well, we did this a few more times,
never running it too long since we do not yet have sensors on it yet.
Also, Dave got off work and came by to join the fun. Just the fact it
actually ran was great. Now that Tracy should be getting back into
town, we should be able to order the correct sensors to replace the
ones that were missplaced along the way.
Not quite sure what to work on now.
Obviously we will want to smooth it out and get it to start easily. It
is currently running better on B than A. I may have inavertanly
changed someting on A while messing with it during start sessions (may
need to reset A...donno yet). I think I will now try to start to clean
up the wiring so as to make it easier to manipulate the stuff in the
cabin. Righ now the panel is laying where the front seats should be.
So this may be a good starting point while waiting for sensors that
will let me know I am not ruining my new engine.
Y'all's support and words of wisdom,
along with Tracy Crooks great products it what helped make this a
reality. Thanks for being there. NOW THE REAL WORK (read that as
fun) BEGINS.
Dave will be posting a much more
technical account soon....heck, I bet we both rushed home so we could
annouce it to the world.
Thanks.
All the best,
Chris
Velocity N17010
w/ a Rotary 13b...that actually runs.