First engine start

March 16th, 2024

Nothing left to do but see if the engine will run.

Once again I enlisted Dale's help, this time to stand fire watch and check for leaks. First we disconnected the top oil cooler hose and filled the cooler with oil per Lycoming SI 1241C. This took about a half-quart and only made a little mess. Then I used the starter to crank the engine with the bottom plugs out until I saw signs of oil pressure. This took three 15-second hits of the starter, and eventually registered about 20 PSI. After a close inspection for leaks, I finally installed and torqued the bottom plugs.

I didn't want to take any chances, so we lassoed the tailwheel to his truck bumper just to be extra sure the plane couldn't go anywhere:

I think the video shows the next events best:

Amazingly, the engine lit after only a few blades, the oil pressure came right up, and it settled down fairly quickly to a smooth idle. In a few minutes' of running I was able to verify that I have a good engine, all engine sensors and gauges are working, both alternators function as intended, both mags check good, and the prop governor can cycle the prop. A really momentous occasion that's been a long time coming. After shutdown, I looked everything over and found no leaks, drips, or wear spots. Later I reviewed the data logs to confirm my in-the-moment observations and found nothing alarming in the numbers.

Then I decided to give the airplane a bath, because in the sunlight it was looking filthy! It's still streaky, but at least it's no longer covered with grime and dust:

Posted in Engine, Firewall Forward

Fuel system check & calibration

March 15th, 2024

Today's task was to flush the fuel tanks, test as much of the fuel system as possible, and calibrate the fuel quantity gauges.

To avoid blowing myself up, I fabricated this simple grounding harness from a spool of hardware-store wire. It has one alligator clip for the airplane, one clip to attach to a metal funnel, and a third clip on the end of a long run of wire that I can connect to a ground rod if needed. There's also a length of wire with a weight on the end (made from a bolt and a stack of washers) which I can drop down the neck of a plastic gas can. The goal here is to prevent a potential difference between the airplane and the fuel container due to the static electricity generated by fuel flowing from a tank being drained, which could otherwise cause a spark. This might be overkill, but fuel flowing through rubber and plastic can do funny things, and I enjoy not being exploded.

I temporarily removed the fuel tank drains, and installed a pair of ball valves with rubber fuel hose attached. With this setup and the ground rig connected, I flushed about ten gallons of avgas through each tank, draining it back into the gas cans through a clean paint filter:

Happily, I only found a few tiny particles of trash in the filters, and nothing leaked:

Then I disconnected the fuel hose at the inlet to the mechanical fuel pump, and used the electric boost pump to run several gallons from each tank through the fuselage plumbing and back into gas cans. This allowed me to check most of the plumbing for leaks, verify the operation of the fuel selector, and test the boost pump and fuel flow gauge. I put a lawn-mower fuel filter in the temporary drain hose to avoid putting any trash back in circulation:

The fuel flow gauge was showing about 55 gallons per hour with the boost pump drawing from either tank. Judging by my watch, it was filling the gas can at the rate of about a gallon every minute, so that number seems believable. No fuel pressure indication here, since the hose is disconnected:

I recruited Mary to push buttons, got her situated in the seat, and then heaved the tail up onto a stand to level the fuselage:

Using a calibrated fuel container, I added two gallons at a time and had Mary record each calibration point until the gauge stopped registering. For the right tank, we had no problems with the calibration process and were able to record points up to 17 gallons. Above that level, the float tops out due to the dihedral of the wing:

The left tank seemed to have a sticky float, requiring a lot of tapping to get it to register changes in fuel level. We were eventually able to get a believable calibration curve out of it, but I'm not completely convinced. I'll monitor this and see if it frees up with use, and hopefully I won't have to pull the sender to fix it:

After filling and calibrating each tank, we then used the boost pump to drain the fuel back into gas cans again.

Mary the long-suffering assistant rated the Classic Aero Aviator seats as "like the seats in an upscale SUV":

Posted in Electrical/Panel, Engine, Firewall Forward, Fuel Tanks, Wings

Spark plugs & engine preparation

March 10th, 2024

Working through the todo list, aiming towards being able to start the engine – an exciting goal. I bought a new set of spark plugs and checked the gaps to make sure each one was set correctly:

I also wanted to check the resistance of the new plugs, but none of the probes on any of my meters were long enough to reach the bottom of a spark plug barrel where the contact lives. So I made this little resistance-checking adapter, which is nothing more than a spring, a screw, and a chunk of Delrin I turned down on the lathe:

To use it, I clip one meter lead to the screw, push the spring into the spark plug barrel, and touch the other lead to the center electrode. Super easy and convenient:

I installed the top plugs with copper anti-seize and new gaskets, and torqued both the plugs and the harness nuts:

The bottom plugs I will leave out until engine pre-oiling is complete, so I insulated the connections using scraps of plastic conduit slipped over the ends:

I verified the magneto timing, and checked the torque of all the important fasteners and hydraulic fittings on and around the engine. As with anything firewall-forward, it takes a whole host of adapters and extensions to even be able to reach most items:

I got the spinner out of storage and used it to check the position of the forward spinner bulkhead, then torqued and safetied the mounting bolts for it:

Then I removed the protective covers from the prop blades,and installed the spinner. Looks great if I do say so myself:

Posted in Engine, Firewall Forward, Ignition, Propeller

Access panel seals

February 27th, 2024

To seal the avionics access panels, I borrowed Dan Horton's idea for making rubber gaskets. First I used a sponge to apply a layer of PVA to the inside of the access panels, and let it dry overnight to a smooth film:

I stuffed the area under the access holes with aluminum foil to catch any sealant drips:

Then I applied a generous bead of proseal to the mounting flanges, and screwed the panels in place:

I used acetone to clean up all the squeeze-out, then left everything to cure for a week:

After I was sure the proseal was fully cured, I removed the screws and was able to gently pry off the access panels. The PVA film peeled off the aluminum and stuck to the proseal:

I used an xacto knife to trim off the excess blobs along the inner edge, and dissolved the PVA with a wet paper towel. Result, perfect gaskets that fit my access panels exactly:

If you are reading this and you are planning to install this kind of access panel in the future, I'd recommend adding a thin spacer (say 0.020"-0.032") between the fuselage skin and the mounting ring. That would allow for the rubber seals to be thicker and probably to work better.

Posted in Fuselage

Engine oil / filter / drain valve

February 26th, 2024

I leveled the airplane, unscrewed the more accessible of the two symmetrical oil drain plugs, and drained as much of the ancient oil out of the sump as I could:

I'm sure I didn't get it all, as it doesn't drain all that well when cold, but whatever is left over shouldn't hurt anything.

I took the opportunity to install a Saf-Air quick drain valve, which will make the next oil change easier:

I bought some fresh oil filters, plus the specific food-grade anti-seize Lycoming wants you to use on the threads. I guess they specify this so you don't get copper in the oil system, but it's funny to think about eating off the oil filter adapter.

Oil filter torqued and safetied:

For the first fifty hours – kind of a weird thing to think about! – I'll be using 20W-50 non-AD mineral oil, per the Lycoming guidance. I put in eight quarts, which is more than I'd usually run in an IO-360, but some of that is going to disappear into the various oil passages pretty quickly.

The oil dipstick comes un-marked, so you have to make your own oil level markings. For now, I provisionally marked every two quarts with a sharpie and a tiny nick from a file at each successive level, just so I can monitor the initial oil consumption. After the first proper oil change with warm oil, I'll have a better opportunity to properly calibrate the dipstick.

Posted in Engine, Firewall Forward

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