Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 07:08 AM - Re: stories and questions. (Larry McFarland)
2. 07:51 AM - Re: stories and questions. (Hinde, Frank George (Corvallis))
3. 08:22 AM - Re: stories and questions. (rueffy@jetthrust.com)
4. 08:43 AM - Re: stories and questions. (Hinde, Frank George (Corvallis))
5. 09:05 AM - Re: stories and questions. (gary)
6. 01:35 PM - Re: stories and questions. (rueffy@jetthrust.com)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Re: stories and questions. |
--> Stratus-List message posted by: Larry McFarland <larrymc@qconline.com>
Brett,
If you've got a weeping oil situation behind the flywheel, the large
seal may need replacing it which is a National
#415021 and regreasing its contact surfaces with white lithium grease.
If you begin finding a film of oil in the end of the lower pully and
crank shaft end, you'll need to get after it agressively because I found
it can really increase output in a hurry.
Mykal doesn't use a seal, but an o-ring that's sort of placed there. I
removed it and cleaned the material behind it to dry metal and then used
heavy RTV before replacing the o-ring and then buried it again in RTV
sealant. Very dry now much later.
I was emailed a 3-page instruction sheet on replacing the redrive
bearings and front and rear engine seals by one of the posters in this
group and I'd be willing to copy-forward these zip files if they'd be
of help to you. Lots of pictures too.
Larry McFarland
rueffy@jetthrust.com wrote:
>--> Stratus-List message posted by: rueffy@jetthrust.com
>
> Is that what people are refering to when they say the main PRSU bearing is
>weeping a little?
>
>Cheerio
>brett
>Vancouver, Canada
>
>
>
>
Message 2
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| Subject: | stories and questions. |
--> Stratus-List message posted by: "Hinde, Frank George (Corvallis)" <frank.hinde@hp.com>
Have the heads had the stepped valve guides installed by Ram
Performance?...Stratus motors have had a number of valve guide failures
which can easily trash your engine completely...Or worse.
If you have not had this done I would say this is the best $600 you
could spend on that airplane.
Ram Performance is the only company I would trust with this work. Once
they have done it it will be pretty much bullet proof.
Do you have two ignition systems fitted to the engine? When one of them
dies a much better system is to use the Subaru puckup coil to drive a
$25 GM ignitor chip...I have two ignitions built into the same
distributor...Much better than the $300 you will pay for the original
style ignitor chip...:)
As to the bearing, the seal wears a groove in the anodised spacer and it
ends up leaking...I changed the seal and moved it outboard a little to
wear a new groove....Works great so far.
Frank
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of
rueffy@jetthrust.com
Subject: Stratus-List: stories and questions.
--> Stratus-List message posted by: rueffy@jetthrust.com
Hi Stratus Goers.
Well - after 3 months of odds and ends work on the plane without flying
it over the winter I finally made the final (what I thought were final)
repairs and went flying this arvo. Was great to be back in the air
again. I bought the two place float plane with a stratus EA81 a year
ago and have been putting a lot of work in for not much flying....time
to start reaping the rewards now.
For those interested here is what I have done:
1. Replaced PRSU cog belt
2. Replaced cracked (maybe smashed is a better word) alternator bracket.
3. Re-routed that breather hose that ran under the alternator and was
beign destroyed.
4. Replaced two heater hoses and replaced fluid.
5. Compression test and other engine tests 6. Installed new battery 7.
Rewired Aileron control system to remove some control cable rub.
8. Installed turnbuckles in all aileron and rudder systems (boy are
those turnbuckles expensive!) 9. Repaired a leaky float 10. Repaired a
broken Airspeed indicator (neat to look inside) 11. bought a new radio
12. Installed drain grommets (still more to go however) 13. Repaired a
mount for elevator push pull tube 14. Few other bits and peices that
slip my mind now.
Anyway the test flight went well and all was normal. Oil and Water were
very tight - no leaks visible at all. I had a some fluctation on the
fuel pressure but I knew the number one fuel pump is on its last legs.
I shall replace it before the next flight and replace the filters while
I am at it.
After the flight I noticed a little weaping from the PRSU behind the
flywheel.
Not much, just a small area and the fuild had the slighest of green
shades to it. Is that what people are refering to when they say the
main PRSU bearing is weeping a little? The engine only has about 50
hours before I am supposed to re-grease the bearings as per the 300 hour
stratus schedule.
Cheerio
brett
Vancouver, Canada
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Message 3
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| Subject: | stories and questions. |
--> Stratus-List message posted by: rueffy@jetthrust.com
Thanks Frank,
The heads were re-done by the original owner. I know of 3 stratus engines in
this area - all had self distructing heads, one did it after only 4 hours. It
wasnt RAM that was used, but the heads were definately redone.
It does have two ignitions as well. Standard stratus one and a nipondenso one.
I kind of think this is a bit of a gimick though - you have two ignitions but
only one key switch, one set of leads, one distributor.
Where did you get the new seal from?
Thanks for your comments.
Brett
Quoting "Hinde, Frank George (Corvallis)" <frank.hinde@hp.com>:
> --> Stratus-List message posted by: "Hinde, Frank George (Corvallis)"
> <frank.hinde@hp.com>
>
> Have the heads had the stepped valve guides installed by Ram
> Performance?...Stratus motors have had a number of valve guide failures
> which can easily trash your engine completely...Or worse.
>
> If you have not had this done I would say this is the best $600 you
> could spend on that airplane.
>
> Ram Performance is the only company I would trust with this work. Once
> they have done it it will be pretty much bullet proof.
>
> Do you have two ignition systems fitted to the engine? When one of them
> dies a much better system is to use the Subaru puckup coil to drive a
> $25 GM ignitor chip...I have two ignitions built into the same
> distributor...Much better than the $300 you will pay for the original
> style ignitor chip...:)
>
> As to the bearing, the seal wears a groove in the anodised spacer and it
> ends up leaking...I changed the seal and moved it outboard a little to
> wear a new groove....Works great so far.
>
> Frank
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com
> [mailto:owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of
> rueffy@jetthrust.com
> To: stratus-list@matronics.com
> Subject: Stratus-List: stories and questions.
>
> --> Stratus-List message posted by: rueffy@jetthrust.com
>
> Hi Stratus Goers.
>
> Well - after 3 months of odds and ends work on the plane without flying
> it over the winter I finally made the final (what I thought were final)
> repairs and went flying this arvo. Was great to be back in the air
> again. I bought the two place float plane with a stratus EA81 a year
> ago and have been putting a lot of work in for not much flying....time
> to start reaping the rewards now.
> For those interested here is what I have done:
>
> 1. Replaced PRSU cog belt
> 2. Replaced cracked (maybe smashed is a better word) alternator bracket.
> 3. Re-routed that breather hose that ran under the alternator and was
> beign destroyed.
> 4. Replaced two heater hoses and replaced fluid.
> 5. Compression test and other engine tests 6. Installed new battery 7.
> Rewired Aileron control system to remove some control cable rub.
> 8. Installed turnbuckles in all aileron and rudder systems (boy are
> those turnbuckles expensive!) 9. Repaired a leaky float 10. Repaired a
> broken Airspeed indicator (neat to look inside) 11. bought a new radio
> 12. Installed drain grommets (still more to go however) 13. Repaired a
> mount for elevator push pull tube 14. Few other bits and peices that
> slip my mind now.
>
> Anyway the test flight went well and all was normal. Oil and Water were
> very tight - no leaks visible at all. I had a some fluctation on the
> fuel pressure but I knew the number one fuel pump is on its last legs.
> I shall replace it before the next flight and replace the filters while
> I am at it.
>
> After the flight I noticed a little weaping from the PRSU behind the
> flywheel.
> Not much, just a small area and the fuild had the slighest of green
> shades to it. Is that what people are refering to when they say the
> main PRSU bearing is weeping a little? The engine only has about 50
> hours before I am supposed to re-grease the bearings as per the 300 hour
> stratus schedule.
>
> Cheerio
> brett
> Vancouver, Canada
>
>
> Pilots!-For all your aviation resources visit Jet Thrust.com- The Pilot
> Network http://www.jetthrust.com
>
>
> Please report IMMEDIATELY any abuse/spam or scams of our webmail system
> to the webmaster of this website at the following address:
> webmaster@jetthrust.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Pilots!-For all your aviation resources visit
Jet Thrust.com- The Pilot Network
http://www.jetthrust.com
Please report IMMEDIATELY any abuse/spam or scams of our webmail system to
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Message 4
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| Subject: | stories and questions. |
--> Stratus-List message posted by: "Hinde, Frank George (Corvallis)" <frank.hinde@hp.com>
Seal you can get from Stratus but it is a common seal...I think I still
have the box in the hangar so you could probably get it from just about
any bearing supplier. Just have to wait till I go down the hangar to get
the number...they are about 25 bucks.
You say the heads were "re done". What exactly does that
mean?....Subarus use parallel valve guides that the rebuilders choose to
press in at room temperature. They have no step on the outside and if
they work loose they slip into the combustion chamber till they hit the
tapered part of the valve where chunks get broken off...Hence the self
destruct.
This fitting method is crap!
Valve guides should be made 2 thou oversize and the head heated and the
guide frozen before they are put together. They should also have a step
on the outside (Stratus now use a circlip and that fails too!). As the
guides do not have a step this shrink fit method is crucial to get
right...Of course its only been done this way for the last 100 years so
why the soob rebuilders think they can get away with room temperature
fit is beyond me.
But anyway, it is important to know what the previous owner did because
if he simply replicated what was there in the first place that is not
good enough IMO.
Ram Performance is the only company as far as I know that will make a
new set of guides with steps on the outside and shrink fit them
properly. I would strongly advise you to get what procedure he used. At
the minimum this needs to be a shrunk fit guide, no loctite and
definatly no knurling of the outside of the guide to bring it up to
size.
I've had three failures and have become an expert on this issue...Sadly!
Your ignition set up is not adequate. You have many single points of
failure there. I have 2 batteries (isolated with a diode) and a separate
switch for each ignition system....There is no point on the low tension
side of the the ignitions systems that join together at any point. This
second battery (3AH only weighs 2 pounds) system also runs the second
fuel pump....I can have an alternator/battery fire/short out and can
continue to run the engine for an hour or so.
If your igniton switch burns out down you go!
The distributor is a single point of failre but they rarely fail...The
low tension wiring is a different matter though.
Frank
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of
rueffy@jetthrust.com
Subject: RE: Stratus-List: stories and questions.
--> Stratus-List message posted by: rueffy@jetthrust.com
Thanks Frank,
The heads were re-done by the original owner. I know of 3 stratus
engines in this area - all had self distructing heads, one did it after
only 4 hours. It wasnt RAM that was used, but the heads were definately
redone.
It does have two ignitions as well. Standard stratus one and a
nipondenso one.
I kind of think this is a bit of a gimick though - you have two
ignitions but only one key switch, one set of leads, one distributor.
Where did you get the new seal from?
Thanks for your comments.
Brett
Quoting "Hinde, Frank George (Corvallis)" <frank.hinde@hp.com>:
> --> Stratus-List message posted by: "Hinde, Frank George (Corvallis)"
> <frank.hinde@hp.com>
>
> Have the heads had the stepped valve guides installed by Ram
> Performance?...Stratus motors have had a number of valve guide
> failures which can easily trash your engine completely...Or worse.
>
> If you have not had this done I would say this is the best $600 you
> could spend on that airplane.
>
> Ram Performance is the only company I would trust with this work. Once
> they have done it it will be pretty much bullet proof.
>
> Do you have two ignition systems fitted to the engine? When one of
> them dies a much better system is to use the Subaru puckup coil to
> drive a
> $25 GM ignitor chip...I have two ignitions built into the same
> distributor...Much better than the $300 you will pay for the original
> style ignitor chip...:)
>
> As to the bearing, the seal wears a groove in the anodised spacer and
> it ends up leaking...I changed the seal and moved it outboard a little
> to wear a new groove....Works great so far.
>
> Frank
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com
> [mailto:owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of
> rueffy@jetthrust.com
> To: stratus-list@matronics.com
> Subject: Stratus-List: stories and questions.
>
> --> Stratus-List message posted by: rueffy@jetthrust.com
>
> Hi Stratus Goers.
>
> Well - after 3 months of odds and ends work on the plane without
> flying it over the winter I finally made the final (what I thought
> were final) repairs and went flying this arvo. Was great to be back
> in the air again. I bought the two place float plane with a stratus
> EA81 a year ago and have been putting a lot of work in for not much
> flying....time to start reaping the rewards now.
> For those interested here is what I have done:
>
> 1. Replaced PRSU cog belt
> 2. Replaced cracked (maybe smashed is a better word) alternator
bracket.
> 3. Re-routed that breather hose that ran under the alternator and was
> beign destroyed.
> 4. Replaced two heater hoses and replaced fluid.
> 5. Compression test and other engine tests 6. Installed new battery 7.
> Rewired Aileron control system to remove some control cable rub.
> 8. Installed turnbuckles in all aileron and rudder systems (boy are
> those turnbuckles expensive!) 9. Repaired a leaky float 10. Repaired a
> broken Airspeed indicator (neat to look inside) 11. bought a new radio
> 12. Installed drain grommets (still more to go however) 13. Repaired a
> mount for elevator push pull tube 14. Few other bits and peices that
> slip my mind now.
>
> Anyway the test flight went well and all was normal. Oil and Water
> were very tight - no leaks visible at all. I had a some fluctation on
> the fuel pressure but I knew the number one fuel pump is on its last
legs.
> I shall replace it before the next flight and replace the filters
> while I am at it.
>
> After the flight I noticed a little weaping from the PRSU behind the
> flywheel.
> Not much, just a small area and the fuild had the slighest of green
> shades to it. Is that what people are refering to when they say the
> main PRSU bearing is weeping a little? The engine only has about 50
> hours before I am supposed to re-grease the bearings as per the 300
> hour stratus schedule.
>
> Cheerio
> brett
> Vancouver, Canada
>
>
> Pilots!-For all your aviation resources visit Jet Thrust.com- The
> Pilot Network http://www.jetthrust.com
>
>
> Please report IMMEDIATELY any abuse/spam or scams of our webmail
> system to the webmaster of this website at the following address:
> webmaster@jetthrust.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Pilots!-For all your aviation resources visit Jet Thrust.com- The Pilot
Network http://www.jetthrust.com
Please report IMMEDIATELY any abuse/spam or scams of our webmail system
to the webmaster of this website at the following address:
webmaster@jetthrust.com
Message 5
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| Subject: | Re: stories and questions. |
--> Stratus-List message posted by: "gary" <FlyinK@Efortress.com>
> It does have two ignitions as well. Standard stratus one and a nipondenso
> one.
> I kind of think this is a bit of a gimick though - you have two ignitions
> but
> only one key switch, one set of leads, one distributor.
the dual ignitions have saved a few people anyway, seems to be the coils and
modules that go. to take full advantage though, I think it's best to have
separate switches and a small backup battery. make as much redundant as
possible. then just do good maintenance on the distr, wires and plugs.
what's the empty/gross on your plane and how does it perform on floats? i'd
like to get floats someday and i'm not sure the stratus will have enough
juice.
gary
Message 6
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| Subject: | Re: stories and questions. |
--> Stratus-List message posted by: rueffy@jetthrust.com
I think the gross is about 1300lbs (haven't weight it myself - going off old
info that I am not totally confident in). Its on Murphy home built 1500 floats
and the stratus blasts off the water no worries. We did some rough
calculations, and the power to weight is at the high end for float planes
considering I very rarely take off at gross. For a light plane like mine it is
more than adequate. In fact 100hp is about the limit for the airframe in my
opinion.
Thanks to Frank and Larry, your points are duly noted.
Picture of the plane is attached,
Brett
Quoting gary <FlyinK@efortress.com>:
> --> Stratus-List message posted by: "gary" <FlyinK@Efortress.com>
>
> > It does have two ignitions as well. Standard stratus one and a nipondenso
>
> > one.
> > I kind of think this is a bit of a gimick though - you have two ignitions
> > but
> > only one key switch, one set of leads, one distributor.
> the dual ignitions have saved a few people anyway, seems to be the coils and
>
> modules that go. to take full advantage though, I think it's best to have
> separate switches and a small backup battery. make as much redundant as
> possible. then just do good maintenance on the distr, wires and plugs.
>
> what's the empty/gross on your plane and how does it perform on floats? i'd
>
> like to get floats someday and i'm not sure the stratus will have enough
> juice.
>
> gary
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Pilots!-For all your aviation resources visit
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http://www.jetthrust.com
Please report IMMEDIATELY any abuse/spam or scams of our webmail system to
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