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1. 09:20 PM - HeliCoils and Stratus Subaru Vibration (Andy Fultz)
2. 09:21 PM - Re: Flight Test for a Remote Oil Filter Kit on the Stratus Subaru (Andy Fultz)
Message 1
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| Subject: | HeliCoils and Stratus Subaru Vibration |
I know this got long guys, but I need some input. Thanks in advance for
your time.
How many of you have had to install HELICOILS in your engine? Here's my
story:
I purchased my Strauts EA-81 engine nearly 10 years ago, but have only
recently finished and started flying my plane (AVID Flyer)on June 14, 2011.
At 43 hours I noticed oil leaking from around the lower front left case
bolt. OK, I'll tighten it up. Didn't happen as it had already stripped the
threads from the right case half. This required removing the engine tearing
it down and putting a helicoil in the case (per Mykal Templeman. So I tear
it down install the helicoil and then start to reassemble. Another one
strips before getting even snug thight. Split the case and install helicoil
#2 in the case. Finally got the case halves back together and torqued to
Mykal's specs. Now I'm reinstalling the head and one of the head studs
pulls out before geting good snug. Damn it! So I remove the head, go to
the parts store and had to order 11mm 1.25 helicoils. Two days later I
install the helicoil #3 for the head stud and am about to get this thing
back together when one of the rocker arm assembly bolts strips out. Damn it
again! The head comes back off and in goes helicoil #4. Finally all is
good, all bolts torque to Mykal's specs and the engine is finally completely
reassembled and reinstalled. Valves are readjusted and engine is test run.
All is good. Fly the next afternoon and everything seems to be ok. Since
then, I have put on a total of 80.7 hours when trouble rears its nasty
little head again.
This past Saturday 9/10/11, I decided to fly to an airport 50 miles away
to see a friend and have lunch. All seems well on arrival, but when I shut
down and opened the door I smelled oil on the exhaust. When I got out I
could see oil dripping from the cowling and and all over the bottom of the
plane. Looking in the cowl openings I can see the I'm missing a valve-cover
bolt. NO problem, right? Just find another bolt and rubber gasket material
to get me home after a wash down to get all the oil out of the cowl and off
the engine. Didn't lose but about a pint of oil (and a pint makes a huge
mess). Found a bolt and put it in but it didn't seem to want tighten up but
got snug enough. Started the engine to taxi to a friends hangar to clean it
up and the engine was missing and running horribly. Taxied just a little
ways and shut it down. Checked plugs, wires, distributor and all else
external that might cause the missing. Nothing found. Degreased and washed
it down. Started it again and still running bad on both ignitions. Got out
and started looking for the cool spots on the engine. Entire left side cool,
but #2 cyl cooler than all others. Removed valve cover on left side and
found the forward bolt on the rocker-arm assembly had backed out over .25"
and when I reinstalled the missing valve cover bolt it had caused the
rocker-arm assembly to pull away form the head and caused one of the lifter
pushrods to fall loose from its seat in the rocker arm. Remember the back
bolt here already has a helicoil installed. OK, let's get the pushrod back
in place and retorque the rocker-arm assembly bolts. Borrowed a socket,
ratchet and torque wrench. With the socket on the ratchet, I started to run
the bolt back down and it would not tighten up enough to even start using
the torque wrench. DAMN IT AGAIN!! NOthing left to do now but hitch a ride
home, load up my tools and come back for helicoil #5. Had to order another
head gasket which came in today, so I took off work drove back over to the
plane and went to work. Removed the head, installed the helicoil and
started to reassemble when yet another head stud pulled out at 30 ft lbs.
(Mykal Templeman says these should be torqued to 48-50 ft. lbs.) DAMN IT
YET AGAIN! Off comes the head and in goes helicoil #6. YES #6 so far and
all on the same side. Finally it goes back together and all are torqued to
48 ft. lbs. Installed new coolant and oil and test ran engine on ground.
All seems good so we let it cool while we went to get a burger. Got back to
the airport, checked fluids and went up for a test flight. Ran good, so
after a brief time on the ground I took off and headed out for a 36 minute
uneventful flight home.
About two hours after I got home, I decided to go up again and now I'm
feeling that same vibration starting to develope that I noticed before the
last problem with the rocker-arm bolt. Maybe it's just me, but I decowled
it and will wait till tomorrow afternoon to remove the valve covers and
check the valve clearance again. Could be that, could be that the timing is
a little off or the carbs may need balancing, but I can't get Mykal to reply
to my e-mail pleas for for him to call or give me a number he can be reached
at to help me. I have no idea how to check the timing or what the best
procedure is to check the carbs for balance.
My vibration is between 975-1075 rpm and at 2050-2200rpm and around 4050
rpm. Sounds harmonic, but the prop has been checked and it is so close to
perfectly balanced I left it alone. My spinner, which is a UHS spinner, is
not perfectly centered and does have a noticable wobble. I'm just looking
for some input. I've already tried moving the prop one hole and that did
very little, if any at all, to allieviate any felt vibration. Thanks guys.
BTW, I'm now at 83 hours total time on the engine.
Andy Fultz
AVID Extended Speedwing and Fuselage
Message 2
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| Subject: | Flight Test for a Remote Oil Filter Kit on the Stratus |
Subaru
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-stratus-list-server@matronics.com]On Behalf Of Larry McFarland
Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2011 10:10 AM
To: stratus-list; zenith601-list
Subject: Stratus-List: Flight Test for a Remote Oil Filter Kit on the
Stratus Subaru
Hi guys,
Sept 10 After a Hy-Vee lunch with the guys, I went to the hangar and did a
thorough preflight, did take a full 5 quarts to top oil off before startup.
The Subaru fired up immediately and I taxied out. Oil temps began at 60
p.s.i. and when warmed went down to 45 p.s.i. Tower cleared me for 10. The
lift off was trim-adjusted with no perceptible feel for the weight change up
front. I flew south of the control zone to the designated "practice area.
Oil temps at 3000 feet reached 228 degrees at 4300 rpm and I progressively
brought up the power in 100 rpm increments every 8 minutes or so. CHTs
stayed 190 to 200 degrees, EGTs 1380, Coolant 200 and when rpms reached 5100
and airspeed at 128 mph, oil temps never went over 233 degrees. All other
temps stayed well in the green. The remote oil filter kit resolved the max
temp issues. I stayed on an east west track until I was satisfied that the
engine was happy within its full range of operation and then headed back to
Moline. Descending at 125 into the pattern was easy, the landing was smooth
and I taxied back to the south tees with 175 hours on the engine. The cowl
was unbuttoned, the engine was drip-free and oil hoses stayed where they'd
been clamped. Pictures are added to the bottom of my engine page that shows
the components and installation in greater detail. Very satisfied with this
modification! Data was entered into the logs.
Larry McFarland 601HDS at www.macsmachine.com
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