Miscellaneous Engine Chores (3)

3 hours

Here's some more stuff I should have done on the engine a while ago but finally got around to.

Anyway I had read something somewhere about an engine having some oil troubles due to a blocked pushrod not allowing oil to flow through it.  When I built the engine I hadn't even realized that oil was supposed to travel through the pushrods, so I had no idea if I had checked that there were all clear before I installed them.  So, out of paranoia I removed each one and made sure there was nothing lodged inside that could block oil.  Sure enough, I found one that was totally blocked up, probably with a chunk of the plastic mallet I had used to hammer the tips on.  I couldn't figure out any way to clear it, so I ended up having to buy some more pushrods so I could cut a new one to replace it.  This time I put the tip in the freezer overnight, and that made it a lot easier to install.  Much less hammering required!

While I had the top end apart, I figured out exactly where TDC was and marked it on the prop hub, so now I can easily figure out where TDC for each cylinder is without taking anything apart.  After that I put the valvetrain back together and adjusted all the valves again.

Next, I found after I first cranked the engine that a decent amount of oil leaked between the bottom of the turbo bearing block and the little sump that attaches to it.  I found with the tail raised, no oil sits there, so I could pull the sump off, clean everything, and reinstall it without making much of a mess.  This time I used the Permatex Aviation Form-a-Gasket that I used on the engine case to seal it, instead of the RTV that the plans called for.  We'll see if it leaks this time!

I also re-checked the clearance between the magnatrons and the trigger magnet on the flywheel, since I had loosened one of the mounting nuts on each one, so I wanted to make sure nothing had moved.

Finally, I put the heat shield back on the turbo, and found that I had to cut a little clearance in the upper left edge for the thermostat.  Now I think the engine is ready to go!

Redid magnetron clearance

Turbo heat shield clearance for t-stat & coolant line