I'm trying to find ways of reducing the weight of my KR while also increasing in-flight safety.
My KR-2 has a VW type 4 engine, mounted ring-gear forward, without a starter or ring gear. ?I'm wondering if installing mechanical or electrical actuated pressure relief valves in the heads would allow the propeller to provide enough torque to restart the engine in-flight.?My centrifugal distributor at low rpm fires just after top dead center. I also was looking at how Golf Carts and lawn tractors (up to 25 hp) use starter/generators to start the engines and charge their batteries off a v-belt. ?Installing the pressure relief valves to facilitate starting, it seems like it might be feasible to reduce the weight by combining the starter and generator into one unit. ?Or in my case, being able to install a starter without adding the weight of the ring gear and starter. The current alternator near the firewall seems to be set up quite nicely to substitute a starter/generator. ?The pressure relief valves seem like they might allow the starter/generator to turn over the engine in-flight. ? Typically, the starter/generators are limited to about a 15 amp output; about $150. http://www.amazon.com/STARTER-GENERATOR-YAMAHA-GOLF-CART/dp/B008HR5E2M/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0RPZBJPK5E17DG66EF0Z Has anyone ever heard of someone making such a modification on any homebuilt? ? --? James Dunn
