>I always like to ask for more details, because it helps me evaluate my engine. If you don't mind, please reply with the following information: 1. Which engine type 1/3 or 2/4 2. Was it a conversion from a known maker i.e. Revmaster, GPASC, or homebuilder 3. What size was the crank, 66mm, 78mm ?? 4. Did the crank have an aftermarket bearing in the front, such as GPASC's Force One bearing. 5. Do you know the location of the break in the crank? 6. What type of prop, Wood, Plastic?? 7. Do you feel that there were circumstances which contributed to the failure such as the 3 G pull up 8. Last question, were you aware, as soon as it happened.<
Hi Orma, I have the Type 1 Conversion. It is a Great Plains Kit. Most components are from GPASC. It does have the Force One Front Bearing. The prop is a Sterba 54X50 made of wood. I can't imagine a 3g pull up would cause this problem. If it did, these engines should't be flying. I know of a few people who have pulled this and more without incident. I'll find out either today or tomorrow where the break is. Richard S. and I are going to pull our engines today. I did notice a slight change in the engine. It was progressive, not all at once. It actually began on the previous flight the week before but I thought it was just because weather was pretty rough. The 3g's may have just finished it off. On the final flight it was most noticeable when attempting to climb or adding power. It wzs most noticeable when I returned to the airport and had to go around for traffic. Once I exited the active, you could tell immediately something wasn't right. Once power was added to taxi, it was evident I was due for a new engine. A short list of problems I have had with this engine is significant oil leakage when the flywheel kept coming loose. The gland nut kept breaking. 2.) Unable to track some vibration. On the last rebuild, the major problems were finally taken care of. After magnafluxing the crank, the flywheel was ground to the crank for a press fit. A chromolly gland nut was used from the race cars. The flywheel, crank, and prop hub was balanced. My prop hub was out of round about .002 and out of balance about 5 grams. The hub was balanced by a reputable shop that Steve B. uses. A new Force One bearing was installed. A complete rebuild was performed and Total Seal rings were installed. Heads were rebuilt. I have run this configuration for about 65 - 70 hours including my flight back to the gathering. One persistent proplem is an oil eak somewhere that sprays on the canopy. We have used dye and blacklight attempting to locate the problem without luck. Silicon has been used on virtually every place oil could potentially leak. Yet, the oil still exits the spinner onto the canopy. For me, it is just time or a change. It was either going to be an 0-200 or the corvair. I figure it would be about $1000 to repair the VW. I need about $500 to complete the corvair, not to mention the extra 30 - 40 HP. It's a no brainer for me. As Mark L. has said..."I've seen the light". Steve Glover KR-2 N902G AJO, Ca <kr...@cox.net>
