Thank you for this great post. I have am overhauled engine on my M20C with a LASAR ignition, about 20 hours total time, and I am experiencing very similar temperatures in my engine... Last Friday I landed inmediately when the CHT reached 500... It was scary. I took off the cowling and reviewed the baffles and the dog house. I have not flown since then, but I hope to do it on Monday to check everything out.
Oscar
Quote: pmccand
My ramblings and notes about high engine temperatures...
I have also had FRUSTRATINGLY high temperatures for which I have requested assistance on this and other web sites after a recent o'haul on my O360. In my case, I tore the engine down a SECOND time in less than 50 hours, after I found two rebuilt cylinders delaminating nickle from the walls! I suspect very high temperatures were partly to blame.
I couldn't get temperatures down after 25-30 hours. I'd start up and make the taxi and pre-flight as short as I possibly can, rolling as soon as CHT's reach 250 deg F. Upon climb and just after retracting the gear, I find the temperatures at or near 450-480 degrees, and on a really hot day I push red line. Climb out is at 120 + MPH with full power, full rich and cowl flaps wide open. I drop the nose to cool the engine as much as possible until I get 420 degrees or less. At this setting, I can climb only at about 800 feet/min with a light load. Gauges and probes are checked for accuracy. Carb modded with the ancient service bulletin for the early 61 engines which richened the mixture, and timing re-rechecked.
What's really scary about this is the temperature would SCREAM above 500 degrees if I came in for a landing with a hot engine and tried to do a go-around.
I made a call to Don Maxwell and asked him what his temp experiences were with the M20B O360 engine. To my surprise, (and without telling him what temperatures I was getting) he said that #3 is ALWAYS the hottest, 390-420 degrees in cruise is "typical" and upper 400's are not uncommon on climb out. "That's the way they are", he said. So, based on his report of normal behavior, I decided to fly it as-is.
In my quest to further lower the temperature, I did the unthinkable...I installed a LASAR cowl enclosure mod, just to see what would happen...and what do you know...CHT DROPPED on climb and cruise by 10-15 degrees with a SMALLER opening! At least, it didn't hurt to install the mod which suprised the heck out of me.
The biggest improvent was a modification to my flying procedure... Nose down and climb slower. Contrary to what most people are doing (as they descend with full power), I make SURE my engine is cooled and leaned properly when descending; just in case I need to make a go-around and want full power. I shoot for 250-300 degrees just before landing with leaner mixture setting to prevent lead fouling. Just my unsolicited ramblings, but perhaps my notes help somewhere.
Phil Mc Ca nD.Less