Engine Mounts and Such

[rubixcube2k3]

 So since it appears that this is another one of those "All In" Annuals,
We (Charlie, my local IA and I) decided to change the old engine mounts (With the approval of the banker - AKA wife)  this year.  "May as well", was my answer since we are topping the engine. The old and new mount from the lower right are side by side in the pics. Not only had it twisted because it wasn't installed aligned with the dial pin on the frame,  but it was over-torqued and had completely collapsed. A picture is worth a thousand words, but all I could say after we removed these was "Wow".

We also have engine angle pics before and after that I'll post when the new cylinders and baffling are installed.

As an aside, anyone thinking about replacing or overhauling a Lycoming cylinder, give Airpower a call. Their prices are unbelievably good on factory new as well as Superior, and ECI kits. Considering that Factory new came with new piston pins and caps the price was minimal in terms of difference. Add in a 2yr warranty parts and labor on Lycoming cylinder kits with unlimited hours and it was a no-brainier. Having peace of mind that the Cam is in impeccable condition, I figured it to be worth a topping now to guarantee running to TBO and maybe a little extra if condition permits.

 I'll follow up throughout the break in process with how the MVP 50 reports and how all develops for anyone interested.

I will say that this is the most extensive owner assist work that I have ever done, and I certainly have a renewed respect for A&Ps :-).

[Shadrach]

Wow, not that I'm the authority on the matter, but I have never seen motor mounts in that condition. I'm glad you're freshening things up!

[Sabremech]

I've never seen an engine mount with an alignment pin. Those look to be Barry engine mounts as I don't remember seeing anything like that on the Lord mounts I installed a couple of years ago. Interesting.

 David

[rubixcube2k3]

The dialpin is actually supposed to be centered in the mount frame itself on my C. It stops the mount from twisting and failing as this one did. The old mounts are Barry, but the new ones are Lord. They both have the alignment hole, but from what I have gathered some other models may not have it. 

 

 

[carusoam]

Great photos.

They really show how much some rubber can flow over time.  Similar to donuts.

thanks for sharing RC.

Best regards,

-a-

[Guest]

Those have not been airworthy for many years, you should certainly feel a difference in vibration levels.

Clarence

[Yetti]

So is this hoist to relieve weight and replace one at a time while issuing the proper amounts of grunts and trips to the tool box to get more leverage or pull them all at once just go for it?    I have 4 new ones but did not have time to do during annual.

 

[rubixcube2k3]

1 hour ago, Yetti said:

So is this hoist to relieve weight and replace one at a time while issuing the proper amounts of grunts and trips to the tool box to get more leverage or pull them all at once just go for it?    I have 4 new ones but did not have time to do during annual.

 

We had to pull all 4 cylinders and pistons anyway, so all the main obstructions, including battery box and baffles are out of the way. We then took a cherry pick and lifted the engine while removing the mounts. I will definitely advocate against trying to do it without the engine hoist. There is no graceful or safe way to support the engine and it is definitely not something you want to try without an adequate tail-stand. Also on my C, one of the lower bolts was pinned by the firewall and we had to gently move the engine forward once it was floating to free it. In my case, we also had the plane jacked already also to get the nose-gear off for rebuild, so there was nothing to worry about in terms of tail-stand or nose weighting. 

It's not a lengthy process for the mounts alone, but making sure you have the proper setup is everything.

[rubixcube2k3]

2 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Those have not been airworthy for many years, you should certainly feel a difference in vibration levels.

Clarence

True Clarence, 

D. Maxwell suggested to me in 2010 that they were marginal at best. At that point the lower mounts were worn just within limits, but they hadn't failed from what I was told. . I can literally tell you the flight, my position, and the first thought that went through my head when the pictured mount collapsed to the point of touching the frame. It was a noticeable difference in vibration at that moment and going forward as well. 

According to my logs, the mounts were changed in the 80s, but never again since. Not surprising since I still had the original 1975 oil, fuel, and landing gear biscuits as of the first annual.

[oldn0tded]

I just started this job, and as in all things related to old airplanes, it has escalated .....considerably!

Its gonna be a j-o-b...

[jamesm]

Just a FYI... years ago I learned that on my '67C with Lyc O 360-A1D  engine the nuts the holds the engine to the engine mounts comes in 2 sizes meaning that thread size were the same  but the wrench size had two different  sizes for the same part number. If I recall correctly  one was 11/16" and  the other 5/8".  I had  the larger 11/16  wrench size  nut  which  caused  enough interference with the nut  and the engine mount well  that it  took  me an added effort and time to separate engine from engine mount. Had to make sacrificial  wrench to remove the engine from the engine mount.

Hope this helps.

James '67C

[oldn0tded]

Soooooo, ya take the cowling off, and that turns into new baffling, repairing the ram air seal, cleaning and degreasing, new fuel and oil lines, including fuel and oil pressure lines to the gauges. ANNNNND then scat tubes need replacing, fixing the master cylinder leak before it gets worse, clean, service and lube the induction drain (as per Don Maxwell), and finally motor mounts. If this thing flys before Christmas, it'll be a miracle.

Ya know somebody could have stopped this before it got started!! 

Did I mention Dan at Lasar? He truly deserves a "shout out". BTW, Lasar has the servo induction boots in stock, just sayin'

 

[Guest]

20 hours ago, jamesm said:

Just a FYI... years ago I learned that on my '67C with Lyc O 360-A1D  engine the nuts the holds the engine to the engine mounts comes in 2 sizes meaning that thread size were the same  but the wrench size had two different  sizes for the same part number. If I recall correctly  one was 11/16" and  the other 5/8".  I had  the larger 11/16  wrench size  nut  which  caused  enough interference with the nut  and the engine mount well  that it  took  me an added effort and time to separate engine from engine mount. Had to make sacrificial  wrench to remove the engine from the engine mount.

Hope this helps.

James '67C

When the part number changed from AN to MS the size went from 5/8" to 11/16" and turned into a bit more work.

Clarence

[jamesm]

Thanks Clarence.... Well that would explain  why the different in wrench sizes. It took me while to figure it out.