500 Hour past TBO Rocket gets OH

[Yooper Rocketman]

54 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

Great news Tom,

Id be curious to know what the rod that they found does.  I’ve worked on lots of NB series engines, but none in a Mooney.

Clarence

I will get the exact terminology when I talk with the mechanic on Monday.  

Did Chad’s crew get that twin going for your customer?  Sounds like the pilot did a yomans job saving the plane when that jug blew apart just before rotation....at night!

Tom

[carusoam]

Thanks for sharing such great detail, Tom!

2700rpm static must be a scream....

Will you be doing the Break in flights, or do you hand the reigns over to the mechanic for that?

Best regards,

-a-

[Yooper Rocketman]

No......I am doing the flight testing/break in flights.   I did them years ago for my F model.  Difference now though is I replaced my F model engine and it was a factory reman.  The Rocket is a lot more complex, engine was NOT dyno run, and I didn’t do the work.  

But then I flew off the 40 hour test time on a pretty complex experimental turboprop I built in my garage.  This should be a cake walk (sarcasm alert).

Tom

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Yooper Rocketman said:

I will get the exact terminology when I talk with the mechanic on Monday.  

Did Chad’s crew get that twin going for your customer?  Sounds like the pilot did a yomans job saving the plane when that jug blew apart just before rotation....at night!

Tom

Hi Tom,

After pulling the cylinder, they found some camshaft distress.  The owner is having them install a new engine from RAM.

Clarence

[Yooper Rocketman]

2 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Hi Tom,

After pulling the cylinder, they found some camshaft distress.  The owner is having them install a new engine from RAM.

Clarence

Ouch!!!  Let me know if there is anything I can do.  I will poke my nose around on your customers behalf anyway.  Chad DID thank me for talking complimentary about his shop to you.  They are a pretty competent and honest shop.  I have a great relationship with them (and Chad, going back to assisting him when he started) and laid the word down to take care of you guys.

Tom

 

[Yooper Rocketman]

Well, I put pretty close to 3 hours on the new engine today.  Have a pretty good squawk list, but nothing too serious.  The engine itself is running very well.  I removed the cowl between the first and second flight to check everything over (a few minor squawks discovered then, but not much).  No oil leaks and the dripping I used to have after every flight off the blow by tube is gone.  It has much more power than before too.

I will remove the cowl once again now and look everything over, knock out of few squawks that are not engine install related, and maybe look for a REAL flight, not doing the round track over my airport anymore (see Flight Aware Tracks.....too funny).

Tom

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1017L/history/20181117/1618Z/KIMT/KIMT

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1017L/history/20181117/2140Z/KIMT

[carusoam]

Looks very similar to driving the Indy 500 @200+ mph...

Three extra seats, no traffic...  

Thanks for sharing more details.

Best regards,

-a-

[Yooper Rocketman]

Found out yesterday that the reason my shop had so much of an issue getting me RPM and manifold pressure was a connecting link on an arm at the throttle body had been reassembled wrong by either Jewell or whoever they sent that part out to for rebuild. After adjusting the arm with the spring totally collapsed and still being short on MP, the mechanic pulled out his pile of pictures taken before disassembly and spotted the problem. He fixed the improperly assembled rod/spring assembly and was able to get 41” (max supposed to be 38”).  

He has a few squawks left to finish in the morning and then I’m ready for more flight testing. 

Tom

[FloridaMan]

On 11/20/2018 at 10:23 PM, Yooper Rocketman said:

Found out yesterday that the reason my shop had so much of an issue getting me RPM and manifold pressure was a connecting link on an arm at the throttle body had been reassembled wrong by either Jewell or whoever they sent that part out to for rebuild. After adjusting the arm with the spring totally collapsed and still being short on MP, the mechanic pulled out his pile of pictures taken before disassembly and spotted the problem. He fixed the improperly assembled rod/spring assembly and was able to get 41” (max supposed to be 38”).  

He has a few squawks left to finish in the morning and then I’m ready for more flight testing. 

Tom

Running the RAM version of the 414 engine? 

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, Antares said:

Running the RAM version of the 414 engine? 

Is that a 40'' approved version of the TSIO520NB setup.  Just working from memory isn't that something like 335Hp?  I bet that would make a fast rocket...

[Yooper Rocketman]

So, to be clear, we ARE setting the RPM and Manifold pressure to the approved values, just commenting after the linkage fix we were able to get higher on each.  After the first round of flights, my mechanic noted that my left mag was leaking oil from various spots on the mag (not the mounting flange).  It was clear the seal at the drive end of the mag was leaking.  The mags DID look like newly rebuilt Continental mags, with tags on them, which was a real head scratcher.  We were supposed to reuse my recently OH'ed mags.  My mechanic insisted they were new OH's, so I called Jewell.  They said "no, we reused your mags".  I run back over to the shop and tell my mechanic AND the supervisor, who then pulls my logbooks out and shows Jewell noted newly rebuilt Continental mags on the engine logbook entry.  So...another call to Jewell and Sam says he needs David to "check into this".  This all transpired on Wednesday.

About 30 minutes later David calls and says "well, you did get new mags, $10,000 worth, which we DIDN'T charge you for....now you get a warranty on them for free too.....quite the deal".  I said I had no problem with you putting new mags on if you called me and explained why I needed them.......especially after you agreed we could use my newly rebuilt ones.  I need the plane flying NOW, as I need to sell this by the end of the year.  I actually have flights scheduled for it Sunday and Monday, which will put me close to the hours the prospective buyer wants on it to take it.  So, after asking David how I can have have a replacement mag on Friday (today), he says he can send me one of my old ones for now.  So I ask, does that mean I will have to replace it twice, once on Friday and then later when the warranty one comes in?  He says, well, yes, or I can send you BOTH your original ones back and you can install them, and send me back the new ones I put on by mistake.           ......................................I agreed, send me my original mags back.  

I was not really wanting them to EAT the mag cost, but now I have a 1/2 days labor switching out, re-timing, and ground testing my original mags on the new engine.  I would think it's appropriate they pay that bill, since they are going to get their $10,000 un-billed mags back.  I flight tested it this evening and they work fine.

I have had at least 3-4 of you asking for a PIREP on this shop and my experience once the engine was done.  Since I was one to take issue with someone several months back on work they reported on a shop (but it was unsolicited by anyone here) and several others besides me thought was not necessary, I am going to hesitantly report now.  The engine runs GREAT, has lots more power than before......actually more than I ever remember (and.....my main plane is about the same weight with a 724 HP prop jet engine!).  I am GENERALLY really happy.  I haven't got my installation bill yet, and there was at least one other issue that I am likely to eat relating to someone (Jewell or the throttle body rebuilder) that had significant labor time working through....the incorrect assembly of the manifold boost control link.  Oil consumption has been decent, for not being broken in yet.  I will report back after the next 5 hours, and won't likely have much to say after that as the new buyer will HOPEFULLY close and I will no longer own this bird.  Unless something else come up serious, I would highly recommend Jewell.  I really believe part of my issues go back to Sam suffering a heart attack a few days before I dropped my engine off.  He was off for some time, and I am sure it threw the shop flow into a sort of mess.  They are good people to deal with!

Tom

[Yooper Rocketman]

I made another post on the engine, but under a new topic in General Mooney Talk