Soob engine trouble

[marshawk 82]

After 20hrs on the engine since I have owned it I decided to pull the oil pan off since the gasket was no longer sealing and was just going to silicone back up .once I got it off and looked inside it wasn't pretty , alot of chunks of aluminum were laying in the bottom.I cut open the oil filter and it to was loaded with aluminum bits. We tore the engine right down  and have not found anything damaged. The gear reduction was inspected and also nothing wrong there either. If the previous owner was telling the truth there is now 220 hrs total on the engine and shows very little wear. The only thing we could find was maybe a poor casting on the case were it looks like maybe some pieces may have come from. I'm am sending the cases away  guess they can pressure test them and look for cracks, Just wondering if anyone else has come across this mystery

[EDMO 1078]

Is this an Eggenfeldner engine?   Those large bits look like machining chips - but cant tell from photo.

EDMO

[dynomike 91]

first thing that came to my mind was chips from a tap.my rotary flight int. redrive requires tapping the end of the crankshaft from the obscure 9 mm to common hardened 5/16 thread  , those look like the chips that came off my crankshaft  . but I don't know where they would have been hiding for 200 hours.

[EDMO 1078]

Do those holes go all the way through to the inside of the engine?   I don't think so, but need to go look at my books.

EDMO

[marshawk 82]

That is what we thought Mike,looked like someone tapped a hole ,maybe its been there since the engine was rebuilt, I should of pulled the pan when I bought the engine but never thought of it, I will be inspecting the oil filter on every oil change from now on.Ed , Karlo Kunner built this engine and redrive,I had his number but he must of changed it, no longer in service

[EDMO 1078]

I should have remembered who built your engine - guess my memory pills don't work like they used to.

But, the holes in the crank don't go into the engine?

EDMO

What controls the MPFI on an injected EA-81?  does it use a computer?

Ed

Edited 27 Apr 2014 by Ed In Missouri

[marshawk 82]

I have no idea Ed, Im just a dumb electrician,luckly my brother is a mechanic so I leave this in his hands and no worries my memory is good for about an hour,

[EDMO 1078]

I sure wish you could get your brother to explain the MFI control for me.  I know that some conversions used the original computer even with carbs, but mine is just a Holly carb and an old-fashioned distributer modified for aircraft use.

EDMO

[marshawk 82]

Is MFI mechanical fuel injection? I have the throttle body injection on mine and it seems to be working great after he got it set up.

[EDMO 1078]

Sorry, I thought yours had the MPFI (multipoint fuel injection) not throttle body - guess someone else had MPFI?  I know how TBFI works - like a carb, only better in some ways.

Thanks,  ED

[dynomike 91]

the crankshaft flange isn't in engine but with the engine ready for prsu install the open pan is underneath it,i covered it with a rag and the blew the chips out with compressed air to keep them from going in the pan ,that's why the picture made me think of that I suppose

[EDMO 1078]

Mike

    That sure sounds reasonable.   Are you the one with Multipoint Fuel Injection?

EDMO

[dynomike 91]

no , I have bing 94s

[marshawk 82]

Well after sending the block out for inspection ,they couldnt fined no reason for the aluminum pieces in the oil pan except for maybe some bad castings, its hard to say how long they were in there for. We put the engine back together and got it fire up for the first time last weekend. Going to run it a few hours then pull the oil filter off and look for anymore pieces. Its kinda a mystery but the engine showed very little wear,should be back flying in a week or two.

[EDMO 1078]

Happy to hear that nothing is wrong with your Soob - mystery still remains tho - chips from tapping holes for redrive

EDMO

[marshawk 82]

It could be Ed, there was no pieces in the redrive  but it must of been from the original rebuild ,it did look like it could be pieces from a tap

[EDMO 1078]

Mine has been rebuilt after the redrive mod was done - still think I will pull the pan before running it - got to take valve covers off and check valves - might as well repaint them a lighter color then - the black don't show leaks as well - very dark under cowl.

EdMO

[lostman 198]

Glad to see it wasn't anything major. Still a mystery that those chunks were even in the pan. I sure think they just got dropped in there by accident but it does make you wonder. Did you clean out all the oil galleys while you had the engine apart? I'd hope they wouldn't get in there as big as they were but it still would make me a little nervous. Now I want to go drop the pan on my engine and see what's in it. The problem it that it's sitting on the floor now and I don't have a way to hoist it up right now. Besides, with no airplane for it to hang on it really doesn't matter that much.

[marshawk 82]

.Hi Lostman, nice job on getting your plane down and walking away ,I believe it was all cleaned up,I wish I had pulled the pan off when I first got it but at least now I know what I have and I will just keep checking it ,glad to here you are building a new project and look forward to your reports