Overhaul time!

[Guest]

Yeah could have been cold seizure too....like Jim thinks happened to his. probably more likely. No matter what, the end game is the same (unless a hole gets burned in the top of the piston). Small amount of aluminium deposited on cylinder wall starts the process of more rapid deterioration.

 

Excellant discussion! Very cool information to add to knowledge base (except for the money to get the engines overhauled or if someone gets hurt).

 

Who is using TCw3 and who is using API TC?

[akflyer 1427]

Jim, yours has the classic "4 corners" cold seize marks.  Joeys is only scuffed on the intake side and that is what makes it a head scratcher for me. 

 

A lean burn down is normally on the exhaust side and starts with the lip of the piston melting then progresses from there. 

 

[C5Engineer 1170]

Is this just a stock rebuild?

Did he bore the cylinder or replace?

If bore, had this been bored before?

are the Pistons the same size?

[C5Engineer 1170]

Not really a stock rebuild. Cylinders had no damage and no measurable wear. They were honed for the first time and Pistons replaced with WSM ceramic coated Pistons. They are .0015 bigger than OEM. He said my rod bearings still had the copper coating on them and they looked great. Of course rods and bearings were replaced. Rick uses an upgraded double slotted Rod. Nothing abnormal was found in the bottom end either. No real explanation for the piston damage. Hoping it makes some better power when it comes back.

I ordered a bunch of parts today. Replacing my fuel pump and pulse line and totally rebuilding my carbs. Order your Bing 54 rebuild kits from Bear Perkins. His price is $13 less than CPS. They are still stupid expensive.

I pulled a wheel today and measured my axles do I can get going on the new gear. I also made a piece and riveted it onto my firewall to patch the hole where my old cooling line went to the side radiator. Slow going but I am making progress. It'll come back together quick once I have all the plumbing done and the engine back. I think I will cover the hole in the cowling with cardboard and fly it before I go totally past the point of no return and glass it in.

[akflyer 1427]

hey joey, just got this email from rotax rick... he used the same techniques cleaning up your cylinders....    

 

 

 

[C5Engineer 1170]

Love the piston Micrometer......"and it looks badass" bah haha thanks for a good laugh

[KFfan 151]

Thanks for the afternoon hilarity....

 

Itche Bon Skivi Honcho! 

[C5Engineer 1170]

Heard from Rotax Rick today and my engine has been test ran and should be on its way back tomorrow. That scuffed piston was all he found.

[wypaul 448]

But dang, you won't get the Ichiban Moto stickers to help cover that big hole is the side of your cowl.

[Guest]

That video is hillairous!

[dholly 718]

LMAO!

[C5Engineer 1170]

I was able to get my gear all mocked up and the backing plates, cotter pins, and axle retainer bolt holes drilled. Tedious work mocking everything up but it's ready for paint now finally.

Has anyone ever hit their brake pads with 220 grit paper? The glazing on this set of pads is really uneven and while putting everything together today one caliper puked a bunch of fluid from moving and some got on the pads.

[EDMO 1078]

When I put new Wheels and brakes on, I had to taxi with power against dragging the brakes until they glazed and started to hold.

Before that, they wouldn't hold for runnup -

Don't see why you couldn't abrade them with a file, but wonder about using sandpaper as any remaining grit could score disks - probably wont help a deep saturation of fluid tho - try some kind of thinner or whatever to get rid of the fluid.

EDMO

Edited 7 Jun 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[wypaul 448]

You can use spray brake cleaner to clean the brake fluid off the pad. Works great.

[EDMO 1078]

I'm getting old - Should have remembered the spray brake cleaner !

Maybe I breathed too much MEK, acetone, carb cleaner, and epoxy while I was working?

Tried for 2 hours yesterday to think of the title of the book written in the 1500's which talks about my family Castle and lands in England - finally remembered - "Ivanhoe" !  And, I have read it several times...

Got to finish "Foxy" before I forget how I planned to do it !

EDMO

Edited 7 Jun 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[C5Engineer 1170]

Thanks guys I cleaned everything up real well today including my wheels. Painting today. Sounds like there is quite the process setting the ride height and pressure of the nitrogen set up on this gear. I am flying out on the KC10 this week but hoping to have it on in the next few weeks.

[C5Engineer 1170]

In case anyone has been looking for a pic of a Kitfox douglas atv wheel hub and rotor blocks.

[Av8r3400 1179]

Just a bee in your bonnet, Joey...

 

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/showpost.php?p=50183&postcount=88

[C5Engineer 1170]

Perfect timing from DynoMike. I think I'll hold off for a little while and finish up my 3 other major projects I have going right now and then do a full research project to see what the weight difference would be and if my current brake set up and 3/4 axles could handle those monsters.

[EDMO 1078]

Joey,

     Just from a novice view - Sure that you need better brakes - But wouldn't larger, (softer?) tires actually be easier on your axles since there might be less "bang" from the bumps and rocks you hit?

Just a thought..waiting to hear from others.

EDMO

Edited 10 Jun 2015 by Ed In Missouri

[Bandit 286]

Jim and Joey, I dug around and found my old CPS catalog and looked up the pictures of their damaged pistons. Both of your examples looked like a cold seizure. This type of failure is due to inadequate warm up.

[C5Engineer 1170]

Bandit what you can't see in those pics is they were scuffed all the way around. Cold Seizure is "usually" shaped like a square and gets 4 different places. Who knows. She's all brand new now.

[Bandit 286]

Ok, my guess doesn't sound right then.

[C5Engineer 1170]

Upon some more google images searching I did find a cold seizure piston with only damage to the intake side. Who knows about my particular problem. I let it warm up same as always the day it lost power. Maybe my electrical issue came from my landing and was totally unrelated. I plopped it in a little bit on my deadstick landing as I ran out of steam with a fairly stiff headwind. I flew it for over 2 hrs later that day but I've also heard of guys going a 100 hrs after a cold seizure. Who knows. Like I said... it's all brand new now. Starting over from scratch.

[C5Engineer 1170]

What do you guys think about cutting the cowling on the red lines and just making the whole cowl a little bit deeper. I'm almost wondering if that would be easier and cleaner than trying to build a bubble. Everything is pretty tight down there. Another 1.5" of cowl depth and everything would tuck inside and I could get rid of all my anti chaff devices.