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New Mexico Trip Maintenance: Starter, Ivo Motor, & Nose Wheel
Judy and I put about 25 hours of flying time on our Velocity during our
New Mexico trip. We had a great time with fellow Velocity builders Lino
Moya and Gary Simpson, but we ran into three maintenance problems that
you may want to take note of. The homemade Pat Goodman starter leaked oil
gig time, our Ivo motor failed, and we burned off rubber from our nose
wheel.
Ok, here is what I have learned so far.
Franklin "Pat Goodman" starter:
I brought my starter down to Scott Swing. If you take yours apart, you
can see where Pat Goodman placed black silicone sealant in an attempt to
stop oil from leaking into the stater. The silicone will work for a
while, but eventually it will allow oil into the starter!
Upon examination, Scott determined that the oil was leaking between the
housing and the bearing. I cleaned out the old silicone and Scott placed
a thin film of structural adhesive on the inside wall of the housing. We
carefully placed the bearing back in, cleaned out any excess from the
face, and allowed to cure prior to reassembly. Scott said that besides
structural adhesive, just about any two part epoxy sholud work, even JB
Weld. The goal is to stop the oil from leaking out past the bearing
(outside edge of bearing and housing). It is real obvious when you take
it apart.
The starter is back on my engine. After about 10 hours of use, I'll
remove it, disassemble it and check for any oil. Scott is 95% sure that
this will work! I'll let you know once I've tested it with 10 hours of
time.
Ivo Prop Motor:
After another motor failure (motor runs, but prop blades do not turn), I
sent my motor to Ivo for inspection. Ivo told me that the motor
subcontractor goofed and had one soft gear with all other gears the
hardened steel. Thus just the vibration of the prop turning would grind
away the soft gear.
The only way to know if you have this same "goof" on your new Ivo motor
is to wait and see if it happens to you, or send it back to Ivo for
inspection.
Ivo also told me that he is expecting a fix to the brushes wearing out in
25 hours.
I was going to have my plane at Sun n Fun (Velocity booth), but my Ivo
motor did not arrive on time!
Nose Wheel Tire:
What is that smell? At take off, we started noticing a rubber burning
smell. Taking off in NM, all the airports were above 5,000 ft (one at
9,000 ft). Thus our takeoff roll was longer. Our nose tire was hitting
the gear leg and the nylock nut. When we got home, Scott gave me a lower
profile nylock nut and had me remove about 1/8" off the gear leg thread.
This now gives me a gap of about 1/4" between the tire and the nut/gear
leg. Remember that that nylock nut can only be used once. If you remove
it, you either need to drill for a set screw or use a brand new nylock
nut!
That's it for now!
Rick
Rick Lavoie
rick@lavoiegraphics.com
904-461-6912 voice
904-461-3146 fax
26 Marshview Dr
St. Augustine FL 32084-5873
Check out our Web Site lavoiegraphics.com