REFLECTOR: The 340HP Aluminum V-6 runs!

[Terry Miles]

Kurt,

Congrats. Great story-telling too.  I am maybe two or three weeks behind you
to engine start, but all with stock stuff for the most part, ya know IO540.
Your efforts are not to compare.  You should make an audio for us to hear!

Terry

 

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From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of NMFlyer1 at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 10:25 PM
To: reflector at tvbf.org
Cc: docmartin at mstarmetro.net
Subject: REFLECTOR: The 340HP Aluminum V-6 runs!

 

Well, This was a long time coming!  In short, today I fired up my 340 HP
Aluminum 4.3L V-6 Chevy. Finally. 

 

I remember telling people a long time ago that I should be able to build
this thing in about 3 years. Well, If I followed the plans, I'd have been
about right. 

 

I spent some time this morning trying to see what I may have missed, forgot,
or done wrong over the last many years. I found a couple loose wires, and
smoke tested the aircraft systems. All was good. I have a strange setup, so
it was a bit of an adventure. Turn on battery master 1, 2 or both... and a
couple things happen. The backup digital engine gauges light up, and power
is supplied to the ignition key, and master switch. All that worked. 

 

Switch the ignition key to "on", and there is supposed to be power to the
fuel pumps, ignitions and fuel gauges (including low sump warning).  All
that worked. 

 

Double checked all the fittings (a few small leaks in some fuel lines were
tightened up) and poured in the fuel until the low sump warning went out,
almost 3 gallons. I poured in 5 gallons total, and the fuel was just
registering on the bottom of my digital capacitance fuel gauges (none in the
sight gauges yet). 

 

I filled the cooling system with Evans Cooling Fluid (www.evanscooling.com).
Took some time, but I got the system "burped".  I read thru the instructions
on my airflow performance fuel injection to brush up on how to start this
sucker... and it was time to turn the key. 

 

Well,... It sure cranked good with the 2 B&C 16AH RG batteries.... But it
wouldn't start.  We grabbed a timing light and made sure we had spark..
yup.. that's good. Seemed like it wasn't getting fuel. While checking a few
things something odd happened.  NOTHING.  The battery masters, key switch,
nothing would work. Seems like I neglected to get the panel ground hooked up
right to it's sub-ground point. Once I found that... all was back to normal.


 

A short while later.. while playing with the mixture and fuel pump
switches.. Bang... it fired up and ran like a beast!  about 2500 RPM, nice
and smooth, and a tad loud :)  

 

Over the next few hours, we got the timing and mixture adjusted to the point
where it fires right up. I think it is still running a bit rich on the idle
circuit, but it runs good. Since I have no prop on it.. I cannot run it
indefinitely because it heats up ... but it can run quite a while with my
boost cooler/heater on full. 

 

One weird thing I have to figure out:  The oil filter can doesn't warm up. I
even swapped out a new can, and the same thing. The oil cooler sandwich
adapter does allow the oil cooler to open up once the oil hits 190, but the
filter can is still cool to the touch. Oh well. I'll figure that out too. 

 

In the end, I've had a pretty good day. Both ignitions and fuel pumps work
fine ... not even a burble when you switch from one to the other. Temps and
pressures seem to be normal, and no leaks yet. 

 

OK.. So it added years to my construction time.... Today it sounded
fantastic and brought people from all around the airpark to hear, watch,
etc.   Priceless :) 

 

Kurt Winker

173 FGE  

4.3L aluminum V-6... RUNNING! 

 

 





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