REFLECTOR: Investigation into Engine Failure

Tue Aug 5 10:15:01 CDT 2008

Hi John-

I have Subaru Legacy (turbo) pistons in my SVX- they are the same size as
the stock OEM SVX, but with lower compression, and I would assume beefy
internals for the higher pressures- there are some aftermarket sources for
Subaru pistons as well, don't have them handy, but I heard about them- I
know that they can get about 100hp per cylinder out of an WRX from the
factory, so their pistons should be plenty strong.- did you identify the
damage source? Rings?  I abandoned the DTA  ECU due to lack of support from
the DTA factory in England, and the fact that their US factory rep/ repair
station stole/lost the unit when I sent it to him last November for
diagnosis- but that is a whole other story.....  At least Tracy Crook is
responsive via E-mail and telephone, and really wants to help get engines
running. You should check out his site- realworldsolutions.com 

 I am not sure if my cooling will be sufficient either- didn't run at full
power long enough to find out really- I did speak with a guy at OSH that
sells an LS-1 conversion package- he modifies his radiators to have the
coolant flow back and forth 3 times- said it made all of their cooling
issues go away- simple matter of putting some baffles in the side tanks to
force the water to go around- I will do that if I have issues- they have an
article about it in Contact Magazine if you are interested. I do worry about
my radiator capacity- I have a properly sized belly ram scoop, but the
radiator is single row (supposedly for racing) and although it has good
size, it is rather thin- about 1.5" but might just work fine.

Please keep me up with your progress!  I hope to be re-started here in a
couple of weeks (new wiring harness and different coils installed) 

Alex

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From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of JOHN LUNNING
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 8:58 AM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Investigation into Engine Failure

Hi Alex,
It's been a real struggle trying to get the engine rebuilt. I had to have
the cylinders bored out .030 over to clean up the damage. Finding pistons
has been a challenge. It appears that Crossflow used stock Subaru pistons
which are cast pistons and are not recommended for turbo charging. I'm now
having some custom forged pistons made. Machine shops now a days don't seem
to be in much of a hurry to do anything. I have  a few mods planned to help
cool things better, but there is still the root issue of the ECU and its
programming. I'd be interested to know more about your ECU and how it's
doing.

All the damage to the airframe are repaired, just waiting on the engine
rebuild. Once I get the engine put back together, I'll update you more.

John

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Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 23:28:28 -0500
From: velocity_pilot at verizon.net
To: reflector at tvbf.org
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Investigation into Engine Failure

Hey John-

Any other update on your situation? I have chosen to replace the ECU I
bought from Crossflow with Tracy Crooks unit- has dual ECU's and programs
from a small panel without need for laptop- uses less sensors too- let me
know what the outcome was on your unit if you get a chance.

Thanks,

Alex

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From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of JOHN LUNNING
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 5:17 PM
To: reflector at tvbf.org
Subject: REFLECTOR: Investigation into Engine Failure

For those who are interested in the failure of the Crossflow Subaru engine
on the 2nd flight of my VelocityXL. Initial investigation of the engine is
showing an internal mechanical failure in the engine. I'm getting low
compression on a couple cylinders and I'm get burnt oil out of the crankcase
vent on one side. The engine did fire up again but was running very rough
and I could hear mechanical tapping noises from inside. All external systems
appear to be in good working order, fuel system and fuel pumps good with
good pressure. The electrical and computer seem to be working correctly. I
won't know too much more until I tear it down in a couple weeks.

As usual for Crossflow, they were very quick to respond when I told them the
good news about my 1st flight, but have yet to be able to get a hold of them
to discuss the failure of the 2nd flight. I doubt highly if I will get any
factory support in diagnosing and repairing the problem. Strong possibility
I may have to abandon the project if I can't get the engine to run reliably.
I'll be starting on the leading edge damage this weekend and should only
take a couple week to repair.

Take warning to all those who have or are considering Crossflow for your
engine. For those who are stuck, I'll be happy provide any support or info
you might need.

John Lunning
N44VL
San Antonio, TX

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