horsepower

I got another

up today. Will somebody watch them & subscribe?

I'm getting a little better with editing, now they have sound and music...

Pretty cool,looks like Jim taught you well.Cant wait until mines finished,when I watch all you guys in your videos I get jealous. Randy

:tumbleweed:

hope everyone is busting butt on projects and not just sitting out snow storms! Looks like mine got put off till after the first of the year.. only gonna be home one week this time. Work probably just saved me from one hellova mean drunk on new years

Actually I have had a little time to work on mine,have one wing painted and plan on painting the other after work tonight.Soon as thats done I will bring my fuselage from my house and start covering it down here at my shop.I will probably have plenty of questions.Sorry you have to work but look at all the brain cells you will save. Randy

Wow not really sure what to say about this guy. Check out the attention to detail. This guy needs to build himself a Sonex or an RV.

This website shows his work but I think this pic sums it up pretty well.

This guy has too much time on his hands

I thought this was a real airplane this guy was building,didnt realize it was a model until I read his article.Im proud of myself when I build a rc airplane out of a balsa kit.Talented dude.

OK , I am not sure where I should actually post this, but I need to replace a few tails on my wings before I cover them. I see that the manual calls for structural adhesive, Kitfox uses Hysol 9460 but they are the only place I can really find it, What other structural adhesive would you advise or should I just order the Hysol

Try RC universe or www.glueguru.com Its made by Loctite brand you may even be able to get it from NAPA or some other auto parts.

Last week me and a buddy took a little trip to spend a few days at a friends cabin. Had a great time once we both got there (we got separated in a snow storm and my buddy had to land down river about 20 miles and spend the night). The pics did not come out that great from the video camera but you will ge the idea.

Cool pics, my wife is into photography and she would love those sunset shots.What ever you had for dinner must have made you really sleepy. Looks like you had a good time,kind of looks like our elk hunting camp,we dont always get elk but have a hell of a good time.Keep those Alaska pics coming.Randy

On my first full power run after my engine install I thought I was seriously over revving my engine so I added pitch until it read 6600 rpm on my needle tach. I installed a Tiny Tach when I did the engine install too and it was consistently reading 5700. I was 100% sure my engine was turning more rpms than that so I called Steve at Tiny Tach and tried all their tricks to get it to read correctly.. None of them worked. Steve and I was convinced I got the wrong model so he sent me out a new one.

In the meantime I tried to fly my plane and it was running like crap. It did not accelerate like it should and if you saw my other thread at around 50ft it would start losing RPM's. I was convinced I had a fuel starvation issue and have spent the last three days trying to track it down.

Fast forward to this morning. The first thing I did was swap in another fuel pump I had that I knew was good... Didn't change a thing. The next thing I did was pull my Tiny Tach off my Powered Parachute that I also knew was good. I hooked it up to the other coil so I'd have two different sources... at this point I had THREE tachs in my plane. I fired it up and went to full power and lone behold it read 5700...exactly the same as the other one. MY ENGINE WAS ONLY TURNING 5700RPM!!!!!! No freakin wonder it was running like crap it was severely overloaded. I took 4 degrees out and got it so that it was turning 6500 rpm static on the tiny tach. NOW were making some horsepower!!

I put the cowling on and taxied out. We had a 12kt wind straight down the pipe. I threw the throttle open and almost went through the back of my seat! I was airborn in 50ft and the engine purred like a kitten at 6300 throughout the climb. It climbs WAY better than it did with the old engine and never missed a beat. I flew it for 30 minutes.

LESSONS LEARNED... If you overload your prop enough a 582 with a 2.62:1 gearbox wont pull it. It's the same as lugging your truck...eventually it just starts shutting down. That's why I was losing rpms.. in the climb is when you have the greatest load on your engine. At 5700 I was barely in the powerband. When it was all said and done my needle tach reads 7100rpm at WOT!!! It's pretty much worthless now. I'm pretty sure I've been running my RPM's low this whole time, even with the old engine. I had to adjust my idle even after taking all that pitch out to slow it down.

Gotta love trying to troubleshoot a two stroke sometimes.. I went down a completely wrong path because of a faulty instrument. I should have trusted the Tiny Tach from the beginning. Anyways what a relief..this was driving me insane.

Awesome, now its time to have some fun.Do you have a better cruise now or is a just more on the takeoff.I was just curious if the bluehead has more power because its the old one was worn out or do they put out a little more zip than the greyheads? Probably a little of both.Good job on the swap. Randy

I put up another new http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k2dvtyvkAs. Added some sound this time. Tell me what you think...

Pretty cool,I was always going to mount a camcorder on the roll bar of my race car but never did.That way you could get the full effect of video and audio.The music definately helps a bunch also.Is yours a helmet cam?Or is it mounted up above you? Randy

Randy the carbs are new but they were jetted per the Rotax jetting chart. I'm 20ft and the temp has been right at 60 so the conditions are perfect for the uncorrected chart. I have all the numbers for my old carbs. I was running a 158 main jet and now I'm at a 165. Even before it starts to quit it's not making the kind of power my old one was. It just doesn't accelerate like I used to. I'm a 4000x75 paved strip so more than enough real estate to land on. Like I said this is getting really frustrating. If it did it on the ground or I had high EGT's it would be one thing but to run perfect in the chocks and then crap out while climbing adds a bunch more variables to the equation.

While laying in bed thinking about it last night I thought of one other thing I changed. I have the aluminum tubes in my fuel caps per the Avid AD. I've been having issues with one side leaking. I used some grey RTV on the inside of the cap to cover up 4 little holes that surrounded where the aluminum tubes come through the inside of the cap. I think they were for the original vent portion of the cap. Does air have to be able to get back out of the fuel system??... That and the fuel pump are the only differences to the fuel system since it ran perfect with the other engine.

Joey it sounds like the jetting is right,you say it doesnt accell like it used to, I would put the new pump on and run it on the chocks long enough to get a spark plug reading or maybe do it before the new pump so you can compare the two readings.Check your float levels and eliminate that problem.As far as your tank venting goes doesnt seem likely that one tank would cause that if you are running off of both.My Skyraider uses the plastic tanks that the newer Avids use. The caps are vented but you are supposed to epoxy in a 3 inch tall 1/4 inch alum. tubing.I havent got that far yet but Tim from Skyraider told me to only drill through the first part and epoxy from the out side.When the cap is off and your looking at the inside you should not see the tube.Dont know if yours is like that but you may want to check out.My cap is a Kelch brand. www.kelch.com

They have a website but dont know if they would know anything on aircraft venting.If the fuel pump change doesnt do it then I would get on the horn with the engine guy to eliminate any thing else such as a crankcase pressure leak or a rotary valve timing problem. Good Luck Randy

Garmin 196 here. I got it for pretty cheap from a guy off of Studentpilot.com It does everything I'll ever need. The 296 and up had color displays but it really slowed down the refresh rate.

Mine is a Lowrance Airmap 600 handheld type, my plane is sitting in my garage with no covering on it so couldnt tell you how it works.There are a couple guys here that use them and they say it works good for the money but if you read the reviews some people complain about the cockpit lighting not being the greatest.From what everybody says its hard to beat a Garmin.The 600 does have terrain awareness but I dont plan on flying my plane when I cant see whats in front of me. Randy

Just got done talking to the guy that sold me the engine and his theory is the float bowl level is low. If the new pump doesn't solve it I guess that's where I'll go next.

Are your carbs new or are you using your old ones?Maybe they are not jetted for your field elevation, but does sound more like a starve out condition than lean.Its too bad it wouldnt do it on run up so you wouldnt have to be a test pilot to see if its going to starve out.I would definately start at the beginning of your runway and hopefully its longer than Orofino's.Float levels would definately do that so your guy may be on track. Good Luck Randy

We have made it a trifecta of Central Wisconsin Kitfoxes with my Kitfox of the Month.

Congratulations,Nice job on that award. People in Wisconsin take their Kitfoxes seriously.I actually bought my 582 from Jim Schnowske whom also won that award and he is also from Wisconsin.Good job. Randy

Well I think I came up with a solution for the elbow in my cooling system. I called 20 places today trying to find a 1" 90 degree elbow with pipe fittings on the ends. No one had anything like that. I finally ended up at Home Depot. This fitting is actually a 3/4" copper elbow fitting with flared ends so the OD is pretty dang close to 1". The pipe fit snut but not as tight as it would have if it was a correct pipe fitting. I tighened the crap out of a couple hose clamps on it. I haven't filled the radiator yet because I didn't have any distilled water. Can anyone forsee any issues with this set up that I should address before I button up this project. If it doesn't leak I think it should work fine. Lots of cars use copper fittings for stuff. Thoughts...I'm open to any and all suggestions.

I think the copper will work fine. The guy that I bought my 582 from used copper on for all the fittings.He used 3/4 elbows as you did then he soldered a wire on each end to keep hose from slipping off.In other words he wrapped wire all the way around so it form a lip for the clamp.I have seen this on Kitfox websites before so it must be ok.Kitfox used to make the radiator filler with copper and they didnt use an expansion tank and it worked real well.Randy

Anybody gets pissed because anyone asks questions and I will their ass

Right on !

The blue head does not have the bolt on the water pump housing like the grey had does. No issues with the Y pipe and yes you can only put two bolts on each side in...never figured that one out...

Thats going to be a nice reliable set up.Makes me want to go out and get a new Blue head but I better wait. I cant believe how much crap cost for even these little airplanes.Looks like your doing a sanitary job and its nice to have Leni on this forum along with other people for advise.Hope I dont piss anyone off when I have to ask questions because I figure I better get this right the first time around. Plus I havent flown on a steady diet since the late 80,s. Nice job, Im anxious to see if the performance is the same or better. Randy

It is recommended this task be completed once a year. The only tools you will need is a phillips screwdriver and a dab of grease. Task completion is approx 30 minutes tops.

First purchase the rebuild kit California Power Systems part #6909

I made a mark with a marker all the way down the side of my pump so there would be no question how the three pieces went back together when I was done.

Next take out the screws holding the two halves of your pump together. I recommend only pulling one half at time apart. Remove the old parts and install the new parts in the EXACT order they were in there before. The top and bottom use two different shaped gaskets.

In the middle are two little plastic discs with a rubber plug holding them in. They are a pain to get the old plugs out. Put a dab of grease on the new plugs before trying to shove them back through the hole or it'll never go.

Make sure everything is lined back up before putting the halves back together. There is a total of 6 layers of stuff the screws have to go through.

Tighten the screws in a cross type pattern like you would do the lugnuts on a car so that it tightens on the gaskets evenly.

I also recommend replacing your pulse line at the time as you do your pump. Make sure you use actual pulse line. It is stiffer than regular fuel line. The walls of regular fuel line will bulge making you lose the critical pulse that runs the pump. You can also get pulse line from CPS Part # 7606. I had my pulse line break off right at the bottom of my pump on my Powered Parachute because it was old and had become brittle. My engine quit right afterwards. Thank goodness it happened during my warm up.

Feel Free to PM me if you have any questions

Joey

Rebuild Kit part number

Nice article Joey, I was actually planning on rebuilding my pump before installing it so this should help.I have a question on fuel line size.I have 1/4 inch coming off of each tank that goes to a header tank behind the rear seat, then 1/4 inch running up to the pump mounted on the firewall as that is what Rotax say to use.Is this large enough or should I be using 5/16. Im a boat mechanic so Im comparing to outboard motors, example a 50 HP Johnson outboard requires a 5/16 fuel line.Probably a dumb comparison but the older I get the more questions I seem to ask.Thanks Randy

Mine never run above 1150 on my cheezy little gauge anyways. I have only seen them climb once in the midrange during a decent. I try to either descent around 5K or idle if it's not more than a minute or two of descent so it doesn't cool too much. I'm running the Amsoil at 80:1. They call for 100:1 so I'm already running it fat. My plugs led me to believe that I was running a little rich if anything. The inside of the exhaust manifold and pipe was a real golden color..almost bordering on a whitish color. I will have to be sure and watch my temps very closely with this new engine. I found two more leaks after I got everything off and cleaned up. The old engine is definitely ready for a teardown.

The picture of your piston is probably not as bad as it looks as many hours is on it. You may have a slight pressure leak on that cylinder, you definately want to find out before breaking in your new engine.Sometimes the lack of carbon build up results in a carmel colored piston and makes it look lean.Your egt,s should tell you alot though.I would be more concerned with the color near the ring as it looks like the exhaust was running fairly warm.But on the other hand Im a boat mechanic and have never been into a aircraft engine.The new engine should give you a lttle piece of mind.I think I will do what you did and run out my greyhead and get some hours logged on my plane and save up for the newer bluehead.Its got 120 hours on it now so thats alot of flying if it makes TBO.Good luck with your engine transplant. Randy

Hi, How many hours did you put on your 582 before pulling it out?Are you rebuilding it or buying a new one? I was just curious if you were getting the new blue head style or rebuilding your old one.Its amazing how that little engine does what it does.I have a grayhead motor that Im putting in my Skyraider so hope it works out.Good Luck on your project. Randy

Finished up my Navman install this morning and went and flew for an hour to test it out. It appears to be fairly accurate right out of the box. I wish I could have hid my transducer a little but because of the location of my filter, shut off valve and heater door this is really the only place I could put it and still get at least a 45 degree angle.

I had to buy some brass barbed 3/8 to 1/4 reducer because the fittings on the transducer are 3/8" ID. I used a couple zip ties through a piece of fuel line as a stand off to isolate it from vibration.

Here is a 55mph climb at 6200rpm pulling about 900fpm and burning 6.1gph

Here is 75IAS and 5500 rpm burning 4.5gph. These are pretty decent numbers for a long range cruise. My ground speed was 82mph here.

Here is a close up with the tach and fuel flow. I was going to install my tiny tach today for a more accurate RPM but I left the battery to my drill on the charger at home!

Finally my ugly mug

Put 1.1 on it today... 15.2 hours and counting.

Thats pretty cool,where did get that at and what is the price?I have a Grand Rapids EIS but the fuel flow sensor is outrages so I never did get it. Thanks Randy

I have a Kitfox 4 engine mount for sale if anybody is looking, it is the newer style with the side mounts.Make me a fair offer as I will probably never use it. Randy

wish I had a few of those features in the cockpit of the avid!

I believe my whole airplane would fit in the cockpit of this thing,wow.

if you have a shot you want for your avatar you can post it or email it and I can load it up for you if you are having troubles figuring out how to put a pic in for your avatar!

Here are some of my Skyraider build shots dont know if they will even show up as I dont know what I am doing. I will send a picture of the motor mount, wish I could use it as its a nice unit. Thanks Randy

Hey Randy,

Dont be afraid to post up some pics of your build! We are not just about KF or Avids here, if it floats, flys, drives or ... well and one of the other f's . . we are into it and are happy to have it here!

Mind posting a pic on the motor mount? I am going to be needing a mount for my science project here pretty soon, and it may be easier to modify yours than to build mine from scratch.

Thanks

Will do, Im not the greatest computer wiz so I may have to wait for my wife to help me out, but I will try and put some pictures of the mount and throw some plane build shots. Thanks Randy

A 3.47 to 1 redrive at least on a vw is supposed to be good for 84 inches of propellor Your going to be turning a70 a little slow , but one take of and you will see.But if the deal is good ebay is getting $2500 or more for E boxes. you will only have about 75 percent of prop speed

I bought a 582 out of a Kitfox 4 and it has a 68 inch Powerfin with a 3 to 1 box.The guy that had it said it was a perfect match but I dont know as my plane is not finished yet. A 68 inch prop is about all I can go unless I go with bigger tires.Its a 3 blade ground adjustable and I also see that Powerfin is out of business.I still have the new style motormount for the KF 4 if anybody needs one. Its red powdercoated and has the side mounts, I wish I could use that style on my Skyraider. Randy

Hi, Im new to your forum and this question has probably been on here before but I was wondering how much toe-in if any you should have. Im building a Skyraider 2, it is a lot like a Kitfox or Avid only in a tandem seating.Just measuring with a tape measure on a 8 inch tire it is toed in 1/4 inch which seems like a ton and their construction manual doesnt say a thing about it.Someone told me you put a big pipe the axle and physicaly bend it out is this true?I enjoy reading your forum, you sound like a fun bunch. Randy