Mendlerr

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Everything posted by Mendlerr



  1. Mendlerr added a post in a topic More power than a 582   

    Well I'm sold, who do I make the check out too?  I wish I could find a 912 for only $5k in good shape.  I see some used 2-strokes selling for that price.
     
    If anyone see's one of these please let me know, I've been searching and just cannot find one at these prices
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  2. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Pre-mix techniques   

    I mentioned Amsoil, as I use this in race engines with great success and I have done testing with different 4-stroke oils.  Amsoil dominates in 4-cycle engine oil and gear oil.  I would never think of running anything other then Amsoil in my V8 race motor but this guy I talked to told me to stay away from the Amsoil 2-stroke oil.  Not sure why, might be worth looking in to
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  3. Mendlerr added a post in a topic my new power plant   

    How much do you estimate the full weight at?  Along with continuous power?
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  4. Mendlerr added a post in a topic More power than a 582   

    No doubt the prop makes a huge difference, ask me how I know.
     
    I emailed Rotax Rick again just to ask another question, why limit the 670 power to 89 when from the factory it makes 120+.  He had a good answer.  When he emails it doesn't always make sense and I have to ask him for clarification.   Not sure if it's a language barrier or typing really fast but here is what he sent me last night after I posed the question "why limit the power so much".  If it doesn't make alot of sense let me know.
     
    Look at the big picture. The Rotax Ski Doo & the Rotax Sea Doo from the early 1990's through 1999 were about the same engine design. Same intake, cylinders, crankshaft ( intakes rods, main bearings ,rod bearings ( upper & lower) etc ) A 1998 Rotax 670 Ski Doo & a 1998 720 Sea Doo are about the same engine. The Ski Doo 670 made 132 hp The larger Sea Doo made only 85 hp. WHY It was detuned because it could be ran wide open for mile after mile. If you tried that with a Ski Doo you would kill yourself . In other words I can build a 670 that would give you 175 hp for a VERY short time. I can give you a 670 that will make 89 hp for a limited time, Back the 670 down to a cruise of 60 hp and it will last a very long time. Keep in mind a 670 is only 10 lbs more than a 582 but 24 more hp. HOW CAN IT DO THIS, ONLY VERY CAREFULLY. Limit the throttle to what you need, then run it like your 582 , You will get over the trees with ease and cruise at 1 gph less in gas. Not a bad deal. Keep in mind we use far better rods than a stock 582, plus better pistons and we surface  and deck the head & cylinders . All this makes for a better & safer engine , BUT it has it's limit. If I was not protective of my customers I would be selling these at 105 hp .   I am not trying to sell the 670 by any means but it seems like a good option for us guys who cannot afford the 4-strokes and need alot more climb.  Upgrading to the 670 WILL improve the cruise but only if you change your prop to a larger one with more pitch. 
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  5. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Pre-mix techniques   

    I add penzoil 2-stroke air cooled oil to a 5 gallon gas tank, then add the gas.  I do not buy my fuel at the airport, we do not have MOGAS and I cannot afford 100LL so I take it 5 Gallons at a time.  In the Rotax manual it tells you 50:1, Rotax Rick and a few other engine builders recommend 40:1.
     
    I recently removed my oil injection after recording what it was flowing in flight and it was only flowing 70:1 to 100:1 at WOT, the previous owner had the same results so we decided that it would be best to remove it.
     
    Don't let premixed fuel sit for too long, the octane rating plummets when the oil is added and the longer it sits the worse it gets.
     
    A local Rotax 2-stroke repairman who has a 582 powered AirCam (twin engine experimental) swears by Phillips 66 2-stroke oil at 45:1 ratio and 1 ounce of Marvel Mystery Oil for every 5 gallons.  He told me he has had over 1200 hours on his Rotax's using this method with only regular decarbonizing. 
     
    Just shows how different peoples opinions vary
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  6. Mendlerr added a post in a topic More power than a 582   

    The grove gear added some weight to my airplane but what really hurts it is the full instrument panel, no space is unused.
     
    I'm also looking forward to seeing the 800 EFI 2-Stroke engine installation finished up.  I don't know if the project is still alive or not but when I read about on it I didn't see any disadvantages.  Lots of power (120-140) I think, lightweight, low fuel burn, fuel injection and good availability of parts.
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  7. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    the airplane has a NavMan 2100 installed with low fuel and fuel flow emergency warning lights along with an alarm that triggers when my wing tank is 1 gallon from empty so I can turn on the fuel pump for the header tanks.  It seems to be fairly accurate so far except on right taxi turns at idle, it shoots up to 8gph fuel burn, lol. 
     
    all I have done is remove the regulator and let the fuel run from the fuel pump line.  Alot of fuel comes out of that 1/4" line in a very short amount of time, haha
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  8. Mendlerr added a post in a topic More power than a 582   

    I noticed AeroVee does not offer PSRU options like Great Plains does.  Once you look at the weight of the Great Plains PSRU engines its not worth it.  180lbs +
     
    My plane weight 628 with the Rotax 582 and C-Box.  If I add anymore weight I will never get off the ground with anything worth carrying.
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  9. Mendlerr added a post in a topic my new power plant   

    Any updates?  I'm very interested in this.
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  10. Mendlerr added a post in a topic More power than a 582   

    All the information I posted is from the guy who sells the UL670, so bear that in mind.
     
    I've been considering different engine options as well.  The 582 just doesn't seem to be the best choice for me.
     
    I have looked into alot of conversions, the price is the largest factor to me and right now all engine conversions are off the table so I am trying to work with the 582.
     
    One interesting engine I have looked at is the new AeroVee 2.1 VW engine.  It's at a great price point if you know how to assemble an engine, has a unique carb design that works very well and produces 80HP and more impressively 127ft-lbs of torque at cruise and it weighs 151lbs installed.  The TBO is 1,000 hours and the average overhaul is $200-$500, worst case scenario, replacing all the internals and cylinders being $2,000
     
    The biggest issue lies in the propeller choices, they are limited.  Although I hear that IVO may soon have a kit to convert a 582 propeller to this VW engine with the use of an adaptor.  This will include the IVO IFA Ultralight and Medium props
     
    I have also heard that AeroConversions produces a FWF kit to adapt this into a Kitfox IV if you ask them.  Not sure if this is true or not but there is one on YouTube supposedly.
     
    I have a brand new Corvette LS-1 motor with an Eagle 383 Stroker Kit, Dart 225cc Heads and a complete Comp Valve train with Holley ECU.  If only I could make it fit into my kitfox
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  11. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    I took the fuel pressure regulator off and installed a piece of 1/4 fuel hose.  I started the engine and then turned on the fuel pump without the regulator.  I got an immediate change in noise from the engine and a drop in RPM and an increase of about .8 GPH fuel burn.  No apparent change in EGT's or CHT's.
     
    I then re-intalled the new FPR and did the same test, no change in noise or drop in RPM, a slight increase in fuel burn of .1-.2 GPH and the engine ran smoother.
     
    I think the pump is moving too much fuel, but I cannot get in to read the part numbers off the pump, it is encapsolated in a custom aluminum heat shield on the firewall
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  12. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    Good information, very informative.  My instructor insisted we use the fuel pump to be safe on the first takeoff, I'm thinking this may have been a bad idea and led to the unusally low EGT's if the fuel pressure regulator was not functioning properly.
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  13. Mendlerr added a post in a topic More power than a 582   

    Do you know when the engines mentioned were purchased and installed?  From what I have been told alot of time has been spent fixing the issues mentiontioned on other forums.  The newest UL670 was released recently and supposedly is a much better engine.  I read a build thread on a weight shift control forum where the new UL670 was used and the WSC would rocket off the ground much better then with a 582.  If I can find the link on google I will post it.
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  14. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    Well we have mechanically eliminated many issues now.
     
    The prop pitch was INCORRECT, but not by much and it has been corrected.  Fuel flow is just fine, checked it today.  I don't think the blades stalled after talking with GSC and testing the prop up to 23 degrees, it pulled HARD but would not go over 4,800RPM WOT.
     
    Do any of you 582 guys run the fuel pump on takeoff?  I notice with the fuel pump on, the RPM doesn't really dip but I notice a slight audible change and the fuel burn goes from between 1.2-1.4GPH to 1.6-1.7GPH sitting still.  Should I use the fuel pump on every takeoff?  The takeoff checklist I have does not include the fuel pump being turned on, only for starting and when the wing tanks run out but this is common on other aircraft..
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  15. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    Weird, my dad got caught in a downdraft a few miles away near Grandfather Mountain (ELV 5,945FT) where I actually live.  This was about 15 years ago before he passed.  He was in a Piper Seneca II (light twin with 2 IO-550's) he almost did not make it out, it pushed the airplane down fast but fotunately he got away from it by shear luck. 
     
    That would be very strange if we were in a downdraft but I suppose it's not unheard of.  Today was calm, dead calm, and hot, almost 93 degrees on the tarmac, at about 3pm the windsock started whipping around doing 180's at about 10-15kts.  It's been doing this for a few days now and it's kind of strange.  Severe wind changes and 10-25kts of wind out of nowhere
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  16. Mendlerr added a post in a topic More power than a 582   

    On the topic of the 670, it is alive and well.  Over 70 flying from what I have been told.  Rotax Rick in FL is apparently the authority on the 670 and has redesigned the engine using cageless lower bearings which greatly increases the reliability along with a piston and rod upgrade
     
    The UL670 mount to the 582 mount, uses the 582 ignition and is only 3/4 of an inch taller then the 582 due to the RAVE valve.  The weight is also the same on the newer versions of the 670.
     
    If you send in a good rebuildable 582, the cost of a brand new 670 (all new parts) is only $3,350.  The new exhaust is around $675.  Without the exhaust your not going to make any more power then your 582, but with the exhaust the power increases to 89HP at 6,900 RPM's which is redline for the detuned UL670.
     
    For takeoff (Rotax Rick recommends Warp Drive prop on the UL670) set your static RPM to 6,500-6,600, this will give you around 6,900 takeoff and full 89HP.
     
    When your up in the air throttle back between 5,500 and 5,900.  The advantage is with the extra power you can add alot of pitch to your prop and be at the same RPM as the 582, therefore you create much more thrust and your cruise will increase.  At 5,500 RPM's the 670 burns around 4 Gallons per hour, and it burns around 4.5 gallon per hour at 5,900 RPM.  The 670 has no problem turning that RPM as it was originally designed for 7,000+RPM's
     
    The TBO time of the new 670 is 450 hours instead of 300.  This is due to the lower fuel burn, Rotax bases their TBO time on the time it takes to burn 1,500 gallons of fuel, Rotax Rick uses this same theory.
     
    This is all information I copied from an email conversation with Rotax Rick.  Seems like it's a good deal if you want to stick with the 2-Stroke.
     
    Also a complete overhaul of the UL670 is $1,175 and the GreenSky HACman kit will not work with it for some reason, they had bad results.
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  17. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    I just called IVO to ask why I cannot use the Ultralight IFA on the 3:1 ratio gearbox.
     
    They said I could, but there is not guarentee it will be safe.
     
    The problem lies in the max torque value of the ultralight hub, when the 3:1 gearbox winds up it creates enough inertia to overcome the max torque on the bolts of the ultralight hub, this causes the blade roots to twist and flex.  It hasn't happened to all of them but it has happened to atleast one, so they cannot recommend the ultralight prop on the high ratio gearboxes, even the 3.47.  If the root twist too much then the blade will seperate (I'm assuming) just like the GSC props if they are overtorqued.  He did not get into details of actual failures but said they have happened.
     
    He also told me that the Medium 2 Blade should produce the same climb, if not better, then the largest ultralight 3-blade prop but he could not give me exact numbers.  A 72-74" 2-Blade Medium would be my best match, according to IVO.  He actually recommended I switch to a 3.47 gearbox and a 66-68" 3-Blade Medium for best performance all around but we are talking big money then.  To turn the large medium smoothly requires an RK400 clutch which adds roughly $600 to the already high price.
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  18. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

     
    From what I hear this is extremely unusual but believe me, I started the engine and it took a second for the Tiny Tach to catch up but it was pretty accurate, I was expecting a huge difference.  I ran the engine at 3/4/5/6k RPM's then WOT.  I came back, shut down and let it cool down, went out and did it again.  Same results!
     
    Then I got to watch a $20,000 RC Twin Turbine Jet smack the runway at about 200MPH.  That was fun, I feel bad for the fellow flying it, it was his first flight with a huge 2 year long project to build this thing but man, he had more pieces on the runway then when he bought the kit.  It came down vertical from 300ft or so at full throttle on a couple of $5,000 jet engines.  You could actually here the engines hit the nose cone on impact and you could hear them flying apart as they spooled down.
     
    Oh and we maintained full 6,500-6,600RPM throughout the whole takeoff.  We just could not climb or accelerate.  There is no doubt that where my airplane is based is notorious for hard downdrafts and crazy ridge wind, but there were 5 people watching us on the ground and they did not note anything unusual.  About 13kt winds coming from the N and NW.
     
    I will definitely install new plugs and gap them to .016 if you feel that will help.  I can understand why it would.
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  19. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    So here are my results, 1 hour of engine running and the Rotax Tach and the Tiny Tach were only 50 RPM's off throughout the powerband except for 5,000 RPM's, there was about a 100RPM discrepancy at 5k.  At full throttle both tachs read around 6,200.  So it's not too horribly off, you can hardly read 50RPMs on the Rotax Tach anyway.
     
    EGT's still hold at 1,050 and 1,075 at WOT and 6,200 RPM's.  I did notice that at certain RPM's in the power band the two EGT's temp difference gets a little large, close to 75 degrees off but it is only momentary, then they go back to being 25 degrees off or so.
     
    I pulled the spark plugs and they look fine.  A little ashy light grey but from what I understand that is perfect.  1 of the plugs had a small amount of buildup but nothing to be concerned about.  FYI they are NGK part # BR8ES and they are gapped to about .018
     
    I also replaced the fuel regulator, as I noticed a very small amount of fuel leaking from the regulator when the engine was warm.  The seal was expanding a little and allowing a small amount of fuel to escape from the adjustment knob, not enough to affect flight though.  Just good measure to replace it.
     
    There is a an inline fuel filter behind the seats, it has some trash in it.  From what I can tell it is insignificant but I suppose there could be something plugging it up.  When I burn the fuel out of the wing tank I will replace the filter, they have them at the local O'Reilly's.
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  20. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    So here is the update.  I did not read everything posted, just skimmed it, I will go back and read it later.
     
    I have not changed anything except for the prop pitch.  I've been on the phone with GSC trying to understand why the Tach shows 6,400 RPM's static with 18 degrees of pitch.  We attempted to get a working prop tach, that was unsuccessful.  I have one but I cannot find batteries for it, it uses an odd watch battery no one seems to make anymore. 
     
    So I have tried every pitch from 12-23 degrees over the past couple days just for a good self-taught schooling in prop pitch.  The prop seems to really like 19 degrees, it holds dead on 6,200 RPM static.  I have not had a chance to fly it though.  At full throttle on the ground the EGT's are holding at 1,000/1,075 respectively with the fuel pump off.  I'm not going to Rejet until I am positive my tach is correct, it is a Rotax OEM analog tach.  Then I am going to check the pressure coming from the fuel pump.  When you disconnect the line on the fuel pressure regulator the fuel ah flows like a river until you reattatch it or turn the fuel off.
     
    Before the next flight I am going to put fresh fuel in the tanks and replace the spark plugs.
     
    I did notice a small amount of trash in the fuel filter behind the seats, its a clear glass filter, but it was what I feel to be an insignificant amount.  If  I knew what size it was I would go ahead and order a replacement but I'll have to remove it and check the thread pitch.
     
    There is also the fact that I do not like or trust this GSC prop.  It appears it may have been slightly overtorqued by the previous owner.  I cannot fit a 10 thousanths feeler gauge in between the hubs all the way around, a 12 thousanths fit okay though.  I do not like the adjustment or the fact that it doesn't seem to balance out well.  The plane will not idle below 3,000 unless I set the prop pitch to 12 degrees and at that pitch the engine immediately wants to overrev as soon as you add power
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  21. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Prop Problems   

    Okay guys I feel real F***** stupid.
     
    I took another look at my engine and the panel and I noticed a red wire wrapped around one of the spark plug wires.  I immediately realized it was a digital tach.  So I started looking around and I found a freakin Tiny Tach already installed.  It's underneath my panel facing down, I will have to unscrew it and move it to actually be able to read it.  It's definitely not accessible but I do have it.  I can't believe I didn't find it earlier.  It looks like a relay or something and why they would face it upside down and behind the dash I do not know
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  22. Mendlerr added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Prop Problems
    I posted this on TeamKitfox but I wanted some opinions here also.  It's a bit of a read.
     
    I have a Rotax 582 with 3:1 Gearbox and a GSC 68" Tech III prop mounted on a Kitfox IV.
     
     
    Before the tires left the pavement we ran the engine close to 3 hours (probably longer over a few weeks) and did a thorough inspection of everything, we were within CG and Weight limits and the density alititude was only 2,000ft at 66 degrees farenheight. Alot of precaution was taken. So we are trying to figure out why things almost went horribly wrong.
     
    We lined up on runway 24 after warming the engine and performing a runup, we accelerated as normal and it felt like full power, we managed to climb at 50-55MPH from runway 24 at Johnson County Airport in Tennessee (elv. 2,240).  That worked well until about 200-300ft AGL.  The engine was at 6,500RPM's, EGT's were steady around 1,100 degrees and then, we stopped climbing, the rate of climb was around 50ft per minute.  Realizing this my instructor and I lowered the nose and attempted to accelerate, it would not.  The speed topped out at about 58mph.  As we turned crosswind we got a bit of a tailwind gust, 5-8kts at most and the aircraft began descending even at full power and holding 50mph indicated.  We immediately commenced a 180 degree turn into the wind and slowly climbed to 500ft AGL, we then did a 270 degree turn and landed midfield back on runway 24 with extreme haste.  We were both shaken up a bit at the total lack of climb power and ability to accelerate in very unforgiving terrain.
     
    The first inclination was that the carbs were jetted wrong.  I checked and we had 170 main jets and 55 idle jets, the needle jet was on its lowest (richest) setting.  I backed the needle jet back to setting 3 to lean it out a bit.  I have since ordered a 160 main jet and 45 idle jets to give a try but they will not be here until friday.
     
    The second inclination was to check prop pitch.  I checked it and it was at 18 degrees.  GSC recommends 14 degrees for my setup.  I just finished performing another static check and at full throttle the engine turns 6,425 RPM's which is a tad high according to GSC.  I reset the blade pitch to 19 degree's thinking it would reduce static RPM's to GSC's recommended 6,200 RPM, it did not, in fact we saw a small increase to around 6,500 RPM's static.  This is puzzling, so I called GSC and they told me to try 14 degrees.  It may be possible that we stalled the prop blades trying to turn them at such a high degree of pitch and trying to climb (although very unlikely).  Tomorrow I am going to reset the pitch angle to 14 degree's and see what happens but I feel our static RPM will want to overrev like crazy.
     
    The third possibility is that our tach reading is way off, I'm attempting to get my hands on a prop tach to double check our tach readings.  Hopefully I can do this tomorrow.
     
    I'm looking for suggestions, advice, experience or any helpful information regarding this issue.  The airplane runs awesome on the ground, makes power, enough so you can hold the aircraft level on the ramp at full power without much effort.  I just don't understand why it felt like we lost power on the takeoff with the RPM's around 6,500 and the EGT's normal.
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  23. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Kitfox IV Questions   

    i have a corporate account with amsoil and I'm thinking of buying a 30 gallon keg or a 55 gallon drum but thats a big investment.
     
    if i could really run the amsoil at 100:1 with no issues then this sounds like the way to go.  less ring sticking, fouling, carbon and consumption.  Sounds like a win, win, win to me.
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  24. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Kitfox IV Questions   

    opinions on how to run a 2-stroke varies so greatly.
     
    I just met a few gents running twin engine air cams here.  They use 2 Rotax 582 pushers.  some of them had 1200+ hours on these engines.  They told me to use Phillips 66 2-Stroke oil at 50:1 and 1 ounch of Marvel Mystery Oil per 5 Gallons of fuel.  Apparently they have been very successful using this, the leader of the group, David, is a Rotax rebuilder and he also recommended this.
     
    Talk to Rotax and they will tell you NO ADDITIVES!
     
    Ask on the forums and they say 70-100:1 and you should be fine.
     
    It's hilarious.  Idk what to believe, I'm not a 2-Stroke guys and I'm not sure what to do.  I did drain my wing and header tanks and remixed the fuel 50:1 with Penzoil AirCooled Oil.  I hope to burn this off in the next 2 days and put some fresh gas in it.  I hate to let it sit with fuel premixd in the tanks
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  25. Mendlerr added a post in a topic Foam Gap Seal   

    i would be very interested in these.  I'm trying to do as many aero mods as possible to my model iv.  all the small things add up
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