New RV-4 Engine RUNS!!

The new Lycoming O-360 on my RV-4 finally sprung to life!!

This is the first engine start!

She started and ran very nicely!

I performed a couple of ground runs, resolved a couple minor squawks, and then it was time to fly. Aircraft engines have to ‘break-in’ or more appropriately ‘wear in’ and we are advised to limit ground runs with a newly overhauled engine and instead to get it in the air and run it as hard as possible for the first couple of hours. So, that’s what I did!

My friend Mike followed me around in his airplane for the first 30 minutes to ensure that nothing unusual was happening (like smoke and/or flames). It is VERY comforting to know that someone has eyes on the outside of the airplane during tests like this. Thanks Mike!!

There were a couple squawks from this flight but nothing significant and both were quickly resolved.

The oil cooler duct that I previously mentioned, printed from PLA, did suffer a bit in the heat.  I ended up printing a version of it from PA6-GF30 filament (30% glass fiber reinforced Nylon 6 Copolymer) which has a much higher temperature tolerance.  That version is holding up very nicely.  This filament is the best I can print with my equipment (due to temperature limitations).  Maybe Santa will deliver a more capabable printer later this year?!?!

I’ve painted the cowling and have 15 flight hours on the Lycoming O-360. It is running VERY well and the additional performance of the more powerful engine is very nice to have. That said, I’m still in the break-in period so I’m managing engine temperatures since the air temperature here this time of year is very hot!! Ideally, one would not break-in an engine over the high desert during the summer but sitting around staring at it for 3-4 months didn’t strike me as a good option. 😜