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The Taylor monoplane saga - propeller hub build & other things

PeterT said:
I'm no expert, in fact I'm interpolating CDI systems I've seen on spark ignition models. The initial setup is based on X degrees relative to TDC of #1 cylinder. Then of course correct firing order to remaining respective ignition wires. But the brain senses RPM based on the trigger hits & adjusts ADV/RET curve on that basis. Any chance you set the distributer for perceived better running conditions at idle or some other RPPM when it was running, but somehow deviated from what it thinks is relative to TDC & therefore timing adversely effects other RPM ranges?
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Late to the party here. This was my CDI and MultiPoint Fuel Injection module for Honda VTEC engines used in home built and hovercraft.
The inside:
IGN200-Inside.jpg

The outside:

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User interface for the Dyno running on PC with CAN bus messages to the ignition.
SCREEN.JPG

I can probably provide any info although this is now all quite old like as in 27 years....
 
phaxtris said:
Decided that it was time for this thing to have tail wheel steering, the full swivel tail wheel is a handful on roll out with such short coupling, not to mention hard on brakes. There are no plans for this, talking with other home builders this is what i was able to come up with. I still need to sort out what springs to use and the linkage, for 3 evenings into the project i think im doing ok


As you can see its a pretty short distance with a fair bit of vertical height to span
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made up some arms and bent, shrunk the vertical distance down to less than 3"
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One of the problems facing this was how to drill 2 straight holes through 65mm of wood, with only one chance, for that i made a drill jig that you can see in the bottom right of this photo, the bit travels through the bored and faced round bar that is tacked onto flat bar in a square u shape, i used door shims to cinch it tight on the angled spar
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love it when a plan works out, both holes passed through perfectly and exited the corresponding holes on the opposite side of the jig
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next bend up, fit, and drill some attaching hardware
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and a video in action


Still outstanding is finalizing the spring and connection arrangement ( i dont believe the spring is stiff enough), replacing the hardware that goes through the spar, and fully welding the control horn to the tailwheel fork (currently only tacked)

on a side note, for some reason youtube loves that video, 600 views in an hour? wth
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Good stuff! My ultralight that is soon to become airborne for the first time is a traildragger too and has a poor TINY tailwheel that most other owners redesign and alter. I'd like to do something with mine also but have been hesitant.
 
well after about 35 flight hours the thrust bearing seems to have left the party 🙁 at least its something i found on the ground during the annual

I might make my way back out there this evening with my little truck hoist and bring the engine home, split the case and see what the hell happened, and hope the case, crank, etc are all ok

 
When I was too small to have more than fragmented memories, I recall a float plane that was based off the lake I grew up on crashed in the field a couple hundred feet from our house. One of the pilots took the dock boy out for a spin and they attempted a loop. Both were killed instantly......We dug parts out of that field for a dozen years while digging potatoes..... I like land based activities. 🙄
 
jorogi said:
Meh, Ryan only flies over the biggest airports in the country.
The bigger issue than gravity is the balance, if the propeller departs in flight things get really interesting for a few moments.
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on a big prop, or constant speed, for sure, lots of weight, but small props, lots of guys have lost small props and made an uneventful landing

lose HALF the prop and you have much bigger problems, it will literally rip the engine off its mount, there have been a few cases of those ground adjustable props losing a blade in flight. vibration rips the engine off the airframe. There have also been a few cases in wich the pic was fast enough to shut the engine down, land, and find the engine was hanging on by control cables and luck


anyways, motor is sitting in the garage, i drove back out with the little princess auto hitch crane last night and grabbed it, i think i will head out for my weekend Walmart run, beat the rush, before coming home to pull it apart
 
not as bad as i expected, crank has some scuffing, but nothing that catches a nail, it should polish out, wear on the thrust bearing face for sure, not much for wear on the crankshaft bearing surface

the 3 endplay shims, well there isnt much left of them, some small pieces of the thin shim were found in the oil filter screen, case is ok, crank is ok, not the question is why did this happen. I never saw below 42 psi oil pressure, never above 190f on the oil temps (average cruise was around 150f)

seems like a lack of oil to the thrust washers, i dont know why yet

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phaxtris said:
not as bad as i expected, crank has some scuffing, but nothing that catches a nail, it should polish out, wear on the thrust bearing face for sure, not much for wear on the crankshaft bearing surface

the 3 endplay shims, well there isnt much left of them, some small pieces of the thin shim were found in the oil filter screen, case is ok, crank is ok, not the question is why did this happen. I never saw below 42 psi oil pressure, never above 190f on the oil temps (average cruise was around 150f)

seems like a lack of oil to the thrust washers, i dont know why yet

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VW's are just not designed for the thrust, cantilever and gyroscopic loads that are developed in an aviation application. In car use the thrust load is minimal where as the cantilever and gyroscopic loads don't exist. This is where a PRSU comes in. Designed properly they will handle those loads at the expense of added cost, complexity and weight. A PRSU will also optimize the engine and propeller rpm.
If rebuilt in the same manner I would suggest it might be prudent change the oil and get an analysis on a 25 hour cycle and set your TBO at 50 hours. An outfit I worked for managed to get our certified 1200 hour TBO'd engines to triple TBO (the maximum allowed by Transport Canada) in a manner similar to this.
If you get the opportunity take a look at a C65 crank, bearings and journals. Significantly beefier.

PS
PRSU = propeller speed reduction unit
TBO = time between overhaul
 
of the vw's powering aircraft there may be 5% that run a prsu, the norm is propeller off the pulley end, and most only do heads at 250 hours, not bottom ends

the original build made is 230 hours before i prop struck it, there was no appreciable wear on the thrust bearing or thrush washers, so this is not an issue with the engine as a flight engine, there is some error or poor quality part to blame here, im just not sure what yet
 
Just throwing ideas out. Is it possible for something to be installed incorrectly? Backwards, to tight, to loose? I am not familiar with the engine so can not speak to it directly. You posted the design works and expected hours of use are much higher. Could there have been binding with the shims? You mention oil starvation of the shim section, is there possibly an obstruction. Hope you figure it out and you can get back to flying.
 
bearing only go in 1 way, they have offset dowel pins to prevent incorrect instllation

possibly something with the shim stack, the proper endplay was set when i built it

talking with my brother in law who is a big vw guy, works at one of the prominent vw shops in town rebuilding motors and transmissions told me he has seen aftermarket shims fail, and he never uses them, he has a collection of og vw shims that he uses

im going to order up new rods and mains, re-assemble, once i know what i need for shims he is going to go through his box of og vw shims and find me some, hopefully that will cure the problem, there is no mention anywhere of any kind of modifications to the thrust bearings, even the newest production aerovee engines don't have any modifications to the thrust bearings

one thing i may do is pull the prop hub and machine the proper od for a seal so i dont need to micky mouse something again, although pulling it off is something im not looking forward to with the interference fit
 
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