Engine Installation

OK, so this is a big picture.  Considering that I have almost as much laying on this pallet as what is in the rest of the airframe, I figured that the picture size should match.

I found the engine through contacts at ModWorks in Florida.  823.7 hours.  It was removed from a Mooney M20J.  The plane was in for an annual, and they found a tiny crack in the crankcase.  Rather than repair it, the owner decided to put in a bigger engine.  A couple phone calls to my mechanic and the previous owners mechanic indicated that the case repair would not necessarily be that big a deal.  Reconditioning the case and welding cracks is pretty much standard overhaul operations.  One magazine article said tht many planes are flying with cracks, they just haven't found them yet.  Continental even has a Service Bulletin that says it is OK to fly with cracks in non critical areas up to 2 inches long.  So, I have an engine.  Plans are to fly off the hours, monitor the crack, and see how it goes.  My mechanic figures that we can split the engine, repair the case, and put it back into service without breaking the bank.  When we have it fixed, I will have an engine that is almost new (built in 1997), with 900 hours on it.  I think this will work.

I have the 8 inch extension from Saber, and the exhaust system from Custom Exhaust.  The mount showed up, and things went together like a charm.  The A3B6D configuration creates a couple challenges.  The engine baffles do not fit.  They are close, and I don't think it will be too bad to adapt them to fit.  It may be easier, as I think the finned area is larger and the edges more square.  The dual mag drive creates a challenge for using an electronic ignition, as the common drive system for individual mags is different than for the dual drive.  I could use a speed pickup on the flywheel, but then would need to put a single mag in the dual drive mount.  If that would even work.  I will not fly with a flywheel only speed sensor, I have heard of an alternator belt shredding and wrapping up in a manner that would have taken out the speed sensor.  So, until I figure out how to get a dual pickup, it looks like I fly with the dual mag system.

On the good side, there is a ton of room on the front side of the engine to change the oil filter.  Most of these engines need a nice little right angle or remote filter adapter, so the D series saves me that little chunk of change.  Sorta offsets some of the challenge with the dual mag system.  It just seems like this engine has a lot of little things cleaned up and beefed up on it.  I like it.

Here is the Mazda 13B engine and mount plate that I made.  The oil pan bolts on under the mount plate, and you put a set of Lord type mounts in each corner.  Plans were to make these available, and hopefully someone else would handle the steel part of the mount.  But there is no consensus on how to mount a 13B, so everybody is on their own.  The Lycoming is a monster in size and weight compared to the basic engine block, but it washes out when you put the radiator and reduction drive with it.