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Hanging IO-390

Stockmanreef

Well Known Member
Mounted the engine today. Bill Recuppi happened to be in town to see is family and he dropped over to help hang the engine. Bill had no idea before hand that he would be helping me hang the engine. I sent him a picture with the engine and said "goes what I am doing today". He was at the house in less than 20 minutes.

We used the instruction article on the main Vans Airforce page. I also still have to torque down the castle nuts, which requires me to buy a new torque wrench (10-80 lb pounds).

It is hard to tell how long it took to actually hang the engine, since we were talking for quite a while before and after the job. But Bill was here for about 2 hours. My guess is that it took 45-60 min of actual work. Putting in the bolts took no longer than 30 minutes.

We removed the outlet fitting(s) for the engine driven fuel pump (left side)--the one with the fuel pressure sensor. Other than that everything stayed in place.

Bolt 1 (top right) = easy
Bolt 2 (top left) = just as easy

Raised engine enough to get in pucks and washers. Slid in the bullets to get the puck and washer aligned and lowered the engine down while making sure we could get the bullets out.

Bolt 3 (bottom right) = required slight loosening of the top bolts (as described) and then a push/wiggle of the engine from the left side by Bill and the bolt slid right through.

Bolt 4: slid right in --even before 3 was tightened. In fact 4 was easier than 3.

Things I thought were useful:
1. I bought an engine leveler and I think that that made things easier, since the length of each connection to the hoist did not matter (with in reason)
2. I used sewn climbing slings (for rock climbing) to attach to the two points on the top of the engine to the engine leveler.
3. not sure that the modified wrench (described in plans) is required. The top left is where you might need it, but an open ended box wrench will work here. If you use the wrench described in the plans, then you might be taking the nut off a few times to make it thin enough to not get stuck on the engine. I think cutting out a section of the close end wrench might be easier to make.
4. Mounting bullets from Cleaveland (I think). Not sure that they were really necessary, but they were nice to have and did help to line things up.

I think that I could have done it solo (and was going to do just that), but getting the engine into place with the hoist was a lot easier with two people. One on each side pushing the hoist in while making sure that nothing hit the engine mount.
 
The plane does look so different with the engine in place. In addition, I don't need a saw horse under the tail any longer.
 
Torque spec

What did you use for a torque spec and where did you find the numbers. Seems some people are just tightening down till they are set and then pinning. I can't seem to find the spec anywhere. Even the Lycoming document listing all the engines torques does not specify. Thanks
 
Torque spec

I think I found the information needed but it's interesting some very good builders just say to tighten until they bottom out since going up against a sleeve. I found the detail diagram that shows the should be torqued to AN7 standard values.
 
First, Ken, thanks for the hospitality!

What Ken failed to mention was that I brought my 10 year-old son along with me and he was eager to help. If anyone needs someone to pump up their engine hoist, I can hire out my son. Then the next day, he let me bring one of my brothers over to see his project as he never saw mine when I was building. He was really impressed and had a ton of questions, after we left.

Ken AND his wife are doing a great job on their -14A (Thus the sawhorses).

His Lycoming IO-390 is a thing of beauty and we managed to hang it without scratching the engine or his engine mount.

When we started, I told him I can hang an engine in 45 minutes by myself, two to three hours with help. To paraphrase Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is ME."

Ken is well organized and I think I might have slowed him down by "helping".

Keep pounding those rivets, you will be finished soon!
 
the torque value is 450-500 in lbs, but since you are tightening the head side, you torque to the high end--at least this is what someone stated in a tips/technique sticky thread. This about 42 ft pounds. This is why I am buying a new torque wrench (10-80 ft lbs) to hit the torque value. I did not have an in lb wrench to do it and my ft lb wrench is too big (for car lug nuts).
 
Great progress, Ken! I needed 2 people for the engine mounting bolts so one can hold one side with a box wrench and the other person on the torque wrench.
 
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