Removing/Reinstalling Engine Cowling

On the average, how long does it take you to remove/reinstall, the top and bottom engine cowls?
Any tricks to make the task easier and quicker?
How often or under what specific conditions should it be accomplished?

What I do - -

I use a battery drill with an extention so that I can hold the bit in place. Really speeds things up. I also install it with the same. I set the clutch to lowest setting and it clicks fairly easily, but snugs them up well.

Driftdown said:

On the average, how long does it take you to remove/reinstall, the top and bottom engine cowls?
Any tricks to make the task easier and quicker?
How often or under what specific conditions should it be accomplished?

Click to expand...

Caveat: your mileage can and will vary!

Typically you will remove the top five to ten times more often than the bottom, which is good because the top is five to ten times easier.

I haven't found anything that makes the bottom easier, but the top can be made easier by determining the easiest order to do the hinge pins. In my case, the aft hinges that run from the center out to the sides go in easier if I do them before the rest. This is something you just have to determine for yourself because I think there is likely to be a lot of variation from one plane to the next.

I have found that even an oil change can be done with just the top off, but opinions will vary on how often you should do it that way because there is value in performing a good visual inspection of the entire engine now and then. I did my most recent oil change with just the top off, but I knew I was going to be doing a full undressing soon thereafter.

Top cowl. Plan on 5 minutes. Part of that is setting aside a place to put it on a pad or towel. About the same to put back, includes time to wipe the pins clean and freshly spray them with lube. One person can take it on and off, carefully.

Bottom cowl - figure 10 minutes to take off. More screws, and the oil cooler. The first couple of times you take it off and put it on you should have two people for both off and on. Those gaskets on the radiator will be tight. Then it will get easier over time. One person can then take it off. Still not a bad idea to use two people to put it on, if available, because of side-to-side insuring that paint doesn't get scratched by the piano hinges, and initially twisting it to get it past the exhaust pipe and behind the prop.

It also helps to have one person holding it closely in place on the pilot side while you reach in on the passenger side to set the oil cooler onto its bottom mounts. Then you can put in the piano pins (always clean and relube!) and reach the cooler for hand adjustments to get the bolts lined up while person 2 starts them.

I use plastic washers under all the screws on the cowling.

I recently trimmed the last 1/32" off the bottom hinges on the right and left side of the bottom cowl (the short hinges above the "shelf" on the firewall). I was surprised how much easier it made to fit the lower cowl in place.

The only tip I can offer is that putting the bottom cowl on by myself is made easier by first partially engaging the short pins on the side so I can still jiggle the other hinges.

Cowl removal

I tape a dish towel to the lower cowl area behind the spinner plate, prevents spinner back plate from scratching the cowl.

Lower cowl

Have a look at:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=81466 entry #8.

Don't know if this would work with the RV12 set-up but it makes life a lot easier with the RV6 cowl whan I am by myself.

Clive Whittfield
Auckland
New Zealand

cowls

it gets easier and faster the more you do it I can get the top off in about 3 minutes and about 5 or 6 for the bottom and not much longer to install them now ( after 325 hours ) the pins go in and out easily

As many times as I have removed and installed them, I can pretty much do it blindfolded in under 5 minutes!