First year - maintenance & service

[gerrychuck]

Nice MGB-GT

[LarryT]

...photos and all, Bob. Wonderful that you and Shaun have enjoyed the aircraft that you built this past year!

Jan, Erin and I have fond memories of getting acquainted with you folks during our stop in Sydney. Thanks so much for taking the train down and spending time with us. It is hard to believe that 10 months have already passed.

Best wishes for many, many years of rewarding time in the air!

Come visit us so we can return the favor.

Larry Tompkins

N544WB RV-6A
W52 Battle Ground, WA

[Bob Redman]

G'day Larry, Jan & Erin,

Thanks for the greeting, & apologies for missing your post - all the family arrived for two weeks including the grandchildren. We are now almost back to normal - it is much quieter around here.

After the last two years of cool wet summers, we are expecting a return to the normal hot dry weather, and lots of flying.

Next year we plan to visit old RNZAF friends in NZ, so a return to the US is at least one year away. We will start saving $ now.

Fond regards,

Bob & Shaun

[Bob Redman]

G'day all,

In the first post in this thread I told of a subtle failure of the continuous duty solenoid (Vans supplied) - it leaked about 0.25 volts per day into the ether. This ruined the battery over several months. The battery volts would recover quickly through recharge, but eventually would not regain sufficient grunt to turn the prop.

After replacing the solenoid with one borrowed from a friendly builder, all worked well until last week. I had flown four flights within five days, when, on the sixth day: battery switch ON - no elec power at all beyond the battery terminal on the solenoid.

I ordered two from Vans & they were delivered within four days - thank you Jessica V. I fitted one of the new solenoids and all is well.

After reading Paul Dye's report on a malingering starter solenoid, I too pulled apart the faulty battery solenoids. No indication, obvious to a novice, of the cause of the first failure (leaking volts).

In the second failure, the internal wire, between the main battery terminal and the battery switch (earth) terminal, had separated thus the solenoid could not connect the battery to the rest of the aircraft. Possibly this was due to poor solder, but more probably because I had not refitted the (Vans supplied) yellow diode. I had left the diode off because of advice from more experienced people. This time I have re-fitted the diode.

Good luck with your solenoids.

[Bob Redman]

These photos date from January 1999 and may be of interest to a few. Recently I re-discovered them when asked for photos of our MGs to include in a local MG club magazine to celebrate 50 years since the first MGB was made in the UK.

At the time I was involved in the Hawk project at the local Air Force Base. The Brits on the project suggested a 'Best of British Day', and my wife, brother & I contributed.

The first photo shows our 1962 MGB Roadster which I purchased from the original owner in 1968, and our father's 1972ish Norton 850 Commando now owned by my brother. The other Bike is a BSA. The aircraft is one of the first Hawk 127s to arrive in Australia. The Hawks are used to prepare pilots for the FA-18s, and to help support Army & Navy training:




The second photo includes an MG RV8, and our 1972 MGB GT which we bought in 1988 in Virginia, converted to RHD before shipping it home:



The last photo includes the owners, and the addition of a red Triumph. My wife Shaun is behind the GT, I am behind the Roadster, and my brother is on the Norton in front of me.




Both MGs are daily drivers and are high mileage. They have been/are fun, relatively cheap motoring - plenty of spares easily obtained. Although one mate in particular taunts us about relics of '19th Century steam driven British ironmongery'. But I like British ales too.

I hope that you find the photos interesting.

[Bob Redman]

Xmas morning here & in NZ, Xmas eve for most of you. I wish you all the best for the holiday and the New Year.

As reported in earlier posts I have had hot oil temperatures. Recently during 40C/104F days I have had difficulty keeping the oil temps below the max (118C/245F) - I have an Aerosport IO-360M1B (ECI parts), Hartzell CS BA prop, Niagara oil cooler (Van's supplied), 'standard' Vans' baffle kit.

Eddie Seve has the Lycoming IO-360M1 in his RV-7, fitted with a plenum, standard Niagara oil cooler, FP Sensenich prop (all sourced from Vans). Eddie has much of his cooler blanked to raise the oil temp.

So I have modified the baffle over the oil cooler to match the newer baffle kit - ie, I eliminated the invert, and thus now I have a straight line of baffle & material across the rear of the engine. Also, I added more RTV to minimise leaks & improve flow though the cooler as per Paul Dye's suggestion. I made no other changes (yet).

As usual, all data are as observed on the Dynon D100 EFIS & D120 EMS - no calibration or normalisation. I lean to peak to provide some measure of repeatability, rather than lean or rich of peak.

The OAT on taxy yesterday was +39C/102F, so a good test. Also, I climbed at 100KIAS, full throttle, 2650RPM.

The CHTs stayed in the green - below 204C/400F. Before #3 would max about 204, just at the bottom of the orange caution band.

Oil temps maxed at 111C/232F on climb to 7K, +17C/63F, DA 9K.

In cruise at 7K, +17C/63F, 9K DA, 23.6"(Full)/2400RPM, 36 L/Hr (9.5 US gph), peak, 77%, 146KIAS/168KTAS, + 4Kt position error, so should be about 150KIAS/177KTAS ?:

CHT: 178/192/197/195C, 352/378/387/383F.
EGT: 762/740/731/756C, 1404/1364/1348/1393F.
Oil temp stabilised about 110C/230F.

Five tight circuits at end of flight, OAT still about 39C/102F, oil temp sat about 104 to 111C, 219 to 232F.

I compared that to July (mid winter), cruising at 4K, +4C/39F, 24"/2400, 37.7 L/hr (10 US gph), peak, (84% ?), 157KIAS/170KTAS (161KIAS/174KTAS ?):

CHT: 157/171/173/174C, 315/339/344/346F.
EGT: 723/697/692/714C, 1333/1286/1278/1318F.
Oil temp 86C/187F.

So, disregarding the heat soak & climb from sea level (difference of +27C/28F surface OAT); at cruise, a difference of +13C/23F OAT led to about 20C/36F increase in CHT, and 24C/43F in oil temp after the mod. Before the mod, in summer, I was hitting the 118C/245F oil temp limit in climb, even at 130KIAS, and could not maintain 75% power without danger of exceeding the oil temp limit.

The modification has helped. Now I will modify the baffling material around the flywheel between the inlets, particularly the inboard side of the inlet ramps, & report results.