Question regarding engine mounting.

Hung my engine this evening with the help of an A&P/IA buddy and his son. All went well with one exception. At the upper left mount, the outer edge large powdercoated washer is in contact with the crossmember of the engine mount, even after torquing the bolts to spec. In fact, it was difficult to install this particular mounting bolt because the interference between the washer and the engine mount crossmember made it difficult to line the bolt up and get it started. I thought that once it was tightened down and the rubber was compressed, that there would be a bit of clearance but they are still lightly in contact. Nothing is installed incorrectly- have triple checked all install procedures. Engine mount fit the engine fine and does not appear defective in any way. I could grind a very small recess on the outer perimeter of the powdercoated washer to provide some clearance, assuming Van's would okay this. My A&P buddy thinks it is probably okay as-is.

I would post a picture if I had ability to do that but I don't think I can so I have described this best can.

Anyone else encountered this tight fit?

Jeff

yes

I think Gus told me it was ok to grind a bit on the edge of the washer so the bolt could go together without scrateching the engine mount. You might call to make sure. Prime it! Mine was the lower right mount.

Mine was the same way. I just ground off a flat spot on the washer. I was worried that with vibration of the mount the washer could start cutting into the mount. I took just enough off to provide good clearance.

Worked out fine 65 hours on the plane now.


Brad Stiefvater
Salem South Dakota

Thanks for the replies

Thanks to all. Strange- there were initially two other replies to this thread but they seem to have disappeared- not sure why.

In any event, I checked with Van's tech support and they agreed that it was fine to grind a small recess in the washer to provide clearance. Given that several have had issues with this, seems like a washer that is about 1/8 smaller in diameter might be in order for future kits. They seem more than big enough.

Jeff

No engine hoist or ropes

Hi,

For those who don't have ready access to an engine hoist, you may not need one.

With one other helper, I lifted my engine onto a wooden board sitting on two trestles. I had previously adjusted the trestles so that the engine bolts were just slightly higher than the holes they slot into.

I then put a block of wood under the nosewheel to align the top bolts with the holes and eased the engine forward. Both top bolts went in no bother. I tightened these, then removed the trestle. Lower bolts also slipped in painlessly.

Total time was less than 10 minutes. Maybe I got lucky - but I prefer to believe it was great engineering by Vans.

Enlarging the lower engine mount holes earlier on was a different story however. This was tough. In spite of using a new drill bit, I don't think I pressed hard enough and polished and possibly work-hardened the metal before I got through...

Cheers...Keith

Engine mounting and lower mount holes

Keith:

My experience was similar. While I had access to a hoist, rather than lug it to my house we tried the install without and were able to complete it without difficulty. In my case, I had the engine on my work table and just rolled the fuselage to the edge of the work table. The mount on the engine was slightly lower than the holes on the firewall such that with the assistance of 2 helpers, we were able to slightly lift the engine to line up the holes. The work table was always there providing partial support and extra insurance.

I have seen several posts now regarding challenges enlarging the lower mount holes. I will share my method, as it worked well and was relatively easy. I used a unibit to slowly step the holes up the specified size. The steps on the unibit are not quite long enough to get all the way through so one you get part way through with the right size step, you then just change to a regular drill bit to finish up the hole. The unibit cuts through the metal pretty easily and seems to make a nice, clean hole.

Jeff