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RV-4 FF weight with Mazda Renesis engine

FinnFlyer

Well Known Member
RV-4 with 13B Mazda Renesis engine

RV-4 FWF weight with Mazda RX-8 Renesis engine

I finally got to the point where I could unbolt the engine mount with complete engine installation from the fuselage.

Has anyone unbolted a complete 180 HP Lycon engine installation with engine mount and weighed it? I would like to compare with my numbers.

Engine filled with oil (5 quarts) and coolant (6 quarts 50/50 water/glycol).
No prop. Gear legs mounted.
370 pounds on digital bathroom scale.
-30 pounds for gear legs
----
340 pounds.

Estimate I'll add 20 pounds for spinner/prop/crushplate/bolts

Lower cowling now weighs 10.4 pounds after adding long duct for oil cooler. Of course I didn't weigh it before that :(

Upper cowling 5.1 pounds.

Probably a few more pounds when filled/painted.

So looking at less than 380 pounds for everything forward of firewall (not including battery).

I made some notes about engine mount weight (10.58 and 25.62) but now have no clue as to what that included. Before or after trimming off the dynafocal ring?

Should I engage on a weight reduction program or am I in the ballpark?

Finn

Pictures:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1d3nLnxBYOlyFeQgk9xGLhBtn_lMien_l
 
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First Fight

N214FL left the ground this morning for an 18 minute flight.
Seemed a lot more docile than the RV-3 and different sight picture making me fly slower than I thought.

Main concern was engine (water) cooling. As many know, cooling is a compromise between drag from unnecessary air through cowling and adequate cooling during normal flight conditions. Climbed to 1,500' before pulling back on throttle to see if coolant temp would stop rising. It did. Still, I think I erred in too small fluid inlet openings in the A/C evaporator cores I used for radiators. Some more work in that area is in my future before hot days arrive.

Cut the flight short before I got to AOA calibration due to a bit of smoke (didn't smell anything) briefly observed low in the cockpit at full throttle later in the flight. To be investigated. So still can't report on AOA rivet location :(

RV-4 with Mazda 13-B Renesis (RX-8) stock engine.
RWS 2.87:1 Propeller Speed Reduction Unit
RWS Engine Controller and Monitor (modified)
Performance Propeller 76x88
Empty Gross: Approx 926 lbs.

More to come, if interested ...

Engine log attached for engine experimenters.

Finn
 
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