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First engine start, how to prepare?

swisseagle

swisseagle

Well Known Member
I’m short before the first engine run, what a task after 11 years of building!

Now the BIG question: What should be done to not harm the engine?

Mattituck TMX-IO-320, red gold
Roller tappet
AFS Fuel Injection
2x P-MAG
Sensenich metal FP

- Is there a Lycoming paper that describe this?

Otherwise I was thinking of this, but unsure:
- Drain anti rust oil, put a new oil filter on, refill with straight mineral oil (Phillips 20W50).
- Remove bottom spark plugs, drain any oil from the cylinder.
- Rotate propeller (x times?) to fill up the oil-system (filter, oil galley’s)?
- Check correct timing on the 2x P-MAG’s.
- Put in clean and proper gaped spark plugs.
- Purge the oil-pressure-line up to the pressure sensor?
- Purge the fuel pressure line up to the pressure sensor?
- Disconnect fuel line at the throttle body, flush fuel system with el. fuel pump, reconnect line.
- Fully charge the battery.
- As last step, connect the starter back again.

For sure also this:
- Put chocks under the wheel’s.
- Prepare fire extinguisher.
- Instruct ground crew.
- Mentally go thru engine start sequence.
- … wake up the engine and enjoy :)

Did I missed something?

IMG_3227.jpg


IMG_3229.jpg


IMG_3231.jpg


The pictures are not brand new. In the mean time, the FWF section is finished, prop and spinner are on
 
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How exciting, I remember that time well.

Looks like you are well prepared for the start. A few other considerations:

  1. Think about what engine parameters you will want to check during this test
  2. If you have an EMS, enable data logging with the minimal interval
  3. Review engine starting procedures, particularly for flooded engines.
  4. If you have an aux power outlet, consider using a jump pack
  5. Face the airplane into the wind, cowl off
  6. Position a helper with a Class C fire extinguisher (and a camera)
  7. Review communication procedures with your ground crew
  8. Make sure your flaps are up!
  9. Start the engine, celebrate the sound, try not to jump out of your seat
  10. Run the engine at 1,000 RPM for 2 minutes while you scan your ems and your ground crew checks for anomalies
  11. At the 2 minute mark, slowly advance the throttle to 1700 RPM, check both mags
  12. Watch your CHTs. If at any time they approach 400, terminate ground run
  13. Shut down the engine at the 3 minute mark
  14. Perform a thorough inspection of the engine compartment for fuel/oil leaks and any loose connections
  15. Download EMS data, review every second
  16. Once the engine is cool enough to touch, process may be repeated.

Congratulations on reaching a milestone that many dream about but few achieve.
 
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Sounds good.

Sounds like you have a good handle on this, only one fine point we have always tried to do. Once you have your engine charged with oil, it is a good idea to confirm you have positive flow and pressure to the full engine oil system before you load any part of your engine. What we do is leave the top plugs out, remove the oil sending unit or it's hose and turn the engine through by hand tell we have good flow into a jar or plastic container. Then we put the sending unit or hose back in place and turn the engine by hand tell we can see some oil coming from the oil filter we left a little lose. When we know we have oil flow to the oil passages, and the oil filter, we tighten everything, safety it and then turn it over some more to be sure. We then clear the area in front of every thing and turn the engine over with the starter with the plugs still out and safety grounds on the mags. We look for a pressure build-up on the oil pressure gage. When we see pressure we know we have the system purged for the most part and can bet that the engine will prime and build pressure as soon as you stat it. It dose not hurt to turn it over a few time between starter cool-down to be sure you have filled the oil filter before first start also. This has been a good safety check of many new dry engines of all kinds down through the years. The rest of your start-up sounds pretty good. I would do the same with the fuel system as with the oil. Start at the tanks and clear and purge all lines all the way out to the last one on the engine. You should not have any leaks if you check your fitting as you go as well. Your doing good, great work.
Yours as always, R.E.A. III #80888
 
I never purge the pressure lines. I also don't change the filter before first run, but it can't hurt.

I always leave the bottom plugs out and crank the engine until I see oil pressure. I usually spin it by hand for a minute or two to start priming the oil, but I usually crank with the starter to see at least 25-30PSI before I do the first run.

Having someone watch for leaks while running is helpful, but make sure they stay clear of the prop (keep one hand on thre wing at all times). Plan for how they will signal you to shut down.
 
You got a lot covered here..

Most importantly too, don't forget video and obligatory post to VAF. First engine start is a big day indeed.
 
I'm in the same boat with you, likely will do the first engine start this weekend. The only thing I would add to your list is make sure your brakes are filled with fluid and functional, and don't rely on using them - tie the tail tie-down ring to something large enough not to care.
 
Protocol

drill_and_buck said:
How exciting, I remember that time well.

Looks like you are well prepared for the start. A few other considerations:

  1. Think about what engine parameters you will want to check during this test
  2. If you have an EMS, enable data logging with the minimal interval
  3. Review engine starting procedures, particularly for flooded engines.
  4. If you have an aux power outlet, consider using a jump pack
  5. Face the airplane into the wind, cowl off
  6. Position a helper with a Class C fire extinguisher (and a camera)
  7. Review communication procedures with your ground crew
  8. Make sure your flaps are up!
  9. Start the engine, celebrate the sound, try not to jump out of your seat
  10. Run the engine at 1,000 RPM for 2 minutes while you scan your ems and your ground crew checks for anomalies
  11. At the 2 minute mark, slowly advance the throttle to 1700 RPM, check both mags
  12. Watch your CHTs. If at any time they approach 400, terminate ground run
  13. Shut down the engine at the 3 minute mark
  14. Perform a thorough inspection of the engine compartment for fuel/oil leaks and any loose connections
  15. Download EMS data, review every second
  16. Once the engine is cool enough to touch, process may be repeated.

Congratulations on reaching a milestone that many dream about but few achieve.
Click to expand...
That IS NO a proper protocol. You need to find the Mahlon Russell ground run protocol and follow that. NO 1700 r/m on first run. DO NOT EXCEED 350 CHT on any ground run. If CHT is approaching 350 shut it down, park into wind and wait until you can hold your hand on a rear cylinder. No need to purge the oil pressure line, but if you chosse to do this it should be before motoring the engine for pre oiling.
On early flights if the DHT is approaching 405, reduce power and increase speed. I only had to do this a few times on my VERY tightly cowled 0 320 with 10-1 pistons. I did have to interrupt the ground runs several times to cool the engine. If a ten minute run is called for and the CHT ios approaching 350 at 5 minutes, shut down and cool the engine, then resume the 10 minute run. While it would be ideal to do the longer runs according to the protocol there is no real problem breaking a ten minute run into two or even three separate runs. CONTROL THE CHT. Once the rings are seated the engine can be operated continuously at 425. 375 in cruise is a much better number.
The ECI and Penn Yan Aero break in protocols are similar to Mahlons but not identical. You can google the Penn Yan info.
 
Whow!

So much info! Now the list of things to do is even longer. But thank you for all your thinking about.
You mentioned things that i did not thought about.

It is a roller tappet and was running at Mattituck an hour. It was one of the last engine they build in Long Island.
 
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First Engine Start

Good luck Dominik and Greg,

I'm planning to start my TMX-IO-320 for the first time this weekend too. It's a very timely thread. Hopefully we all have positive posts come Sunday evening
 
bugsy63 said:
Good luck Dominik and Greg,

I'm planning to start my TMX-IO-320 for the first time this weekend too. It's a very timely thread. Hopefully we all have positive posts come Sunday evening
Click to expand...

Not me - as far as a positive post on Sunday evening, I mean. If the result is positive, I'll be deep enough in the beer that I won't be online for any reason. If the result is negative, I probably won't feel like posting it! :D
 
Set up your Pmags to provide no spark advance by plugging off the MAP reference hoses and make sure you are running on the A curve.

A short ground run with advance will do no harm, but for break in I received recommendation to defeat the advance.

Randall in Sedona
 
No video on sunday too!

Hello

Thanks for all the advices!

But also for me, no video on sunday evening ... I have only one weekend day to spend at the hangar and up to two evenings under the week, so progress is slow ... to slow ...

I made now the list out of all these recommendations and start preparing for the first run. That will be soon, I let you know!
 
jrs14855 said:
That IS NO a proper protocol. You need to find the Mahlon Russell ground run protocol and follow that. NO 1700 r/m on first run. DO NOT EXCEED 350 CHT on any ground run. If CHT is approaching 350 shut it down, park into wind and wait until you can hold your hand on a rear cylinder. No need to purge the oil pressure line, but if you chosse to do this it should be before motoring the engine for pre oiling.
On early flights if the DHT is approaching 405, reduce power and increase speed. I only had to do this a few times on my VERY tightly cowled 0 320 with 10-1 pistons. I did have to interrupt the ground runs several times to cool the engine. If a ten minute run is called for and the CHT ios approaching 350 at 5 minutes, shut down and cool the engine, then resume the 10 minute run. While it would be ideal to do the longer runs according to the protocol there is no real problem breaking a ten minute run into two or even three separate runs. CONTROL THE CHT. Once the rings are seated the engine can be operated continuously at 425. 375 in cruise is a much better number.
The ECI and Penn Yan Aero break in protocols are similar to Mahlons but not identical. You can google the Penn Yan info.
Click to expand...


I would disagree... this is the manufacturer's protocol -

http://www.lycoming.com/Portals/0/t...ating engine Break-In and Oil Consumption.pdf
 
Lycoming

I trust Mahlon Russell over Lycoming by a factor of about three billion to one. Lycoming has a long track record of really BAD MISTAKES that never should have happened. Mahlons protocol worked perfectly for me. Zero oil consumption from hour one, one brief excursion to over 400CHT on first flight, about 55 hours now, best running engine I have ever flown. Non RV, very tightly cowled, ground temps as high as 110.
 
Well the time came, preps were mostly done, family and friends gathered, ribs and fajitas went on the pit, beer went in the fridge, and...

She runs - and runs well! :D

First start was much easier than I expected, after flushing all the lines and purging the air all the way up to the injector divider, it took about 5-6 seconds of cranking to get the first cough, and within another 2 seconds it was loping along on its own, and within another few seconds it smoothed out and ran nicely on all 4 cylinders. This first run was on the left magneto only for ignition, since I had a question in my head about the electronic ignition from yesterday. The exhaust had a very distinctive bark to it that was music to my ears. I did a short run up to 1700 rpm just to verify I had good throttle control, but kept the prop and mix full forward. I verified both alternator systems are charging, and kept the first run relatively short, shutting down when my first CHT (#4) hit 250, and get out and grab a beer while checking for leaks. Much celebrating and hollering, snapping of pictures, etc etc.

After a nice cooldown to just under 140F, I fired it up again, and as soon as I got it to a stable 900 rpm I turned on the Lightspeed Plasma EI and immediately did a doubletake - the engine exhaust bark smoothed out to the nicest muted purr you could ask for and it picked up about 20 or so RPM, even sitting there at near-idle power. I pulled the EI back off again and turned it back on twice, just verifying what my ears were telling me - the EI makes a huge difference! I kept the EI on this time, and held the RPM to 1000 while dialing the mixture back to find best power, and quickly discovered that I am running slobberingly rich on full forward, I had to pull the mixture knob almost all the way out to get on the lean side for an RPM sag, so that will need to be fixed. With it set just rich of best power I ran up to 1700 and cycled the prop, it responded to the first cycle in about 6 seconds and after that it responded almost immediately to a knob pull, I'm very satisfied with that. My oil pressure is running in the high 80's with cool oil at 1700 rpm, I'll investigate that and change the pressure relief setting if needed. I discovered that when I turn my EI on, I'm receiving a tach pulse from both the EI and the magneto that is doubling my RPM, so I'll have to change the setting on the Dynon EMS to account for that. I continued this run to 300F on #4 CHT and then shutdown for another cooldown while again checking for leaks or any other problems, none found.

Third and final start of the day at 140F CHT and basically a repeat of the second run, at this point mostly just thoroughly enjoying the sound of the engine and the propblast, watching all my gauges wiggle and respond. With the EI running and the mixture leaned to where it should be, this engine is definitely sounding good, ready to be turned loose! I found that shutting down the engine via fuel pumps is not immediate like I thought it would be, but takes about 3 seconds for the fuel pressure to drop down to zero before it coughs and dies. I think that will still be my preferred shutdown method but if I ever need an immediate shutdown I'll have to hit the mags. My mixture is currently too rich to shut the engine down by ICO, I'll need to adjust that, and for some reason my Dynon screen is not logging the data like it should, it thinks there is a corrupt file somewhere so I'll have to chase that down.

I'm close enough to being done that I've transitioned from the "building an airplane" mentality to the "squawk list" mentality, where I've got a fully functioning aircraft except for the squawk list items - and my list is getting shorter. I've started the paperwork for aircraft registration and notified Mel that I'm probably 8 weeks from needing a visit. Photos pending, I'll put some here as soon as I get a break at work.
 
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Before doing major adjustments on the mixture, test it at 1700rpm to see where it should be. There is an idle mixture adjustment knob on the fuel servo for idle, and you can lean that out, but the idle mixture and non-idle mixture are somewhat independent (assuming the Silverhawk injection system).

On the rpm, just change the setting for the EI side. The fact that it doubled means that the EI is putting out different pulses and it trumps the mag side in the Dynon.
 
Jesse said:
Before doing major adjustments on the mixture, test it at 1700rpm to see where it should be. There is an idle mixture adjustment knob on the fuel servo for idle, and you can lean that out, but the idle mixture and non-idle mixture are somewhat independent (assuming the Silverhawk injection system).
Click to expand...

I am running a Bendix injection system, but I did check the mixture from near idle up to 1700 rpm, and it was holding pretty steady throughout the RPM range, so that tells me the idle and non-idle mixes are pretty close to right and I've got a gross over-rich condition from the control cable adjustment.

Jesse said:
On the rpm, just change the setting for the EI side. The fact that it doubled means that the EI is putting out different pulses and it trumps the mag side in the Dynon.
Click to expand...

I didn't know that - that's good data.
 
Video about the first engine run!

Hello

It is done! The first engine run on the plane was succesfull!

Have a look here: First engine run on HB-YMP

or a bit more info here in the video section: Link to Video-Photo thread

Now preparing for the next and last milestone :cool:

Thank you for all the information here in theis thread, great to have so many inputs and recommendations.
 
Sigh. Just looking at the picture makes me sad. Not because you're about to have a great day, but because it's another reminder that Mattituck is no more.

What a great resource Mahlon was.
 
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