Building Engine IO-540/C4B5

[Greenley]

Bought a used low time 540 from a parted out Aztec. Only 700 hrs on the engine, but after using a scope to check the camshaft it was necessary to overhaul the engine. The camshaft and lifters were badly spalled. Finally got all the parts ready (magnafluxed, overhauled, some replaced) but decided I wanted some experienced help with building the engine. Randy Rubbert a friend from ND that has overhauled over 400 Lycoming engines offered to help. So loaded the engine parts in my Tahoe and headed there at 3am Sunday morning from Michigan. An 833 mile drive later we arrived, unpacked and started engine building. My son, a friend, and I got a great education in what goes into these engines. The first night we got the lower half assembled, and here are several pics. Pics of the rest will follow shortly. Made use of my SteinAir shirt.

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by Greenley

Pics of the rest will follow shortly. Made use of my SteinAir shirt.

We haven't heard from you the whole year Bill! We want the rest of the story with more pictures

[Greenley]

It is amazing the journey airplane parts can take. My engine came off an Aztec that had been sold some years back to a company in Germany, who than sold it onto a company in Greece. I have engine logs in English, German, and Greek. With the economic collapse in Greece, the owner went bankrupt, but due to tax reasons, the plane could not be sold out of Greece, so it was parted out. A Canadian salvage company bought the parts, and I bought the engine from them. Narrow deck with 1780 hrs Total time, and 700 SMOH. But, it had sat a long time in Greece, so needed overhauled even though it was described to me as ready to fly. Fortunately the price was right.

After getting all the parts for the engine ready, which takes a surprising amount of time, I decided I wasn't ready to trust myself building the engine. So that is how I headed to a friends shop in North Dakota, grass strip beside his house and shop but that did not help for this trip. Arrived there at 6pm on Sunday after a 833 mile drive and he was ready to get to work, so even while I was still unpacking the truck, my friend Brookes and my son Donavan who drove out with me got to work with Randy building the engine.

Here are some of the parts I was laying out for the build.


Looking at the case half you can see some extra doweling that was added, this was an option with the case overhauler to help reduce fretting (case halves wearing by rubbing against each other).


Notice where the camshaft is going in the engine, the crankshaft cradles are below it, that is why camshafts have so much trouble, they only get oiled by what is splashed onto them from the camshaft.


Here we are bolting the case halves together.


Here is the bottom half of the engine at the end of the first evening (night?), it was 1 a.m.


The next morning we started putting gears in the accessary case.


Here are some of the cylinders ready to mount, notice the numbers on the piston heads. We weighed each one of the rods, piston pins and heads and arranged to get balanced weights, were able to get within a gram.


Here you can see the first rod attached to the crankshaft.


Starting to attached cylinders, hey it is a real engine.

[Greenley]

Last cylinder going on


My son Donavan torqueing the cylinder nuts.


Donavan is coating the accessary gears with grease. The engine will be sitting for a while so everything inside was coated with grease.


The accessary case has been mounted.


Mounting the oil filter adapter.


Lifted the engine up on a hoist to mount the rest of the parts.


Donavan relaxing while getting ready to mount the oil sump.


Final plugs being put in the engine to seal all the openings, getting it ready for storage. Hopefully not for too long.


Loaded and ready to head home at about 10 pm on Monday evening. A day and a half and an engine is born.


It was a great experience, I felt like I have learned a lot about what goes into these engines and how they run.

[David Paule]

Thanks for posting these photos - it's very interesting.

Dave

[N941WR]

Very cool set of pictures and a memory is born for your son.

Congrats and I hope the drive home was uneventful!

[BigD]

That's a great project...one of these days I hope to do the same. Looks like a great learning experience and I bet you'll really enjoy flying behind something you have been that intimate with. Thanks for posting.

==dave==