McFly

Well Known Member
I now have 5 hours on my O-360 powered RV-7. On the last flight the CHTs were 25 degrees cooler even though the outside temps were the warmest I have flown it in. I am assuming that I am now over the hump break-in wise.

My CHTs are low on all phases of flight and stabilize at 275, 300, 300 and 300. I am guessing that my homemade plenum is doing its job.

A friend and fellow RV builder thinks I need a dam to bring #1 up to the same temps as the others and that my temps are all too low.

Can CHT?s be to low? A 25 degree separation seems pretty good right out of the box to me. Why is it so critical to get the CHT temps exactly the same? Thanks
 
Your CHTs are not too low. Mine typically run around 340-350. A 25 degree spread is not bad, but I would try a putting a piece 3/4" angle in front of #1. This will bring #1 up a bit and #3 down a bit.
 
Mixture and mixture distribution will change CHT's by 50 degrees easily in these planes, everything else equal. Be careful making any inferences about which cylinder is "colder" or "warmer" without a thorough study of the relationship between total fuel flow and individual cht's.