T

trib

Well Known Member
Getting ready to start my ECI home built O360 engine tomorrow. Since I assembled it myself, there has been no run-in performed as of yet. Has anyone prepared a plan for the run-in on an airplane that I could refer to? Note this is not the break-in plan for an engine purchased from a manufacturer who would have already performed the run-in (about an hour of operation on a test cell).

I'd appreciate any advice on this one:eek:
 
Tim,

There is a ton of info on the form regarding this topic. Try searching on "breakin" (one word).
 
SI 1427

Hi Tim, Lycoming Service Instruction 1014 & 1427 covers engine run-in. Contact me privately if you need a copy. Also, ECI publishes their run-in procedure at:
http://www.eci.aero/pdf/BreakInInstructions.pdf#pagemode=bookmarks
Specifically p.5 and onward...

Lycoming Key Reprints publication also details run-in procedure on the airplane:
http://www.lycoming.com/support/tips-advice/key-reprints/pdfs/Key Maintenance.pdf
(Adobe acrobat p. 10, shown as p.92 on the page)

I just finished assembling my IO-360 A1B6 after overhauling it, so I will be doing a run-in as well, once I have cowling, baffling, prop, engine controls, and EIS installed. Good Luck, let us know how it goes!
 
N941WR said:
Tim,

There is a ton of info on the form regarding this topic. Try searching on "breakin" (one word).
Click to expand...

He's not looking for information on break-in, he's looking for procedure on run-in. VERY different animals!
 
Follow the ECI recommendations to the T as specified in their instructions. I have done this on overhauls I've done and the engines break in nicely (use very little oil, oil stays clean for a long time.)

The hone on the cylinder walls is there to seat the rings. There is a very short time before the hone wears and the rings seat, so don't dilly-dally around and follow the instructions exactly (particularly lines 4 & 5). The idea behind running at 1800-2000 rpm is to get good gas pressures against the rings, thus forcing them against the cylinder walls while the hone peaks are still sharp.
 
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Follow ECI's instructions. The important thing to remember is to keep your ground runs short and not allow the engine cyl temps to get hot. Do not go taxiing your airplane around the field for 10 minuets at a time to get the feel of things. Unfortunatly test flying a new airplane and Breaking in a new engine dont work to well together. Follow your break in instructions carefully and you will be fine.
Ryan
 
Tim, how'd you get behind me? I thought you were flying already. I followed your lead on building the 0-360 and it's working out great. I'll tell you what I did, which is pretty much what ECI recommends.

I did 3 separate engine runs, each of 3 to 4 minutes (no longer than 4 as per the ECI instructions). Each run was to perform tests/checks. 1st was for basic engine operation and to find fuel or oil leaks. 2nd and 3rd runs were to verify throttle and mixture controls worked, mags grounded, etc. Basically, follow what the manual tells you to check for, but keep the runs very short.

The 4th time I ran the engine, I quickly taxied to the runway and took off. I flew full throttle for an hour. I actually repeated this several times until the CHT temps started to stabilize.

Make sure you use Philips X/C 20w-50 oil. Best of luck!
 
ECi used to run-in engines on the ground with a cooling shroud. There is a picture of one installed in the handout. Talked with the ones who did it many years ago. According to him, "the shroud must be minimum of 1 sq ft of inlet area per cylinder".

I will building one for mine and plan to run for 4-5 hrs before first flight, fully instrumented of course. I personally don't feel comfortable breaking in a new motor and a new airframe.
 
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