Paul Eastham
Well Known Member
Hi VAF,
My RV-9A, N42PE flew for the first time yesterday under the command of local airplane guru Robin Reid. I haven't yet flown it myself due due to some other commitments and a single problem that needs solving...I'll save the fancy writeup until then! I do have a few pictures here: link
The problem: a big CHT difference between the front and back cylinders. 370's in front, 460's in back. He kept the RPM down to 2400 to keep the back cylinders from getting any hotter.
The baffle directions talk about temperature risers, but I didn't receive such a part nor do I see one on the BOM or plans. (O-320 baffle kit here). I found a picture with it installed on Dan C's site:
My first thought was to temporarily install some aluminum tape along the length of the front two cylinders, overlapped with the baffle floor. My neighbor's RV-7 has been flying like that for a long while.
The local A&P didn't like that idea and thought I should rivet in some plates right now. I'm a bit hesitant to do anything permanent before the engine is broken in. Besides, how would I know how big and wide to make the plates without parts from the baffle kit, and without experimenting with some tape first?
Any similar experiences out there? RV-9A, O-320, 1 mag, 1 lightspeed.
Photos of your final configuration would be most appreciated.
Paul
My RV-9A, N42PE flew for the first time yesterday under the command of local airplane guru Robin Reid. I haven't yet flown it myself due due to some other commitments and a single problem that needs solving...I'll save the fancy writeup until then! I do have a few pictures here: link
The problem: a big CHT difference between the front and back cylinders. 370's in front, 460's in back. He kept the RPM down to 2400 to keep the back cylinders from getting any hotter.
The baffle directions talk about temperature risers, but I didn't receive such a part nor do I see one on the BOM or plans. (O-320 baffle kit here). I found a picture with it installed on Dan C's site:
![20030913_left_view.jpg](/community/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Frvimg.com%2Fimages%2F2003%2F20030913_left_view.jpg&hash=22e7831aa3e6baadc1df71f5e488e7fb)
My first thought was to temporarily install some aluminum tape along the length of the front two cylinders, overlapped with the baffle floor. My neighbor's RV-7 has been flying like that for a long while.
The local A&P didn't like that idea and thought I should rivet in some plates right now. I'm a bit hesitant to do anything permanent before the engine is broken in. Besides, how would I know how big and wide to make the plates without parts from the baffle kit, and without experimenting with some tape first?
Any similar experiences out there? RV-9A, O-320, 1 mag, 1 lightspeed.
Photos of your final configuration would be most appreciated.
Paul