Engine fluid fittings

Tonight I installed the remaining engine fluid fittinga on the back of the engine, at least those that need to be installed before the engine is hung. The only exception was the fuel pump overflow, where the fitting is on, but the clear tube isn’t. I’m waiting on parts from Vans before I can do that step.

I also installed the ground strap, and the governor and governor bracket, bending the fuel line out of the way, and clocking the governor lever to the right position.

Fittings on the fuel pump. Covered with nylon glove fingers to prevent anything getting in
Fuel pump inlet
Removing paint for the ground strap
Ground strap installed
Governor and bracket
Lever clocking
Bending the fuel line clear of the governor bracket

Governor and bracket

Tonight I made the governor bracket, and test fit the governor. The bracket was trivial, and once it was completed I primed it with some spray can primer. I took the cover off the governor mounting pad, cleaned it up, then test fit the governor. Everything was fine, although I need to buy some lock washers.

Governor bracket. This holds the “prop” cable, and connects from the cockpit to the lever on the side of the governor
Governor pad removed. I cleaned up these threads, and cleaned the surface with acetone
Governor installed, about to put washers and nuts on.

Sender mount & engine ports

Today I installed the sender mount onto the firewall, then I spent time unboxing the engine and installing various fluid fittings.

The sender mount was simple. I elected to keep the third port because I’m going to use the Aircraft Speciality P-Mag mod that uses the third port.

Unboxing the engine was exciting, and a bit messy. I pulled away the cardboard box, and then broke down the foam surrounding the engine. I only went as far as I needed to access the various fluid fittings on the back of the engine. I got most of the fittings installed, hopefully I can finish installing the last couple tomorrow.

The sender mount with the oil and fuel pressure probes installed
Installed on the firewall, the cover is to prevent contaminants from getting into the line
Time to open up the big cardboard box!
Humidity sensors look good
The engine is wrapped in plastic and encased in foam
Cutting away the plastic, and breaking off chunks of foam, the engine is revealed
There are several fluid fittings that must be installed on the engine before it can be mounted. Access back here will be a real pain once the engine is installed. Using a pipe to extend the Alan key, the plugs came out no problem. I did spend time cleaning out the threads before installing the fluid fittings
I’m using Loctite 567 for all the firewall forward fluid fittings where thread sealant is needed
Lower oil port
Upper oil port
The oil temperature probe installed and safety-wired into position. My first time safety wiring in a while, it took a couple of goes to get something I’m comfortable with

Master relay and starter solenoid

Tonight I installed the master relay and started solenoid, wiring it up and torquing all the bolts and nut’s appropriately.

I emailed Vans and on their advice switched from the split washers shipped with these components to stainless internal tooth star washers. They are slightly thinner and allow more threads to show through after torquing the nuts. With the original washers, there were not enough threads showing where WH-P769 attaches to the master relay. With the new washer, it’s still not ideal, but seems ok.

The firewall is starting to look a little more crowded now.

A wider angle shot of the firewall
The relay and solenoid with wiring and boots installed
The most threads I can get on this.

Firewall components

Tonight, after several weeks break, I finally did some more work on the plane. I installed a few components onto the firewall; the manifold pressure sensor, the master relay and starter solenoid. the manifold pressure sensor isn’t actually installed yet, I had to prime the mount, but I located the parts and got them ready to go.

Master relay and starter solenoid installed on the firewall
Ground strap. Will remain disconnected from the battery until much later.
The cable will be connected to the solenoid on the next step