Canard stick time/nose tire low pressure

I gave a fellow some stick time so he would be closer to getting insurance.   He did pretty well and noted that the Cozy was much faster than his older GA aircraft.  We did standard maneuvers and some touch and goes and got fuel at Graham.  

When we got back to Hicks, I checked the front tire pressure and found it was at 10 psi.  so aired it up to 45 and also checked the mains.   One of the valve core filter stems "filters" got stuck in the valve stem so I drilled the plastic out and put in a short valve stem.   

Minor maintenance - Alternator whine in GoPro audio

 Previously I'd installed a 470 uF cap across the essential buss but still have some alternator whine on the GoPro audio when playing back audio.   I installed a .47 uF mylar capacitor across the main alternator's output and ground to filter the AC ripple out.  The pitch trim motor also creates some noise but isn't terrible.  I'll see if the .47 uF cap resolves the whine and motor noise.  Also need to check whether the whine is worse using Com 1 or 2.  

Dynon database and charts were updated.  Connector screws were checked.  The copilot side display screws were a tiny bit loose but the connector was pretty secure.  I reseated the displays ethernet connectors and Wi-Fi dongles.  

I installed some more ferrite beads on unshielded nose gear wires that were close to the transponder antenna.

The fuel filter screen was cleaned and reinstalled.

Update - The GoPro audio alternator whine level seems improved.  It seems to make a difference which platform (Windows/iPad/iPhone/Linux) you watch it on and also how  high the volume is.  The noise is less raspy/buzzy than it used to be.

 

EZnoselift installation

 Marc Zeitlin's clamp modification to the EZNoselift should eliminate bolts unscrewing and or bending.  It was not hard to install.

Oil samples for 2023 looking good.

 I'd taken oil samples at each oil change (4) since changing from break in oil to XC20-50.  

The lab reports:

MICHAEL: Our thumbs are still up for the 12/06/23 sample. Metals pretty much stayed the same after the

longer oil run, leaving us with no concerns about how this engine's oil-sharing parts are getting along at

136.6 hours. Lead's higher level is just due to the longer oil run --it's from blow-by and it wasn't excessive

for the run. Dirt, water, and fuel stayed out, and insolubles remained low. Nice results all around!

Cozy builder visit David Desosa

 David has been building a unique Cozy.  Apparently it was a Cozy III morphing into a Cozy IV, one of the first prototypes.   I invited him out so he could go for a ride and take a close look to see if anything I did could help him with build decisions.

We departed T67, went past Stevenville, then North to Graham for 10 gallons of fuel.  About 20 miles West of Hicks, dialed up the radio to see what runway was in use and it was quiet.  Then I radioed we were over the lake and now there was a Cessna taking off staying in the pattern, another student about 8 miles out and two Christen Eagles a ways to the North.  I fell in behind the Cessna in the pattern, the Eagles did a 360 for spacing and I think another aircraft said he was the only aircraft in the pattern.  I called that I was 1 mile final behind the student Cessna and the Christen Eagle said my audio was low.  The targets on the screen when clearing the runway showed three or four aircraft on final and a couple more out west.  Wow!  Busy!  As I was taxiing the Eagle called, "GOOD JOB EVERYBODY!"

Back in the hangar, I pulled the cowl and a screw dropped out of the bottom.  The #2 valve cover was missing one so that mystery was solved quickly. 

A few things popped up on this flight.  The ARINC module went off line, the standby network went unavailable and the fuel pressure glitched to 75 lbs. a couple of times.   The EFIS data was uploaded and will be analyzed for clues.   

I have some 15 volt TVS diodes & some capacitors ordered.  I'll install a small mylar cap across the pitch trim servo since it has generated a bit of noise on the GoPro audio.

The heater control is located where the fuel valve is usually located and is a pain to get to.  I'd like to move it to the side or instrument panel.  An alternative is to implement a servo.

The Telex headset I've used for passengers seems to not get my transmit audio when talking on the radio.  I'd suspected it was in mono mode but checked the dip switches and seems like its set for stereo now.  When we took off, we had some scratchy audio that was cleared by reseating the headset plugs.  

So the squawk list has: ARINC module/standby network alerts.  Noisy headset audio/jacks.  No pilot transmit audio to the copilot.  Move heater control.  Replace missing valve cover screw.  Check the fuel filter, pumps and regulator.  Check connections on the copilot HDX panel.

An email from Marc Zeitlin advises the nose gear clamps have been shipped.  Tracking info shows it will be here tomorrow.

Starter damage, ring gear and broken teeth.

 Gremlins of a particular species like to break off ring gear teeth and kill starters.

Improper clearance between the starter and ring gear.  This is attributed to a known issue with new Superior ring gears and the Skytec 149NL starters having zero clearance. Destroys starters.

Flipped trigger wire on an EI coil.  This caused the wasted spark to occur on the bottom of the intake stroke causing a kick back.

Starting the engine without sufficient fuel pressure/momentarily bumping the starter switch.

Timing not retarding or advanced when starting and light weight props.

Only missing one tooth this time.

The first issue was resolved by replacing the starter.  Oddly, the issue didn't seem to occur until after several initial engine test runs.  I'd started the engine, was wearing a non-ANR headset and could hear a clattering ring ring sound.  I shut the engine down and quickly found the starter had not disengaged.  It shelled a bearing.  Although it had only been used a few times, it was out of a two year warranty.   A call to tech support at Skytec quickly diagnosed the issue was due to the dimensions that Superior and Skytec used to make these components resulted in no clearance between the gears.  A shim would be required to increase the clearance so that the starter would disengage properly.  

Aeroperformance aka Aircraft Spruce near me had starters in stock so I ordered one.  The price had gone up considerably since I'd purchased one several years ago  There is also a refundable core charge that is dependent on Skytec inspecting the core.  

I made a pattern from the starter's mating surface and fabricated a .020" thick shim out of 2024T3.  The starter was mounted and clearance checked based on instructions from some hot rod web sites.   The starter then disengaged properly after that.  

Shim for starter

So, back to first engine runs... The engine would start fine but then one day when starting....a nasty crunch & kickback sound indicated there were still gremlins.  Ultimately, this cause was attributed to one of the EI coil trigger wires being transposed causing a spark at the bottom of the intake stroke.  

All was well for months, but then one day when for some reason (distraction), I'd neglected to turn on the fuel pump(s) and I'd usually also been able to start the engine by just bumping the starter switch. This is my theory, but apparently when the fuel pressure is low and the injectors fire, only a minuscule amount of fuel enters the intake and if the cylinder that's on the bottom of the its stroke, finally accumulates enough fuel to fire, the engine kicks back.   Since that episode I ensure the fuel pumps are operational before starting and I keep the starter engaged until the engine cranks up.  It is odd that the shear pin in the starter didn't let go before breaking a teeth off the ring gear.  Fortunately others with the same EI/EFI and similar engines haven't had this problem.

The flywheel and ring gear have to pulled off the engine.  I asked some local pros if they'd done this before but no luck.  Searching the interwebs for replacing automotive ring gears found several methods.  One was to heat the ring gear with a hot torch to expand it and it would either fall off or with a few pops with a hammer, come off.  I tried this initially but after paint started blackening decide to try the cold chisel method.  Since this method breaks the ring gear, it made sense to help it out by cutting a slice as deep as possible without damaging the surface under the ring gear.  There is a lip that the ring gear is against so a round cut off wheel can only go so deep, but weaken the gear.  The assembly needs a very solid surface so that the chisel strikes are effective.  Place the ring gear retaining lip up so that the ring gear is driven away from it when it is struck from above. The chisel head is placed in the slot that was cut. A 3 lb. hammer, large cold chisel, gloves and eye protection are prudent.  I tried multiple light strikes initially but didn't make any progress.  Experience revealed on the last two ring gears, that it took three solid whacks to break and depart the ring gear. The ring usually moves a little on the first whack, more on the 2nd and breaks on the third. It comes off faster than a scared cat so heavy gloves are needed to protect your hands.  

Cold chisel and slit cut in the ring gear.

  

3 whacks later.

Installing the new gear is easy.  It's important to verify the tooth count is the same.  The U shaped teeth are on the 149 count gears and V shaped are on the 122 count gears.  The ring gears teeth are machined so it's important to mount the gear with the machined side towards the starter oriented away from the retaining lip.  Make sure all of the mating surfaces are clean and free of burs.  Heat the new gear (oven works fine) to 375 - 400F.  Put the other part in the freezer.  When you're ready...and wear gloves to handle the hot ring,  drop the ring gear on.  It is so loose it spins around but in less than a minute, it will have shrunk and secured itself.

The ring gear will fit in a countertop oven.

Fortunately I haven't had any issues for awhile but will keep watch for those gremlins.

Formation flying practice

Three of us met at KRPH Graham Texas to do some formation practice.  We briefed, flew for an hour and then debriefed.  Mark Richardson got some nice photos and videos.