Recommended engine operation following lengthy downtime

[Fearless Tower]

Well, my 'project' is finally nearing completion and will be coming out of the paint shop soon and annual signoff shortly after that.

The plane has been torn apart and sitting with most fluids drained for about 5 months now.

Any recommendations for engine operation post-maintenance (O-300 with ~350 SMOH)? Is running it at a constant rpm for a while best, or is pattern work okay?

 

[weirdjim]

Well, my 'project' is finally nearing completion and will be coming out of the paint shop soon and annual signoff shortly after that.

The plane has been torn apart and sitting with most fluids drained for about 5 months now.

Any recommendations for engine operation post-maintenance (O-300 with ~350 SMOH)? Is running it at a constant rpm for a while best, or is pattern work okay?

Well, I would NEVER recommend this for a certificated airplane, no sir, not me boy. The fact that I've seen it done for a hundred engines in my time has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with it.

Pull all plug magneto wires. Put the engine to TDC on cylinder #1. Put a plug in the bottom cylinder. Pour the top plug hole full of Marvel Oil until it runs out the plug hole. Rotate the prop until that cylinder comes to TDC again. It will probably require a refill of a tablespoon or so. Repeat for all cylinders. Let it set overnight. Fire it up the next morning and run it reasonably hard to a few thousand MSL above pattern altitude. Run it pretty well wide open for a few racetracks above pattern altitude. Done.


Jim

 

[poadeleted20]

You did do the engine preservation process, right? If so, just follow the instructions from Continental on "de-pickling" it and returning it to service. Otherwise, you might want to take a good look inside that engine before going further.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

http://www.tcmlink.com/pdf2/SIL99-1.pdf

its at the bottom.

 

[Fearless Tower]

You did do the engine preservation process, right? If so, just follow the instructions from Continental on "de-pickling" it and returning it to service. Otherwise, you might want to take a good look inside that engine before going further.

That is a good question - I'll have to ask my A&P IA. I suspect the answer is no, since it was never originally envisioned that it would take this long. Original plan was to knock out the annual, then I'd fly it for a month before sending it off to the paint shop. Parts delays and growth work dragged it on for a while before I decided that I might as well incorporate the paint job into the annual. So, the airplane has been bouncing back and forth for the past few months between A&P, Avionics and the Paint shop. On a positive side, it has been indoors pretty much the whole time.

Glad to have you back, Ron!

 

[Henning]

Well, my 'project' is finally nearing completion and will be coming out of the paint shop soon and annual signoff shortly after that.

The plane has been torn apart and sitting with most fluids drained for about 5 months now.

Any recommendations for engine operation post-maintenance (O-300 with ~350 SMOH)? Is running it at a constant rpm for a while best, or is pattern work okay?

Pull the bottom set of plugs, if you want spray som WD-40 or whatever in there, won't matter really. Spin the engine as fast as you can by hand, see if you can get the oil pressure to register, put the plugs in and fire it up.