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First Start ... in a week

Jasonm

Well Known Member
Getting ready for my first engine start and have a few questions.

Engine is a factory new IO-540, I've drained the preservation oil from the sump and the cylinders and added 8 qts of Aeroshell 100 SAE 50 mineral oil. All fittings and wiring have been double-checked. Anything that can vibrate is secure. Ignition is a one LS and one mag (will start on the LS).

How long should the initial run last? Should I bring the engine up to a certain temp?

I plan to have a few people with me watching the engine and looking for any hazards.

Anything else?

Obviously I will secure the plane to an anchor point and will have extinguishers ready.

Thanks
 
Pull plugs

Jason, pull the upper spark plugs so the engine can spin freely until you see oil pressure.

Best,
 
As Pierre said, oil pressure is the most important thing. I pull the bottom plugs usually and spin the prop by hand until my arm gets tired or until I register oil pressure. Then I spin with the starter and usually get 30-45psi. Then I reinstall those plugs and fire it up. Ground runs should be kept to a minimum, and CHT's should not exceed 400. I do a run up and mag check, then cycle the prop for the first time (sometimes you have to have the prop level pulled for more than 30 seconds for the oil pressure to build up the first time. After this first run (usually just a couple of minutes), I take a good look around the engine to look for oil or fuel leaks. I usually out a wrench on each fuel and oil line again just to make sure they are tight.

If you do a full static run up, make sure you have good brakes, chocks on all 3 wheels and it doesn't hurt to have the tail tied to something solid like an old truck or a tree or something like that. Just see what rpm you get and maybe make note of the egt's and fuel flow to see if you are flowing enough fuel for takeoff.
 
Your first run should be just a couple minutes. Then shut down and do a thorough thorough leak check. Then run it longer. That's how you avoid a possible humongous oil cleanup.
 
Engine heater?

Looking at the forecast, you might need an engine heater. I just drove to AVL and plugged in my oil pan heater.
 
Designate a safety officer. His job is to be your point of contact with the outside, to minimize your distractions. He'll signal you when it's safe to start and also signal you to shut down if a problem develops that you can't see from the cockpit. Also, make sure your anchor line is not taut before you start. It's job is to be a backup for your brakes, but they should be able to overcome the engine (or how would you do a normal runup?). If you get distracted and let the plane creep forward until the line is taut, the safety officer should have you shut down. I had a taut anchor to my tiedown and just the normal bouncing around that the tail does during a runup bent my tiedown. Thankfully, it did not jam it in the threads, so I was easily able to replace it, and it also gave before any structural damage was done. On that note, test your brakes before runup. Have a couple of friends pull on the gear legs (if they are not faired) or the engine mount. Don't drag your plane with a car or truck, you might damage something. The human pull is enough to let you know if your brakes are working.
 
Clean off your test area-leaf blower first.

This will avoid rock chips if your airport does not use a vacuum sweeper. Never stand in the plane of the prop. Imagine the FOD story here.
 
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