 |
 December, 2002 |
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December, 2002 |
| Happy Holidays From GPASC! |
| Steve and Linda at Great Plains hope that this holiday season finds you and your family in great spirits and good health. Thank you for your continued support over this past year. |
| IN THIS ISSUE OF THE BEETLE FLYER: |
| · Diehl Alternator Check (Information Below) |
| · Sun & Fun Update (Information Below) |
| · Oil Cooler Information (Information Below) |
| · KR 2003 Gathering (Information Below) |
| · Service Bulletins Click Here! |
| · New Product Updates Click Here! |
| DIEHL ALTERNATOR CHECK |
|
The alternator used inside the Diehl Accessory Case
has a rotating magnet ring attached to the flywheel
that rotates around a stationary stator mounted to the
accessory case. The alternator's output is directly
related to the rpm the magnet ring is spinning. At low or
idle rpm, you will see a reading of 12V or less on your
volt meter, depending upon what electric loads you
have turned on. If you suspect you have an alternator
problem do the following checks.
Using your Volt/Ohm Meter, check for continuity between the 2 white wires that come out of the alternator and the accessory case. If continuity is there, the internal windings of the stator are grounded. The usual culprit is one of the magneto hold down clamp bolts. Check between the regulator/rectifier's body and the engine case with your Volt/Ohm Meter. You should have continuity here. If not, you may need to run a wire from the body of the regulator/rectifier to the engine case. If this solves the problem, your firewall may not be grounded to the engine. The Lycoming bushings may insulate the engine, from the engine mount and thus, the firewall. The last check involves checking the output of the alternator. Turn your Voltmeter to the AC scale (60VAC). Hook up the red and black test leads from your meter, to the white wires from the alternator. With the engine running at 2500 rpm, you should be reading between 25 and 40 VAC. If this checks out OK, but you still are discharging, check your wiring, especially the switches. Hook up your volt meter directly to the output of the B+ terminal on the regulator/rectifier and check for voltage. If the regulator rectifier is bad, it is usually a result of excessive heat. The alternator has a maximum operational temperature of 190F. |
| SUN & FUN UPDATE |
| Great Plains Aircraft will again be conducting the Sun & Fun VW Engine Workshop in 2003. Please note the dates for the Sun & Fun Fly-in for 2003, Wednesday, April 2, through Tuesday, April 8. The engine workshop will be conducted Thursday through Sunday. In addition, Steve will be conducting two forums: "VW Engines" and "Other Than Certified Engines in Sport Aircraft". If you have an interest in VW engines, assembly, troubleshooting, parts use, operational or installation, please come to the workshop tent. Keith Browne will take the engine apart in the morning. Steve will assembly the VW in the afternoon. The average workshop takes about 3 hours to complete. |
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How to reach us at Great Plains Aircraft: Info: 402 493 6507 Fax: 402 493 3846 Orders: 800 922 6507 (US Only) Web: www.gpasc.com Email: gpasc@earthlink.net |
| Oil Coolers |
| Oil coolers play a very important role in cooling your VW conversion. Recently some individuals and
companies have said that an oil cooler is not needed and we
couldn't disagree more! Please look at the destroyed bearings
in the photo below. A VW is cooled by three components: air, fuel and oil. Remove any one and the other two must pick up the heat load and dissipate it. For a VW conversion, an oil cooler is an absolute necessity. The bearings shown had a total of 3 hours on them. The engine was installed in a low and slow aircraft (70mph or less cruise). The pilot was advised he did not need an oil cooler because of the low rpm the engine turned. The pilot stated that his oil temperature ran about 240 - 250F, all the time. The oil sender was located in the sump. When the engine oil was drained prior to disassembly, the oil was dark black. It should have been clear after only 3 hours. All the rod bearings were worn through the babbit. The number 2 and 3 bearings were worn out.  The number 1 and 4 bearings had excessive wear. The engine turned 2950 rpm with a 62" diameter prop, wide open throttle in the air. The owner operated the engine at 2800 rpm. If a manifold pressure gauge or vacuum gauge had been installed and understood, the owner would have realized he was operating the engine continuously at 95% of available power. While a lower power setting would have reduced oil temperature, or at least taken longer for the oil to reach it's upper limit, an oil cooler most certainly would have prevented the problem in the first place. The oil temperature of a VW conversion should run between 180F and 200F, in cruise flight. Take off and climb can be higher for short durations. The oil needs to run this hot to dissipate moisture and combustion by products. Cool oil temperature, especially below 160F can actually do more accumulated damage over time, because a low oil temperature will not remove combustion by-products and moisture. An oil filter is not a salvation for low oil temperature. Oil filters remove dirt, sludge, etc., but they do not remove water and light gases. |
| KR Gathering - 2003 |
| The 2002 KR Gathering was a great time for all in attendance! It was decided at the Gathering, that the 2003 KR Gathering will also be set in Red Oak, Iowa. The dates are, September 11 - 14. Mike and Teri Garbez, Steve and Linda Bennett, and Jim and Deb Faughn are the hosts again this year. For additional information for 2003 or pictures of the 2002 Gathering, log onto www.krgathering.org. As the event draws closer, the web site will contain the most up to date information available. |
To place an order: Call us at 1-800-922-6507 (US Only)
Questions at 1-402-493-6507
Fax us at 402-493-3846.
Inquiries can also be directed to:
gpasc@earthlink.net
Great Plains Aircraft Supply Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 545
Boys Town, NE 68010