https://rotorwayforums.com/ Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:09:16 +0000 MyBB https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-241.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 18:47:39 -0500 Graeme Smith]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-241.html I am helping a friend who has been adding coolant on a regular basis, not a lot of coolant, but still needs topping up, we use a catch can setup to handle the coolant top up, ie the std RW surge tank is gone and in its place a standard racing catch can is installed where it can be easily seen. The catch can receives any coolant that is released via the radiator cap, then when all cools down that coolant flows back into the radiator, same idea as most cars. The catch can has a coolant level tube that can be seen so the owner knows it has lost some coolant. When he dips the oil tank no water is seen, the oil is visually as it should be. the only place where we see the creamy oil is in the oil catch can (it is connected to the vent tube on the oil tank and its job is to separate any oil in the fumes coming from the oil tank, it has a dip stick and we see about 2 mm of creamy oil when it is removed for inspection. We have pulled off the barrels and checked for cracks between the sleeves at the base of the barrells, no visible crack is seen, and inside the crankcase shows only oil, no creamy at all. So now I have run out of ideas of where the coolant could be getting into the catch can and only there??
Whilst we have the barrels off we plan to machine of the fire ring protrusion and replace with the solid full face gasket and studs, When looking at the talon engine set up it shows the solid head gasket and a base gasket, so I am wondering how much should be machined of the barrels to allow for these instead of the current no base gasket and the fire ring setup, any ideas??]]> I am helping a friend who has been adding coolant on a regular basis, not a lot of coolant, but still needs topping up, we use a catch can setup to handle the coolant top up, ie the std RW surge tank is gone and in its place a standard racing catch can is installed where it can be easily seen. The catch can receives any coolant that is released via the radiator cap, then when all cools down that coolant flows back into the radiator, same idea as most cars. The catch can has a coolant level tube that can be seen so the owner knows it has lost some coolant. When he dips the oil tank no water is seen, the oil is visually as it should be. the only place where we see the creamy oil is in the oil catch can (it is connected to the vent tube on the oil tank and its job is to separate any oil in the fumes coming from the oil tank, it has a dip stick and we see about 2 mm of creamy oil when it is removed for inspection. We have pulled off the barrels and checked for cracks between the sleeves at the base of the barrells, no visible crack is seen, and inside the crankcase shows only oil, no creamy at all. So now I have run out of ideas of where the coolant could be getting into the catch can and only there??
Whilst we have the barrels off we plan to machine of the fire ring protrusion and replace with the solid full face gasket and studs, When looking at the talon engine set up it shows the solid head gasket and a base gasket, so I am wondering how much should be machined of the barrels to allow for these instead of the current no base gasket and the fire ring setup, any ideas??]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-239.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:48:27 -0500 Nick Bachert]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-239.html
Nick]]>
Nick]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-193.html Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:54:47 -0500 Geno Mancini]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-193.html So I milled off a 1/16" on the top wood filler blocks.
And milled off 1/4" on the bottom wood filler blocks.
And replaced them with 1/16" steel and 1/4" aluminum plates.
Now the bolts torque up nice and solid and the steel straps don't dig into the wood filler blocks.
Also the blade straps are straight and not wavy, because the bolts, when torqued, warp the straps.
Put a straight edge on length ways, on top of your straps, you'll see what I'm talking about. See less


]]> So I milled off a 1/16" on the top wood filler blocks.
And milled off 1/4" on the bottom wood filler blocks.
And replaced them with 1/16" steel and 1/4" aluminum plates.
Now the bolts torque up nice and solid and the steel straps don't dig into the wood filler blocks.
Also the blade straps are straight and not wavy, because the bolts, when torqued, warp the straps.
Put a straight edge on length ways, on top of your straps, you'll see what I'm talking about. See less


]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-174.html Sat, 08 Aug 2026 03:41:27 -0500 Jorgen Nielsen]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-174.html
Anyone having experience, and want to share hints and description for the easy way to do this.
Have a nice day]]>
Anyone having experience, and want to share hints and description for the easy way to do this.
Have a nice day]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-166.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:38:27 -0500 Lyle Swallows]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-166.html
i know the belt pulleys are 170/180 so a 160-170-180-190 sticker is what i'll run,

i'll have bearing temp gauges for secondary, main, and tail rotorbrearings aswell. but want stickers here at these locations too.

anyone have any other recommendations?

im replacing mine due to age... these dont last forever and i dont think should be trusted beyond 10 years.]]>
i know the belt pulleys are 170/180 so a 160-170-180-190 sticker is what i'll run,

i'll have bearing temp gauges for secondary, main, and tail rotorbrearings aswell. but want stickers here at these locations too.

anyone have any other recommendations?

im replacing mine due to age... these dont last forever and i dont think should be trusted beyond 10 years.]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-160.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:39:57 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-160.html
My client was getting bored with just hovering and so began doing quick stops from one end of my grass strip to the other. At the 3 hour mark he noticed what seemed like a slight miss in the engine and he set it down for me to take a look at it. I advised that we change the fuel filter and check the fuel screen to insure sufficient fuel flow as a first check. We installed a new fuel filter and the screen was clean. On start-up the engine ran well but in hover there was an occasional miss. 

We checked every connection, wire, and hose to try to find something that would cause the miss to no avail. The next time we started the engine it was running very roughly and would die after a few seconds of running. At that point I thought that perhaps we had some bad fuel so we drained the fuel system and added fresh 91 octane. With fresh fuel in the tanks we now could not even get the engine to fire or even backfire. What could be the problem?

We were both thankful for my 5 hours of testing near the ground before altitude flight rule. After 19 real autorotations due to engine or system failures in my career I am not wanting to make it 20. 

We spent several days trouble shooting every system and could not find a reason why we now had no spark or fuel injection. The Fadec computers seemed fine but the engine would not fire on either fadec. Tuesday evening ended with both of us frustrated and brain fried so I called a buddy who has just retired from his auto service and engine shop and he agreed to come out yesterday morning to give the engine his expert opinion. 

Before Jeff arrived we removed the main drive belts from the engine pulley so that the engine start could be attempted inside of our air conditioned workshop instead of out in the 110 heat index humid air outside. Jeff verified no spark and no fuel injection signals and yet the computer fired up and checked out ready to provide those signals. The computer was not getting the crank position signals from either of the crank sensors. I have heard of a crank sensor going bad but have not had one happen on any of the helicopters that I have flown or worked on. 

How could both crank sensors go bad at the same time? Jeff told us that was nearly impossible so there was another reason why they were not sending the required signal to the computers. He had us remove the drive pulley and flywheel so that we could inspect the trigger wheel that activates the crank sensors. Jeff checked the gap between the trigger wheel teeth and the crank sensor and one gap was too wide and one was too tight. He next used an large screw driver to pry the crank hub to the side and it shifted .080" in either direction. 

Problem discovered. The top crank bearing is allowing the crankshaft and attached trigger wheel to wobble back and forth preventing the crank sensors from receiving the 360 degrees of data that the computer needs to fire the spark plugs and fuel injectors. It was as if the crank sensors had failed but it was actually the top engine crank bearing that failed after only 3 hours, that is if the engine builder had even installed a new bearing and now I am doubtful of that. 

My client is not going to have the same engine builder even touch his engine. We removed it and called Joe Huff who agreed to do a full tear down and blueprint of the engine with installation of any needed components. It is on its way to Texas to Joe's shop as I write this.]]>
My client was getting bored with just hovering and so began doing quick stops from one end of my grass strip to the other. At the 3 hour mark he noticed what seemed like a slight miss in the engine and he set it down for me to take a look at it. I advised that we change the fuel filter and check the fuel screen to insure sufficient fuel flow as a first check. We installed a new fuel filter and the screen was clean. On start-up the engine ran well but in hover there was an occasional miss. 

We checked every connection, wire, and hose to try to find something that would cause the miss to no avail. The next time we started the engine it was running very roughly and would die after a few seconds of running. At that point I thought that perhaps we had some bad fuel so we drained the fuel system and added fresh 91 octane. With fresh fuel in the tanks we now could not even get the engine to fire or even backfire. What could be the problem?

We were both thankful for my 5 hours of testing near the ground before altitude flight rule. After 19 real autorotations due to engine or system failures in my career I am not wanting to make it 20. 

We spent several days trouble shooting every system and could not find a reason why we now had no spark or fuel injection. The Fadec computers seemed fine but the engine would not fire on either fadec. Tuesday evening ended with both of us frustrated and brain fried so I called a buddy who has just retired from his auto service and engine shop and he agreed to come out yesterday morning to give the engine his expert opinion. 

Before Jeff arrived we removed the main drive belts from the engine pulley so that the engine start could be attempted inside of our air conditioned workshop instead of out in the 110 heat index humid air outside. Jeff verified no spark and no fuel injection signals and yet the computer fired up and checked out ready to provide those signals. The computer was not getting the crank position signals from either of the crank sensors. I have heard of a crank sensor going bad but have not had one happen on any of the helicopters that I have flown or worked on. 

How could both crank sensors go bad at the same time? Jeff told us that was nearly impossible so there was another reason why they were not sending the required signal to the computers. He had us remove the drive pulley and flywheel so that we could inspect the trigger wheel that activates the crank sensors. Jeff checked the gap between the trigger wheel teeth and the crank sensor and one gap was too wide and one was too tight. He next used an large screw driver to pry the crank hub to the side and it shifted .080" in either direction. 

Problem discovered. The top crank bearing is allowing the crankshaft and attached trigger wheel to wobble back and forth preventing the crank sensors from receiving the 360 degrees of data that the computer needs to fire the spark plugs and fuel injectors. It was as if the crank sensors had failed but it was actually the top engine crank bearing that failed after only 3 hours, that is if the engine builder had even installed a new bearing and now I am doubtful of that. 

My client is not going to have the same engine builder even touch his engine. We removed it and called Joe Huff who agreed to do a full tear down and blueprint of the engine with installation of any needed components. It is on its way to Texas to Joe's shop as I write this.]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-159.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:32:16 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-159.html
Here are before and after pictures of the installation.


]]>
Here are before and after pictures of the installation.


]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-146.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:10:07 -0500 Nick Bachert]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-146.html
Nick]]>
Nick]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-136.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:55:39 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-136.html

]]>

]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-135.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:12:49 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-135.html


degrees to the base with a sharp bend. This bracket bolts to the top of the frame hood bracket and supports the collective scissor assembly. If this bracket broke loose the collective would be impaired or non functional depending on the severity of the break.

In this particular case the builder fabricated the bracket too wide causing the up bent tabs to not fit between the cast aluminum scissor yoke. They anlso made sharp bends instead of a smooth radius bend as shown in the installed bracket photo. Instead of making a new bracket they ground away a little more than half of each tabs thickness to make it fit into the casting. Of course this reduced the strength of the bracket and you would not want to be flying your helicopter with any part of your rotor control system compromised. Above are posted a photo of a properly fabricated installed bracket to compare with the improperly fabricated one laying on my workbench.]]>


degrees to the base with a sharp bend. This bracket bolts to the top of the frame hood bracket and supports the collective scissor assembly. If this bracket broke loose the collective would be impaired or non functional depending on the severity of the break.

In this particular case the builder fabricated the bracket too wide causing the up bent tabs to not fit between the cast aluminum scissor yoke. They anlso made sharp bends instead of a smooth radius bend as shown in the installed bracket photo. Instead of making a new bracket they ground away a little more than half of each tabs thickness to make it fit into the casting. Of course this reduced the strength of the bracket and you would not want to be flying your helicopter with any part of your rotor control system compromised. Above are posted a photo of a properly fabricated installed bracket to compare with the improperly fabricated one laying on my workbench.]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-133.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:21:00 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-133.html
Is]]>
Is]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-132.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:15:24 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-132.html
ote the bend in the threaded portion of the pitch links hanging down in the photo.]]>
ote the bend in the threaded portion of the pitch links hanging down in the photo.]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-120.html Sun, 28 Jun 2026 06:53:33 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-120.html
On examination we found both of the 30 amp fuses near the alternator blown shutting all power from the alternator. The ship was running only on the lithium battery and showing 12.7 volts in flight. After about 45 minutes of flight the battery was depleted to the point that the internal circuitry shut off all power to the electrical system even though it had been displaying 12.7 volts up until the time of the electrical shut off. We researched the issue and there is a complete and reliable fix to the electrical system that we can discuss if anyone is interested. Don't let this happen to you.]]>
On examination we found both of the 30 amp fuses near the alternator blown shutting all power from the alternator. The ship was running only on the lithium battery and showing 12.7 volts in flight. After about 45 minutes of flight the battery was depleted to the point that the internal circuitry shut off all power to the electrical system even though it had been displaying 12.7 volts up until the time of the electrical shut off. We researched the issue and there is a complete and reliable fix to the electrical system that we can discuss if anyone is interested. Don't let this happen to you.]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-118.html Sun, 28 Jun 2026 06:42:55 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-118.html https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-114.html Sat, 13 Jun 2026 03:30:43 -0500 Lyle Swallows]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-114.html i just got the new style slider carriage(TR swashplate)(spider)(whatever you wanna call it) and i am having an interference issue with the end stop/seal holder. instructions just say ensure no interference not how to alleviate any. is it as simple as grind away the clearance ~1/8" of material from the "web"?

i'm sure this is due to my clevis being for the old style, maybe there was an update to the clevis.

not a huge issue, mostly posting to share info incase someone comes across this in the future.




]]> i just got the new style slider carriage(TR swashplate)(spider)(whatever you wanna call it) and i am having an interference issue with the end stop/seal holder. instructions just say ensure no interference not how to alleviate any. is it as simple as grind away the clearance ~1/8" of material from the "web"?

i'm sure this is due to my clevis being for the old style, maybe there was an update to the clevis.

not a huge issue, mostly posting to share info incase someone comes across this in the future.




]]>