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Engine Protection

Mark Dickens

Well Known Member
Patron
When I received my engine in late June from Titan, it had/has no oil in it and I am concerned about corrosion. I expect that first engine start (aside from the dyno run at Titan) will be next Spring.

I have inserted desiccant plugs in each cylinder and stuffed small bags (old gym socks) full of desiccant in the exhaust pipes, and sealed all openings to the crankcase. My question to the engine gurus here is whether I need to 1) put oil in the engine (not sure what that would accomplish) or 2) try to preserve the engine somehow despite not being able to start the engine. Would there be any benefit to squirting a small amount of mineral oil (or preservative oil mix) into the top spark plug holes to allow it to drain into the crankcase?
 
Unless you are right on the coast or have VERY high humidity, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Unless you are right on the coast or have VERY high humidity, I wouldn't worry about it.

Well, it is the Memphis area and one thing we don't have a problem with in the summer is moisture...lots of it here. When I microwaved one of the desiccant plugs the other day, it was interesting to see all the steam coming out.

Right now, it's 77% humidity and 93% forecast for tonight...yep, it's muggy here.
 
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If the engine is not yet mounted, you could always pour a couple quarts of oil in it, then store it upside down so the cam and lifters would be soaking in oil. :D
 
Mark, sounds to me like you are doing a good job of keeping most of the moisture out. That engine will be just fine until you finally get it running.
 
Maybe make the economical engine dehydrator? Seems the plans floating around say its buildable for $30-40 bucks?
 
Better Safe Than Sorry

Mark:
One of the builders here at Pontiac took delivery of a new engine that had been drained prior to shipment. His intention was to have the airplane running "within a couple of months". About a year and a half later, he scoped the engine and found a good deal of corrosion. Ended up having the engine torn down and the cam and some other elements replaced.

These build projects always seem to take longer than we hope. My suggestion would be to call Titan, ask for long term storage instructions, and follow them. It's not going to cost much, and you'll probably sleep better knowing everything is safe. It'd be a shame to get to the finish line and find out the most expensive/important part of your plane has suffered unnecessary damage.
Good luck.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
 
Mark:
One of the builders here at Pontiac took delivery of a new engine that had been drained prior to shipment. His intention was to have the airplane running "within a couple of months". About a year and a half later, he scoped the engine and found a good deal of corrosion. Ended up having the engine torn down and the cam and some other elements replaced.

Yep, this is what worries me. Unfortunately, since Titan sold me the engine, their response on other issues has been, shall we say, less than adequate. I still don't have a list of serialized components on the engine. So, my confidence in getting reliable feedback from Titan is very low.
 
Yep, this is what worries me. Unfortunately, since Titan sold me the engine, their response on other issues has been, shall we say, less than adequate. I still don't have a list of serialized components on the engine. So, my confidence in getting reliable feedback from Titan is very low.

All engines run- in on our dyno at Titan, are run with mineral based Phillips 20w50 anti rust oil. At the end of this three hour run-in, this oil is drained while hot, the filter is removed cut open and replaced with a fresh one. The engine is removed from the dyno an all external holes plugged for shipping.
What you are doing to keep your engine dry in your humid environment is good. I would add that an engine that is not running always has one exhaust valve open and one intake valve open. These are possible paths for moisture to enter your engine. It would be best if all exhaust port and the intake openings be plugged or capped. The best place for a dehydrator would be attached to the engine breather. Moisture tends to collect in the top of the crankcase next to the cam, the engine breather is also in the top of the crankcase.
I am sure with what you are doing the engine will be fine.
I am disappointed that we have not given you the feed back you require. You can always contact me thru Titan support.
 
All engines run- in on our dyno at Titan, are run with mineral based Phillips 20w50 anti rust oil. At the end of this three hour run-in, this oil is drained while hot, the filter is removed cut open and replaced with a fresh one. The engine is removed from the dyno an all external holes plugged for shipping.
What you are doing to keep your engine dry in your humid environment is good. I would add that an engine that is not running always has one exhaust valve open and one intake valve open. These are possible paths for moisture to enter your engine. It would be best if all exhaust port and the intake openings be plugged or capped. The best place for a dehydrator would be attached to the engine breather. Moisture tends to collect in the top of the crankcase next to the cam, the engine breather is also in the top of the crankcase.
I am sure with what you are doing the engine will be fine.
I am disappointed that we have not given you the feed back you require. You can always contact me thru Titan support.

I have desiccant plugs in all four cylinders and it's easy to see which ones have the open valves based on the color change of the plugs. Two of them never change color and the other two gradually turn light purple and then I microwave them to remove the moisture. Amazing to see how much steam comes out of them during that process.

I have also taken old gym socks and put desiccant in them, zip tied them closed and stuffed them up the exhaust pipes, and also duct taped the exhausts shut. At this point, I haven't put a bag of desiccant in the intake because I'm still working on control cables, but I have taped it over as well as the breather. I think I've plugged all the open holes, but the total lack of oil in the engine makes me feel uneasy for some reason.

I think the thing is to get this puppy done so I can run that engine!
 
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In my opinion these "Engine Dehydrators" are disasters waiting to happen. You will induce more moisture this way by pumping air through the engine than would normally be present in a static, non-running engine.

Not true. That's not how they work.
 
Kudos to Bobby Looper AKA Titan Engine Expert

Bobby called me this afternoon and spent a good 30 minutes with me going over issues and questions about my engine. Very knowledgeable about my engine, as well as how to go about protecting it. He's been there for 25 years and built 100s of engines so I highly recommend talking to him if you have questions. Definitely a breath of fresh air!
 
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