msaltzman14
Active Member
Hi All-
I have an RV9A, bought not built. I've had her about 2 years and put 250 hours on so far.
My CHTs are consistently higher than I'd like, but some associates with RV experience have told me they're warm, but nothing to worry about.
That said, I'm starting to not love what it means for performance, let alone potential safety factors or engine lifetime.
On spring days here in Northern California, I climb out at 105 KIAS and get about 420 CHT on my O-320, 1 p-mag and 1 mangeto. When I come back to 65% power in cruise around 7500, I'm seeing temps like 390. Last week I did a red-line (2700 rpm for fixed pitch) test at 8500 and the temps came up to 416.
I've tried to stay under 400 in cruise always, which can mean I'm not going as fast as I want, especially at altitude. I know the Lyc book says 500 and below is fine, but it just feels totally wrong. Even on climbs to high altitudes, I'm reducing power and climbing flatter to keep the temps below 430.
Anyway, I'm going into my inspection this week and working with a local A&P and I wanted to hear what people think about these temps.
In terms of baffling, there isn't any obvious defects.
Really appreciate thoughts here- is this way warmer than most engines? Something to be concerned about?
Mike
I have an RV9A, bought not built. I've had her about 2 years and put 250 hours on so far.
My CHTs are consistently higher than I'd like, but some associates with RV experience have told me they're warm, but nothing to worry about.
That said, I'm starting to not love what it means for performance, let alone potential safety factors or engine lifetime.
On spring days here in Northern California, I climb out at 105 KIAS and get about 420 CHT on my O-320, 1 p-mag and 1 mangeto. When I come back to 65% power in cruise around 7500, I'm seeing temps like 390. Last week I did a red-line (2700 rpm for fixed pitch) test at 8500 and the temps came up to 416.
I've tried to stay under 400 in cruise always, which can mean I'm not going as fast as I want, especially at altitude. I know the Lyc book says 500 and below is fine, but it just feels totally wrong. Even on climbs to high altitudes, I'm reducing power and climbing flatter to keep the temps below 430.
Anyway, I'm going into my inspection this week and working with a local A&P and I wanted to hear what people think about these temps.
In terms of baffling, there isn't any obvious defects.
Really appreciate thoughts here- is this way warmer than most engines? Something to be concerned about?
Mike