Siezed low-time neglected turbocharger

[Flynic3]

I am wondering if the Turbo is now a viable option...

If you are not in a rush to buy the engine - I'd wait and see! It looks promising but 10.3 hours of success from one of our members is not a lot of data yet. How long will your build take? I am on year 5 and am asymptotically approaching the finish line. Unless you are one of the lightspeed guys who can build (and afford) the whole thing in a year, time is on your side. As for me, my plan has been upgrade to a turbo after 5 years of flying without​. Should be plenty of time for the bugs to be worked out.

Regarding Scat split heads - why? I have a pair for my 1/2 VW Hummel engine. Seems like a lot less cooling area than a full head.

I was interested in the SCAT heads because the split head design is meant for higher horsepower applications and boosted turbo setups. I have heard that some of the quality control on the AeroVee engines can be hit or miss. I would like to build the engine with the turbo in mind and make sure that it will be up to the task. I would like for this to be a fairly trouble free setup if at all possible, so I am wondering if there are other after market parts that you would include over what is given in the AeroVee engine package? I have heard good things about SCAT and was looking into their product offerings... the split head stood out as a good potential upgrade for the turbo setup. I have been speaking with a gentleman who just used all SCAT components to rebuild a 1/2 VW interestingly enough. His was a Hummel built engine as well. I have heard the 1/2 VWs actually cool better than the full 4 cylinder engines as the 4 cylinders allow less airflow around the heads compared with the 1/2. I am mainly just wondering what you would personally change out on the AeroVee from what you have seen during your turbo builds to make this engine bulletproof...
Thank you all kindly for your insight and wisdom on these subjects!

God Bless and Blue Skies,

Nic

[Gordon]

Nic..........what Bryan is saying is correct........you getting the "cart ahead of the horse". You have LOTS of time to worry about the engine choice when you haven't even built the tail yet.....no disrespect intended. Another thing NOT to worry about is what your going to put in the panel just yet......most of these airplane require 4-5 years of effort to finish. You will have a LOT more knowledge acquired by the 3rd and 4th year to make those kind of decisions.

You mentioned you want "reliable power".......for me that would rule out a Turbo Aerovee.........just saying. If you want more power and a reasonably reliable and proven engine.......go with the 3300 Jabiru 120 hp.....there was one posted here for 10k......that's a great deal and the same price as the 100 hp Turbo Aerovee. It puts out more power and has a much longer track record to draw from.

Gordon.....Onex C-IODB....Hummel 2400

[Flynic3]

Nic..........what Bryan is saying is correct........you getting the "cart ahead of the horse". You have LOTS of time to worry about the engine choice when you haven't even built the tail yet.....no disrespect intended. Another thing NOT to worry about is what your going to put in the panel just yet......most of these airplane require 4-5 years of effort to finish. You will have a LOT more knowledge acquired by the 3rd and 4th year to make those kind of decisions.

You mentioned you want "reliable power".......for me that would rule out a Turbo Aerovee.........just saying. If you want more power and a reasonably reliable and proven engine.......go with the 3300 Jabiru 120 hp.....there was one posted here for 10k......that's a great deal and the same price as the 100 hp Turbo Aerovee. It puts out more power and has a much longer track record to draw from.

Gordon.....Onex C-IODB....Hummel 2400

Good Evening Gordon,

Thank you for your words of wisdom my friend and it is much appreciated. I would agree I am somewhat getting ahead of myself here however I am trying to plan the project out in order to decide the best way to go about things. I was under the impression that there were discounts given for purchasing the AeroVee engine along with the Complete Airframe kit. That is why I asked about the AeroVee turbo and if it would be a good option since the water-cooling fix has been released. After looking over the Sonex website this does not appear to be the case. I apologize for getting off subject with this discussion and I am going to delete the long drawn out message I wrote last night. In the meantime I will continue following the developments of the AeroVee turbo and hope things work out for the best. I do like the 4th generation Jabiru 3300 however to not want to spend that much on the engine. I did see the Jabiru 3300 for sale in the Classifieds for $10k however I believe that Mike and someone else are in line for that deal before me. I do understand that it will take some time to complete this build however do not want it to drag out to 5+ years if at all possible. I know that the B model does have a lot of time saving features and feel that if I purchased the entire Airframe kit at once it would help make the build come together much quicker. I will also have multiple people assisting me in getting this project completed. I guess at this point I will just order the Tail Kit first this summer and decide from there on how I will go about this project. It looks to me like the price is fairly close to being the same whether I build the project using sub-kits or purchasing the complete airframe package at once... besides shipping charges of course. Thanks again for the words of wisdom and your insight on the subject!

Best Regards,
Nicholas Dawson

[NWade]

Nic -

Although you might save a few hundred $$ now if you buy it all as a bundle, those parts are going to sit for a couple of years not being used (possibly getting rusty), and in the meantime that money could have gone towards something else - or been put in an account that earns interest. Granted, not a lot of interest these days; but the bottom line is that I agree with Gordon in that there's no upside to buying your engine or avionics until the very end of your build.

I waited until I had the tail, wings, and half of the fuselage built before I bought my AeroVee Turbo kit - and it *still* sat as parts on the shelf for ~8 months before I was ready to assemble and install it!

Focus on building the airframe, and see how that goes. Trust us - the airframe build is more than enough to keep someone busy (and feeling rewarded) for a year or two at _least_! :-) And by the time you're ready for an engine and avionics, who knows what'll be available and proven reliable?

Have a blast with the build,

--Noel

[lpaaruule]

I originally bought the kit with the Aerovee engine mount option, but decided to go with the Jab 3300 instead. I was able to exchange my Aerovee engine mount for a $50 restocking fee. I'm not sure if Sonex still offers that.

As a low time Sonex pilot, I can tell you that the power of the Jab 3300 has bailed me out once already when I got hit by a 16kt crosswind gust, and poor go-around technique (that I've since fixed). I'm not suggesting that it's a replacement for skill, but just like when buying a powerful motorcycle, the power can give you options.

[Flynic3]

Good Afternoon,

Thank you all so much for your words of wisdom on the subject and I think that is the way I will go about this build. All of your statements make complete sense and I was under the impression you would save a lot more when ordering everything all at once. I don’t want to detract from the subject of this thread any longer and apologize for doing so!

I am interested to hear how the new cooling system is working on the AeroVee turbo. I am also wondering what portions of the AeroVee Turbo that you feel needs upgrading or lacks in some way. If you receive a part that is lacking in quality control at least Sonex seems willing to replace that part... correct? I am hoping that by the time I am looking to purchase the engine that the AeroVee turbo will be a good option. I am interested in the turbo based engines due to the power being sustained at altitude and you can’t beat the price per performance of the AeroVee turbo. That is why I am still looking at the Turbo as being a viable option for my project. I just want to build the engine up with proper components to handle the low boost levels and extra strain on the engine. I am currently studying VW based tuning advice such as the article below. By the time I build this engine I am hoping to know the VW inside and out, so I can handle the maintenance along with upgrading any weak points that I may find in the AeroVee kit. There are so many aftermarket parts out there for the VW engine, and that is why I am asking about your experience with the AeroVee. I am curious what you feel could be improved with this design...



https://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/200 ... 1.html?m=1

[Gordon]

Getting Started...............?

Nicholas...........if you don't want to buy the complete airframe kit then buy the tail and either the wing kit or fuselage kit at the same time. Reason being the tail goes together in a month (or 2 months at the most) so then you have to order the next kit and wait for it plus more shipping.

I have built a number of RV's and I always ordered the tail and wing kit together...........then I had enough parts to keep me busy for the next year or so.

Gordon...Onex C-IODB.....Hummel 2400

[MichaelFarley56]

I am interested to hear how the new cooling system is working on the AeroVee turbo. I am also wondering what portions of the AeroVee Turbo that you feel needs upgrading or lacks in some way.

After having flown my Waiex with the AeroVee turbo for 105 hours, I can tell you that I loved the way the engine ran with the turbo. It burned a little more fuel (which it should!) but the engine ran great with very smooth power, balanced temperatures, etc. Like so many others I hope this cooling system is the last piece to the puzzle and fixes any long term issues the installation may still have.

At this point, I think the factory demonstrator and one customer is flying with prototype liquid cooling installations and it seems the results are favorable. Hopefully now that the weather is nice, the factory can continue testing and refining the kit.

[Flynic3]

Good Evening,

Thank you Mike for the review of the Turbo AeroVee! I am glad to hear your experience was positive overall! I feel like this engine option has been given an unfair stigma about it and feel it will be a viable engine for the Sonex in the near future. I feel the water-cooling solution will resolve the issues that have caused the turbo siezures. I am glad to hear that you had 105 hours of trouble free flying behind yours. It will be a few years until I am ready for the engine however am leaning towards the AeroVee turbo for my project. I feel it provides the best performance for the money spent... there is not really anything on the market that comes close. I just want to build the engine to prevent any issues down the line... I figure if I put in the time while assembling the engine and then take care of it properly that it will provide many hours of trouble free flying. I have no problem spending a little bit more money and time on building the engine perfect from the get go, if it will save me aggravation in the future. I am just trying to research and read up as much as I can now before I actually start the build. I greatly appreciate everyone’s input on the subject and I am looking forward to getting started soon on this project!

Cheers!

Nic

[magicpilot]

Hi,
I just filled up the oil on the Aerovee Turbo, while I turn the engine with the starter I am only seeing 1-3 psi.
Is that normal or way too low? I am running the duplex oil pump by the way where the secondary oil pump sucks the oil from the turbo and puts it back into the case.

I verfied that lines a filled with oil and oil flow is existed.

Thanks fo any advice and shared experiences,
Juergen
WXB & Aerovee Turbo