RE: V7 - It Works (worked!)
This morning I removed the main gear, which seems to have survived without any damage at all, But the clutch was well-seized on the shaft - so I guess that's where the "screech" came from. I also removed some very fine black plastic "thread" - shavings from the inside of the clutch bell which I guess were caused when it seized
Alan, you said the clutch would be seized . . . . so you win - so far!
I noticed that the clutch innards were "very dry," whereas when running the V-6 it was always kept soaking wet by the exhaust. Maybe we need to lubricate the clutch when using the V-7. What do you think?
Next I tried turning-over the engine using the shaft and clutch "innards," but it was solid. I removed the cylinder head and lo-and-behold the engine turns-over as sweet as you'd like! No broken con-rod here Alan!
I'm quite puzzled. What happened? It looks as though I can go fly again now I've freed-up and lubed the clutch. But what's the chance of the same thing happening again - at height! - and what the heck could have caused the "sudden stop" in the first place. Is it possible that something "moved" inside the engine to cause it to stop (I'm wondering about the gudgeon-pin here - maybe). And would that seize the clutch (and if so why?)
Sorry about all the questions, but I'm really curious to understand what happened
Rog: Go flying. You'll love it (providing your engine works ok - if not you'll hate all the fiddling and faffing!) Good luck