Starting the modified engine

This is my first attempt to start the engine after making all of the modifications.

Engine on test stand

I mounted the engine on a test to keep it stable during its testing. All of the support equipment needed is attached to the engine.

The oil system

The oil pump is from a fuel injected VW Bug. By using ATF (automatic transmission fluid) for the oil supply, I can get a very respectable pressure from it that should keep the bearings well lubricated. Don't you love the high-tech oil tank? I thought it was great.

The oil cooler

I was having problems with the oil temperature getting too high, so I made this cheesy oil cooler. The oil lines run through a bucket of cold water and it cools the oil returning to the tank. Hey, it worked for the testing process!

The engine idling

Although a little difficult to see, the engine is idling right now. If you look closely you can see that the compressor inlet wheel is a bit blurry from the rotation.

The new oil cooler

After initial testing, I made the addition of a better oil cooler. For the cooler I used an evaporator core from an under dash A/C unit. It was taken from an VW Bug, what else? Don't knock it, it works!

Oil pressure

Here you can see the oil pressure is not great but there is oil pressure. This gauge may not have been functioning properly at the time.

Compressor wheel at idle

Looking in the compressor at idle, the wheel is just a blur. Even with the camera flash, the wheel is spinning so fast that it just can't be captured in a photograph.

The portable test stand

I finally got around to making a test stand for the engine that would hold it and all of the support equipment. This allows me to roll it anywhere I need to for maintenance or for running it. The battery, oil pumps, ignition, and propane tank can all be seen underneath the cart.

Jet pipe

Coming out of the left side of the engine is the new jet pipe that I built. I designed it to create more thrust for the engine, and also to see if it could be used as an afterburner. You can see the sparkplug at the end of the pipe for igniting fuel when used as an afterburner.

The test stand

Another shot of the test stand shows everything I had done up to that point, and the placement of all of the equipment.

The black box cooler

The black box on the side of the stand was the new addition to my oil cooler. The small fuel tank sitting on the ground will supply fuel to the afterburner.

Oil cooler fan

The black box is an under dash fan unit which I was using to blow more cooling air past the oil cooler. With better airflow over the cooling coils, the oil temperature would go down even more. These engines do heat up the oil very quickly, and it must be kept in check or there is a very real risk of having a bearing failure with the engine running at high RPMs.

The control panel

This is the control panel I fabricated for the engine. The switches control pumps, and fans, while the butterfly valve is used to control the propane to the engine.

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