# My projecet (howll's v4)



## Lesgsy (Nov 8, 2013)

I've always liked v twins so my first choice was the Hoglet withe it's kick start Wow!
But then the water cooled Howlls V4 looked so good!
So I ordered both sets of plans and that made my mind up, Jerry's plans and notes are second to non.
The plans start with the engine block but it's such a lump of alli I had to order it so I made a start on the rockers and rocker cradles.










65684[/ATTACH]


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 8, 2013)

Lesgsy said:


> I've always liked v twins so my first choice was the Hoglet withe it's kick start Wow! But then the water cooled Howlls V4 looked so good! So I ordered both sets of plans and that made my mind up, Jerry's plans and notes are second to non. The plans start with the engine block but it's such a lump of alli I had to order it so I made a start on the rockers and rocker cradles.
> And thanks for the welcome


----------



## Herbiev (Nov 8, 2013)

Looking great so far. Keep the pics coming.


----------



## John Rus (Nov 8, 2013)

Very nice, this engine has a really nice sound when running not to mention esthetics. Are you going to power something with it like in the video?

Keep it up,
John.


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 9, 2013)

John Rus said:


> Very nice, this engine has a really nice sound when running not to mention esthetics. Are you going to power something with it like in the video?  Keep it up, John.


I thought I'd seen all the  videos on this I've not seen one powering anything,I must of mist one
Can you let me know the whereabouts of this video

Thanks Les.


----------



## John Rus (Nov 9, 2013)

Here you go http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/howellv4.htm, there are a few videos in there and one of them has a generator attached to the engine. I think it's pretty neat.


Cheers,
John.


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 13, 2013)

Hi 
I've not had much time in the workshop for the last week or so but got the delrin spacers and bushings, pushrod clevises and end pins.


----------



## stevehuckss396 (Nov 13, 2013)

Nice job!!  Have you seen Dsage's V4 Howell stretched to a V8?


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 13, 2013)

Yes I've seen the stretched v8 it looks good ,there's a video of it running on one of the cabin fever videos and it sounds good to,


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 18, 2013)

HiSome pictures of my progress on heads, valves ,valve guides and spring retainers 
Hope to see my lump of aliminum in the nexted few days so I can make a start on the engine block


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 19, 2013)

Lesgsy said:


> HiSome pictures of my progress on heads, valves ,valve guides and spring retainers Hope to see my lump of aliminum in the nexted few days so I can make a start on the engine block


The photos


----------



## ozzie46 (Nov 19, 2013)

Nice job on the heads. 

 Ron


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 19, 2013)

ozzie46 said:


> Nice job on the heads.  Ron



Thanks hope the engine block goes this well


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 28, 2013)

Hi 
I've been concerned about the cams for my v4 so decided to tackle them sooner than latter. There's an article by W Wilkins in model engine builder issue 7,my attempt is loosely based on this.
I started by making two cam templets one inlet and one outlet this gave me my top and bottom radius




Next I made a flank radius and fitted it to my D.T.I with this setup next to my cam templets in my  rotary table turning one revaluation at a time gave me a set of figures.




 Next transferred the figures to my D.R.O and set up my outside boring bar to the bottom radius with the D.R.O set to 0




Moving the mill table x to my set of figures each revaluation of the rotary table my cams appeared,




And a photo of my finished heads,


----------



## stevehuckss396 (Nov 28, 2013)

Nice work! That looks really good. Love the heads


----------



## Swifty (Nov 28, 2013)

The heads look great, is everything done on a manual mill?

Paul.


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 29, 2013)

Hi and thanks for all the positive feedback ,
And yes I only have manual mill and lathe but I have a good D.R.O fitted to my mill I've often thought of moving to a c.n.c setup but can't spare the cash,
Plus I enjoy the challenge of doing the tricky bits on the manual machines,
A photo of my aluminium block,I wonder what the finished weight will be?
             Les.


----------



## gbritnell (Nov 29, 2013)

Outstanding work on the heads. I have seen this engine built and it makes an impressive model engine. Could you elaborate a little more on your cam construction? I'm assuming you used a constant setting for the boring bar? How exactly did you derive the numbers from your template and DTI setup?
gbritnell


----------



## Swifty (Nov 29, 2013)

Reread your post on getting the figures for machining the cam, it dawned on me that you are noting the indicator movements for every revolution of the rotary table and noting it down. A smart way of doing things, what ratio is your rotary table?

Paul.


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 29, 2013)

gbritnell said:


> Outstanding work on the heads. I have seen this engine built and it makes an impressive model engine. Could you elaborate a little more on your cam construction? I'm assuming you used a constant setting for the boring bar? How exactly did you derive the numbers from your template and DTI setup? gbritnell


The flank template and boring bar are set to the same radios ,
As you rotate the cam template in the rotary table with the flank template and tdi against the bottom of the cam lobe the readout stays the same fora number of turns till the flank radios hits both top and bottom radios's of the cam template make a note of the figures on the tdi at each rev of the rotary table
When setting the boring bar I made a brass button the same size as the bottom radios of the the cam set the boring bar so it just touch's this button set the dro and rotary table to 0
Then make a start with each revaluation of the rotary moving the x on the mill to get the figures on the dro found with the tdi 
  I'm not to good at explaining things but I hope this helps,

           Les.


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 29, 2013)

Swifty said:


> Reread your post on getting the figures for machining the cam, it dawned on me that you are noting the indicator movements for every revolution of the rotary table and noting it down. A smart way of doing things, what ratio is your rotary table?  Paul.


My table is 90-1 
Have you read the article by W Wilkins in the MEB it's good reading

      Les.


----------



## Swifty (Nov 30, 2013)

Hi Les, no I haven't read the article, will look it up. 

Paul.


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 3, 2013)

Hi 
I've been putting some hours in on the engine block,
Some photos,
                    Les.


----------



## canadianhorsepower (Dec 3, 2013)

Thm:Thm:HOLLY MACARONI "some hours"
 this finish is like "some month" work
 great work. hoppefully after my cancer treatment I can build a v4 or v8


----------



## gbritnell (Dec 3, 2013)

Super nice machining on the block.
 gbritnell


----------



## idahoan (Dec 3, 2013)

Beautiful Work!

Dave


----------



## stevehuckss396 (Dec 3, 2013)

Holy smoke! Theres nothing left. That is some metal removal right there. Top shelf work!


----------



## mayhugh1 (Dec 4, 2013)

Wow! You work really fast and the result is beautiful. It took me almost a month to do mine (the first time). After I found that the crank was slightly skewed in the block it still took me another three weeks to do the second one.:wall:
Terry


----------



## metalmad (Dec 4, 2013)

Looking really lovely Les
I could say the Block is fantastic but the Heads are just as nice Thm:
 Pete


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 4, 2013)

mayhugh1 said:


> Wow! You work really fast and the result is beautiful. It took me almost a month to do mine (the first time). After I found that the crank was slightly skewed in the block it still took me another three weeks to do the second one.:wall: Terry



Hi
I've just been of work for over a week with a bad hip,so I got loads done on the engine.
In you're reply it sounds like you Have built this engine ?
Thanks for your good coments
                                   Les.


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 4, 2013)

canadianhorsepower said:


> Thm:Thm:HOLLY MACARONI "some hours" this finish is like "some month" work great work. hoppefully after my cancer treatment I can build a v4 or v8


Hi thanks
If you do build J Howlls v4 the plan service is now run very well by his son Alan, for plans oring sets Bering sets ect
Hope your treatment goes well
                                   Les.


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 4, 2013)

stevehuckss396 said:


> Holy smoke! Theres nothing left. That is some metal removal right there. Top shelf work!



Hi thanks 
there's a lot moor to come of yet hope it all goes this smoothly


----------



## Swifty (Dec 4, 2013)

Did you rough out that block first, then finish machine?, I would be worried about stress movements. You have done an excellent job, I must put it on my "to do" list.

Paul.


----------



## John Rus (Dec 4, 2013)

Fantastic work! I would be scared to post such a close up view on a tricky part like that but it looks flawless!

This build is turning out or should I say milling out to be a first class job,
John.


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 4, 2013)

Swifty said:


> Did you rough out that block first, then finish machine?, I would be worried about stress movements. You have done an excellent job, I must put it on my "to do" list.  Paul.


Hi
The plans are fantastic stage by stage infamation, this being my first atemp at an ic engine  I've followed them step by step and many many passes on the mill and it seems to be going well.
                         Les


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 12, 2013)

Hi 
Been busy on the block and finished all the machining, a bit of a shock how Much weight of Ali I removed,
  Nexted job is to get the cams shafts finished ,my cam gears cut well all my gears cut,this will be the first gears I've ever cut so hope all goes well,
Some pics of my finished block.
                                              Les.


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 18, 2013)

Hi 
I've been working on cutting my gears it went well ,
The Bering holders for the crank are finished to,
Next some cam shafts to mount the gears on,
Some pics
        Les.


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 29, 2013)

Hi
I've been working on my cam shafts and got the lobes spacers and gears set on the shafts,
The distributor bevel gear fits to the end of one of the shafts to take the distributor shaft vertical,
To get all this set up I needed to build the distributor and the 90 degree transfer box,so I ordered the distributor cap from J.E.Howell and machined the rest but since seeing the thread (tiny inline 4) the little tool he's made for machining  the cap towers is ideal I'm going to make a spare 
Some photos
                   Les.


----------



## Swifty (Dec 29, 2013)

Very neat work Les, I'm looking forward to seeing more.

Paul.


----------



## Lesgsy (Jan 4, 2014)

Hi 
I've  been working on one of my manifolds,
their were some castings available some time ago for the v4
But now it's a case of making them up as best you can 
So started with my inlet witch doubles up as the water cooling inlet,the drilling of the passageways can't be done in 


one,
I decided to make it from 5 faced and drilled pieces of brass silver soldered together then machined to shape,
And now I don't no if I should paint it or leave as is? If I pant it can any one help with the type of paint to use for this type of engine?
Some photos
                  Les.


----------



## stevehuckss396 (Jan 4, 2014)

Nice looking manifold.

I cant help much with the paint. I just use testers model paint and spray it on with a air brush.


----------



## barnesrickw (Jan 4, 2014)

As a fan of Saab's, I'm also a fan of V-4.  Very nice.


----------



## hobby (Jan 4, 2014)

Lesgsy said:


> Plus I enjoy the challenge of doing the tricky bits on the manual machines,
> View attachment 66244


 
That speaks for all the work you have accomplished on the block, a challenge you have definately met and conquered, with superb results, very beautiful machine work you did on your engine block, from a solid block, the details are absolutely amazing.


----------



## Lesgsy (Feb 8, 2014)

Hi
An update on my progress ,sorry for the delay ,
I wanted to get the pistons and rods done first but found it hard to get the right aliminium for the job.I found a good supplier (noggin end metals) so waiting for my aliminium to arrive I've been working on the crank and just finished, apart from balancing but need the pistons and rods to balance things up,so thay are my next job
        Some phottos


----------



## Lesgsy (Mar 4, 2014)

Hi
My con rods were a bit of a challenge I started with machining six blanks ten thou over size in all dimensions 



Next I drilled them for the bronze bushes press fitted them and machined to finished thickness 



Then drilled to just under reaming size



The fork end i did with a slitting saw setup



With my fly cutter setup with a bevelled end cutter I finished to thickness



Next I made up a jig to hold them to finish of the machining, some threaded pins to hold things,the radius on the pins to match the small and big end radius as a Gide for machining, some spacers for fork ends



Machining them was straight flowered removing the Centre fiat then removing one of the pins and rotate a bit each pass to get half way round and then the same with the other pin,then turn them over and do the same.





And that's it for now next the pistons
                                                   Les.




Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## Lesgsy (Mar 8, 2014)

And a picture all finished and cleaned up


----------



## Swifty (Jun 4, 2014)

Hi Les, just wondering if you are still working on this engine, I was rereading the postings as I eventually want to make one of these engines.

Paul.


----------



## Lesgsy (Jun 4, 2014)

Hi Paul,still busy working on the v4.I've been having trouble with the rings 3 weeks and 4 a temps and finally got there.i must post some pictures ,I've also been working on a lot of small bits ,oil pressure relief valve,oil pick up,oil dipstick and some elbows to get the oil from the pick up to the pump. Which is nexed on the list 
Thanks les.


----------



## Swifty (Jun 4, 2014)

Hi Les, I'm glad that you are still hard at it. I'm Looking forward to some more pictures.

Paul.


----------



## Lesgsy (Jun 13, 2014)

Hi
My progrogres has been a bit slow, I've been working on a lot of small bits that arnt very interesting,the oil pump and releaf valve ,I've also managed to get the rings finished and fitted 
          Some pics


----------



## Lesgsy (Sep 22, 2014)

Hi
After a long summer lots of bbq's days at beach,I can start spending some time in the work shop,
Over the summer got all the oil delivery parts done from sump to pump next on my list is the water pump.



Just some pics 
                    Les. 


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## danthompson58 (Sep 23, 2014)

Lots of great work, very impressive.  Thanks for all the pictures.
Dan


----------



## Lesgsy (Sep 28, 2014)

Hi
All the parts for the water pump ready for soldering 



Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## dsage (Sep 30, 2014)

Les:

Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier. What a wonderful job you've done !!
Beautiful machine work.

You asked about paint for the engine. When I built the V8 I was in contact with Jerry about what he used. Alas he never got to see the V8 run.
He recommended Plasti-Kote T-43 Dark Cherry for the red that he used but the key is to use the etching primer on the bare aluminum (or brass). Very important. It is Plasti-Kote etching primer #470 grey. The paint has held up well. It took a long time to get really hard a durable (guessing a couple of months). It was dry like any paint in the usual time but it took that long for it to become resistant to fuel. I thought I was going to be in trouble with it at first but it turned out ok.

Personally I like the contrast of metal colours so I'd keep your brass intake as-is..

BTW when you get to making your carbs, make a few. The design is very good and the spares will come in handy for other projects.

I made 8 carbs with the idea that I'd use two for the V8 version. I only ever made the intake for one but the V8 could use a second one.

Sage

Check out the V8 and my latest (full scale 90lb) 1902 Parcell and Weed Hit-Miss (plus others) at http://davesage.ca/


----------



## Lesgsy (Sep 30, 2014)

dsage said:


> Les:
> 
> Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier. What a wonderful job you've done !!
> Beautiful machine work.
> ...



Hi Sage
Thanks for the positive feed back 
I've seen your work and the finish you get is fantastic
I've seen all the pictures of the v8 looks great but can't seam to be able to watch the videos on my iPad so I've haven't seen it run 
Thanks again 
          Les.


----------



## dsage (Sep 30, 2014)

>> can't seam to be able to watch the videos on my iPad so I've haven't seen it run 

Hmm Curious. I'm not an Apple person. The movies are in MPG format which I don't think is native to Apple products. I can get them to run on my Wife's MacBook Pro with Safari but I seem to remember she had to have some sort of add-on codec or something installed on it to get PC native files to run. I also tried it on her IPhone with Safari and like you said it would not recognize the movies. It went looking for another application to open them.
If anyone has any suggestions on what I can / should do to fix my website I'd appreciate it. I know AVI's are more of a Mac format (I think) but some PC's have problems with them.

Anyway. I digress. Keep up the nice work on the engine. Looking forward to seeing it run.

 P.S. A very cute little machinist you have there.

Sage


----------



## Naiveambition (Oct 1, 2014)

Sorry to break the topic , but how do you post multiple pics in your post with the ipad.  I've tried loading more than one on attachments , but will never post more than one.  Any help is appreciated,

 and great lookin engine.

I'm following along intently, with thought of tackling one, with your thread for inspiration.


----------



## Lesgsy (Oct 1, 2014)

Naiveambition said:


> Sorry to break the topic , but how do you post multiple pics in your post with the ipad.  I've tried loading more than one on attachments , but will never post more than one.  Any help is appreciated,
> 
> and great lookin engine.
> 
> I'm following along intently, with thought of tackling one, with your thread for inspiration.


Hi and thanks 
Have you down loaded the iPad app ? I use the app to do all my posts, but it's not as good well the same as the main site so I do all the rest of my viewing on the main site, on the app you can load as many pics as you need per post

         Les.


----------



## Lesgsy (Oct 3, 2014)

Hi I've got the water pump soldiered up
Looking at my plan sheets I've got the fly wheel, exhaust manifold, and  carb left then the final assembly and hopefully the first run.
Without the rad for the first run
      Les.




Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## Naiveambition (Oct 6, 2014)

Thank you for the info. I will try it out thanx


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 4, 2014)

The fly wheel and carb are all finished,
The final assembly next this being my first IC engine hope all goes well,and my next post should be a complete v 4.






Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## Cogsy (Nov 4, 2014)

Looking really nice. I'm eager to see it together and hear it run. Fingers crossed it starts up nice and easy for you.


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 19, 2014)

Hi
It's coming together and turning over but very tight,how tight should it be?
I'm getting good oil pressure it's all looking good mechanically but I have a question on the electric side of things on the coil I've got a 1K ohm resistor to fit,can anyone tell me which to terminals it goes between?
              Thanks Les.


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## jschoenly (Nov 20, 2014)

Great engine!  Tightness is a gremlin to try to minimize.  Whenever George Luhrs and I would be looking at an engine for sale places, that's the absolute first comment he would make.  You don't want an engine that's sloppy and rattling, but if you think it seems stiff, it's probably going to effect how well it runs.  There won't always have to be a "bounce" on compression for a multi-cylinder engine, but in turning it you first impression is best not to be "this feels stiff".  Some will run in somewhat, others will just stay stiff.


----------



## dsage (Nov 20, 2014)

Hi Les:

Can't answer your question about the 1k resistor but it might help to tell us what coil you are using. What does the schematic for the ignition say? (one of the last few pages of the drawings).

As for stiff. If the plugs are out (no compression) it should turn smoothly by hand. Plugs out is the best way to test it before you go much farther.

Sage


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 21, 2014)

Hi 
Thanks all for getting back to me 
The coil was from Allen at Outpost Enterprises and Allen returned an email telling me that the resistor is optional,manufacturers claim you may get a bigger spark if the resistor is in place between the coil and spark plug,
And the engine seems to be freeing up the more I turn it over, I tried to put a video of it being turned over but I can't seem to get it to upload 
Thanks again Les.


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## Brian Rupnow (Nov 21, 2014)

Les--I have just read through the entire thread, and I must say you are doing an excellent job. Fantastic machining on manual machines. I hope it runs as good as it look, you are doing a marvelous job.---Brian


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 24, 2014)

Hi it's so good to get coments like this thanks Brian.


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## kawa636 (Nov 25, 2014)

Nice work!
I also built this engine.
It was completed this year and it was a great joy at the first start.
Here is a link on a french forum I sent some pictures.

http://www.usinages.com/modelisme/moteur-t52912.html


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 26, 2014)

Hi it's nice to see one finished a bit different to the normal,
It looks good and seams to run well,did you have any problems starting it the first time?
I'm on my 3rd hall sensor they keep failing after 15 seconds of turning over?
   Nice to see another engine 
                                             Les.  


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## dsage (Nov 27, 2014)

Hi Les:

I assume you are using the circuit board / coil etc. supplied by Jerry Howell (et.al) for the ignition. It should be fine.
Be SURE you have the engine block connected to battery negative (called ground here)
Be SURE you have only one point of connection for all the negatives (grounds) i.e. bring everything DIRECTLY and separately back to the battery negative (coil neg, block, ignition module etc.). with their own separate wires.
It's likely that the sparks are not finding a quick connection to ground. The path is normally from the coil through the rotor to the spark plug wire and the spark plug to the block and back to the battery negative (ground).
Check to be SURE your distributor timing is right on. If the rotor is not pointing to a plug then the spark may try to find ground another way i.e. on a path through the distributor to the nearest ground which might be the negative lead of the hall sensor or any lead of the hall sensor and through the chip in the sensor.
AGAIN. Be sure the block (and therefore the distributor body) is connected to battery negative (ground).

Make SURE all your leads are as short as possible. Don't use a jumble of clip leads even for a temporary test.

All of above are a must and should solve your problem. I hate to recommend other sensors to mask the real problems (mentioned) but there are better hall sensors available that are more robust.

See the post here

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/showthread.php?t=20415&page=18



Sage

V8 version of Jerry Howell V4 http://davesage.ca/


----------



## Lesgsy (Nov 29, 2014)

Thanks Sage for all that info.
I've done everything you've suggested and my sensor lasting well 
The engine firing well on all 4 and runs well but only with the starter on it,
When I withdraw the starter it stops,it seems to need help to run?
Tanks again 
                  Les 


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


----------



## dsage (Nov 30, 2014)

If you think it's firing ok then it's probably a fuel issue.
Make sure your fuel level in the tank is about even with the carburetor input tube. The engine won't pull fuel too well up hill. I like to put a clear hose on the fuel line so I can see if the fuel is flowing (the occasional bubble goes by). As with a lot of engines it will take some time to figure out how to set the carb. Typical settings of a 1-2 turns on the idle mixture screw works on Jerry's carb. There is also the high speed mixture screw that really only makes a difference at high(er) speeds. Start with it open a couple of turns. Make sure you understand which is which.
If you have the air cleaner on the engine, remove it and expose the carb. Crank the engine over and quickly stick your thumb over and quickly remove it again from the air intake while cranking (1/4 sec or so). The engine should give a burst of power (if you don't flood it). If so it's probably short of fuel and you'll need to play with the carb settings. Check your timing as well. A timing light is useful. The problem with this engine is there is no good way to be sure where top dead center (TDC) is once it's assembled unless you measure it (dial indicator through #1 spark plug hole) and mark it on something like the small pulley on the front. Marking it on the flywheel is not reliable since the flywheel can slip since it's on a collett. Once you know where top dead center is, check and be sure your timing is perhaps 5deg before TDC as a start.
You might also try a drop or two (max) of raw fuel into the top of the carb while cranking. The engine should fire up for an instant.
Success with the above tricks but still the inability to keep it running indicates a lack of fuel. You may need to check the needle and seat.

Since you built the engine I'll assume your experience level is high so everything I've mentioned is probably stuff you already know - if so, sorry. It may be useful for others to read.


Sage


----------



## gbritnell (Nov 30, 2014)

Les,
Let's pick apart what you have said. "It runs well but only with the starter on it." No sarcasm intended but it can't be running well if it won't keep running. What do you mean by running well? 
With a lot of engines there are inherent problems with the design that makes them hard to run or start but considering that Jerry built and ran the engine there shouldn't be any problems. 
I would say that if it's stiff to turn over by hand then then it's going to have a hard time running to overcome the apparent friction from the internal parts, shafts rings etc. 
I have found on most of my engines that at least 15 degrees advance is a good place to start the timing. 
I have built Jerry's carburetor and I know how it works. What I would do is this. Set the timing to what I have said. Adjust the idle mixture needle to about 1/2 turn open. Crack the throttle plate to about 20 degrees open, enough so that it is pulling fuel from the main needle. Start with the high speed needle closed and as you crank the engine over start opening the main needle until the engine runs, hopefully on it's own. If it does then adjust the main needle open a little farther but not so far as to load the engine (too rich). With the needle in that position you should be able to throttle the carb and the engine should respond. If not then it needs a little more fuel. Don't go past the 20 degree setting when closing the throttle or it will stall. Once you have the main needle adjusted then it's time to adjust the idle needle. As you rotate the throttle to less than the 20 degree position the engine might or might not stall with the needle at the initial position. If it stalls it's probably too lean so open the needle a small amount, open the throttle to the initial 20 degree position and start over. As you close the throttle you want the engine to keep running so this will be done with the idle needle. Keep opening the idle needle until the engine continues to run. Once it does then it's a matter of fine tuning the idle needle to the throttle plate position. for the slowest idle and cleanest mixture. 
gbritnell


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 17, 2014)

Wow it's fantasic I've got a running engine&#128515;
Thanks for all the help,the carb settings and the fuel filter are setup so fine,
It's had about 15 min running so far and starting to respond well to throttle 
I'll get a video posted as soon as I can,I've tried but can't seem to do it can any one help ?
Thanks again 
                Les.


----------



## Cogsy (Dec 17, 2014)

Congrats Les. Knew you'd get it done. As for ther video, the easiest way is to upload it to Youtube then just copy and paste the address into a normal post and it will embed itself automatically.

I'm eager to see it so get to work!


----------



## dsage (Dec 19, 2014)

Hi Les:

 Yeah ! Glad to hear you got it running and looking forward to the video. You'll certainly be ready to build almost any engine now.

 I have a question for you. Have you checked the operation of your water pump and confirmed it is moving water? Perhaps did you happen to check it off the engine.
  I built the pump for my V8 version and I'm pretty sure I saw it moving water - at least a few bubbles went by in my clear hose. After a couple of years now I'm not so sure it's working - or ever worked properly.
  I took it off and cleaned it up and tested it off the engine and sure enough it doesn't pump. The magnetic coupling is not the issue the impeller is moving and you can tell when the magnets "cog" when they slip.
  I recently needed another pump for a new engine so I built a slightly larger version with a direct drive shaft and made (what I think) is a better impeller. But still no pumping action.
  I looked at your pictures a few posts ago and what you have looks like mine and appears to be what's in the drawings so I don't think I interpreted anything wrong. I'm not sure why it doesn't pump.
  I'm very interested to know if there might be something wrong with the design.
  Has anyone else made one of the pumps?

 Thanks

 Sage


----------



## mayhugh1 (Dec 19, 2014)

Sage
When I built my V4, I tested the water pump off the engine for a few hours and it did pump OK. I also found it seemed to pump equally well when rotated in either direction. When the engine is running, the radiator gets hot and so I assume it's also pumping on the engine. Maybe when you stretched the engine you increased the back pressure beyond what the stock pump can handle.
And, congratulations Les. As said above, after building a Howell V4 you're ready for just about anything else. -Terry


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 20, 2014)

Hi
The water pumps working well I haven't made the rad yet so I'm runing the water thru a tin can and I can see a good steam of water pumping into the top of the can,you're se it in the video ,but when the pump gets hot it stiffens up and the magnets can't cope
I'm just sorting the problem out and then I'll get the vidio done
         Les.


----------



## dsage (Dec 20, 2014)

Thanks Terry / Les

I also tested the pump off the engine recently and I couldn't get it to pump. Keeping it primed is a problem though while trying to juggle a drill, hoses, pump etc.
As mentioned I made a similar direct drive pump recently and I can't get it to pump either. I must have made some sort of mistake reading the drawings. Having said all that the rad was getting hot when I first built the engine so it must have been working.
I have no idea what's going on.

Thanks

 Sage


----------



## dsage (Dec 21, 2014)

I think I figured out my problem. Off the engine I'm turning the pump too slow. I was using my battery drill which only turns 580rpm. I put it on my AC drill and at 2800 rpm it pumps fine. I think on the engine it probably turns at least 1000rpm. All I have to do is get it primed properly on the engine.

 Thanks for confirmation of the pump operation. Sorry for disrupting this thread.

 Looking forward to the video (or at least a picture) of your engine Les.


 Sage


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 21, 2014)

I've put a small 8 ba bolt and a o'ring in the top of my pump to help the bleeding,it seems to work well   
View attachment ImageUploadedByModel Engines1419180533.455228.jpg

Hope this helps
            Les.


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 24, 2014)

Hi
Well I've got it running well enough to get a vidio done, it's running with a temporary rad,well the whole setups temporary!
I've made a good start on the rad,when it's finished and fitted I'll get another vidio done with it looking good and finished
http://youtu.be/tT9L4GWh71c


----------



## dsage (Dec 25, 2014)

WOW !! 

That's fantastic Les. It runs so well. Great Job. I like that you painted the fins on the head and the rocker arm supports as well. Did you find the plasticoat paint that I suggest (that Jerry told me he used) or another one. 

And holy smoke s- that water pump works really well. I might still have to re-visit mine. I like the idea of the priming port. I think I'll try that. Do you have to fill the pump through that or just let gravity fill it until water comes out the hole?

Thanks for showing us.

Sage


----------



## Swifty (Dec 25, 2014)

Great engine, I can see that I will have to build one in the future. Nice to see that you wore your best boots and pants for the video.

Paul.


----------



## Lesgsy (Dec 25, 2014)

Thanks
Sage it took a while to get the water pump working it seems to of just been an air lock in the top of the pump and as soon as the bleed shrew was in and let the water into the top of the pump it was off
Thanks
Paul when I get the rad Finnished I'll get a good vidio done in good dress,
I've been waiting for it to stop raining for over a week and my son to be home to do the vidio !
It hadn't rained for hour or so I grabed him the engine and my (good coat) and asked him to vidio my engine running not my jeans & feet ! But the vidio was ok so I'll let him off .
Thanks for the feedback 
                             Les.


----------



## Cogsy (Dec 29, 2014)

Awesome! Sounds great and runs well. Congrats.


----------



## Lesgsy (Jan 18, 2015)

Hi
I've been woarking on the rad the the first attempt didn't go to well the pictures are of my second attempt and it seems to work well,
Next I'm going to try and make a fited permanent electric starter I'll post a vidio of it running soon I hope.


----------



## gus (Jan 22, 2015)

Swifty said:


> Did you rough out that block first, then finish machine?, I would be worried about stress movements. You have done an excellent job, I must put it on my "to do" list.
> 
> Paul.




Hi Paul,
Lets make a deal. Gus make the Howell V-2 and Paul make the V-4.

No worry. I am still studying the drawings and running around in circles.


----------



## dsage (Jan 22, 2015)

The rad looks great Les.
How did you blacken the fins?
Yes, making the rad is a bit of a trick. I'm not sure where I saw the tip but I used the solder paste used for surface mount IC's. I got all the joints set up with the paste in and around the joints , cleaned off any excess and clamped the whole thing to a thick aluminum plate. I heated the whole thing, plate and all until the joints flowed and a little sample dot of solder paste on the rad farthest from the heat source flowed ensuring that the rad was all up to temperature. Perfect joints first crack. And as you know there are a lot of joints some inside the rad. All of them done at the same time.
I used that paste all the time now. It's expensive but well worth the results.

Sage


----------



## Swifty (Jan 22, 2015)

gus said:


> Hi Paul,
> Lets make a deal. Gus make the Howell V-2 and Paul make the V-4.
> 
> No worry. I am still studying the drawings and running around in circles.



Very tempting Gus, I will get the drawings soon and go over them, will let you know what I decide.

Paul.


----------



## Lesgsy (Jan 25, 2015)

dsage said:


> The rad looks great Les.
> How did you blacken the fins?
> Yes, making the rad is a bit of a trick. I'm not sure where I saw the tip but I used the solder paste used for surface mount IC's. I got all the joints set up with the paste in and around the joints , cleaned off any excess and clamped the whole thing to a thick aluminum plate. I heated the whole thing, plate and all until the joints flowed and a little sample dot of solder paste on the rad farthest from the heat source flowed ensuring that the rad was all up to temperature. Perfect joints first crack. And as you know there are a lot of joints some inside the rad. All of them done at the same time.
> I used that paste all the time now. It's expensive but well worth the results.
> ...




Hi
I ended up not following true to Jerry's rad design,I didn't get on with all the groving of the 8  1/2-1/2 brass bars,
I fitted 10 vertical tubes and 72 x .010 - 1/2" brass strips with 720 aliminium ring spacers between and it works very well the engine doesn't over heat at all even after a good run,
And the paint is black manifold paint
View attachment ImageUploadedByModel Engines1422216928.498781.jpg


----------



## gus (Jan 26, 2015)

Hi Legsy,

Gus soaking your radiator fab/soldiering tips. Plan to build Howell V-4  next year 2106 basis Gus still alive and  V-2 up and running. Paul Swift is now contemplating building the V-4 and Gus will follow .


----------



## Lesgsy (Aug 31, 2015)

Hi
Looking at Paul's v4 build has pushed me on to get mine finished of
I've made some new manifolds and some small silencers for itView attachment ImageUploadedByModel Engines1441024033.282944.jpg


I didn't want an elevated fuel tank so I  
Also made a small reservoir under the air cleaner with a flow and return to a small fuel pump.View attachment ImageUploadedByModel Engines1441024617.458137.jpg


And that's about it finishedView attachment ImageUploadedByModel Engines1441024708.881543.jpg


I've also done a video of it running  https://youtu.be/b_SvdlHsdNg

And Paul I think your doing a fantastic job on your v4 and the way you've documented the build with all the photos and .explaining every so well 
I'm following the build and enjoying 
Thanks
       les.


----------



## toolznthings (Aug 31, 2015)

Thm:Thm: Certainly can be proud of your craftsmanship !! Beautiful  !!


----------



## dsage (Sep 1, 2015)

Hi Les:

Wow. Nice job. And it runs with great authority as well. Beautiful !!
Can you give some details on a few things like:
What ignition system did you use,
What is the belt driving.
What is the strange triangular device on the output.
Is that a clutch of some sort on the output.
Did you implement the small lever from the throttle to advance the timing
What did you use to measure temperature.
And finally what did you use as the fuel pump. BTW Jerry did the same thing on his.

Excellent work.

Sage


----------



## Lesgsy (Sep 1, 2015)

Hi Sage
I used Jerrys Tim-6 ignition module and a 6v emgo atv motorcycle coil also from Jerry 
The belt runs down to an electric motor for starting via a one way bearing but when starting the loading on the end of the crank was a bit Mutch for a built up crank so I put the triangle support with a Bering in the top and seems to work well
The fuel pumps a hand crank petorol for model aircraft with an electric motor and I've geared it down to 200rpm and it pumps at just the right speed
On the bottom of the radiator Jerry shows a tube with two inlets one one outlet to balance the cooling of both sides of the engin so I've put this in the box with a standard electronic car tempretur sensor to it and wired back to the tempretur gadge 
I tryed the advancing to the distributor but it didn't help at all in fact it made setting up a bit hit and miss I found it runs a lot better without 
I also tryed the crank case breather tubed up to the bottom of the air cleaner but this made the carb almost impossible to setup so I plugged the holes in the bottom of the air cleaner and took the breather down past the fly wheel and out to air
Hope this helps
               Les.


----------



## dsage (Sep 2, 2015)

Thanks for the info Les. All great ideas. I'm not sure if you are aware that I built a V8 version. Here: http://davesage.ca/
You can see it run there but it has since been made to run much better than when I made the video.
 I also collaborated on a much better alternative to the TIM-6 module. The latest schematic is in post 175 here: http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/showthread.php?t=20415&page=18 It was also written up in Model Engine Builder magazine recently with circuit board art work files.
If you have any trouble with the TIM-6 I would recommend the new circuit. The TIM-6  has been known to fail and take out the (expensive) coil. Also if the engine happens to stall with the hall sensor activated for any length of time it can also take out the coil. So be sure to shut your ignition off promptly if the engine stalls. The new circuit has protection against all of that and should give you a better spark as well.
  I built my engine before the ignition circuit was designed so I'm using a CDI module running on a cell phone battery. Everything is below the engine between the frame rails.

 I found the engine does run better if you apply a bit of advance once it's running - which I do by hand. Alternately you can apply about 10deg of static advance to help a bit. But, as you found, I'm not sure having it directly connected by a linkage applies the correct advance curve so it may not run best at some rpms. I think Jerry has detailed a bell crank with various holes in the drawings for fine tuning the curve. I too have it disconnected.  Perhaps there is a bit of playing around to do there with the ratio of throttle vs distributor movement.

Have you ever seen anything coming out of the crankcase breather? I made the fancy breather cap but I never made the air filter cover so it has never been connected and I've never seen anything come out of it. It may be one of those things that is just there for looks. Something like the dip stick which is cool but useless.

Nice work
Thanks

Sage


----------



## Lesgsy (Sep 3, 2015)

Hi Sage
I've tried a couple of times to watch your v8 vidio but can't on my iPad I'll have to borrow a friends laptop or something to view it,
The dip stick I ground down .015 flat and it dose give a true reading if you look very very very close
My breathers piped down to a small tin with an inlet and outlet to air ,this separates any oil before it comes out the bottom of my display box and yes I do get a small amount of oil in the bottom of my tin
I've also would like to have a v8 so I'm thinking of the challenger v8 but can't afford the castings so I'm thinking of building one from billet but with only manual machines it's going to be a bit of a long project,but I really like the engine and I need another project !!

Les.


----------



## dsage (Sep 4, 2015)

Les:
I seem to remember now you or someone else not being able to play the videos on an Apple product. My wife has a Macbook and she couldn't play them either until she went to the Apple store (because I know noting about Mac's) and they installed a codec for mpg video files on her computer. This solved it. What really clinched it for her was that she couldn't play any videos that people sent as attachments in emails. Apparently this is an "Apple thing" because mpg files are more often Microsoft native file and heaven forbid Apple support anything to do with Windows. So they don't install a player codec by default.  I would encourage you to investigate the mpg codec for your machine. THere are probably lots of other things you are missing out on.
 In the mean time can you try these two videos from my website. One is an AVI which should be more Apple friendly. The other is a wmv file which is a Microsoft invention as well. I would be interested to know which (if any) will play for you.

click on the "Click here to watch it Run" below the title. It loads slowly. Be patient
http://davesage.ca/henry fords first.html

And also try this one and select the "watch the animation" in the left panel.
http://davesage.ca/offset crank.html

Thanks

Sage


----------



## dsage (Sep 4, 2015)

Thanks for the idea on the dip stick. I'll give it a try. I might have to check out the crankcase vent as well. Maybe my check valve is stuck. I never see anything coming out of it. But I do get the occasional puff of smoke from an exhaust pipe so maybe it's building up some pressure.

Thanks

Sage


----------



## dsage (Sep 7, 2015)

Ok Les:

Seems a lot of people with Mac's (and even some PC's) are having variable problems with my website videos so I uploaded the Howell V8 video to YouTube. I think it should be fine for everyone now. Give it a try and if it works I'll upload the rest of my website videos. (all in good time).

http://davesage.ca/

and click on the "Click here to watch the engine run" box

Let me know.

Thanks

Sage


----------

