May 19-27 - Banks & Intake Log

All valves were removed from the heads such that the valves and seats could be inspected.

During this time, the cylinder liners were honed with a dingleberry hone, and everything cleaned up.

Upon reassembly, the banks were dropped onto the crankcase without issue.

The Merlin intake log is a three piece affair, with the main log running down the center of the engine and feeding two ram horns, one for each bank.

With the high manifold pressures and blower on a Merlin, a backfire is very dangerous - with enough energy to launch the blower off the engine. Thus, RR installed fine mesh screens between the intake logs and the banks to contain back fires.

The screens work well, but are often full of carbon and other deposits, which must be cleaned, otherwise mixture distribution is poor and can lead to detonation or backfiring.

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Next: May 28, 2007 - Blower Assembly

© Ryan Smith, 2003-2007. All rights reserved.