FYI PSA: Check your rocker box cover screw torque

[Neal]

I had a little booboo where I hit one of the rocker box covers with my engine lift and dented it. It's purely cosmetic yet my ego is severely bruised. Another one is on the way from CubCrafters, it's not a big deal. This is the part of the engine that's at the head of the cylinders with the black "CubCrafters" and "cc363i" name plates glued on. CubCrafters paints the rocker box covers after grinding down the "Lycoming" that comes on it so it is taking some processing time but I'll have it early this week thankfully.

So today I started cleaning out the orange RTV sealant to be able to swap out the rocker box covers and figure out a game plan with the baffle, etc. I put a screwdriver on the bottom rocker box screws which have the baffle in between the screw head and rocker box and was surprised many of these were loose and very easy to unscrew with minimal effort. I recently read the attached instruction manual from Lycoming on the rocker box covers and know the torque should be around 30 in-lbs. So I took my torque wrench around to check torque and most of these bottom screws were only around 15 in-lbs, the top ones which did not have the baffle between them were tight. So I suggest people check your rocker box cover torques. Something I would have never touched if it wasn't for this incident.

I believe silicone gaskets are in use, it's the newer style gasket, but I'll know for sure when I get the parts from CubCrafters. I did order 2 x silicone gaskets from Aircraft Spruce just in case...yeah, I'm a parts hoarder, I know.

Check your torques.

OHHH - during the process of picking out the RTV I bumped one of the black name plates on the rocker box cover and it fell off. I know CubCrafters just epoxies these on with a special epoxy but wow, that was barely holding on. Ironic... so do not touch those black name plates, consider them fragile!!!

 

[Cactus Charlie]

Standard practice at every annual to put a screwdriver on these screws and check they are snug. Probably less of an issue with the newer silicone rubber gaskets than the older cork gaskets.

Did you see my post on the CubCrafters forum about my dearly departed "CubCrafters" name plate and my dented pushrod shroud tube?

I would far rather have an unpainted engine without the crap stick on labels. My last one in that configuration ran over 3,000 hours and is still flying with the new owner.

 

[Neal]

Yeah, saw your post. I had another friend in a new FX-3 with one that fell off too. They should just stop putting that nonsense on.