my second engine "walking beam"
Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:27 pm
Awsome, Antidartan!
That "tincan" displacer cylinder looks familiar! Replicating the first run's success can always be a challenge. Be prepared to tear down the whole engine, clean, dry, and lubricate where necessary.
Depending upon what you used to assemble the displacer and chamber, heat may have damaged the glue used to seal them and you could have sprung an air leak. On one engine I built, I used epoxy to build the displacer only to discover that heat had burned the glue to ash, creating a hole in it. It's probably one of the last places to look, but keep it in mind.
Also, pull your piston out of its cylinder and clean both very carefully. If any material charred because of heat, it could easily gum it up.
One last thing. If you put water on the top to cool it, be sure it had no way to get into the displacer cylinder. It could easily find its way into the power cylinder (as vapor) which would DEFINITELY lock up the engine. Water's adhesive/cohesive properties are very undesireable. Again, this could be cleared up by wiping down the piston and its cylinder.
Best of luck!
-Stefan