This year's annual

It's been a solid week, and I am still not flying in my Sundowner.....

Problems encountered.

Oil analysis came back with high count of copper
#3 cylinder low on compressions
Corrosion on a side panel of the fuselage
Small pipe (Exhaust outake?) had small crack in it
Air in the brake lines (took ten minutes to bleed)

Things to be replaced (500 hours time since major, hard to believe I have
flown that much in three years!)

Points and condensors
Mags

Things to be fixed

Windshield leakage

All has been done except for the corrosion problem. He scraped off the
paint and most of the corrosion color, but there is a pin hole size pit
(very, very tiny, but still perceptible) in the bare skin. It doesn't go
entirely through the skin, but it's there needless to say. Why in the
area is beyond comprehension since it's on a vertical surface to the
right of the door. Not exactly an area where water collects. Got a pic
if anybody's interested.

Soo, for the #3 cylinder, A&P was able to field service it and get the
compressions up to 65. Remaining three cylinders are in the 70's.

Changed the oil from 15W50 weight to 20W50 weight. Added an engine
additive too. Expensive stuff at $24 a pint!

Small pipe replaced. Brake lines bled. Windshield was sealed.

Only problem remaining to be fixed is the corrosion and repainting the
area. Hoping that what he has done will be good enough. I'd hate to see
what the cost of Beechcraft skin will do to my wallet if it can't be
fixed!

Definately won't rank in the least costly annuals for me.

Allen

"A Lieberma" wrote in message
. 18...

Only problem remaining to be fixed is the corrosion and repainting the
area. Hoping that what he has done will be good enough. I'd hate to see
what the cost of Beechcraft skin will do to my wallet if it can't be
fixed!

Worst case ... is there some reason why a patch could not be used?

Vaughn

Are you ****ed that you are only getting 65 PSI compression out of a 500
SMOH hour cylinder? I think that the high copper count doesn't
necesarily mean anything drastic... Our first annual in the Mooney was
almost 10 AMU's. Our second was 5 AMU's... Following this logic maybe
this year's will be 2.5 AMU's.... Yea right!! :-)

A Lieberma wrote:
It's been a solid week, and I am still not flying in my Sundowner.....

Problems encountered.

Oil analysis came back with high count of copper
#3 cylinder low on compressions
Corrosion on a side panel of the fuselage
Small pipe (Exhaust outake?) had small crack in it
Air in the brake lines (took ten minutes to bleed)

Things to be replaced (500 hours time since major, hard to believe I have
flown that much in three years!)

Points and condensors
Mags

Things to be fixed

Windshield leakage

All has been done except for the corrosion problem. He scraped off the
paint and most of the corrosion color, but there is a pin hole size pit
(very, very tiny, but still perceptible) in the bare skin. It doesn't go
entirely through the skin, but it's there needless to say. Why in the
area is beyond comprehension since it's on a vertical surface to the
right of the door. Not exactly an area where water collects. Got a pic
if anybody's interested.

Soo, for the #3 cylinder, A&P was able to field service it and get the
compressions up to 65. Remaining three cylinders are in the 70's.

Changed the oil from 15W50 weight to 20W50 weight. Added an engine
additive too. Expensive stuff at $24 a pint!

Small pipe replaced. Brake lines bled. Windshield was sealed.

Only problem remaining to be fixed is the corrosion and repainting the
area. Hoping that what he has done will be good enough. I'd hate to see
what the cost of Beechcraft skin will do to my wallet if it can't be
fixed!

Definately won't rank in the least costly annuals for me.

Allen

"A Lieberma" wrote in message
. 18...
It's been a solid week, and I am still not flying in my Sundowner.....

Problems encountered.

Oil analysis came back with high count of copper
#3 cylinder low on compressions
snip
Soo, for the #3 cylinder, A&P was able to field service it and get the
compressions up to 65. Remaining three cylinders are in the 70's.


Allen

Don't give up to quickly on the low compression cylinder. Fly it hard for a
few hours. If the primary leakage is past the rings, it is possible to get
a low reading if the ring gaps are aligned. Fly it and they "should" move
and might surprise you on the next compression test.

If it is valves, try staking the rocker/valve with a soft hammer or block of
wood.. It could be a chip of lead or carbon under the valve seat. Of
course if none of this works, it might be a sign of a failing cylinder.

Hope you get in the air soon.
John Severyn
KLVK

Jon Kraus wrote in
:

Are you ****ed that you are only getting 65 PSI compression out of a
500 SMOH hour cylinder?

As long as I know it's not a harbinger of things to come, not at all. I
get 110 knots IAS, and that 5 PSI probably won't get me any more knots (I
don't think anyway!)

The engine has been running as smooth as it gets, though now maybe I will
get a little better performance, but I won't really know since it's
getting cooler, and I don't have anything to compare to.

What concerns me though is that I am even talking about it!

I think that the high copper count doesn't
necesarily mean anything drastic...

It was the "significant change" from prior analyse that is causing
concern. The company faxed over the report and suggested to contact
Lycoming. The A&P feels the way you do, except to keep an eye on it and
get the oil analyzed again on the next change.

Our first annual in the Mooney was
almost 10 AMU's. Our second was 5 AMU's... Following this logic maybe
this year's will be 2.5 AMU's.... Yea right!! :-)

Ahh, yes the pride of ownership. We definately earn the right to cry in
our own beer :-)

But the tears do really go away when the wheels leave terra firma!

Allen

"Vaughn Simon" wrote in
:

Worst case ... is there some reason why a patch could not be used?

I don't know. I will email you a pic and you tell me?

Can you point me to a website that has such a solution?

I would have thought some type of "filler / primer" would do it, but it's
in the middle of the sheet metel, not along an edge or anything like that.

Allen

"J. Severyn" wrote in
:

Don't give up to quickly on the low compression cylinder. Fly it hard
for a few hours. If the primary leakage is past the rings, it is
possible to get a low reading if the ring gaps are aligned. Fly it
and they "should" move and might surprise you on the next compression
test.

Hey John,

We are doing exactly what you are suggestiong and not giving up the ghost
on the cylinder.

If it is valves, try staking the rocker/valve with a soft hammer or
block of wood.. It could be a chip of lead or carbon under the valve
seat. Of course if none of this works, it might be a sign of a
failing cylinder.

I am not sure *exactly* what the A&P did (I am not mechanically
inclined). He told me it was complete "blow by" where it was passing the
rings. So, he did something to improve it, and I think he did something
what you described above with the rocker / valves but used a different
term.

I asked if I was running the mixture properly and he said I was doing
fine. No lead on the plugs, no lead anywhere to my knowledge.

Hope you get in the air soon.

Me too! I didn't buy a plane to look at it on the ground *smile*

I will know more on Monday. Maybe by the time I get to the airport, they
will have the paint gun in full gear :-)

Allen

A Lieberma wrote:



As long as I know it's not a harbinger of things to come, not at all. I
get 110 knots IAS, and that 5 PSI probably won't get me any more knots (I
don't think anyway!)



Where is the air escaping during the compression test?

A Lieberma wrote:



I am not sure *exactly* what the A&P did (I am not mechanically
inclined). He told me it was complete "blow by" where it was passing the
rings. So, he did something to improve it, and I think he did something
what you described above with the rocker / valves but used a different
term.

If it's passing the rings then it's coming out the breather line, not
likely to get better. Everybody thinks the rings move during operation,
no way. You don't just happen to get unlucky and have the rings lined
up at the annual.

Newps wrote in
:

If it's passing the rings then it's coming out the breather line, not
likely to get better. Everybody thinks the rings move during
operation, no way. You don't just happen to get unlucky and have the
rings lined up at the annual.

Since he got the compression up to 65, I am willing to give it a go.

With this in mind, how many hours down the road should I get him to run
another compression test?

He did have me change the oil from 15 weight to 20 weight. Do you think
this will mask the problem any?

Allen