November/December 2023 - 30

PISTON ENGINE MA INTENANCE
Without performing the recommended maintenance,
issues can go unnoticed until the catastrophic
happens. Ross cites how some maintenance
providers like to perform a " lean of peak " magneto
check as a substitute, which can give an indication
of health of the magneto or ignition system, but it
still should not be a replacement for those recommended
items of maintenance and inspection.
" If I skimp on an item of maintenance and then I have
the unfortunate event of, for example, a detonation
event and I damage the engine, burning a hole in
the piston, I could do consequential damage to
the engine, which renders the crankshaft no good,
the cam no good, the connecting rods no good. "
Bill Ross, VP of Product Support for Superior Air Parts
" I don't think that you can use it as a predictor of
some type of failure that could be a bad issue, " Ross
said. " You can go down to the end of the runway
and you may have a fine mag check and then you
go and fly, and you may have an issue. "
The issue, for instance, could be carbon tracking
or imminent failure of a cracked gear.
Ross said even fuel system calibrations, if not
done correctly, can lead to fuel system problems,
particularly in turbocharged engines, where they're
so lean that during high power settings on a hot
day, they may get into a situation where they could
detonate the engine.
" So when I'm talking about performing these
items of maintenance, and this is not Bill's opinion,
this is all predicated on good engineering data and
testing and best practices, " he continued.
The Cause and Worth of the Neglected
No one wants to end up with a broken engine. The
leading cause of neglected engines is to save time
and money.
" Everybody's looking for a way to save money.
I'm an aircraft owner myself, believe me, I know
what it costs to operate an airplane. And I think a
lot of times, owners are misconstrued with, I can
save on this item of maintenance and in the long
run I'm going to be fine with that. That's far from
the truth, " Ross said.
The cost associated with an event can be far greater
than what's saved by skipping on maintenance.
" If I skimp on an item of maintenance and then I
have the unfortunate event of, for example, a detonation
event and I damage the engine, burning a
hole in the piston, I could do consequential damage
to the engine, which renders the crankshaft
no good, the cam no good, the connecting rods no
good. And as an owner, if I have to start purchasing
those things at overhaul time, overhaul becomes
very, very expensive compared to an engine that was
maintained well over the course of its life, " Ross said.
And worse, if an event were to happen while the
aircraft is flying, Ross asks what does it cost to go
get the airplane out of the field or out of the top of
a pine tree?
" Or, Lord, if you hurt somebody or you damage the
airplane, what are the costs involved in those? " He
continued. " And so, when we're talking about doing
the right thing and reducing costs to the TBO, we
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November/December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2023
