I have an O-360 Mattituck (experimental) engine installed on my RV-7A. I have been using Aeroshell W100 Plus for more than 15 years. I have been using mogas solely for more than 10 years now, so no fear of lead deposits. This is my question: Would the use of fully synthetic (racing) oil be beneficial?
Ask Paul: You can’t get there from here
I have read Lycoming Service Instruction 1304J and wondered if I can expect to find a Form 337 for an engine on the CD the FAA sent me with the aircraft records for a Cessna 172. The engine once had the following on the data tag: O-320-E2CC. I am told the engine was converted to an E2D per the logs.
Asking questions before you start an aircraft project will save you money
The Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 has a rating of 230 hp at 2400 rpm. Can I just change the governor and increase the RPM to 2700 (like the D4A5) to get 260 hp or do more technical modifications need to be done?
After replacing almost everything in my engine, why is there metal in my oil filter?
My advice to all who have or will experience metal contamination in an engine: Replace the oil cooler and hoses rather than taking a chance.
I’ve replaced the problem cylinders, should I replace the others?
Given the engine times and now having #2 and #4 pistons and rings replaced and valves rebuilt, I’m leaning heavily toward performing the same maintenance on #1 and #3, with new pistons and rings, even though they aren’t suspected of any issue, but wanted to seek your wisdom on this first.
Ask Paul: Is it a bad engine or bad maintenance?
A flying club’s maintenance officer wants to upgrade one of the club’s airplane engines, claiming the engine is known for having “lots of reliability issues.” Another member of the club turned to our expert to get his advice on what’s really going on with the engine.
Is our airplane’s EGT harmful to the exhaust valves?
Is an EGT in the 1510 range harmful to the exhaust valves in our 1978 Piper Lance II?
What is causing that popping noise in my engine?
Question for Paul McBride, General Aviation News’ engines expert: I’ve noticed that if I reduce the throttle quickly I get a popping noise from the exhaust for a few seconds that then quits. A slow reduction in power to idle doesn’t cause it.
A simple check to see if your aircraft engine is manufacturing metal
If the engine is manufacturing metal, this simple check will give you enough information to make a decision as to whether the engine actually does have a serious problem.