Q: I have been looking for a possible STC to install a primer system on a O-320-A2D. Would you know of one? JERRY BARNHILL, Longville, La. A: Jerry, after checking a few things out, I discovered that almost all of the O-320 series engines were delivered from Lycoming with a factory installed primer system. However, the […]
Ask Paul: Why is my engine oil creamy?
Q: I am doing a 100-hour inspection on a Piper Aztec with TSIO 540 Lycomings using Shell 15/50 oil with 50 hours on the oil. They are both midtime engines on this photo plane. They fly six hours a day at low power settings. The left engine oil is black like it should be after […]
Ask Paul: What’s causing vibration?
Q: I recently installed a new three-blade propeller in my Comanche 250 with an O-540 engine. After the first flight I noticed a vibration when I decrease the rpm to 2400 or below, so I had the prop dynamically balanced. This did not change anything. The engine still vibrated. I contacted McCauley and they had […]
Ask Paul: What’s the TBO on my engine?
There isn’t much else I can say about the O-320-A2B except for the fact that it’s probably one of the best engines Lycoming ever produced and has been around forever.
Ask Paul: Fly more, get longer TBO?
Q: I bought my first plane, a 1981 Cessna T182RG, in May 2012. I have been flying this plane frequently and have put over 300 hours on it in the last calendar year. I can tell you that in 2005 it received a factory remanufactured engine from Lycoming and at the 1,000 hour mark got […]
Ask Paul: What’s causing intermittent roughness?
Q: I am an European-based A&P with a customer who is experiencing intermittent roughness and loss of rpm (200) typically close to the top of climb on a long climb out. The roughness goes away once it is throttled back, and it does not occur all the time. The snag can’t be produced on the […]
What’s causing Mooney’s rough-running engine?
Q: I bought an older Mooney with a Lycoming IO-360 with Bendix fuel servo. The engine starts to run rough once the last 1/2 inch of throttle is given. An induction leak cannot be located. Would a faulty sniffle valve be to blame? Any other possibilities? JAMIE RICHARDS A: Jamie, with regard to your older […]
Does flight school’s 172 need new rings?
This question was initially sent to our fuels and oil expert Ben Visser, who passed it on to our engines expert Paul McBride for further comment. Q: Our flight school has a Cessna 172N with an O-320 H2AD. The engine was rebuilt 120 hours ago after cam/lifter failure. The engine uses one half quart of […]
Ask Paul: Upgrading to a wide deck engine
Q: I read your article from the Oct .7, 2009, issue of General Aviation News on Wide Deck vs. Narrow Deck Lycomings with great interest. I am trying to figure out one detail that I think your article answers, but I just want to make sure. I have a 1960 PA-22 Tripacer that originally came […]