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During the engine change, it’s a great time to take care of some other items that are much easier to access when the engine is not in the way.

Before we get to that, I want to thank Brad Schmidt for his recent iTunes review.  Brad is a friend of Bret Chilcott and he, like Bret, owns a Stinson aircraft.   Brad loves the tube and fabric airplanes, and it reminded me of an Aeronca champ my previous boss owned years ago… you’ll have to listen to the episode to hear a little more about that airplane.

In today’s episode, we talk about an email question I received earlier this month.   JD Goldstein’s eagle eye mechanic found a crack in his engine case during the inspection, and he ended up needing to change the engine.  Naturally, he was wondering, “What else should I consider doing while the engine is out of the airplane?”

JD’s mechanic had some ideas and recommendations, JD himself had some, and then I also had some ideas.  Here are at least some of those ideas:

  1. Thorough cleaning.
  2. Replacing all hoses with new.
  3. Replacing any deteriorated wiring.
  4. Removing the engine mount if it’s a tube type.
    1. Strip paint off.
    2. Inspect.
    3. Paint or powder coat.
    4. Reinstall (replace worn hardware.)
  5. Closely examine engine control cables and rod ends, and replace as necessary.
  6. New engine shock mounts and new hardware.
  7. Look at everything on firewall for any needed repairs or preventive maintenance.

Another little reminder, if you haven’t checked out the video tutorial course, “Safety Wire Like A Pro!,” then please go check it out.  Here’s the link:  https://airplane-owner-maintenance.teachable.com/p/safetywiring

Jeremy Zawodny sent me some good feedback about the course, and he’s already putting it to good use, on his airplanes.  Well done Jeremy!

 

One last thing, I wanted to especially recommend the latest episode of Airplane Intel Podcast… stories and recordings of live interviews from Sun N Fun.   That episode was released just this week.

Here’s a link to that episode:  https://www.airplaneprebuy.com/snf

Have a great week everyone!