12/80! That’s a terrible compression test result. And unlike some cylinders, this one did not show any obvious reasons for the low compression… take a look at the valves after the cylinder was removed:

Unless I’m missing something, I don’t see anything that would explain such a low compression number. The cylinder has been shipped to Tim Barnes at Skyline Cylinders for repair, so I’m hoping he will be able to give me more information about it. You can listen to the audio for more thoughts about this whole experience, and maybe I’ll give an update on it in a future episode.


I also mentioned in this episode my latest project in the shop at Classic Aviation – an annual inspection on a nice E33A Bonanza:

It’s a great airplane, with a great owner – now that’s a good combination!


The post “172 – A Perplexing Low Cylinder Compression on a Piper Saratoga” appeared first at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com