Airplane Owner Maintenance

A Maintenance Oriented Podcast For Airplane Owners, Pilots, and Mechanics

Tag: exhaust valves

117 – Cirrus SR22 Flap Problem Solved

June 9, 2019 / / 2 Comments

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Four things for this episode:

  1. An announcement about Oshkosh.
  2. An Aeronca Champ that landed at SHD recently.
  3. My new friend, Brad Flickinger. Brad is a podcast listener from Pennsylvania who stopped in to see me at SHD recently.
  4. A flap problem on a Cirrus SR22.

1.Oshkosh Announcement:

I’ve never been to the EAA Airventure Oshkosh Airshow. But this is the year to change that, and I’m planning to go this year! I can’t wait.

I have been scheduled to give a workshop presentation at Oshkosh this year. The name of my workshop is “Exhaust Valve Borescoping and Lapping,” and you can click this link to get the details:

https://www.eaa.org/eaa/event/Exhaust_Valve_Borescoping__Lapping?id=B60EDF7E3005415C9DE8F72AB063B6F9

It will be in Workshop Classroom A, on Saturday, July 27, at 8:30 am.

If you will be at Airventure / Oshkosh this year, please stop by for this presentation… I would love to meet you there.

2. The Aeronca Champ that landed at SHD:

Such a classic little airplane!

And it even had a backwards tachometer, like the one I flew years ago.

… and with a wooden prop and no electrical system, it’s a really simple airplane.

3. My new friend, Brad Flickinger.

Brad stopped in to see me at Classic Aviation at SHD recently. I found out he’s been listening to the podcast while driving a truck.

Brad owns and flies a Mooney, and we are currently making plans for me to go spend some time with him and some of his airplane friends in PA.

Thanks Brad, for taking the time to stop in for a visit. I always love to meet podcast listeners in person!

4. Cirrus SR22 Flap Problem

I’ve been doing an annual inspection on an SR22, and one of the squawks was that the flaps would not extend all the way.

A call to Cirrus Tech Support turned out to be a fantastic experience!

Ben gave me some ideas about what to check, and one thing he suggested checking was the flap system relays under the floor panel behind the copilot seat.


The relays are inside this panel.
I numbered the relays so I would not get them mixed up for troubleshooting.

After following Ben’s instructions, I put the forward two relays in the aft two positions, and the flaps worked flawlessly!

I was very grateful for the excellent tech support from Ben at Cirrus Aircraft!

He helped me isolate the problem, and the solution turned out to be two $13 relays, instead of a high dollar flap drive unit. Thanks Ben!


After we get the new relays installed, the flap system will be back in business, ready for reliable operation once again.

115 – Which Borescope Should I Buy?

May 6, 2019 / / 7 Comments

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This is a question many airplane owners, A&P’s, and IA’s ask when getting started with borescoping piston engine cylinders.

If you want to look at the exhaust valves (and other things,) in an airplane engine’s cylinders, this borescope is the one I confidently recommend: The Vividia VA-400. Here are my best reasons:

  1. It has a 180 degree articulating probe. (You can easily see the exhaust valve through the spark plug hole.)
  2. It takes excellent pictures.
  3. The price is great.
  4. It’s been tested and approved by many in the general aviation community.

Check out the following links to purchase the VA-400 borescope, or the bundle that includes both the borescope AND the wifi adapter for connecting to your iPhone or iPad:

And, if you use the code “Dean” at checkout, you will receive a 10% discount off the purchase price.

For the VA-400 borescope:

https://www.oasisscientific.com/vividia-va-400-rigid-usb-articulating-borescope-videoscope-inspection-camera.html

The borescope above will connect directly to an Android device or tablet.

Or, if you’re like me and want to use your iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to buy the bundle which includes the VA-400 above, along with a WiFi adapter to allow viewing on your iPhone or iPad. Here’s the bundle: (This is the one I bought.)

https://www.oasisscientific.com/store/p374/VA-400-WiFi_Bundle%3A_Vividia_Ablescope_VA-400_USB_Rigid_Articulating_Borescope_plus_VA-B2_WiFi_AirBox_for_iPad_iPhone_and_Android_Phone_and_Tablet.html

It’s an incredible tool that comes in a really nice metal box.

I’m really happy with this borescope. If you’re looking for a borescope, this one may well be a good option for you as well.

Remember, if you purchase using one of the links above, and use the code “Dean” at checkout, you can get a 10% discount off the purchase price.

If you have not downloaded my free PDF Exhaust Valve Inspection Guide, with pictures and descriptions of what to look for, be sure to grab a copy of that as well… it will be super helpful in using your new borescope. You can get access to that free guide here: airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

On another note, I had the great privilege of being on the Fly Maui Podcast with John and Leslie Caubble last week (episode 29.) It was great talking with them about “Beyond the Preflight Checklist,” where we talked about helpful things to know, that may not be on the standard preflight checklist. Check out the Fly Maui Podcast here: https://www.flymauihi.com/blog

Thanks John and Leslie, for all your inspiration, and for sharing your journey!

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Have a great week everyone!

114 – Free Resource for Airplane Owners to Confidently Borescope Exhaust Valves

April 24, 2019 / / 2 Comments

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Free Training: airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

Here are two of the many pictures of exhaust valves that are in the free training guide I’m offering to you, “Exhaust Valve Borescope Inspections.”

Would you know what to do if you saw this? Get the free training guide and read about what’s going on with this exhaust valve from a Turbo-normalized A36 Bonanza.

Here’s another one:

This exhaust valve is actually in a Lycoming IO-360 engine. After seeing this, I’m a firm believer in doing borescope inspections with every annual, not just for Continental engines, but for Lycoming and Franklin engines as well.

These two exhaust valves and many more, along with explanations, are included in the free borescoping guide.

Here’s the link to subscribe to this free training:

airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

Please take advantage of this free offer, and if you find it helpful, please share the link wherever you feel is appropriate.

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Also in this week’s podcast, I’m sharing some information about magneto contact points. Like exhaust valves, this is an item that is normally hidden unless effort is made to see it. When I saw these contact points, I was reminded of how important it is to do 500 hour inspections on magnetos. This magneto has approximately 1100 hours on it, and the contact points are in poor condition… startling condition actually.

Look at the right side, and then we’ll zoom in on the next picture.

Notice the very dirty contact points.

Very nasty… not sure how much longer this magneto would have run.

Bottom line lesson here: For safe and reliable operation, magnetos need regular maintenance, and the 500 hour inspection recommendation is there for a good reason.

My favorite magneto shop is Aircraft Ignition Services, LLC in Honey Grove, Texas, just outside of Dallas. This is a fantastic shop run by Kevin and Leah Herrington. Everything about their work is top notch. The work is excellent and the ongoing support and service is the best I’ve seen. Here’s their website. Take a look, and give ’em a call if you need any magneto work.

http://aircraftignitionservices.com

This is exactly where this magneto will be going, for 500 hour inspection and any necessary repairs.

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Don’t forget to grab the free Exhaust Valve Borescoping guide here:

airplaneownermaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

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