Airfilter, Skis, Vents, Oil pan heater, Magneto

T

Ten31Aviation

New member
I have a 1976 Bellanca Decathalon with a Bracket Filter, Ive heard to go with a challenger paper filter my servo will be much happier. Opinions. Also does anyone have skis on their plane, how does this affect the ground rolls? Also I have the Heavy Duty Gear lugs on my landinggear and there is no way for me to put the eyelet on for the bungee straps has anyone else had this issue? Vents I have round half open rudder vents in the side just behind the cowl, they spin freely, does anyone know where I can get solid vents or possibly replace them with the doors like the citabria uses? The heater that gets installed on the oil pan does anyone have a preference? Another issue is the magnetos I have a Performance Engine that was a 150hp however I think its up to 160Hp and when I bought it the guy I bought it from said it is 183Hp, I find that hard to believe, however my magneto drop is below 150-175 which is specified. Im getting like 300-350 with manifold pressure of I think 20 or 1800 RPM. They both drop the same amount and myself and a AP checked the timing and we are both baffled the Lycoming says this is normal, in order to check the mags you need to run the pressure up due to the modified engine. Sorry such a list however I just bought the plane and I love it(First Plane) just want to do everything to make "D" a happy bird.

Thanks

Jonathan
 
I have been using the Bracket filters for 20 years, nothing wrong with it.
I think I use vents from Aircraft Spruce #05-01178, they work well. If you want the latter door type, get them from ACA. In fact always buy what you can from them.
I don't understan your mag problem, but a 300 drop is too much.
 
The door style is tough because you need the corresponding hole in the boot cowl. Yes, swapping boot cowls would work fine. However, its the sort of thing you do during rebuild as its expensive by the time you fit everything and paint it too.
 
Hi Jonathon,

Here's what I use to heat my O235 powered 7ECA:

http://e-zheat.com/shop/

I have been using it for about 6 years. I plug it in, or set a timer for several hours before I fly--or over night. I cover the cowl with an old blanket, put the cowl plugs in. When I am ready to fly, I can open the oil filler door, and warm my hands inside the cowling!

Bill
N5054N
 
Your Performance Engines really doesn't put out 183HP. I'm local to him, he builds nice balanced engines, but there is no way to get a O/IO-320 to over 180HP with certified parts with stock intake and exhaust bolted up. He doesn't have a Dyno test cell, so the best he can do is estimate HP from what RPM it turned his test club at... I'm guessing there is a little fudge room there. Is the mag drop smooth? If so I'd look at making sure your injector body is set up correctly. An overly rich or lean mixture could cause excessive mag drop in both mags. More likely set too rich.
 
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