Many if not all Lycoming baffles hug the aft rear cylinder too tight.

Check out this fix.

Murray

Thinking alike...


I can cool down 5 with injector swap but 6 needs to stay put. I’ll take a look when we decowl tomorrow.

Thanks!

Jesse - this is a great thread! Can you ballpark your expenses in this turnaround story for those of us who might be interested in following your footsteps on similar turbo Saratogas/turbo lances? I appreciate it.

I’m late to this thread, what was the other thread and what happened?

They were working on the engine and while turning the prop it fired and turned over for a few blades.

Injured his hand pretty badly. Precautions had been taken and it shouldn't have been able to happen but it did.

Search for "Don't be an idiot like me"
Honest to god that's the title of the thread.

[Link]https://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=159120&hilit=prop+hand[/Link]

Last year I fought a ln intermittent roughness issue with this new engine, as well as a battle to get the Gami spread just right. Consequently, high power climbs and max-cruise LOP was decent but was never up to my standard for smoothness and performance.

I’ll admit after months of minor tweaking and tuning I got frustrated and decided to fly it as-is until winter.

Today I am happy to report the engine is now PERFECT with two exceptions.

The idle is smooth like a vehicle, just like my Navajo motors were when dialed in. It lights up with half a blade.

Climb performance is now increased, and CHTs are cool in the climb.

It will run turbine smooth (people say this...but I mean it) at 12,000’ WOT/2500 LOP. Thats 35”MP.

Three-way GPS at 12,200 produced 178ktas with zero vibration or intermittent roughness and great temps. Thats within single-digit knots of TN Bo speeds with a roomy cabin, nose baggage, and full deice!

So what was THE PROBLEM?! Last year I had the dual-mag overhauled. I was very specific about the internal mag timing and they assured me it was set as close as possible. Upon installation, the split was large IMO and we had to split the difference timing wise. I was told it was as it could be.

Long story short, the mag was set poorly. Both the match, and the timing of both mags were outside of spec in opposite directions. John at Glendale Aero opened it up for me and dialed it in PERFECTLY himself. The mag was in great condition otherwise.

So much for “FAA approved” experts!

The bottom line - 3 more injectors swaps, dialed-in mags, and a prop balance (now that the motor is broken in nicely) and we have a confirming Lycoming that would impress any BTer with its performance and smoothness. To his credit, John also found a small induction leak at the sniffle valve (induction drain).

I’m ecstatic and reenergized to fly and finish this beast.

Good job, Jesse. Now, would you like to dial in one of mine:)?


Robert T

That’s awesome to hear Jesse. Happy to get the update!

Thanks guys. It had taken the fun out of flying knowing there was something under the cowl that wasn’t quite right.

The two remaining issues:

Oil out of the breather. We measured crankcase pressure, boroscoped jugs, etc. found nothing. From the limited info I can find on Piper forums it seems this is an issue with these motors and often can only be solved with a separator. I’m not giving up yet.

#6 CHT. While the temps are good. 5 out of six are mid 350s in climb and cruise with the #6 running 30dF warmer. As mentioned previously, this is a baffling issue. We now have all F/A ratios correct and proper ignition so its time to address this. If I am going to reach the magic 190ktas target, I’ll need to reduce this temp to match the others allowing me to run more fuel LOP up high.

185kt Toga is great of course, but I think I can make 190 happen. Might be worth an article in a Piper mag. “Beech guy tunes Toga - wings didn’t fall off”

Final thought - Lycoming and Continental turbo motors can be truly sweet.

All the TC PA32 owners I know and talk to all have oil dripping from the breather post flight. God help you if you over fill it with oil. MY AP once topped her off with 12 qts and in 3 hours, 3 of them disappeared. There was oil all over everything aft of the breather tube. I have accepted this fact that I will always end up marking my ramp space wherever I go.

Steep climbs can cause oil out the breather issue

I’m lining up a set of experiments so I can figure this out. Thats on the list - thanks.

Not trying to resurrect a dead thread, but has there been any more updates on this plane since this last post?

Is there a down side to using a separator? I read that if they're not installed in a place that gets hot enough, they can wind up sending water vapor back to the engine. Any other issues with them?