ARCHER ENGINE CHANGE: August 2008

In early August 2008, the Archer had an engine change, a 100-hour inspection, and some maintenance repairs.

Mike Zimmerman removed the prop for inspection and recertification.

 

 

 

Going...Mike and Clarke Erwin did the disassembly and removed the engine.

A new remanufactured engine arrived August 6 and was reinstalled quickly due to the efforts of a lot of club members.

Mike Zimmerman did one heck of a job installing the new engine.  It even has 8 qts of oil in the crankcase waiting patiently to do its job.

 

 

Going...

Mike Zimmerman, Jon Bottorff, Clarke Erwin, and Red Redden did a magnificent job putting the external attachments (carburetor, filters, ignition wires, etc.) back on the engine.

The prop shop advised us that the old prop was out of service limits and needed replacement.  So, we now have a brand new propellor direct from the factory.

 

 

GONE...

With the new engine and new prop (holy cow, Batman! standby by for breathtaking acceleration on takeoff), we should see a bit of performance increase.

 

 

 

 

 

Other things that have happened on this engine change and 100-hour inspection:

  • Mag compass light is now working (thanks Jon Bottorff)
  • New Sky Tech starter is installed and should improve the cranking process
  • Repositioned the air/oil separator drain line
  • The belly is once again sparkling clean (thanks Dennis Harwell)
  • New cabin floor vent was installed
  • All struts were serviced and have new cores
  • All new exhaust parts were installed (except cabin heater/defrost shroud)
  • New alternator belt was installed
  • Lower engine cowling was repair and repainted
  • Cabin interior was vacuumed (thanks Mark Armstrong)
  • Carburetor temp probe is now working (thanks Clarke Erwin)
  • LH engine baffle was repaired (thanks Clarke Erwin)
  • RH wheel fairing is being repaired (broken section on bottom)
  • EGT #1 cylinder probe is now working again

Once the new prop was put on, the engine was cranked (without the plugs connected) to lubricate the internal parts.  (See the video)

After everyone was satisfied that all the parts, including the new propellor, were correctly installed, connections made, and nuts tightened and safety wired, the aircraft was started for the first time. 

The engine started much faster thanks to the new Sky-Tech Flyweight starter and then purred like a kitten for the ground run.  (See the video)

The work and test flights are finally complete and the Archer is back in service again.