REFLECTOR: Severely rough-running Franklin

[Rene Dugas]

Just finished my annual and found one plug wire cut and three more very
worn from the fiberglass plenum near the engine mount.  My tie wraps had
broken and allowed the wires to vibrate against the edge.  My engine ran
very rough and fouled the number one plug three times.  A long story
shortened.  I found the wires worn as they passed inside of the engine
mount in  a very tight area.  I have modified it.  I then found that
when I changed the entire wiring harness it ran exactly the same.  I
cleaned and gapped the plugs and injectors and exactly the same.  Remove
the left Mag and had it rebuilt.  Ran exactly the same.  250 rpm drop on
mag check.  Rechecked the plugs and found lower 3 and 5 oily and no
fire.  Cleaned them now runs great.  Point plugs foul even sitting up on
Lycomings since oil can get on them from just doing the compression
tests during the annual.  So check plugs, wires, plugs again, mags,
ground, etc.  I would think a compression test would detect a sticking
valve and may be easier than removing the exhaust.

Rene'

 

-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of John Dibble
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 11:04 AM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Severely rough-running Franklin

 

Has your 10 hrs of flying been at full power?  Over a 2 month period I
flew mine just a few hours at reduced power because I was just doing
some local sight seeing and full power speed is rough at low altitudes.
Then when I took off for a 5 hour trip, It was missing a lot so I
returned and checked the plugs.  All were fine except #1.  The gaps were
completely fouled (no gap at all), even on the EI plug.  I was surprised
at how quickly a plug can foul. 
John 

Hiroo Umeno wrote: 

So... I gave my plane its first oil change.  It has about 10 hours now.
As expected with a newly overhauled engine, there are some very fine
dark powder mixed in the oil.  No big chunks or shavings.  So far, so
good. After the oil change, I tried starting the engine.  Using the
primer, I tried a few times and just could not get it to run
consistently.  It will fire and do an uneven "shakes and rattles" and
after a few seconds, it will die back down.  One time, I got it to run
for about one minute but the running was rough and really uneven and
would not idle as it used to. Subsequently, it just will not go beyond a
few rattles and shakes.  My wife observed a faint white smoke blow out
of the exhaust stack when it "rattles" and a few times a darker smoke
subsequently. What should I look into? Hiroo  

 
 
 





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