REFLECTOR: Engine failure causes

[Brian Michalk]

I did pull the plugs.  Unfortunately, I do not have a before picture.
All of the magneto plugs are sooty.  The electronic plugs closest to the 
firewall are slightly sooty.
The four electronic plugs next to the prop are in pristine condition, 
but do not show any signs of detonation.

The electronic plugs are mounted on the bottom.  The intake manifold 
feeds from the firewall side ... one would expect the last plugs to be 
the richest.

nmflyer1 at aol.com wrote:
> Brian,
>
> I shall print your notes/diagram and ponder it for a while. Did you 
> happen to pull the plugs and see if you actually get a fuel starvation 
> or over rich indication?  I plan on starting my first flight with 
> fresh clean plugs, just so that I can double check that very issue.
>
> I too have injection and a return line. Airflow performance built my 
> fuel pump setup (2 parallel electric pumps) but the return line does 
> not go back to the sump. Instead it feeds right back in before the 
> pumps. They say this keeps the flow up but avoids fuel frothing.
>
> I also have the backup fuel vent/valve inside the cabin... just in case.
>
> I recently went to an EAA meeting here at Mid Valley. The feature that 
> night was a retired theoretical flight test engineer. He and his wife 
> have built at least 10 homebuilts (and they still have them all).
> One of the things that came out of his experience probably relates 
> well to your situation, mine, and many others.
> He suggests running the aircraft at takeoff power (tied down, with 
> spotters) for at least 2-3 minutes. His experience suggests that this 
> test will reveal items that may only raise their head on the first 
> flight, in climb out... the worst time for a Gotcha to show up.
>
> I wondered how on earth I will manage to hold my beast still for that 
> run, but your data and experience tell me that I NEED to do that somehow.
>
> I appreciate your continued openness on this and hope to hear of your 
> discoveries.
>
> Best,  Kurt Winker
>