REFLECTOR:LOP and Lycoming

[reflector@tvbf.org]

In a message dated 9/15/2003 12:23:54 PM Eastern Daylight Time, j.f.sheehan@issmail.larc.nasa.gov writes:

> I am still running with two mags and it seems to get a 
> little rough and too much loss of power when I get LOP. 
> I've got an article written by Lycoming which really advises
> not to run LOP but apparently many folks do and don't seem 
> to have any problems.
> Jack

Ah Jack! You have stumbled onto the "dirty little secret". 

Stuff like this is why people experiment with auto engines!

Ok, your engine stumbles when you attempt to go LOP because your fuel injecters from Lycoming are built to such sorry sloppy tolerances that your fuel/air distribution is so far off that unless you run sloppy rich it runs rough. 

As much as these engines cost this SHOULD not be an issue and in fact the folks at GAMI have been heard to comment that if Lycoming simply followed the specs called out for in their air worthiness cert's they would run LOP just fine. 

So, since the Lycoming product is so poorly built that it can't run LOP they tell you should not do LOP. You have to go to someone like GAMI to get precision built parts. Lycoming does not like it to be known that they don't build their own parts to their own specs. 

So the dirty little secret is Lycomings parts are crap so instead of just fixing their engines and tightening up their tolerances they will tell you that should not do it. 

Bastards! 

(How's that Mate? Am I back in form? :-) )

DM Rob