Microlighters

Hi guys. I don't want to say to much but how often does anyone check the tightness of their spark plugs and that little pin that keeps your float level in place.

wingover wrote:Hi guys. I don't want to say to much but how often does anyone check the tightness of their spark plugs and that little pin that keeps your float level in place.

Checking if your plugs or their cables are loose (I am not talking about using a spanner here, just with your fingers) is part of the pre-flight process we were taught by Flo... also we open the bowls of our carbs to check if there is moisture and anything amiss on pre-flight too, filling them with clean fuel, thus allowing for an easier start...

But actual torque checks on your plugs, I wouldn't imagine this should be done except when replacing plugs, or whenever you are doing a major check (ATF inspection) or engine service... I can't think of a good reason for plugs to come loose unless they were not torqued in place properly in the first place, or if there was something else seriously wrong causing them to come loose...

I would love to hear more about where this question arose. someone's plug or plugs must have come loose... Not fun, instant compression loss...

Cheers

Craig

wingover wrote:how often does anyone check the tightness of their spark plugs:oops:

Unless you refer to the first aerie to go down in this fiasco, viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22541 :"And then we were one ..." where the pilot never tightened the plug, you only need to do a finger tightness check of your caps and plugs during pre-flight. If a sparkplug is installed with copper compound and at the right torque, it will never come out. Vibrating or loose sparkplug caps are however your bigger concern.

As for the float pin (and I stand to be corrected), with the bowl in place, the pin can not fall out.

Duck Rodgers might want to comment ?

hi,
in des/2013 I had a mag-drop of (250-300 rpm ) when chancing from one mag - to the other.
taxied back to the hanger and phoned my AP.
I started to make arrangement's so that he can drive to the air strip and ''fix'' it. and ordered a new mag. my AP asked me to ''prove'' so long (witch side mag it is ) I found it to be the R hand side mag looking from the cockpit .I phoned him and told him witch mag it is, and he said: '''''check-you-leads''' on the distributors and the plugs!!
I found that the H/T lead on the distributor was '''loose'' (not completely in )........ pushed it in all the way .......... an whalla problem solved!
now on my pre-flight checks ........ that is what I do. (bantam with jabi engine )
pit bull.