PhredPhantom

Thanks for the comments so far and I welcome any others. I plan to do some research on engine monitors at Oshkosh in a few weeks and hopefully attend a seminar or two on engine ops.

OK, so I've only owned my 2000 Ovation 2 for a little over a month now. This past weekend I decided to experiment with the ROP/LOP issue while on a 2 hour trip at 8,000 ft. I don't have the really cool G1000 panel shown at the beginning of this thread; just the regular old Moritz gauges. I had the RPM at 2300 and the MAP at 22". I kept gradually leaning the mixture until I got to 1600 degrees. Redline is 1650. I didn't really want to continue leaning because I don't know if I entirely trust the Moritz EGT gauge so I chickened out and enrichened the mixture 50 degrees to 1550 thinking that in case the peak was actually 1600 degrees (but I was a little afraid to chance it any further) I would at least be 50 degrees ROP at best - maybe/likely more ROP than that. My first question is what peak EGT do you normally expect to see with an IO-550 at 8,000 ft? Second, do you think my EGT readings might have been in error? I don't have the individual cylinder EGTs like the person who started this thread so I don't know whether the EGT reading I have turns out to be an average or is more reflective of the highest EGT cylinder. Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks for the responses to my questions. Some people mentioned that this subject had been done to death but I did a quick search in this forum before I started the topic and was a little surprised when it turned up nothing - maybe I didn't use the correct search words. Nobody addressed (at least in this thread) the question of whether Aeroshell is paraffin-based or not and whether that would make any difference in the first place if it is.

I just got my Ovation 2 about a month ago and yesterday I finally needed to add a quart of oil. I didn't have the logbooks with me to see which oil was used when the annual was done just before the sale but there was a quart of Aeroshell 20W50 in a ziploc bag in the baggage area so I assumed that was what had been used. Since I was at an airport where oil was available for sale, I decided to buy a quart and keep the one in the baggage area as a spare. The only 20W50 that the FBO had was Phillips but a local pilot there told me that Phillips was better oil anyway since it is not paraffin-based like he said that Aeroshell is. He said that Aeroshell will eventually leave a paraffin residue in the crevices and corners of the inside of the engine and prop. He also said that most of the folks at their airport, especially the homebuilders, use Phillips. He also said that he had heard of some engine rebuilding shops recommending the change to Phillips after doing oil analysis samples for some folks. I decided to put the Phillips oil in. So, after that long introduction, here's the question: I've always used Aeroshell during all of my civilian flying career with Cessnas and Mooneys but now I wonder if should think about going to Phillips. What's the better choice? What's the general thought of you more recently-experienced guys than me?

OK. The problem was fixed before I bought the airplane. I'm not sure exactly which transducer they used but apparently it is one that you can buy now, although not cheap - about $1,200 from what the owner told me. The problem was that the replacement transducer (I believe the correct part number was given above [sP-100-110-25A] but here was the problem. The Mooney factory told the previous owner's mechanic that the replacement transducer would work but 2 of the 4 wires should be switched (and they told him which ones). He did that and it didn't work so they sent the whole set of gauges and the transducer back to the Mooney factory and asked them to fix it. Then they had to wait a week while the Mooney factory had their test equipment recertified because they hadn't done so while the factory was shut down. When they finally got their equipment certified, they decided that the 2 wires didn't need to be switched after all and apparently everything worked just fine. This was an ordeal that delayed my purchase of the airplane for a little over a month but now it has all been done and the plane is in my hangar. I'm a happy camnper.

I just want to say Thanks to you guys for responding to my question about the manifold pressure gauge transducer. I have sent a link to this thread to the broker who is handling the sale; I don't have the owner's email address. The broker tells me that they have decided to send the original transducer out to a repair shop. I hope this works. If not, I hope that they will decide to pursue some of your suggestions. Since I am not currently the owner, I don't have control over what their decision turns out to be. Thanks again for your good comments. Phred

Anybody know where to get a manifold pressure transducer for a 2000 Ovation 2? I'm in negotiations (to buy) with the owner of the plane that needs one and he is just finishing the annual but is not able to find a replacement transducer for the manifold pressure gauge. From what he's told me, this transducer supplies a signal to both the standard ("steam") gauge as well as the electronic manifold pressure indicator. He says that since the Mooney plant is currently out of production, there is no source for this item. I wonder if there is another source or if another transducer can be substituted and be legal. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Phred

That's the main point in the current negotiations. Yours are not the first comments that I've seen that indicate that Continental IO-550's typically need a top overhaul at the midway TBO point (about 1,000 hours). This particular airplane has nearly 850 hours on it right now.

Ben, I am currently in negotiations for an Ovation 2. It is priced higher than yours but has about half the time on it that yours does. We may not be able to agree on a sale but it seems to be one that fits my needs pretty well. If these negotiations don't work out, I'll definitely be looking for another airplane. Yours might be what I need if I overhaul the engine and prop and the price might allow that if the panel is comparable. Thanks for telling me about your airplane. Maybe it'll work out. Phred (Edited for spelling)

That's how it all came about. I've got about 1,700 hours in Rhinos and I delivered the last one that our unit had to another base in 1993 after my unit switched to KC-135Rs. I flew them for about 150-200 hours before I got out but going from F-4s to tankers is just like getting out of a Ferrari and driving a bus. It's been 21 years now and sometimes, if I'm really busy with other things, I can sometimes even go 3 or 4 hours without thinking about flying Phantoms. I was fortunate to have had that experience.

That's what I've asked the owner to do. Since it's not my airplane yet, it's his place do fly it and then re-check. The annual is due next week and I asked him to fly it 3 or 4 hours before they pull it in for the annual when the compression will be checked again. My concern is not that the engine is airworthy now but I wonder if these compression numbers are indicative of a top overhaul being required sooner rather than later. That will have an effect on the fair selling / buying price of the airplane.

I'm negotiating for an Ovation and I have a question for you more experienced guys. The airplane looks good except for one concern that I have. The compression on the last annual a year ago was 60/80 on three cylinders, 62/80 on one, and 64/80 on the remaining two. I don't have personal experience with big-bore Continentals and I'm not an A&P but I wondered if that might be a little low with a little over 800 hours. One factor may be that the airplane hasn't flown much at all in the last 2 years. The owner said it doesn't use any significant oil. Should I be concerned? Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Phred

The one that I'm negotiating for is a 280hp version. As much as I'd like to have a 310hp Ovation, alas, it it outside my budget. I can always dream. Maybe one day I can trade up. Thanks for your advice and comments. Phred

I'm still here. After reading through the very helpful comments in this thread as well as others and after considering the real way that I will actually be using the airplane, I have come to the conclusion that a non-turbo airplane will probably be most appropriate for the type of flying I will mostly be doing. I would love to have a really fast Rocket or Bravo but, since I am in the eastern U.S. and that's where I expect most of my flying to be, I think I would probably be wasting good money just for a few extra knots and, in order to get those knots, having to use O2. I am currently in negotiations for an Ovation. Hopefully the owner and I can come to an agreement in the next few days. I really appreciate the knowledge represented in the experience of you guys here in this forum. I have about 450 Mooney hours but all from about 10 years ago. (I've flown more recently than that but not in Mooneys.) Your comments and willingness to share your experience and knowledge has been and continues to be invaluable. Thanks, Phred

David, I have sent you a message regarding this plane for sale. Please contact me at your convenience. Thanks, Phred Phantom