N201MKTurbo

I have heard that when Lycoming does a factory reman, quite a few parts are returned to service if they are not past service limits.

I wasn’t saying there is a problem with the brushes. The problem would be with the brush holder. The brush holder connects the field wires with the brushes and supports the brushes. You can easily remove it to inspect it. Just remove the field wires, then remove the two bolts outside of the field wires and pull it out. Inspect the connections on the back side of the field wire studs. If they are loose, you have found your intermittent connection. To replace the brush holder, push the brushes down and stick a wire through the little hole to hold the brushes down, slide it back into the alternator, put the bolts back in and pull the wire out which lets the brushes contact the slip rings. This can all be done easily without removing the alternator.

It would be good to get one of these shops that does the IRAN to give you a list of what they do for an IRAN and what they do for an overhaul. It would be nice to know what they aren’t doing.

You seem to be missing your alternator cooling duct. It is part of the alternator conversion to add the cooling duct fitting to the front of the baffling. If you don't use the cooling duct, your alternator will run cooler if you remove the shroud from the back.

If it started working when you wiggled the wires, it is probably the brush holder. They are kind of weak where the studs connect to the brush wires. You can fix it if you remove the brush holder and solder the ring terminals (internal) to the studs. Or you can buy a new brush holder. There are about three different brush holders and the brushes don't always fit a different brush holder, so if you buy a new brush holder, you should probably get new brushes too.

From everything I’ve heard here, the difference between what is described here as an IRAN and an overhaul is maybe a few hundred dollars. The only things that are on the mandatory replacement list they may have overlooked are the Vernatherm and the fuel pump push rod.

Even the term “field overhaul” is kind of suspicious. Does that mean any overhaul not done by the factory? So the best overhaul shops in the country do field overhauls? Or does that mean any overhaul done by a not famous shop? What exactly is a field overhaul?

Nothing. I think a lot of shops are deathly afraid of something that rarely happens, or they are just trying to rip you off.

But that extra 35k isn’t buying you an overhaul, it is buying you a factory reman. Apples and oranges.

We will have this conversation again in two years or so.

I'm glad I haven't paid a shop to work on my plane in 30 years or so.

So you are saying they would charge more for the exact same work just to use the word overhaul? I would find another shop.

More than that sometimes. I was flying almost every day doing service calls for Raytheon Data Systems. I was flying about 450 hours a year back then out of Denver. My territory was Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota. It can get pretty windy there. Besides I was young and bulletproof. I’ve told the story before, once I landed at Laramie Wyoming and the east-west runway was closed. The wind was 70 KTS out of the west and I had to land on the north-south runway. A Beech 1900 airliner just aborted its third takeoff attempt. I landed on 19 and the captain comes on the radio and compliments me. He made his next takeoff. When the wind is that strong you can land with zero ground speed. I landed on the downwind edge of the runway pointed at the upwind edge of the runway. Landing wasn’t that hard actually. Taxiing was very treacherous. When I got to the FBO I couldn’t throttle back or the plane would get airborne and was skipping backwards. I called the FBO and they came out and tied it down with the engine holding it in place, then I shut it down. See young and bulletproof above. If you want to see some of the equipment I used to service, watch the opening scene of the Movie Airplane. It is clearly visible with the Raytheon logo in plain sight.

So, what are skipping in this IRAN that would keep it from being an overhaul?

You keep saying IRAN, but I think you are describing the difference between an overhaul and a factory reman. For part 91 there is no requirement to ever overhaul an engine. For part 135 there is a requirement to overhaul according to the factory recommended schedule. There is no requirement anywhere to do a factory reman.

What you just mentioned sounds like an overhaul. Lycoming has an SI on what must be changed during an overhaul, the service manual tells how to inspect the parts to see if they are reusable.

I would do it today. I didn’t look at the weather south, but KTRK looks very doable.

I prefer a sweep second hand too. That's why I have an A-13A-1. It is a stopwatch too.

Or MP limitations with updated performance charts. That’s what warbirds that were built for 145 octane fuel do when burning 100LL they just limit MP.

The Mid continent units look nice. Getting that clock serviced will cost a few hundred. For twice that you can have one of those fancy new ones.

I attended a session by the FAA about unleaded fuels at the Maintenance Symposium a few weeks ago. At the end, the FAA man says that people are always asking when there will be a drop in replacement for 100LL. he said “never”

It needs to be taken to a watchmaker. In the old days, watches were serviced every 5 years. These clocks are panel mounted pocket watches. It needs to be disassembled, cleaned and reassembled with new lube. The lube is amazing stuff, it is designed to have extremely low volatility so it doesn’t evaporate. Good watch oil is about $1000/oz, but then one drop will oil about 10 watches.

So we cannot change the past. My idea to make it better would be to mill out a nice looking relief above all three knobs and remark the labeling. There is a lady on Etsy that will make custom small silk screens, pre-exposed and ready to print for little money. She will probably sell you the paint and squeegee too.

That's what I have done in the past. BTW, my worst turbulence encounter in 6000 hours of flying was right around there. But that day the winds at 10000 feet were 70 KTS out of the west.

It is hard to imagine that is corrosion, those pins are gold plated and I don't see any pitting in the pins that would indicate corrosion below the gold. I suspect someone sprayed some stuff on that connector in the past and the stuff reacted with moisture and made that goo. Cleaning them was your best option. Those pins don't need any lube or any other stuff to work properly.