Dynamic prop balance PIREP

[The-sky-captain]

Just a heads up to anyone on the board that is considering getting a balance done, it is money well spent! I used Cody Stallings, a fellow Mooneyspacer and Mooney pilot, and was pleasantly surprised with the results. He took me from over .7 to below .1 which in turn left me with a super smooth running prop. I've had my Mooney for around 5 years and 900 hours and was used to the way it vibrated. The reduction in vibration was immediate and very noticeable. So, if you have been thinking about getting a balance done, I recommend it. The price for my 2 blade McCauley was $225 and it took an hour or so.

[Bob_Belville]

Hey Cody, I had my Scimitar prop balanced by H&H in Burlington NC at the suggestion of PowerFlow Systems. (It doubled their warranty.)  Now I've had a prop strike and had the prop repaired. I suppose it ought to be dynamically balanced again? The engine has been disassembled and inspected, new cam and lifters, etc. 

[carusoam]

Nice pirep Bodie!

-a-

[aaronk25]

Just a heads up to anyone on the board that is considering getting a balance done, it is money well spent! I used Cody Stallings, a fellow Mooneyspacer and Mooney pilot, and was pleasantly surprised with the results. He took me from over .7 to below .1 which in turn left me with a super smooth running prop. I've had my Mooney for around 5 years and 900 hours and was used to the way it vibrated. The reduction in vibration was immediate and very noticeable. So, if you have been thinking about getting a balance done, I recommend it. The price for my 2 blade McCauley was $225 and it took an hour or so.

Now go and put 4 new lord engine vibration isolater mounts in and I bet you'd think you just overhauled the engine.......I just did both and it makes a big difference.....I bet a lot of people attribute a recent over haul to smoothness when it's really a combination of mounts and/or prop balance.....

[Cody Stallings]

It was good working with you Bodie, Thanks.

Bob, yes you should balance your propeller. Anytime something changes on the rotating assembly of your aircraft balance is a good idea.I balance my propeller after I grease it, which is every 100 hrs. I understand that's a little excessive.

[aaronk25]

As a data point I just had my prop rechecked and after 350 hours from initial balance it still was at

.08 ips and I flew though a lot of abrasive rain....

[DrBill]

Bob , Where did you get yours balanced ?

BILL

[Bob_Belville]

Bob , Where did you get yours balanced ?

BILL

H&H @ Burlington. $250. while I waited.

[Bob_Belville]

I got to fly my plane today for the first time since prop strike. Feels pretty nice. New Lord Mounts. The old Barrys were about 12 years old, 700 hours. I'm breaking in a fresh engine so 1 hour of going nowhere @ 4500' Ran at 75 & 80% power. My old E was indicating between 155 and 159 k TAS all the time. 

[The-sky-captain]

I got to fly my plane today for the first time since prop strike. Feels pretty nice. New Lord Mounts. The old Barrys were about 12 years old, 700 hours. I'm breaking in a fresh engine so 1 hour of going nowhere @ 4500' Ran at 75 & 80% power. My old E was indicating between 155 and 159 k TAS all the time.

Well done Bob! I went through the engine break in process a couple years ago and I love the fact that I'm the only person to manipulate the controls since the OH. At 180-200 hrs per year and good operating technique hopefully I will get TBO out of her.

[Marauder]

I got to fly my plane today for the first time since prop strike. Feels pretty nice. New Lord Mounts. The old Barrys were about 12 years old, 700 hours. I'm breaking in a fresh engine so 1 hour of going nowhere @ 4500' Ran at 75 & 80% power. My old E was indicating between 155 and 159 k TAS all the time. 

 

What were your temps like?

[Bob_Belville]

What were your temps like?

Temps were very well behaved. But I did not lean aggressively at all in consideration of high power setting. @ 80% indicated (24.7/2550 @ 4500') CHTs were 385/375/384/361. OilT 198. FF 13.2. OAT 51F. (EGTs were tight 1339-1368)

 

BTW, I did see 18.0 gph flow on take off. Field is 1270'. 

[goncaloareia]

Any of the european friends at this forum know where we can get a dynamic prop balanced in Europe? Southern Europe preferably?

Thanks!

[Seth]

I plan to get mine balanced in the next few months

[MB65E]

Had ours done today. Hadn't messed with a 4 cylinder 2 blades prop in a long time. Little harder than a 6 cylinder 3 blade.

But the large kick in the pants was we found out that our 1999 8130 form "overhauled propeller and converted to type B suffex hub" had been falseafied. Turns out it was still the "A" hub installed with the same SN on the "B" 8130. Once I found that out I had the Eddy current done right there on the spot. Good news it passed... That's what relying on other peoples signatures does... So since '99 this thing had been overlooked. Ugg.

-Matt.

[tomn]

I got to fly my plane today for the first time since prop strike. Feels pretty nice. New Lord Mounts. The old Barrys were about 12 years old, 700 hours. I'm breaking in a fresh engine so 1 hour of going nowhere @ 4500' Ran at 75 & 80% power. My old E was indicating between 155 and 159 k TAS all the time.

Bob, glad to hear you have her back in the air. Flew 49M Sunday after 2-1/2 months downtime for lots of TLC and a new Insight G4. Also just balanced my prop with all this and the difference is very noticable. It even shuts down smoother! I think its a no brainer.

Tom

[Guest]

Had ours done today. Hadn't messed with a 4 cylinder 2 blades prop in a long time. Little harder than a 6 cylinder 3 blade.

But the large kick in the pants was we found out that our 1999 8130 form "overhauled propeller and converted to type B suffex hub" had been falseafied. Turns out it was still the "A" hub installed with the same SN on the "B" 8130. Once I found that out I had the Eddy current done right there on the spot. Good news it passed... That's what relying on other peoples signatures does... So since '99 this thing had been overlooked. Ugg.

-Matt.

Matt,

Equally strange is that at every "Annual inspection" since the prop overhaul no one noticed it.

Clarence

[Bob_Belville]

Bob, glad to hear you have her back in the air. Flew 49M Sunday after 2-1/2 months downtime for lots of TLC and a new Insight G4. Also just balanced my prop with all this and the difference is very noticable. It even shuts down smoother! I think its a no brainer.

Tom

Hi Tom. glad to hear you've been making improvement to "my" old bird. I have my H&H file out to give them a call to schedule a dynamic balance in the next few days. Are you headed to SNF this year? I'm trying to decide between Lakeland and Oshkosh. And I want to try to fit in the MAPA reunion this year.

[carusoam]

Pirep on the G4 when you are able...

Best regards,

-a-

[tomn]

Bob, I don't know yet about SNF - things are very busy these days.  I'll let you know when I figure it out.  

 

On the G4 - I put 8 hours on it the past three days.  I'm very happy with it - everything works great.  Its easy to use and very intuitive.  I have not used a JPI etc. so I can't compare but I will say that I do not want to fly without one ever again.  Knowing your individual CHT's is great along with all the other parameters.  The G4 has a vibration sensor that gives you a graph of the vibration frequencies going on at any given time.  You can record these and compare over time.  Certain frequencies will indicate cam/valve issues while another will show magneto issues if I understand the documentation correctly.  

 

It is extremely easy to use to determine peak EGT for all cylinders and then displays the degree lean or rich depending on what you want.  Just slowly lean until the boxes on top of the EGT bar graphs turn white - that indicates that you have reached peak and have started to go lean of peak.  That value is shown in that white box and you can continue to lean as desired.  To go ROP, just enrich the mixture and the boxes will turn blue once you pass peak back to the rich side.  The degree rich value is displayed in the blue box with an "R" preceding it - just continue enriching until you get it where you want.  

 

The only issue I have so far is the voltage readout.  The G4 says 12.3 and my 696 says 13.7.  I think I believe my 696 at this point but will investigate further. 

 

I have much more learning to do on this but right now I think its great.  This type of instrumentation really is something every plane should have in this day and time if at all possible.  

[Bob_Belville]

Tom, the vibration feature sounds useful.

 

Here's a pic of my 930 in Lean Find "LOP Mode" from yesterday while getting my teeth rattled returning from BUY. I did not stay at this setting 23=52 LOP long but the IO360 was running smoothly enough. I won't know for sure until warmer weather but it looks like my "new" engine is running cooler than before the "overhaul".

[N601RX]

Had ours done today. Hadn't messed with a 4 cylinder 2 blades prop in a long time. Little harder than a 6 cylinder 3 blade.

But the large kick in the pants was we found out that our 1999 8130 form "overhauled propeller and converted to type B suffex hub" had been falseafied. Turns out it was still the "A" hub installed with the same SN on the "B" 8130. Once I found that out I had the Eddy current done right there on the spot. Good news it passed... That's what relying on other peoples signatures does... So since '99 this thing had been overlooked. Ugg.

-Matt.

It's been a few years since we purchased our plane, but if I remember correctly an A or B hub were both terminating actions for the Eddy current inspection AD.

[Cody Stallings]

No Sir,

The "B" hub or the Oil-filled mod on the "A" hub are the only thing that Terminate the 100hr Eddy current inspection.

When we were first blessed with this AD, it had a Calendar time as well. That has been super-ceded with time only now.

I get calls about this AD all the time. It is something that should not be over looked, a crack is serious buisness

[MB65E]

Thanks RX, Well after a week of reading and looking at actual pictures. It's the non suffex SN that gets ya! The prop was a 2 diget 81. But the 8130 said CH81. The word "suffex" is a bit vague. ex... The suffex of the word changed is ed. So the discrepancy of the prop being stamped 81 and the 8130 being CH81. Also learned that in the Hub model number dash number, you can have a compliant -1BF hub or a -1AF hub and still be good. I had previously taken the -1BF as a "B" hub. Wrong! What makes the AD not apply is a dash in the SN ending with B. From the pictures I've looked at I have a really early hub! I think I get it now. I was bummed that the AD applies, and that so many people including myself didn't understand the AD!! Comarison pictures are Key! I'll post some tonight. It Would have been great to have them already posted for everyone.

-Matt