Cost to add Merlyn automatic wastegate and intercooler to 231?

[benpilot]

 

I'm looking at a 231 that unfortunately does not have the Merlyn automatic wastegate and intercooler. How much would it cost to retrofit this to a stock 231? Here is what I found from the Merlyn website:

 

http://www.merlynproducts.com/images/ASM%20Prices.pdf

 

 

So looks like 3k but price list is from 2 years ago so figure 5k plus labor?

 

For the intercooler, Turboplus has a kit for the 231:

 

http://turboplus.com/products.htm

 

Costs like 5k 

 

So looks like adding both a wastegate and intercooler would cost me at least 10-14k to buy and have an A&P install. The guy wants way too much for his 231 over 110k!

[chrisk]

I had the Merlyn waste gate controller added to my plane.  I don't remember the price or the cost to install, so the install must not have been to bad.  If you call Merlyn, they should be able to tell you the cost for the product and install.

 

As for the inter cooler.   I recall a quote of around 40 hours and some then paint work for the turbo plus, but I could be off.   I believe the Airflow Systems is considered a superior system, has a lower install time, and no paint work.   As it stands, my plane is still without an inter cooler since Airflow systems is not in production.

[mmgreve]

I believe someone on here was trying to get a group of 10 together to get a batch of Airflow Systems intercoolers made. Not sure if the efforts are still live though

[manu damaschin]

there is also a group in Europe for the intercooler, look at empoa site for this!

[231LV]

 

 

I'm looking at a 231 that unfortunately does not have the Merlyn automatic wastegate and intercooler. How much would it cost to retrofit this to a stock 231? Here is what I found from the Merlyn website:

 

http://www.merlynproducts.com/images/ASM%20Prices.pdf

 

 

So looks like 3k but price list is from 2 years ago so figure 5k plus labor?

 

For the intercooler, Turboplus has a kit for the 231:

 

http://turboplus.com/products.htm

 

Costs like 5k 

 

So looks like adding both a wastegate and intercooler would cost me at least 10-14k to buy and have an A&P install. The guy wants way too much for his 231 over 110k!

 

Well you could be right...however, the price might include superior avionics, low time engine, good interior/exterior ect ect. I have the Airflow intercooler and a fixed wastegate. I spoke with Tom R over at Top Gun a couple years back about upgrading to the Merlyn...as he described it, the workload to manage the engine wouldn't be eliminated (which is what I was hoping for) and the Merlyn basically limits pressure into the engine at sea level and maintains it up to the critical altitude...more of a turbo-normalizer and of the two, the better place to spend money is on the intercooler...for the added cost, I elected to keep my old, inefficient fixed wastegate and enjoy the punch I get on the runway when the engine boosts up to 37 inches....

[chrisk]

Well you could be right...however, the price might include superior avionics, low time engine, good interior/exterior ect ect. I have the Airflow intercooler and a fixed wastegate. I spoke with Tom R over at Top Gun a couple years back about upgrading to the Merlyn...as he described it, the workload to manage the engine wouldn't be eliminated (which is what I was hoping for) and the Merlyn basically limits pressure into the engine at sea level and maintains it up to the critical altitude...more of a turbo-normalizer and of the two, the better place to spend money is on the intercooler...for the added cost, I elected to keep my old, inefficient fixed wastegate and enjoy the punch I get on the runway when the engine boosts up to 37 inches....

 

The Merlyn is an upper deck pressure controller.   I believe it tries to maintain a pressure difference between the turbo discharge and the manifold pressure.   It does this by adjusting the amount of exhaust used to drive the turbo.    So, at sea level and closed throttle (or below 29inches), exhaust does not flow through the turbo and things are more efficient.   At high altitudes, where desired manifold pressure is is more than the atmosphere, exhaust is diverted to the turbo.   On the other hand, the fixed waste gate diverts a fixed percent of exhaust to the turbo, needed or not.  i.e. the fixed waste gate is optimal at only one altitude.

 

The benefits of the Merlyn are:  Higher critical altitude.  And more efficient operation at lower altitudes, particularly at lower power settings.   The problem of high manifold pressure at altitude is high compressor discharge temperatures (with the potential of detonation).   The intercooler solves this problem.

 

In either case, the Merlyn is not a turbo normalizer.  That would set the max manifold pressure to 29.92.  You can get over 40 inches with the Merlyn (or with the fixed waste gate)

 

And the good news is that you can add a Merlyn waste gate.  I wish I had the option to add the Airflow intercooler.  They have no stock and are not producing any.

[231LV]

Thanks for the much better explanation than I gave....I thought I understood Tom at Top Gun in Stockton to say that the Merlyn acted like a turbo-normalizer but I could very well be wrong! I may have to revisit the Merlyn. Regarding the Airflow intercooler, check out the other thread...there appears to be a group of 231 owners who can get a batch of the Airflow intercoolers for a minimum order of 10

[carusoam]

Turbo normalizers are typically used with higher compression engines, such as normally aspirated ones. This aids getting more power out of a large engine at altitude.

It would not make sense on a 231 to use a TN, when the CR is already set low.

A TC'd engine derives even more power from a smaller sized engine.

Or Did I miss something?

Best regards,

-a-