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Mag issues

One paragraph in the beginning of the Slick manual that says if you open the mag you need to test it, my pmi called me out on it so to eliminate any issues I farm it out. On my own airplane is one thing, paying customer it is just easier to let someone else have the liability. Same thing with carbs. It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I won’t. I got away with a lot more **** in Alaska, not the same rules in some FSDO districts so not much rogue in the lower 48 without the possibility of a whiner customer who runs to the feds over their bill because they get a real annual and not a walk by. You can take on anything you want, I just don’t want my pmi asking me, how did you test it, per the manual?” Besides looking at revision numbers and dates for my data. Tim

Actually it says “should”, not “must”. That should for testing holds as much weight as the should for using only parts from Unison and should not use PMA parts.


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I don’t mess with them either or carbs as I have many options of shops that specialize in just that within a 20 minute drive. Mags and carbs. Those thing will bring you out of the sky(and I’m the guy that doesn’t care if your wing is ripped off, I’ll make it fly home safely) not worth it for me to learn and tool up for it to do one every few years... gave away all my test equipment I had. drop it off get a yellow tagged one back. As far as the anchorage shop, not sure if same shop. But Orville said the best thing for his business was pilots doing a bunch of inflight mag checks.... he had the accessory shop on Merril field decades ago.


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I do the same. For me, it's been a convenience issue not a regulatory one. I hand off a mag to the shop and work on the rest of the project until I need to reinstall it. Then it's waiting for me to pick up. The mag shop is faster than I am and lets me work on other stuff while it's being repaired. But I know that I have the ticket that allows me to work on them if I want to.

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Everybody is different. To me a 500 hr inspection is pretty simple as is checking internal parts with an ohm meter. I do maintenance so that is my job. I have manuals, tools, parts and experience. I hate waiting on vendors if I don't have to.
 
I'm not picking on you two. Every time the topic of defective mags comes up, it appears that the universal solution is to "send them out". Mags are one of the simplest accessories to work on and to keep operating properly. Seldom does one need enough work which takes a long period of time to fix. The most complex tool needed is a gear puller. Short of needing a major part (like a coil), a mag can be returned to peak operating condition in not much more time than removing and reinstalling the cowling.

All Powerplant mechanics are trained in magnetos. Why do what appears to be a large number of them insist on sending them to someone else to "tune up"? Are none of them old enough to remember how to "tune up" a car?

Sorry for the rant. Mags are Soooo simple to tune up.

I agree. But when you get a mechanic who’s just a parts changer, it’s better to send the magnetos somewhere where they maintain them for a living. When your mechanic recommends that you send them out for inspection, do it, because they’re telling you something.
 
I agree. But when you get a mechanic who’s just a parts changer, it’s better to send the magnetos somewhere where they maintain them for a living. When your mechanic recommends that you send them out for inspection, do it, because they’re telling you something.
I will always recommend the 500 hour and I know a couple owners who will run a mag to failure. We had a mag on a lycoming fail earlier this week, 300 rpm drop and it was retimed 2 weeks ago for the same problem. The junior mechanic grabbed a mag off the shelf, I opened up the as removed one and looked at it. I found the brush was good, but the points were worn and the cam was shot. It will get parts and put on the shelf. I am not personally liable if I follow company policy so I do what the company manager wants and it will go on the shelf to be used another time. We have 50 airplanes so that is the most time efficient way to make them profitable.

Has anyone priced a mag tester? They are $15k for a new one and not many used ones around. Tim
 
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