Did my annual a couple months ago and the #4 cylinder on my O-200 turned up soft, 50/80. Flew it hard around the pattern for awhile, still soft. A 2x4 with bat (staked) was tried (seemed a bit excessive) with no improvement. The new engine was out of warrantee but low time (235 hr). I called Continental and they agreed to pay part of the expense. The cylinder was sent to G&N where they replaced the exhaust valve guide and resurfaced valve and seat.
I've asked around about what I might have done operationally to cause this and I've received answers ranging from the common "just bad luck" to an induction leak. I'd appreciate any thoughts on why.
The other day I got to considering a possible induction leak again. It was hot and I was doing some splash and dashes; the engine temps were a bit high. It seemed #4 might have been higher (CHT & EGT) than the rest. I've heard that the plugs in a cylinder with an induction leak tend to look white so today (15 hrs after cylinder work) I pulled the top plugs from both #4 and #2. They are shown in the attached picture with the lighter one being #4. Do these seem to be in normal range? Can you suggested another way to check for an induction leak?
Thanks for any feedback,
Carl
I've asked around about what I might have done operationally to cause this and I've received answers ranging from the common "just bad luck" to an induction leak. I'd appreciate any thoughts on why.
The other day I got to considering a possible induction leak again. It was hot and I was doing some splash and dashes; the engine temps were a bit high. It seemed #4 might have been higher (CHT & EGT) than the rest. I've heard that the plugs in a cylinder with an induction leak tend to look white so today (15 hrs after cylinder work) I pulled the top plugs from both #4 and #2. They are shown in the attached picture with the lighter one being #4. Do these seem to be in normal range? Can you suggested another way to check for an induction leak?
Thanks for any feedback,
Carl
