Annual Inspection questions???

[Pdogace]

Hello all, its that time a year again for 49C's annual. I want to start by saying that I am not throwing my mechanic under the bus and I don't want the discussion to go down that road. I have listed several items below that my mechanic found and has told be are things that I MIGHT need to address. None of these things are being required to be repaired just things he found that are optional to address. I am listing them below and would love any feedback from others who might have the same issues and can say yes that needs to be repaired or thats just a good ol' 170 and is "normal". I am a big fan of if it's not broke don't fix it, but I do haul the whole family, wife and 2 boys. So if the group can shed some light on, that's an issue waiting to break or she's good to go, that would be awesome. Thanks in advance for the comments and recommendations.

1. The carburetor has fuel staining at one of the lower gaskets for the accelerator pump. While operation is currently satisfactory, it may be time to send this unit in
for overhaul or at least a re-seal.

My thought on this is, its not broke and running great, no issues at all so don't go messing with it. On a side note, my throttle is sticking and I am getting it
replaced so I am not sure if he was working the throttle a lot while trying to lube the old throttle one which might have caused this issue. Thoughts??

2. The carburetor airbox has heavy slop at the hinge points. This is due to age and vibration. New airboxes are no longer available so consider a repair using Avglas
STC'd, PMA'd repair kits for Continental carb heat boxes. It basically replaces the hinge assembly with new, improved bushing plates and provides a new shaft and
control arm as well.

My thought on this is it's a good old 170 and its probably normal and no worries.

3. Airframe battery failed load test performed during inspection. Healthy batteries usually hover around 10.5 volts during testing, your battery dropped to 8 volts.
This indicates your battery is nearing the end of its' useful life.

This battery was bought and installed in January 2013. No I have not kept it on a trickle charge. I would think a Gil would last more than 2 and half years. Any
tricks to extending the life of this battery or is it time to buy a concord??

4. Throttle control stiffness is likely internal corrosion and loss of lubrication. The housing is sealed so there is no way to re-lubricate it. Replacement is the best
option - similar replacements are available with the large 2" knob. Be advised the knob is black, not white.

I mentioned this one earlier with the carb issue but I really don't want to loose my white knob. Any ideas on how to lube the old cable. I am ready to replace
because this is been an issue since I bought the plane 3 years ago and tired of having a sticky throttle. Any ideas??

Thanks in advance for all the wisdom you guys will bestow upon me!!

[ghostflyer]

1. NEVER allow a fuel leak, if the carby has staining its leaking fuel that you pay for and not used in the engine . plus a source for a fire, the exhaust is not far away. .
2. Throttle cable that cant be freed up is dangerous. What happens if it seizes totally.?? A new cable is a must. Paint the black knob white if you have to.
3. Battery issues? OMG one of those pink ones !! And you got 2.5 years out of it. That must be a record. Hate those pink batteries as we have seen many fail
in the warrantry period. Concord Batteries are the best "cheap"ones around.
4. The airbox should be repaired as what happens if it comes apart and bits are sucked into the engine .
Flying isnt cheap and when you have your family with you it can get very expensive if things go wrong so my advice is if its broke fix it. Nothing is half broke.

[GAHorn]

Ghostflyer has it right.
The carb doesn't need to be "overhauled" unless money is no object. Just buy the gasket kit and reseal it.
The while knob can likely be removed (it threads on and has a locknut in most cases) and installed on your new cable. (The cables with large knobs are readily available, not expensive, and all the knobs can be durably painted with polyurethane.)

The airbox doesn't have to be expensive either. You can buy re-bush/re-build kits (McFarlane has some kits) or you can buy the "code 8" boxes (not for certified aircraft...but good luck telling the difference) and "finish the repair as an owner-produced part" by telling your mechanic in writing to use that new airbox "for materials to reverse-engineer and repair) your old box.
Loose induction systems can fail an engine with serious damage, and in-flight or during takeoff when those loose parts are being sucked-on hard by the engine is no time for such failures.

Sounds like you have a reasonable inspector.

[Pdogace]

Thanks for the input guys!!

[Pdogace]

Just a follow up to this thread. I decided to go ahead and get a overhauled carb due to the weeping gaskets and replace the throttle. Also getting a new concord battery. As for the air box, after talking with my mechanic it turned out the bushings are just a little worn and there is no danger of anything flying off and going through the motor. So for now I will just keep an eye on it and replace at a later date. Thanks for the input ghost flyer and gahorn. Hope you guys have a great weekend! We have a big trip planned for The 170 in late September. Going to fly from Flordia to North Carolina. Then to DC and back to NC. Then over to ATL and back to FL. Should be a great fall trip.

Thanks again for the input.

[mit]

Always spend as much money as possible at annual and you will be much more safe!