The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I am considering installing an engine analyzer. I would like to get some input from those that have them, which one you have, and if you would reccommend the one you have. Thanks Mark

Mark Harwood wrote:I am considering installing an engine analyzer. I would like to get some input from those that have them, which one you have, and if you would reccommend the one you have. Thanks Mark

Mark,
Which ones are you looking at and what do you want them to do?

If you're running a stock C-170 engine, a sophisticated engine anylizer is kind of dressing a pot bellied pig in a TuTu. Fuel distribution is ragged and unchangeable, cooling is fixed and uncontrolable, and it is a relatively low performance engine. It runs about as good as is possible just the way it is.
Of course an analyzer will give you a lot of really neat information, but if you don't like what you're seeing, there's not much you can do about it.
As far as the mixture is concerned, you just lean it out until the engine starts to stumble and then enrichen it just until it smooths out. That's about all you can do.
Actually, they make the instrument panel look really neat!

Mark,
I have used the same JPI EDM engine monitor with both my O-300 and IO-360 engines and in the case of the O-300 not withstanding the points Bluldr raises the engine monitor in my opinion paid for itself twice once when it told me that something was not right with the exhaust on one cylinder (see picture below) and another instance when it noted rising cylinder head temperature due to a broken rear engine baffle (new baffle set from WAG aero).

I'm happy with the Electronics International UBG-16 I bought from Chief. I bought it because I'm a little bit of an instrumentation geek, but I have found that CHT's # 5 & 6 run 75 - 100 degrees cooler than the rest and would benefit from the extra baffle right in front. I've also found that my manifold vacuum system does not affect the mixture at full throttle. Now that I know what MY temps look like normally, I would also expect that an intake manifold or exhaust leak, or baffle problem would be obvious.

Miles

John, that's a good photo of your cracked exhaust, but your work bench is definitely too clean Ya gotta get some grease ground into that wood and a few holes where the drill went too deep, a few gouges, etc. Darn, that bench looks as good as you plane does

Have a super 2008

What don't I know about why John's picture doesn't show? I get a box with a red X.

John

Try right-clicking on the red X and then select "Show Picture". (The website where the picture is stored is likely either busy, or having errors.)

You can see how fuel distribution/EGTs change with the application of carb heat. The EGT spread on my O-300-D goes from over 180°F without carb heat to under 100°F by adding carb heat in cruise. Of course the mixture will have to be readjusted every time the carb heat is changed.

The 7th position can be used for carb temp if you don't already have a carb temp gauge or it can be used for any one of several other options.

Like Miles, the analyzer showed me I needed baffles in front of #5 and #6 cylinders due to them running too much cooler than the others. Even with baffles, they still run cooler. Each bar is 25°F.

ECI Titan cylinders have bayonet fittings for CHT temp probes which work very nicely. Otherwise CHTs will have to be measured with spark plug gasket thermocouples.

I have the Electronics Intl. UBG-16. It fits in a 2-1/4" hole and I am very pleased with it.

I've used the GEM 610 on other planes and was pleased with it but I like the EI UBG-16 better. The UBG-16 has more standard features and you can get as geeky with it as you want, it has a computer interface to log engine data, but I don't mess with any of that, I just look at the display and use the real-time data only.

Went the EI-UB16 route, I waited until a special was on or you could wait until their "EICAS" screen is available for certified aircraft and then you would probably have Total overkill for Blueldr and most others. I think its cool but too expensive for me.

I have had a GEM for a long time works good and has been trouble free.

Used two other ones in a widgeon I use to work on. Same thing with those two.

Thanks for the feedback. I understand the overkill perspective. I cooked a piston shortly after I bought this plane. Metal everywhere. I suspect the engine had an issue when I purchased the plane. I wonder if I may have caught the problem before the piston cooked if I had an analyzer. Brad, I would use it for leaning, but the main reason would be to catch problems early. Mark

Mark, my buddy in NH just installed a EI analyzer in a 170b, if you want to give him a call to get the particulars in what he found and also installation ideas. He is also a EI dealer so he may give you a special 170 ship to your door price
PM me if you want his number

Richard, tell me about that oil-pressure/oil-temperature gauge....

Does the toggle switch only the digital read-out?...

But more interestingly to me..... Did you choose to have the oil temp top out red-line at 225? or did the ECI folks only offer it that way for your plane?

George-
EI uses book numbers for the limits. Same thing with the Horizon tach, I emailed a scan of the operating limits page from the POH.

The toggle only changes the digital portion, the LEDs around the perimeter read continuously. I don't really like the LEDs but I have gotten used to them.

Why EI doesn't make the digital windows the same size is a mystery to me. It sure would look better.