This episode is all about engines--how to fix one that runs rough, how to save money when buying one, why one went bad so quickly, and how to preserve one during a build. Email [email protected] for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Brendan’s friend has a Taylorcraft with a tricky engine issue. It started with low rpms in flight, and has since been repeated on the ground. The mags have been rebuilt, both mags swapped, cylinders reworked, new carb swapped, new plugs, and they even...

How far can you go with preventative maintenance? The hosts discuss this, plus oil-soaked plugs, a strange fuel smell, morning sickness, and more. Email [email protected] for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Lamberto has a 152 with oil soaked plugs, and is having to clean them every 25 hours. He wants to fix the problem, not simply deal with it. His mechanic suggests a harsh chemical. He’s tried new plugs without success, the hosts agree his BY plugs are the best for...

How cold is too cold the fly? Mike, Paul, and Colleen answer this question, and help an owner solve radio problems, advise an owner to fix his probes, and describe the process to become an A&P in the latest episode. Send your questions and comments to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Chad has a Cirrus and he’s looking for some cold-weather guidance. A mechanic told him that subzero temps aren’t recommended for a piston. The POH says that flights below...

A compass that works on the ground but not in the air leads to a fun debate between Mike, Paul, and Colleen. Plus, the basics of lean of peak (again), jailbreaking a Rotax, and the liabilities of being a mechanic. Send your questions to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Blake flies a Mooney that has a compass with a mind of its own. On the ground it works well, but in the air it vibrates a bit, but otherwise doesn’t move. Paul said his fuselage can become...

While one owner has too much of a good thing and lots of shops to choose from, another is second-guessing if the massive check to the cylinder shop was necessary. In this, our first crack at twice-monthly episodes, Mike, Paul, and Colleen spend more time as therapists and counselors than technicians. Submit your questions to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Chris has a 182 with a recently overhauled engine that he’s concerned is making too much metal. In...

Did Paul give us the definitive guide on how to hot start an airplane? Try his technique and see what you think. Also, unnecessary cylinder removals, a faulty tach, and a letter writer and guest who question if burping is safe. Send your questions to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Walt has a Seneca and has had to replace three cylinders in the last five years. He’s concerned that his mechanic caused the problem after hammering on his exhaust to remove it....

Live from EAA Airventure 2023, check out our second in-person show. The questions come fast, and everything from proper leaning to oil leaks is covered. Can Oshkosh-goers stump Mike, Paul, and Colleen? Full notes below: The first question has Colleen in stitches. Can you widen the gap on your spark plugs to get more horsepower from an engine? Short answer? No! Don’t do it, the hosts agree. Even Colleen, who races airplanes at Reno, says she’s never heard of doing this. Richard has a 182 and...

How to start an airplane, whether or not to wash an airplane for an annual, flying through smoke, and high T**s are all on tap for this grab bag of an episode, as Mike, Paul, and Colleen take your toughest questions. Write to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Tony owns a turbo Twin Comanche with 300 hours on the engines. He burns about 14 gallons per hour on takeoff, but he thinks he should be burning 16 gallons per hour. As a result, he gets high cylinder head temperatures...

In two separate but similar incidents, owners want to know whether their cracked spark plug insulators caused pre-ignition or if detonation ruined their plugs. Mike, Paul, and Colleen tackle those questions, and many more. Email [email protected] for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Mitch has a Mooney that developed a strong engine vibration a few minutes into a flight. He quickly discovered the problem as the cylinder head temperature was climbing, and he went full rich and...

Paul and Colleen broadcast from Dayton, Ohio, for Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, and together with Mike, do their best to help owners suffering with engine problems, mysterious cold air leaks, improper fuel indications, and more. Send your questions to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Jim has a heavily modified Twin Comanche that blows cold air on the back of his neck, and he can’t find the source. He suspects it’s from the rear tailcone, but he can’t...

A grab bag of unique questions come at Mike, Paul, and Colleen this month, including whether to buy new or overhaul, how prop stops work, what happens when you reduce from wide open throttle, and avoiding tiedowns. Submit your question to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Dale has a Seneca and he’s looking to the future and having to overhaul two engines. He’s wondering how to decide between factory new, reman, or overhaul. Not surprisingly, they suggest...

With two important airworthiness directives recently issued for Continental engines and Cessna Cardinals and 210s, Mike, Paul, and Colleen dig deep on the surrounding capacity and safety issues. Then they take calls on the limitations of engine monitors, and how normal can look anything but. Submit your questions to [email protected] for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Michael has a turbonormalized Bonanza and he’s concerned his system isn’t operating properly. When full...

Mike, Paul, and Colleen debate the difference between a bribe and incentive pricing, discuss how much carbon in the oil filter is too much, counsel an owner how to keep his alternator belt on, and reveal what's in their go-bags. Email [email protected] for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Jim is finding a significant amount of carbon in his oil filter after oil changes on his Cessna 182. He wants to know if the carbon is a problem. Mike said the carbon itself isn’t a problem,...

This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen give an owner the ammo he needs to not overhaul his engine prematurely, help console an owner with super hot cylinders--maybe, console another with super cold cylinders, and give cover to a pilot who wants to refill his own oxygen. Send your comments and questions to [email protected] for a chance to get on the show. Full show notes below: Pat’s Diamond has one suspect cylinder. The mechanic said it has failed inspection, and needs to be replaced, but the...

Did you know things live in jet fuel? These are the fun things you learn being a mechanic. Mike, Paul, and Colleen enlighten us on this strange fact, and tackle questions on leaning, burned exhausts, puddles of oil, and how not to set your airplane on fire when preheating. Email [email protected] with your question for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Chris owns a Piper Comanche with 1900 hours on the engine, and it that has developed an oil leak of one quart every 2.5 to 3.5...

Adam flies a Piper Warrior owned by his friend. On a recent flight he experienced some morning sickness that he was able to resolve. On a subsequent flight the owner had morning sickness as well. The owner is considering a top overhaul. Mike said he has two options, and a top overhaul isn’t one of them. The first is to do a wobble test and the second is to skip the test and go straight to reaming the valve guides. Paul recommends doing only one at a time. He said not to fly it again until the...

Engines are the focus this month as Mike, Paul, and Colleen talk about valve failures, valve springs, burned valves, and more. And of course we had to have a leaning question. Send your questions to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Full notes below: Marius owns a Cessna 172XP that routinely has a rough mag check on run-up. His mechanic is recommending fine-wire spark plugs after finding oil on the plugs. He has since bought them, which set him back more than $1,500. Colleen...

Making new parts, protecting parts, replacing parts, and identifying bad parts is the theme of this month's episode. Plus, a spirited discussion on fuel selectors. Send your questions to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Full details below: Greg is building an RV-10, and he’s wondering if he should prime all the skins while he builds to ensure there’s good protection inside and out. Mike, Paul, and Colleen disagree on what to do. Paul thinks he should skip the priming and...

Because it's impossible to make it through an episode without discussing leaning, Mike, Paul, and Colleen hit it from two sides this month. A debate about inoperative equipment, and why mechanics reach for the pressurization cart first. Submit your questions to [email protected] for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below: Jay flies a Lycoming IO-540 on an experimental with one cylinder that peaks long before the others. He’s tried everything, including switching injectors. Mike...

This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen take questions from owners with round engines, fabric, fire-breathing aerobats, and more. Send your questions to [email protected] for a chance to get on the show. Full notes below.... Bruce has an a Continental O-300 and recently replaced all six cylinders. Number four is still running hot, and number six used to run hot. He played with the baffling to reduce the temps on number six, but number four is still around 400 degrees in cruise. He also added a...

Introducing our first live show from EAA Airventure 2022! Join along as Mike, Paul, and Colleen handle questions on the spot from the audience at the AOPA Program Pavilion.

Is shock cooling myth or reality? Can you run lean of peak with a carbureted engine? These questions and many more come at Mike, Paul, and Colleen in this month's episode. Send your questions to [email protected] Full notes below: Jerry has an RV-4 with a new battery but the original alternator. When he starts the engine and then turns on the alternator, he sees a big amperage spike. He tested turning on his alternator before starting, and sees the same spike. That piece of information is...

Oil all over the nose, cylinders that are too clean, and bush propeller repairs. Mike, Paul, and Colleen handle it all this month. Submit your questions to [email protected] for a chance to be on the show. Adam wonders what to do after a prop overhaul left him with a huge puddle of oil and some shaken nerves. His plan is to remove the newly overhauled prop and send it to the manufacturer. Paul questions whether it was an install error because a seal between the shaft and the prop seal can be...

From the seemingly benign--what tire ply to use--to the extreme--hitting 500 degrees on a cylinder--Mike, Paul, and Colleen face it all this month. And we mean all, like Ron's 172 that produces a loud bang exactly two minutes after shutting down. Submit your questions to [email protected] Full notes below: Larry has a turbonormalized Beechcraft Bonanza. When it came time to replace his tires he decided to go to with 8 ply, but he later researched and found the type certificate specified 6...

This month Mike, Paul, and Colleen tackle questions about inexpensively improving aircraft paint, cylinders that are too cool, low compression readings, and a magic floatplane that burns less fuel with its floats fitted. Plus, the ultimate stumper, an airplane that can't turn left. Submit your questions to [email protected] Full notes below: Eric has a Pitts with an unusual problem. When he turns left the engine starts to sputter, and when he turns right the rpm increases. They initially...