Lycoming part failure (really ECI)

[aerhed]

Apparently PMA's don't mean anything in the piston game these days. Through the 80's & 90's, most AD's concerned failure and wear in old established parts like oil pumps and corroded crank noses. Now it seems there are a lot of "new" parts using poor material or lacking QC. How do you get PMA on something like a shroud retainer spring when it's obviously a different gauge metal? Are these "paper" PMA's? Anyone know the latest on Superior Airparts? I thought they were most always great.

[ArizonaAero]

I've seen a bunch of things broken on newer and older engines not just ECI.

[RV4 N21471]

I just saw your post. I made the same posting in 2007, with around 25 hours on my ECI cylinders. It happened on a 45 min. flight. The retainer beat arond inside the valve cover, and punched a series of holes in the cover. I went back to lycoming retainers.

[smithhb]

I pulled my valve covers today as part of my first condition inspection and found the clip to my #2 cylinder was broken. I have an ECI IO-360 with 100 hours on the tach.

I had already decided to replace the ECI clips and purchased Superior brand clips as well as neoprene valve cover gaskets from AERO.

Better safe than sorry...

[TomVal]

I just installed 4 new ECI cylinders due to the AD. I have not test run the engine yet. I will replace the ECI clips and retainers with Lycoming.

Regards,

[uk_figs]

As an update I had one eci retainer clip break at 10 hours, I replaced it with a lycoming part by sheer chance (it was the part in stock at the local parts house). I decided to do an oil change early last week as I was going on a trip to Wisconsin and based on the feedback here and my previous experience I decided to replace all the clips with the superior part (AERO was out of the lycoming parts but Jesse told me he had not heard of a superior part failure) I just checked the clips I removed and I am glad I changed them as another eci clip was fractured right at the bend and broke in my hand.
The superior part and the lycoming part are noticeably thicker and the material looks different like it might be treated differently.
Based on my experience I would advise checking the eci clips, I had 100 hours on the engine when I changed them.

[apkp777]

Well, I am not very happy. I found one of my push rod tube retainer clips failed and I am sorry but I consider this beyond acceptable. I know ECI could care less, but I will be making a ton of noise about this. Starting with AERO, ECI and my local FAA airworthiness inspector.

THIS IS ****!

I had already obtained a Lycoming retainer clip and I was able to install it. The ECI clip measured .028 thickness and the Lyc .040.

[IMG][/IMG]

[apkp777]

ECI,

I bought and assembled a Titan xo-320 from AERO about 4 months ago. The engine has approximately 55 hours on it. About 5 hours ago I noticed that my #3 cylinder push rod tube seal was leaking. I had heard that ECI retainers had failed on other people’s engines so I suspected that, however honestly I sort of wrote that off as an installation error on their part, because I figured there’s no way ECI would sell a POS part for an engine. In any case, my friend who runs the maintenance shop at the flight school I work for had a Lycoming retainer and yesterday I pulled the cap and lo and behold indeed my retainer clip was broken.

I really can’t believe it. I am actually a really nice guy and don’t complain much. However, I spent 22 years of my life as an A&P mechanic for Boeing and United Airlines as well as some GA over the years. Am I to believe that you guys didn’t know that this part is a POS? What about my remaining 3? Obviously they will get replaced ASAP. But come on. I defended you guys on the cylinder AD, this one is unacceptable.

I hate to tell you but I consider the quality of an assembly to be defined by its weakest part. What am I to think about by my ECI Titan xo-320?

I measured the ECI part and found that it was .028 or so. The Lycoming was .040. The Lycoming noticeably compressed the push rod tube seal more.

So what am I asking for, well a Service Bulletin and recall would be in order in my opinion. If you have 3 Lycoming retainers on hand could you send them to the address below?

The retainer clip nut was installed per the Lycoming Overhaul manual, torqued to 96 inch pounds per the ECI hardware manual with a Snap-On $700 calibrated torque wrench.

Tony Phillips
233 Carlin Ct
Hartland WI 53029
262-391-7973
A&P, FCC, CMEL, CSEL, CFI

[Walt]

You should also submit a "Malfunction or Defect" report on FAA form 8010-4.

http://av-info.faa.gov/sdrx/

[apkp777]

Originally Posted by Walt

You should also submit a "Malfunction or Defect" report on FAA form 8010-4.

http://av-info.faa.gov/sdrx/

I will do that today!