ECI Support
I only continue to tell people about this because the saga continues on this with ECI! My father-in-law has had nightmares with ECI on his Comanche and is now one of the people who gets to buy a new set of jugs with a small credit towards them from ECI. It started with a set of ECI cylinders that had started to make metal in the filter shortly after overhaul. On this we are talking less than 300 hours. This is an airplane that is flown approx. 150 hours per year and has oil changed at 30 hours. These cylinders did however make it past warrenty before the Chrome or whatever they were started coming off in the bores. ECI didn't want to talk about this and he ended up with a set of ECI Classic Casts completely on his dime which ran hot from the very first flight. After numerous conversations with ECI where they told him for over two years that he was the only one with problems like he described they finally admitted to flashing problems with these cylinders and agreed to fix them. This was after a couple of hundred hours without being able to climb out under 140mph or so for cooling. After the flashing was removed by the engine builder (ground out with a dremel while on the airplane. The flashing was near the exhaust port) the temps came down to normal ranges, but oil usage started to appear. Again he called ECI and they said that the consumption was within specs even though on the high side. He was left to enjoy his Classic Cast Cylinders. He specifically mentioned that once they ran past the warrenty period they would need to be topped as consumption continued to climb. He kept telling them that operations around 425+ degrees cht on climbout and 400 degrees in cruise hurt them and likely was causing the oil usage. He asked repeatedly to have ECI swap them out for Titans which were now out. Classics went off of the market so he wasn't going to get them swapped out for those. No, no, no... These Classic Casts are what you bought and even though they appear problematic they are yours. Well add a couple of more years and a reworking of the cylinders at ECI. (They agreed to finally after years of his calls to clean up the bore, valves, etc. so that they could get a look at these clunkers.) As he suspected the heat had taken its toll. When they came back they were finally right. They now run great, no cooling issues, and normal consumption and have about 300 hours on them and there is now an AD on the Classic Casts and his have to come off. Again his jugs are going to be replaced and this experience is very unrewarding for him. While I have read so many good things from so many about ECI I have watched as this saga has unfolded. Because of this I had my engine built with Superior Cylinders. Here's the kicker, my father-in-law still prefers ECI and is going with new Titans. Go figure. Nothing but the best, or whatever it needs for his baby. I looked at it as my budget wasn't as free as his to play games like this with my airplane. He loves his ECI's but freely admits that the company could stand behind them better. I wouldn't wish this on anybody. Truth be told Superior might not be any different, but I don't know of any problems.
Probably more of an issue than the manufacturer of the cylinders is the engine builder that you choose. The good ones will stand behind their product even if suppliers will not. I talked with a person at the Golden West two years ago that had the cam start to make metal in his 9A a year or so after warrenty, and well past on hours also. Bart at AeroSport rebuilt it for him no questions asked. They got a bad cam from Lyc and Bart stood behind his product. If not Bart, find one like him whose reputation you can trust.
In my father-in-laws case he bought the best engine overhaul that money could buy. At least that is what he shopped for. There was no skimping, re-using of parts, etc. He got special pistons, balanced, everything balanced, flow ported, and the engine is remarkably smooth. He flew with Larry Larkin who is the guru of Comanches to learn to fly it to it's limits such as turning back to the runway with engine outs, etc. and Mr. Larkin told him that it was the smoothest Comanche he had ever been in. This plane won it's class at EAA Arlington which I mention just to give an idea of the obsessiveness he has with things being just right. Imagine how the cylinder issue drove him crazy. Who needs it? This lasted years!!! It took the FAA to make ECI admit the shortcomings of their Classic Casts. Wouldn't it be nice if it didn't have to go this far? Is seems like a bad cast that apparently got the entire lot of jugs sold to get hot and develope cracks later or draw FAA concerns of it for all cylinders would be acknowledged and fixed when somebody is yelling "Look at me, my engine isn't right. Help." Remember when shopping, there was no help...
Best,
To all the Engine Gurus and Roll your own engine builders out there, which is the cylinder kit to by in today?s market? So many things are changing. It seems like everyday products are being improved and or modified in some way. I will not be going with standard compression pistons and have not settled on the type of pistons or the ratio yet. I would like to discuss overall quality, casting, manufacturing methods etc... Which will require a port clean up? Who's cleaned up their fins from casting issues? Is anyone using a cryogenic process on wear parts? Etc... Any information or advice is appreciated.
