Engine dies even on new AC. Same with Cherokee. Unusable.

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pilot37
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Joined: 06 May 2010, 05:18

Engine dies even on new AC. Same with Cherokee. Unusable.

Post by pilot37 »

I was flying the Comanche last night and lost power and had to land in a field. Only problem was fouled spark plugs. But it wouldn't run above 500 rpm. Eventually I had to start with a new aircraft but that did the same thing. Went for a flight in the Bonanza....no problem. Then for a flight in the Cherokee....after warm up I start losing power just like in the Comanche and then wont run above 500rpm. Cleaning plugs, new aeroplane....same problem. I now cannot use Comanche or Cherokee!

Any ideas?
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Nick - A2A
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Re: Engine dies even on new AC. Same with Cherokee. Unusable

Post by Nick - A2A »

What was the weather like when this happened pilot37? My first guess would be carb icing, especially if there was visible precipitation or other simulated moisture in the air (e.g. clouds or fog).

Both the Comanche and Cherokee have carburetted engines; the Bonanza's is fuel injected. For more info on this phenomenon, please see this article or at least take a look at the chart: Melting Moments: Understanding Carburettor Icing. The article uses quite a nice analogy to make the point that warmer air is able to hold more moisture than cooler air.

If the weather was clear, maybe there's a sim configuration issue behind this behaviour instead. If so, please can you let us know which sim platform you're using?

Thanks,
Nick

pilot37
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Posts: 101
Joined: 06 May 2010, 05:18

Re: Engine dies even on new AC. Same with Cherokee.

Post by pilot37 »

Nick - A2A wrote:What was the weather like when this happened pilot37? My first guess would be carb icing, especially if there was visible precipitation or other simulated moisture in the air (e.g. clouds or fog).

Both the Comanche and Cherokee have carburetted engines; the Bonanza's is fuel injected. For more info on this phenomenon, please see this article or at least take a look at the chart: Melting Moments: Understanding Carburettor Icing. The article uses quite a nice analogy to make the point that warmer air is able to hold more moisture than cooler air.

If the weather was clear, maybe there's a sim configuration issue behind this behaviour instead. If so, please can you let us know which sim platform you're using?

Thanks,
Nick
Perfect analysis. One flight was in Idaho the other Washington State. Both times it was raining and about 5 Deg C. I had tried the carb heat but hadn't worked on it carefully enough. I got the Cherokee to keep running with about 35% carb heat left on.
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Nick - A2A
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Re: Engine dies even on new AC. Same with Cherokee. Unusable

Post by Nick - A2A »

Yes, that puts you right in the danger zone! With these aircraft which don't have a carb air temperature gauge, the general advice is to always apply full carb heat in situations where carb icing is expected, and be mindful of the slight loss of power this will cause.

In the sim, if you've already suffered a more-or-less complete power loss, it may take a few minutes of full application to get rid of the ice. In real life, such a situation may be even less forgiving of late carb heat application, as the engine may no longer be able to provide enough heat via the exhaust system to melt the accumulated ice

Cheers,
Nick

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ClipperLuna
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Re: Engine dies even on new AC. Same with Cherokee. Unusable

Post by ClipperLuna »

Had a flight this weekend that touched on this subject. Pullman, Wa to Missoula, Mt in real-world weather. Didn't even get out of sight of PUW and I was in cloud and rain, and it stayed that way until I was on descent. The trick I've taught myself is to make a mental note of where the manifold pressure is and watch to see if it starts dropping. Sure enough, mine started doing just that. Had to keep heat on the whole rest of the flight.

JerseySeven
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Re: Engine dies even on new AC. Same with Cherokee. Unusable

Post by JerseySeven »

This happened on my very first flight in the A2A Cherokee (Prepar3D v4 + Active Sky). Winter, freezing rain on approach. I had cleared some icing several times midflight with the carb heat, but forgot to turn it back on during descent :!:. As expected the engine quit. Fortunately, I got it running again and landed ok. A lesson I won't forget.

In all the years I've flown stock and other aircraft (in various iterations of MSFS), I never had to worry about carburetor heat. I used to blithely fly through rain, snow, clouds, whatever, without a care. I thank A2A simulations for bringing back reality.

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Nick - A2A
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Re: Engine dies even on new AC. Same with Cherokee. Unusable

Post by Nick - A2A »

Thanks for the posts guys. Good to see the Accu-Sim carb icing simulation continues to keep us on our toes. :)

Cheers,
Nick

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