Champion Mags (Slick)

bnt83

bnt83

Final Approach
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Brian
I just found on Spruce that they are selling service kits for about $600 per mag which includes all the high priced stuff like, coil, distributor, bearings, etc. It wasn't that long ago such kits were not available and a coil was about $300 alone as was the distributor.
 
Individually the coil and distributor are still ridiculously priced.
 
I'd still just swap over to bendix when the time comes.

Dealing with slick mags, ain't got no time for that!
 
James331 said:
I'd still just swap over to bendix when the time comes.

Dealing with slick mags, ain't got no time for that!
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I've got the took kit to work on slick, used it a few times, but no airplane that I regularly work on has slicks. Converted the 177 to Bendix a couple years ago, been very happy with them.
 
No Slick or Bendix here, mine are still Eisemann AM4 non-shielded mags.
 
Mine are 1946 Case tractor mags, certified for use on aircraft. I read somewhere the other day that Slicks were adapted from the Case magnetos.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Mine are 1946 Case tractor mags, certified for use on aircraft. I read somewhere the other day that Slicks were adapted from the Case magnetos.
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I've heard that too.
I had a Case with an impulse and a Eisemann, when the Case started leaking oil I found another Eisemann with the impulse to replace it.
 
Rather than rebuild a mag, I think I would look into an electronic ignition, like electroair, or Surefly. Surefly is listing a much lower price and they are expecting to announce an STC for certified aircraft at KOSH.
 
JOhnH said:
Rather than rebuild a mag, I think I would look into an electronic ignition, like electroair, or Surefly. Surefly is listing a much lower price and they are expecting to announce an STC for certified aircraft at KOSH.
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How do those work with zero battery power
 
Works fine with a dedicated backup battery, but I doubt you will ever see the faa approve a duel electronic stc. One yes, both never. To bad, I've been running duel electronics for years in the rv and never had a single failure let alone a duel.

Bob
 
So you have zero reliance on batteries to run and start (minus starter)?

Just thinking for backcountry ops where a dead battery on a plane that can't fly without a battery could be interesting.
 
James331 said:
So you have zero reliance on batteries to run and start (minus starter)?

Just thinking for backcountry ops where a dead battery on a plane that can't fly without a battery could be interesting.
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Can start with a 9 volt battery if necessary. I do have an overpriced Slick too that only goes 500 hours before big dollar work....last time was an impulse for $600 IRAN.
 
Meh, for airport to airport planes that's fine, but I couldn't even risk that if you're landing out of cell or even walking range.
 
By the way, if you need mag work, the guy in Seattle is terrific. Tried to retire but too interested in antiques and stuff nobody else knows to give it up. Funny too!
 
James331 said:
Meh, for airport to airport planes that's fine, but I couldn't even risk that if you're landing out of cell or even walking range.
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Risk what? We've started, in the boonies, with the 9v out of a headset. Again, only one on mine but that guy had two. Worked fine and he flew home.
 
Goofy said:
Risk what? We've started, in the boonies, with the 9v out of a headset. Again, only one on mine but that guy had two. Worked fine and he flew home.
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Just risk to reward for me, I've also met Murphy a few times.
 
So i'm in the same boat, I have two slick mags at the 400 hour point and i'm looking to send them to get serviced somewhere. Any suggestions?
 
Perhaps point me in the right direction to find "the guy in Seattle", much appreciated..
 
Ryan Harris said:
Perhaps point me in the right direction to find "the guy in Seattle", much appreciated..
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See post 20.

Aircraft Magneto Service in Missoula, MT. They moved from Washington State a while back.
 
James331 said:
How do those work with zero battery power
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Good point, but how much do you think that would apply to me?
All of my flying is airport to airport (except that one time in 2009 when my engine failed and I landed on the highway).

My understanding is that electronic ignition is more reliable and has longer expected life than a mag, among other benefits, like more power, lower fuel usage, better timing characteristics and easier hot starts)
And all of the E-Ignition systems I have heard about only replace ONE mag, leaving the second one in place for emergency backup.

I understand the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but I was talking about the case where a mag WAS broke, or at least due for an OH.
 
Electronic ignition is more reliable, but when it fails it usually fails completely and suddenly. Many magneto failure modes are slow, with plenty of warning as the engine starts to run poorly before failing completely.
 
Dana said:
Electronic ignition is more reliable, but when it fails it usually fails completely and suddenly. Many magneto failure modes are slow, with plenty of warning as the engine starts to run poorly before failing completely.
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I think most modern EIs in cars anyway have a failure mode, they turn on the engine service light and a simple circuit takes over without all the sensors, etc as input. You lose performance and get bad mileage but engine continues to run.
 
teejayevans said:
I think most modern EIs in cars anyway have a failure mode, they turn on the engine service light and a simple circuit takes over without all the sensors, etc as input. You lose performance and get bad mileage but engine continues to run.
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Depends on what fails.
 
teejayevans said:
I think most modern EIs in cars anyway have a failure mode, they turn on the engine service light and a simple circuit takes over without all the sensors, etc as input. You lose performance and get bad mileage but engine continues to run.
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Things like this don't work so well in airplanes. Really **** a guy off if he was ferrying such an airplane and the computer decided to go all full rich on a guy halfway to Hawaii..or halfway across the Gulf of Mexico...just because some sensor errored out for no good reason. It's a long damn swim.
 
jesse said:
Things like this don't work so well in airplanes. Really **** a guy off if he was ferrying such an airplane and the computer decided to go all full rich on a guy halfway to Hawaii..or halfway across the Gulf of Mexico...just because some sensor errored out for no good reason. It's a long damn swim.
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You got something against long swims?
 
Chalk up one lone slick liker here. Apparently in the -6S group.
 
jesse said:
Things like this don't work so well in airplanes. Really **** a guy off if he was ferrying such an airplane and the computer decided to go all full rich on a guy halfway to Hawaii..or halfway across the Gulf of Mexico...just because some sensor errored out for no good reason. It's a long damn swim.
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You'd have the same problem if you lost a mag. If you're going to Hawaii on a single engine, you're taking a risk no matter what.
 
James331 said:
So you have zero reliance on batteries to run and start (minus starter)?

Just thinking for backcountry ops where a dead battery on a plane that can't fly without a battery could be interesting.
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The "Electronic" Ducati mags on my Rotax require no battery at all. Flip yea olde prop and off you go.
No points to wear out. No "distributor" to fail. All they do is make spark after spark after spark (but it is at a fixed timing).
 
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