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I'll add my experience(s) to the list on the subject of engine stoppage. I have an Alon. I've put about 350-400 hours on it without similar engine incident. I did replace two pistons about 6 months ago. (I had real low compression on one cylinder and low on the other one.) It already has new slick mags (2 years ago). I only use 100LL. Last Nov my engine quit at about 300 feet. Fortunately there was a nice field ahead of me so I landed uneventfully. It was a perfect carb ice day and I still suspect that was the problem. I flew the plane out of the field later in the day. I flew the plane several times after that without incident. But a month ago, after flying around for about an hour I stopped at a local airport for fuel and breakfast. As I rotated on take-off the engine quit. I set the nose back down and the engine ran fine. I taxied back and it happened again. I did this three times with the same results. The engine didn't sputter, it just quit--like the key had been turned off. The run ups and static run-ups checked ok and taking off with carb heat on didn't help. I should have tried lowering the tail while tied down and running but I didn't--too frustrated at the time. My Mechanic and I discussed all the possible problems and talked to several other people, including other Alon and Ercoupe owners. The comments were usually: (a) Alons just do that, keep current on emergency landings (b) Alons do that because the gasolator sits too low on the firewall; (c)the fuel line must have a hump in it causing a vapor lock; (d)the carb is contaminated; (e)it has nothing to do with the fuel, fuel line, carb or vapor locks--something is shorting-out both magnetos---maybe a bad ignition switch. So we checked the carb and it was clean and looked good. I re-routed the fuel line because there was just a slight hump in it. The fuel line had been replaced about 2 years ago just because the old one was ratty on one end. The slight hump had been there for the past 100 hours + of flying. I checked the vent hole in the fuel line caps--all ok. I replaced the ignition switch although I can't imagine how the switch would go bad such that raising the nose would cause it to short out. But I didn't find anything else unusual and there was no definitive cause found for the engine quitting. After all of this, the plane flew just fine. I flew it above the airport for a while before heading home. That was last week and the weather has been bad ever since so I haven't gotten to do enough test flights to know if the problem is solved. I don't think my experiences really add anything accept more confusion. Most probably our experiences are not caused by the same thing. Ken Doyle Alon N5477E Springfield, Mo ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Sid.bAhN69 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
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