Service difficulty report · Points · Piper PA31350

Difficulty date
October 23, 2009
Submitted
December 1, 2009
Operation
General aviation
Make and model
Piper PA31350
Aircraft time
17,827 hours
Engine
Lyc LTIO540J2BD
Part
Points
Part number
10400184
Condition
Grounded
Location
Magneto
Component
Magneto · Bendix
Component part number
1068291013
Stage of operation
IN
How discovered
V
Nature of condition
O
Precautionary procedure
K

As reported to the FAA. Reports are unverified, and codes are left as the FAA publishes them.

What was found

(CAN) DUAL MAG WAS SENT IN DUE TO TIMING ISSUES AND A 500 HOUR INSP. CUSTOMER CHECKED TIMING ON ENGINE & NOTICED MAG HAD A LARGE SPLIT BETWEEN OPENING OF LT AND RT MAIN POINTS. WHEN RECEIVED, TIMING CHECKED AND LT MAIN & RETARD POINTS WERE INDICATING THAT THEY WERE OPENING AT THE SAME TIME (11 DEGREES AFTER THE RT MAIN POINTS OPENED, WHICH IS THE NORMAL TIMING FOR THE RETARD POINTS). THE LT MAIN POINTS WERE VISUALLY OPENING BEFORE THIS AND WAS NOTICED THE FLAG TERMINAL OF THE COIL THAT ATTACHES TO THE POINTS WAS TOUCHING THE RETARD SPRING TERMINAL, GROUNDING IT UNTIL THE RETARD POINTS OPENED, GIVING THE INDICATION THAT THE LT MAIN POINTS WEREN`T OPENING UNTIL 11 DEGREES LATER. TCM CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THE FLAG TERMINALS A FEW YEARS AGO AND THE DUAL MAGS ARE THE ONLY MAGS THAT HAVE THIS ISSUE DUE TO THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE LT MAIN AND RETARD POINT CONNECTIONS. BENDING THE POINTS SPADE TERMINAL SLIGHTLY AWAY FROM THE RETARD SPRING TERMINAL SOLVED THE ISSUE AND THE REST OF THE 500 HOUR INSPECTION WAS CARRIED OUT. (TC 20091023002)

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