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Just brought home my new to me CTSW! Looking forward to new adventures

Running 93 octane ethanol pump mogas I have been struggling with vapor issues in my CTSW for a while now, but I wanted to work through them as far as I could without asking for help. I ran this same fuel for ten years with no issues, and it came up after I changed my fuel system to include teflon-lined hoses. The symptom has been pretty consistent: intermittent power loss when the engine is hot and the deck angle is high. This means I most often saw it on takeoff and climb out, sometimes at very low altitudes (not fun!). The RPM would drop from WOT RPM (5200-5500 with the eProp) down to about 4000rpm, often surging up and down in 2-5sec pulses. Reducing throttle and deck angle usually allows me to fly at 4000-5000rpm and land. After this first happened I re-routed a fuel line to remove a potential vapor trap and the issue went away and was gone all Summer when it was hot so I assumed it was solved. Then I went to Tampa last fall to visit Bill Ince, and we were two up departing St. Petersburg and the issue happened again out over the water, two quick pulses and then it smoothed back out but we were both a little puckered up! The problem did not recur and we continued on the 15-20 miles back to Clearwater. Before I went back to Georgia I topped off with 100LL and had no issues going back home. After I got back home I went back to mogas and had no issues all winter, so I thought maybe a difference in Florida fuel blends vs Georgia could have been the cause, or just some bad gas in Florida. Carbs were rebuilt in March, and I flew until mid-April with no issues. The last few weeks it got warmer, but only in the 70s or so. Quite suddenly I started getting the vapor issue on every flight. I tried insulating all the AN connections on my fuel lines in case they were getting hot, but no joy. Finally I switched to 100% 100LL fuel and the problem ceased immediately and has been gone for several flights. I'm fine with running avgas if necessary, but I'm still a little confused over what exactly happened or changed. I checked my gascolator screen and did a fuel flow test draining out the tanks completely and there were no issues. My ideas are: 1) The new fuel lines are teflon, stainless braided, and with integral silicone firesleeve. It's possible the new lines retain more heat than rubber hoses and lead to increased chance of vaporization of ethanol. 2) Fuel blends have changed. I read that the EPA is working on changing the max ethanol in standard fuel from 10% to 15%...I'm wondering if suppliers have begun a stealth creep up of ethanol content or other additives. 3) I changed out my fuel pump when I did the hose change...perhaps my new pump is weaker than the old one? The old one was well past replacement age and was an older revision pump, but I never had this issue until after it got changed out. Maybe the new one is just a factory dud. 4) I had to make a new heat shield for my gascolator during the fuel system changes, but it's pretty much the same thickness aluminum material and the exact same shape as the old one if not slightly larger, plus it's more reflective so should bounce more heat. I guess I could beef that up or add additional insulation. Here's what it looks like: I'm certainly open to other ideas, recommendations, or wild speculation. I know Corey recommends a boost pump installation, and I'd do that if 100LL ends up not totally curing the issue, but so far so good. I miss the cheaper fuel, but it is more convenient to just pull up to the pump.

I had to do a double-take on that airplane, outwardly it looks *exactly* like mine (N509CT)...same livery, prop & spinner, wheel pants (small)...everything! Though I only have a single Dynon in my cockpit.

I know I mentioned this in another thread, but myself and our EAA chapter 1304 is hosting an eclipse viewing event at the Olney-Noble Airport (KOLY) on April 8th. We will be cooking up some pulled pork for lunch. We have eclipse viewing glasses available. If you come in early or want to stay late primitive camping is allowed. If you have any questions you can email me at eaa1304eclipse2024@gmail.com .

Fresh annual inspection March 22, 2024 by Tom Baker; New ELT batteries, Rotax 5 year rubber replaced, new L.E.D. landing light, Compressions 85/87, 85/87, 83/87, and 84/87. Wing inspections completed on January 10, 2023. Garmin SL40 Com, Garmin 660 GPS, Garmin GTX330 Transponder Trutrak CT Pilot 2/3-Axis Autopilot, Ameri-King AK-450 ELT, PS Engineering PM3000 Intercom Dynon EFIS-D100 Electronic Flight Information System, Dynon EMS-D120 Engine Monitoring System, Dynon HS 34 Hobbs Meter, Oil and Water Thermostat, Thiesen Strobe/ Position Light, Sport Seat Leather, Sun Visors, Fire Extinguisher; Rudder, Aileron, and elevator/stabilator trims; ADSB out- Uavionix tail beacon, ADSB in- Garmin GDL 50 Complete Logs BRS parachute. Parachute is due for repack 02/2025, and the rocket is 02/2031. Rotax 912 UL engine 506 hours TT, Located KMGC $115,000 Matt Soliday msoliday2096@gmail.com drive-download-20240328T135842Z-001.zip

The carbon fiber structure is conductive, and attached to the engine, so it is not isolated.

Hello Roger, I followed Gorilla’s advices and put a thin aluminium plate on the inside (more a 15x15cm plate to distribute the forces like a huge washer) . Thin enough as it can fit with the form of the mushroom. But the mushroom is quite strong and it’s in glass fiber. I don’t think it can crack due to the material. In reality to minimize the vibration, I cut a rubber plate to fit under the diamond ball and another one to put in between the aluminium plate and the mushroom. It fit perfectly, I have no vibration and to sign of damage. Good day.

That's a problem seen in a lot of industries, manufacturers are trying to adopt maintenance rules and practices similar to software licensing. They are trying to move toward a model where "owners" don't own anything at all, they really just license the use of an engine. I can't remember which manufacturer, but I saw an article about a major auto manufacturer involved in a suit where they argued that the contents of an engine's ECU was essentially proprietary company information, and looking at it or modifying it was a violation of the terms of sale and considered a data breach of the company. This is why the whole "right to repair" movement is taking hold, people are getting really tired of spending huge amounts of money for equipment and then being told it's essentially not really theirs to do with as they see fit.

I use the twin-gauges style on my 912 ULS and find it easy to use and decipher. Another possibility is to find an old but accurate twin-engine aircraft manifold pressure gauge.

I raised this here before that my AILERON STICK FEELS REALLY STIFF. I got a bunch of great info, especially learning that my 2008 CTLS is one of the earlier versions with different aileron centering springs. Since then, I have communicated with FD USA and got this back ... "Are you sure it's the cable tension and not some binding somewhere in the system? There is a procedure to lighten the spring loading. There is no possibility of changing the springs, unless you change the plane to experimental.1. Center the aileron trim.2. Start on the left side of the plane. Move the control stick all the way to the right. Have a helper hold it, or use a rope. This should relieve tension on the left side aileron spring.3. Loosen the two nuts on the lower cable clamp. Adjust cable tension is that there is no slack in the cables, but no real tension on the spring. Move the clamp down and tighten the nuts, while holding the same tension on the cable.4. Repeat 2 - 4 for the right side.This will give you the least amount of spring tension possible without having the system go slack." So I went and did some troubleshooting, took off the spring and the ailerons were way less stiff. Obviously no springs is not the answer but I have 2 questions ... Can any of you please send me a picture of the later spring setup in your plane? Any used the above procedure and it lightened the spring load? I am especially curious about the above procedure because from my current setup this would mean the springs are more extended with the stick in neutral compared to now. Do springs have less tension when extended a little bit? Thanks for your thoughts and experiences with this, Robert PS: For your enjoyment and off topic, here are 2 pictures with new decals, and yes we named our plane ... think Chipmunks, "Alvin" is still in the making btw