Engine Monitor?

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Ravioli

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So let us say I have the ultimate 100$ hamburger spam can. For sake of argument it's a early '70s single engine land airplane. Wings could be high or low, doesn't matter. Gear may be fixed or retractable, doesn't matter. Could be injected or carbed, doesn't matter.

What are the benefits of an Engine Monitor?

Please include the data you gain, the decision making you can make, and attempt to monetize this investment for a thing that has been flying for 40+ years with no such gadget.
 
I'm in a similar boat, thinking about getting one. I don't feel the need for all the fuel options, thinking at least EGT/CHT/OAT. So far I'm honing in on an Electronics International in some flavor.

I see they make the very simple gauges too, just EGT/CHT & OAT. Maybe they would make more sense than a more advanced monitor, then just not hook up fuel & other options right away? I may be getting a new engine, that's what has me thinking about one. I plan to remove my windshield temp gauge, that's the reason for going electronic.
 
Because they are cool to have and they are cheap in a experimental.
 
I'm one of the dummies that put one in an Archer. Overkill, they say. I think data is fascinating.

I now have CHT and EGT on all 4 cylinders. I can see if I'm cooking my cylinders or not. I have fuel flow to help me better plan my power during cruise. I have digital oil temp so I can sit there idling a shorter amount of time waiting for the oil to warm up not knowing if my old needle gauge is moving or not. I have a carb temp to help me gauge that risk. I have a (non-primary) fuel level gauge to help me way better than my needle gauges. Along with that it gave me a switch tanks timer that I didn't currently have that bases the switch on consumption rather than time. Way better if you ask me. It also replaced my ammeter.

I can also download each flight's data (which I haven't done yet) to do analysis.
 
They are very useful in high performance turbo charged aircraft and Twins to keep track of engine temperature to avoid cooking the engine. Overkill for a Cessna or Piper fixed gear.
 
Why do you think they are overkill? I think it's very beneficial to know how hot my cylinders are during climbout on a hot day. This is an easy preventive measure to take to keep that engine going to and past TBO.
 
Biggest advantage is having CHT on all cylinders, If you pay attention to it your engine management skills will get a lot better.
You may end up paying to have baffling improved when you find that one cylinder is running hotter than the others.

You can probably run it leaner than you normally do, knowing that the CHT's are OK and you can set the lean point better knowing which cylinder leans out 1st and at what temperature.

And when you flying at night and over water and the engine starts sounding funny you can look at the engine monitor and be assure each cylinder is performing just like it always does.

And when you do, do that runup that runs rough on one Mag, you know exactly which spark plug needs to be cleaned.

Brian
 
You can use the CHT and EGT in most planes that do a good job without spending a ton extra on a fancy engine monitor. If you have a twin or turbo charged aircraft, it is useful to measure TIT and other things. But a waste on Cessna 172 for example. Nice but rather spend money on gas or better avionics.
 
I have a used EI SR8A that someone was giving away. I ended up with about $350 in a used EI FP-5 fuel flow. I've been very happy with it.




Brand new these are about $1500 in parts total.
 
Misfiring? Immediately determine which cylinder, which plug. Mag timing accurate? Does the cht raise or drop when you do the mag check. Vacuum leak? Which of your cylinders is suddenly running hot.
Lots of benefits to having a an engine monitor. Do you need it? No, but it's sure nice to have, and can pay for itself in mx and fuel savings.
 
My JPI pretty much validated what I thought was happening before I had it. That novelty wore off quickly. These days I do appreciate seeing nice level temperature distribution to quiet my little voice when I feel a vibration, cross water, etc.

Speaking of nice level temps, the monitor was important in helping me tune my carb in order to achieve the level temps. That had nothing to do with leaning.
 
:ohsnap: That guy in #11 flies with mags and a vacuum system. No wonder he needs a 'monitor'.

I'm still not feeling it.

Tip of the hat to Tim - it does cost less for EXP.

But back to certified - why, in a PA32-300 should I care? I'm being a bit negative on it, but a couple years ago you had to have Gami's (don't get excited @eman1200) and now we have to have EMS.

What's next? (DON"T EVENT THINK OF TYPING ANYTHING ABOUT A D S B HERE)
 
Not vacuum system, vacuum leak. as in intake runner sucking air and leaning mixture in a cyl.
 
rolivi said:
...But back to certified - why, in a PA32-300 should I care? I'm being a bit negative on it, but a couple years ago you had to have Gami's (don't get excited @eman1200) and now we have to have EMS....
Click to expand...

wait, huh? what did I do?
 
Anyone who says an Engine Monitor is a waste of money on a relatively simple, naturally aspirated, small bore airplane engine, just doesn't know how to read an engine monitor and is speaking from a position of ignorance. Or they have more money than they need and therefore don't care about the life of their engine.

Once you know how to properly read an engine monitor, you'll not want to fly anything without one. As was stated before, in addition to the obvious benefit of having CHT data on each cylinder... I can pinpoint a dead or fouled plug to the specific plug, I can diagnose a wobbly valve many hours before it becomes a problem. I can spot a leaky intake manifold and tell you which cylinder is leaking. A cracked exhaust manifold can cause an inflight fire, but can be quickly identified from the engine monitor. Then there are lots of conditions that might seem very serious and warrant declaring an emergency, but properly reading an engine monitor can allow you to continue the trip to your destination. Then there is the ability to save on fuel burn and actually know how much fuel is being used accurately allowing for much longer flights and quicker times to destination.

You don't need a fancy one and the Insight G2 is an amazing monitor at a great price with fuel flow, carb temp, and all the other useful details. Even a second hand JPI EDM700 is more than sufficient. But learn to use one properly and it will quickly pay for its self and you won't ever want to be without it.
 
Being able to detect something that's likely to break before it does sounds good. I wonder if there are statistics on inflight engine failures and how many are on planes with monitors vs those without.
 
Before I had a monitor I had an induction leak (typical with big TCMs) that resulted in a lean start/backfire/engine fire that did several thousand dollars in damage. A monitor would have detected that condition before it ran its course. That was a factor in my decision to add a monitor.
 
I have a JPI 830 Engine Monitor in a Cessna 172 Float Plane.

1.Usage starts at pre-flight checking fuel remaining and then dipping the tanks to confirm. After 2 years the fuel is so accurate to within a shot glass. Great peace of mind when getting low.

2. After Engine start I verify Oil pressure immediately. I wait for temps to come up to 220F on all cylinders before run-up and Oil temp 90F. With analog gauges slower and much less accurate.

3. Digital RPM rocks. During take-off I quick-look the instrument for all cylinders for temp, oil pressure, voltage.

4. I leaning strictly based on cylinder head temperature. I lean til slight roughness and monitor cylinder head temperature. Always keep it below 380F. Get max fuel benefit. Consistent 5.9GPH at 2300 RPM.

5. On climbout #3 cylinder always the hottest. I monitor all cylinders and keep temps below 415F-425F during climb.

6. Carb heat sensor monitors the temperature right at the spot in the carburetor where ice forms and will give a warning if at risk of ice.

7.Shock Cooling is monitored for descent and will warn if the engine is being cooled to quickly to prevent cracked cylinder.

8. Put a destination in my GPS and shows required fuel and fuel remaining. Awesome for determining trip fuel enroute.

9. It does have lean find mode which I use occasionally for leaning
10.Warning for all sensors Oil Pressure/Temp/Voltage being most important. I lost a voltage regulator this summer and knew immediately.

11. Had a bad plug on bottom of cylinder #1 this summer and knew immediately which plug/cylinder it was. By visually looking and seeing which cylinder was coolest doing mag check.

12. I upload my data regularly to Savvy Analysis that checks for (FEVA)Failing Exhaust Valve Analytics. Also very easy to look at all past flights and engine performance. I also had them do some analysis on my lean of peak operation on a carburetor system and got the green light for fuel spread.

13. Instrument has wow factor and looks cool as frieg! Lol

Worth the investment and then some. For safety and efficiency.
 
My engine monitor paid for itself yesterday (not really - but that's the phrase). My fuel gauges are fairly awful. Well, I'm learning my right gauge is pretty good and my left is not so good. Anyway, I have my CGR-30P set to tell me to switch tanks every 5 gallons. None of this 30 minute garbage. I want actual gallon usage or I could run a tank dry. My first two fillups with the monitor has had my fuel within 2 tenths of a gallon as to what I put back in. Pretty good if you ask me.

So yesterday I'm flying from Pittsburgh to Peoria with 40 knot headwinds. Pretty sure I was going to need to make a fuel stop. Or did I? If I had been relying on my steam gauges, I would have definitely stopped because I can't trust the left tank gauge. So I'm doing my switching every 5 gallons. It was getting to be night so I needed 45 minute reserves. The calculation was tight. But as the headwinds eased up, I knew I could make it. I didn't have to stop at an unknown airport, at night, hoping their fuel pump was really self serve and wasn't out of order. I made it back to my hangar with a few gallons to spare and I got to see my kids before they were asleep. Totally worth it.
 
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