Flying again after buying a rebuilt PA32R-301T..
Old member, back into flying after not flying at all for 9 years. Have 600+ hours in a normally aspirated Saratoga but sold it with a business. Needed to fly again and ran across a 1984 PA32R-301T that was a very troubled aircraft with a damage history (totaled) and legal issues. Nice plane, bad engine and the subject of a lawsuit. Bought it for pennies on the dollar. I had an extensive inspection of repairs by a ex-Piper Engineer and an AP-IA... all was good. We decided to overhaul the prop and engine and removed the engine - landing gear frame for inspection - repair. Re-installed the overhauled engine & prop. All new hoses, new starter, overhauled exhaust, vacuum pump, turbo, wastegate, all new engine cables, new baffling and new firewall heat shield. The plane has the Turbo-Plus intercooler and cowling, GAMI injectors a good JPI-700 engine meter and great avionics.
We put it in the air at the mechanics airport where me and an instructor put 7 hours on the plane and he got me back to the point I could land comfortably. Flew it home another 4 hours and have put 2 hours on it locally.
I am having trouble getting information on how to run this engine. The previous owner always ran it 100 degrees rich of TIT peak and cruised at 30 inches and 2400 RPM. At that setting, it burns 23.5 or so GPH and I get yellow arc speeds. At 50 degrees rich of peak, I get about 22 GPH burn rate. EGT's are very consistent cylinder to cylinder and my hottest cylinder is 385 in cruise. GAMI tells me I need to run the engine 50 lean of peak TIT as do the Cowling -Intercooler people. My Mechanics says I am an idiot with a death wish to run ANY turbo charged engine any more than 100 degrees RICH of peak... warns of catastrophic detonation. The Intercooler people say the intercooler eliminates that possibility. Lycoming says detonation may be an issue but nothing about intercooling..
I ALWAYS ran my normally aspirated Saratoga at lean of peak with ZERO issues and want to run this engine the same. I know this is an old issue but any advice - thoughts - thinking would be appreciated.
We put it in the air at the mechanics airport where me and an instructor put 7 hours on the plane and he got me back to the point I could land comfortably. Flew it home another 4 hours and have put 2 hours on it locally.
I am having trouble getting information on how to run this engine. The previous owner always ran it 100 degrees rich of TIT peak and cruised at 30 inches and 2400 RPM. At that setting, it burns 23.5 or so GPH and I get yellow arc speeds. At 50 degrees rich of peak, I get about 22 GPH burn rate. EGT's are very consistent cylinder to cylinder and my hottest cylinder is 385 in cruise. GAMI tells me I need to run the engine 50 lean of peak TIT as do the Cowling -Intercooler people. My Mechanics says I am an idiot with a death wish to run ANY turbo charged engine any more than 100 degrees RICH of peak... warns of catastrophic detonation. The Intercooler people say the intercooler eliminates that possibility. Lycoming says detonation may be an issue but nothing about intercooling..
I ALWAYS ran my normally aspirated Saratoga at lean of peak with ZERO issues and want to run this engine the same. I know this is an old issue but any advice - thoughts - thinking would be appreciated.
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