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Slick SB1-15A

danny

Well Known Member
I haven't seen anything here on this so I thought it may benefit some to know. The service bulletin gives a date and serial number range for magnitos that may need the distributor gear replaced within the next fifty hours. I ordered one from Aircraft Spruce and since it won't be in stock until mid-January I'm guessing the rush is on.
Sorry I don't know how to add a link to it. Maybe a moderator could?
Danny
 
I'm actually a little surprised this hasn't gotten more attention on these forums. Looks like this applies to a pretty good-sized number of mags, going all the way back to 2008 manufacture.

The SB is pretty poorly worded on the point of cost/warranty...it says

ETA: I see this note...missed it before
NOTE: Labor is not included per Champion warranty policy.

then
Affected magnetos must be returned to Champion for rework and returned at no-charge. Return directions follow.

It also says turnaround of 5 days. Given the fairly large number I would think would be under this SB, not sure that's reasonable, but I guess we'll see.

And lastly...this is a SB, not an AD. So what are the thoughts on compliance time? It *says* within 50 hours. But what about waiting until annual CI? Or until one of the symptoms arises? (Not that I think either are necessarily the right approach, just raising the question for discussion).

I have mags that are in the affected group...but they've worked perfectly for 600 hours over 6 years now. What risk am I engendering by removing and repairing them?
 
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I'm actually a little surprised this hasn't gotten more attention on these forums. Looks like this applies to a pretty good-sized number of mags, going all the way back to 2008 manufacture.

The way I read it, it can cover ANY 4200, 4300, or 4700 series magneto... because it also covers K3822 distributor block replacement kits and K3008 distributor gear assemblies dated September 26, 2008 through September 1, 2016.

I don't know what version of the gear is in my spare 4370... so I'm sending it in.
 
doesn't have to be sent in

It's not a difficult task and a good mechanic should be able to accomplish it in an hour or so. I have a mag/pmag combo with only ground run time and I already ordered the $100 gear from Spruce.
Probably not an AD because it's not very common but I see it as a Dirty Harry moment...do you feel lucky?
danny
 
Ya better check 'em, even if you don't send them in. As far as I'm concerned, Slicks get opened for a look at every annual.

As for this particular SB, the problem is nothing new. These photos are from an annual in 2013. The small gear worked its way up the shaft, so it was slowly grinding itself (and the driven gear) to plastic dust. Note it is rubbing the bottom edge of the distributor block. The copper electrode finger was also loose on the big gear, just as discussed in the SB.

Sliding%20Gear.jpg


Gear%20Against%20Distributor%20Block.jpg


Dust.jpg


Loose%20Finger.jpg
 
Buddy of mine lost one of his mags last year to this exact issue (gear migration, ground to dust). Happened right after takeoff.
 
Who did you send the old gear to?

I finally got a new distributor gear and called Slick for clearer instructions on returning the old. I was told to return it to the place the new one was purchased from and they would process it as a warranty claim and a credit would be issued....eventually. I called my friendly local merchant and was told it wasn't his problem.
Has anyone returned their old gear yet? If so, who did you process it through? Slick seemed knowledgeable but the vendor fellow was pretty much a horses behind.
Any idea would be appreciated.
thanks
danny
 
Still on back order

I bought the replacement kit from ACS in 2015 They sent me a pdf of the claim form to send back with the old rotor gear. Only problem its been on backorder forever

Call champion aerospace they will call the vendor. ACS was unaware of the issue
Until I called champion

Cm
 
Complete

Just received my two Slick 4373's back from Champion Aerospace (Liberty, SC). These were manufactured in 2013 and with only 294 hours on them I opted to have SB1-15A completed by the factory. My only out of pocket expense was the $20 shipping to Champion. What is interesting is that previously I was unable to idle my O-320-B2B/wood prop/MS carbureted engine below ~750 RPM without it being very rough. Today after completing the installation & timing of the returned mags I was able to pull the throttle all the way back to the stop and have the engine idle amazingly smooth at 625 RPM. Whether or not this can be directly attributed to SB1-15A is unclear, but at least I'm happy with what I'm seeing.
 
Didn?t know they could be done directly by Champion.
Were yours newer with warranty so you could get Champion to do the SB repairs?
Can non warranty ones be done directly with Champion?
 
Isn?t that just pertaining to warranty repairs? 1 year 500 hours

Sent an email to Champion for clarification.

Haven?t been able to get the gears through normal channels.
 
Just used the link and noted above and the difference in wording and the ?A? on the end of the SB. Revised version.

Champion sent me in February of this year the earlier version of the service bulletin that states return to factory for warranty magneto?s less than 1 year 500 hours.
The revised service bulletin is dated 11/12/2018.

Interesting.

So those being sent to the factory for the update are not under warranty and if I?m reading these posts correctly are being updated at no charge?

No response from Champion yet.
 
I believe the SB also says you can file a warranty claim through a vendor and receive a credit for the purchased gear.
I tried to file a warranty claim thru Chief and was told they didn't have time to deal with it and I should just write it off since it's only a hundred bucks. Amazing how attitudes can change when the money is going the wrong way.
A bit insulting but next time I'll spend a bit more for real customer service.
I have the gear and will just install it myself.
 
All, I just spoke with Joe Logie at champion and he asked me to tell VAFers that the SB has an error with regards to the return instructions. For impulse coupled mags remove the gear only. Leave the impulse coupler on and just put the castle nut back on hand tight.
Also, yes the repair is free for all within the S/N range specified in the SB.
He said the current turnaround time is closer to 3 weeks now. This SB affected about 100,000 mags and they sometimes come in from a few hundred a week to a thousand or more.:eek:
 
you're right...my bad..since the SB is only for impulse coupled mags I thought the coupling may be involved somehow. I'll see if there are any notes regarding the stop pin checks when I get the mags back from the SB1-15A fix.
 
Did both my mags today

I did the rotor gear SB today and both gears were fine. Checked the impulse stop pin even though that SB didnt apply to my mag and it was fine too.

They had about 250 hours on them

Cm
 
Is it really that hard to do?

I was just thinking about sending in but 3 wks plus shipping is a long time.

Isn't this a straightforward parts replacement? I have the tool for setting the points at the correct orientation with the frame and the pin. I already replaced what I thought was a bad condenser, so is there more to this I am missing?

Remove mag, replace gasket, dissemble, check breaker points, pay attention to wire position, reassemble with new rotor, torque, pin to position, reinstall on the engine, time torque fasteners- - -something missing?
 
I think you are correct, not hard to do but I didn?t want to hassle with buying a gear then trying to get reimbursed. Also they were back ordered at spruce but apparently available at champion for the in house returns.
 
I was just thinking about sending in but 3 wks plus shipping is a long time.

Isn't this a straightforward parts replacement?

You would not have any difficulty with the work. The real issue appears to be parts availability and cost.
 
I had to wait about a month for the parts from ACS, but once complete, the reimbursement credit was easy and quick.
 
I got my parts through ACS, and did the replacement and that went real well. ACS provided me with an RMA number and I sent them back. It was 99.5% good. The only down to it all was that after waiting about a month to hear anything on the RMA, I called them, and a couple days later the credit went though. When I got the credit, it had a note that they were giving the credit based on the vendor reimbursing them, and that should the need arise, they would charge me later if for some reason they didn't get reimbursed. So it wasn't a 100% in my case, but so far in the end it's worked out great.

The gear swap is easy, but if you're not familiar with mag work, I'd say it's probably even MORE important for you to just do it yourself, because it's the perfect opportunity for you to get the parts, and work with your local A&P and have them teach you about internal timing, and adjusting points and everything else. Depending on how many hours you have on the mag, you may want to pick up a set of points too, btw. So I'd say use it as a learning experience. People need to get involved in their engines, so they better understand them.
 
I got my parts through ACS, and did the replacement and that went real well. ACS provided me with an RMA number and I sent them back. It was 99.5% good. The only down to it all was that after waiting about a month to hear anything on the RMA, I called them, and a couple days later the credit went though. When I got the credit, it had a note that they were giving the credit based on the vendor reimbursing them, and that should the need arise, they would charge me later if for some reason they didn't get reimbursed. So it wasn't a 100% in my case, but so far in the end it's worked out great.

The gear swap is easy, but if you're not familiar with mag work, I'd say it's probably even MORE important for you to just do it yourself, because it's the perfect opportunity for you to get the parts, and work with your local A&P and have them teach you about internal timing, and adjusting points and everything else. Depending on how many hours you have on the mag, you may want to pick up a set of points too, btw. So I'd say use it as a learning experience. People need to get involved in their engines, so they better understand them.

It took a while to receive the parts from ACS, but I did not get any RMA, I'll give them a call in the morning to get that squared away before installation. I learned already that new gaskets (to engine) prevents oil weeps. I really hate oil on my engine.
 
got tired of waiting for the parts from ACS so cancelled the order and sent the mags in,,,kinda glad I did 'cos they seem to do some testing and adjusting at the factory before sending them back. One of the mags " failed ATP after repair" so I get a new one in place. Both mags had less than 200 hrs.
 
got tired of waiting for the parts from ACS so cancelled the order and sent the mags in,,,kinda glad I did 'cos they seem to do some testing and adjusting at the factory before sending them back. One of the mags " failed ATP after repair" so I get a new one in place. Both mags had less than 200 hrs.

What is ATP?
 
ATP= Acceptance Test Procedure. Sometimes ?Automated Test Procedure?. When I worked... every program had its own set of acronyms. Took about 6 months to become fluent. We could drive the new guys crazy by spouting entire sentences using nothing but acronyms.
Just FYI I sent my mag in on 4/30 (first class mail) and received it today (5/13) via UPS ground.
I sent it with the castle nut hand tight on the impulse coupling and received it back with the castle nut wrench tight so I?m guessing they must have put it on some kind of test fixture and spun it up (to perform an acceptance test after SB1-15A).
 
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