new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

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smoss
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new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by smoss »

Instead of overhauling my mags last time they reached another 500 hours, I instead opted for new ones. Much to my disappointment, there is a whole range of slick mags, including those on our plane, made from 11/2013 to 7/2014 that are having premature failure of the distributor gear. There is a Service Bulletin, SB1-15 (attached), highlighting the problem. This also includes any distributor block and gear assemblies during that time frame that may have been used to overhaul an older mag. Grrrrrrr. :x
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SB1-15.pdf
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Re: new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by ricksigler »

Seems like Slick is really deficient when it comes to their mags. Always some problem with them.

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Re: new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by rwtucker »

Sorry to hear Steve. It is no consolation but this is but a specific instance of what I believe to be widespread shoddy production on the mechanical side of the GA industry; many of these quality issues are documented in detail in DAN discussions. Our parts break with roughly the same frequency as generators on a 1935 DeSoto. Some claim low lifetime parts and inferior design and assembly practices are the best we can expect because of the relatively low production numbers in GA. I'm not sure I agree. Shortly after purchasing my DA40, I had to replace a faulty gasket on my fuel injector assembly. I investigated and it turns out that the reason I had to spend a hundred dollars or so was because Superior found a gasket supplier that would save them a few pennies per unit. They made everything OK, though, because they sent me the 10 cent gasket at no charge. :scratch:

Here we have slick changing parts for reasons unknown, then issuing a SB for a defect that occurred between 11/2013 & 7/2014. At the time the SB was issued the last of the warranties for mags in that production range were expiring. Any chance that you and thousands of others are going through this hassle because Slick saw an opportunity to shave a few cents off of costs? Most of the GA quality management process is a joke. The only reason we don't have more aircraft falling out of the sky is that stiff federal penalties await manufacturers if they fail to disclose failures in a timely fashion. The fact that most of the costs for shoddy products fall on the owners is not the FAA's primary concern, nor should it be.

Having said this about GA mechanics, I think the contrast with GA airframes is stark. With a few exceptions (such as the failure to prevent galvanic action between carbon fiber and metals), everything about the Diamond airframe represents 21st century science and technology. Moreover, the fact that there are only a few thousand Diamonds in the air, calls to question the argument that we must suffer low quality in GA because of low production numbers. There are millions of Slick magnetos in the air. There are other factors, of course, but we won't get better products until we do something to help ourselves.
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Re: new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by smoss »

Well, I never did change the gear after the original service bulletin, and good thing! It turns out that they came out with another revision in 2016, stating to change the gear AGAIN, to a new design. Now the revised bulletin encompasses 8 years of new mags, 2008-2016, as well as any new distributor gear installed during that time span. So now, both my mags would be included, as well as most newer planes from 2008 on. I couldn’t find anywhere what the actual failure rate is.
https://www.championaerospace.com/asset ... 181112.pdf
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Re: new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by smoss »

Does anyone actually have firsthand knowledge of a distributor gear failure? The Slick folks won't quote numbers for failure rate, just that it was high for the initial date range in the MSB, and not so high for the expanded date range in the amended MSB.
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Re: new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by Scottsware »

I had both mags IRAN last fall. I’m not sure I was aware of SB1-15A at the time. Thanks to this forum I became aware of it. I assumed that during the IRAN last year the gears would be replaced if I had the copper electrodes as my serial numbers fell in the SB range. The mags were due again and I had a tickling feeling at the back of my neck that maybe I still had the copper electrode gears. This year when I dropped the plane off I left detailed instructions with pictures showing what the gear electrode should look like. It turns out I still had the bad copper electrodes and one of them was already loose on the gear.

Two takeaways. First thanks for that DAN forum. Owners must be the last defensive on maintaining the airplane and without the forum I wouldn’t know about so many important details. Second, don’t assume things get done on your airplane. You have to be very specific and aware of potential issues. Off the top of my head thanks to the forum I now have safer magnetos, an oil stick that reads correctly and a new powerflow muffler insert, oh and enough torque on my nose wheel pinion to keep the thing from going corked.
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Re: new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by Charles K »

Until this is an AD - it does not have to be performed - service bulletins are not mandatory. Sometimes maintenance induced failures are more frequent than the actual part failing. I have to see if I am impacted - but in no rush either.
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Re: new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by smoss »

Charles, I was in no rush either, and in fact waited the whole 500 hours on my mags before checking the gears, and as explained and shown in a separate thread, at my inspection the electrode from one of the gears was entirely disconnected, probably catastrophic failure at its next flight.
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=7370&p=79971&hilit ... ear#p79971
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Re: new Slick mag service bulletin - failing distributor gear

Post by Charles K »

Well that's why we have 2 mags :). I went 1000 hours on original pair without overhaul. Replaced with new because I presumed O/H might cost as much as new. Funny - new ones had to have timing readjusted after first year - that was annoying!
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