The Rope Trick?

OK, I start up at ORE after a fly-in and I have a 3 cylinder 'Coupe.  I am
not going home.  Here is what you do:

Stop the engine as soon as you notice the problem.  No point in bending
any
pushrods.

Pull the upper spark plug out of the cylinder with the stuck (it is always
the ) exhaust valve.   Move the prop until the piston is at bottom dead
center and thread the rope (use 1/4 inch or 3/8 in cotton) into the
cylinder
through the spark plug hole.  Slowly move the prop to compress the rope
with
the piston.  This will push the valve closed.  Do not push past the point
necessary to close the valve.  Lower the piston and remove the rope and
put
everything back together again.

Usually this will unstick the valve enough to get you home at which point
my
mechanic drops the valve into the cylinder (after tying a piece of dental
floss to the end) and reams the valve guide before pulling the valve back
into place.

The problem is that the valve sticks open because at shutdown the valve is
in the open position and there is insufficient clearance between the valve
and the guide due to lead deposits.  As the engine cools down the valve
sticks in place.

When you start the engine, the valve is not returned to the closed
position
by spring pressure.  By closing the valve with the rope, you break the
deposits a bit but mostly when the valve is opened by the rocker it is
moving and the spring pressure can close it again.  This trick has allowed
me to get home from far away twice when I had a stuck valve.  In both
cases
I had the guide reamed by my mechanic before I flew again.

David Abrams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://ercoupe.com 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Thursday, December 23, 1999 12:13 AM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: AvBlend - Technical Question/Posting
> 
> 
> Maybe I had better start using something in my oil since I 
> don't know the 
> "ROPE TRICK".  Or maybe I should learn the "ROPE TRICK".  
> Anyone care to 
> enlighten me?  Wayne N3544H Shelton, WA
> 
> 
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