Message-ID: <4012F354.24A8836C@frontiernet.net>
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 16:36:04 -0600
From: Jim Sower <canarder@frontiernet.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Mazda forum - Rotary Motots in Aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>,
 	Velocity Forum <reflector@tvbf.org>
Subject: Something to keep in mind ....
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

This was posted on the Cozy forum, but I believe it is relevant
here as well ....

Looking at the pictures in the recent CSA newsletter, I just
wanted to comment, several years ago at a Butler, Mo. flyin, I
had an alternator V-belt come apart. The belt was steel cord
construction. V-belts are made by winding the cord (steel or
synthetic) in a helix on a wide (say 36") endless strip of
rubber, and then bonding another thin strip of rubber on top.
The wide belt is then cut into the narrow V-belts we know.
During the cutting of the individual belts, the cord is cut at a
very flat angle. When my belt came apart, one of these cable
ends came loose and gradually unwound, taking a strip of rubber
with it. The wire somehow got wound around the alternator pulley
with cable and rubber strip flapping around and making scrapping
marks on inside the cowling and the engine nose, right where the
electronic ignition sensors are located. Anything mounted in
this area should be protected with heavy metal guards, or better
yet use the sensors that mount in the magneto hole or
elsewhere.  :)

Another failure mode of something or other .... Jim S.