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Ellison Bottle Throttle Recommended?

iaw4

Well Known Member
dear colleagues---we have an ellison in our 180hp lycoming, purchased before our time. I am not sure how old it is, either. does anyone have contact info for ellison? https://ellison-fluid-systems.com is down. (are they still in business?)

right now, I think I need to find an expert in SoCal to look at my system and just tell me if it is operating like it is supposed to:

* I seem to be unable to shut down the engine with mixture-idle; even with the mags off, it stutters and stutters and stutters before it comes to a halt...eventually, if ever. (usually, it really reliably comes to a stop only after the fuel valve is off and all fuel has been exhausted.) this seems worrisome/dangerous in itself. an airplane with mags off and mixture idle can still fire the prop?!

* on low RPM, the engine seems not to like to runs steadily on a 800-1000 rpm setting; instead it goes on excursions of 20-40 rpm at a frequency of about 1/2 Hz up, down, up, down, etc.

* on low RPM, the engine/exhaust make sounds as if they regularly miss a beat every so often. almost like ancient 2-stroke engines. maybe I am not used to Lycomings anymore and this is normal?

* occasionally, on the very last moment of shutdown, the prop reverses direction...huh? how can a prop could reverse direction in its death throws?


now, none of this may be the fault of the ellison, but no one here [SoCal] can tell me definitively whether my ellison needs an overhaul, is at fault, runs well, needs updating, is broken, etc.


what would you recommend in my situation? should I ditch the ellison and go back to some good and plain carburator [which one?] that A&Ps understand well? is there something better and less troublefree now?

advice appreciated. regards, /iaw
 
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