IO-540 mystery

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
Our club's PA32R-300 has an IO-540 with lots and lots of hours on it.
After 20+ years, at this year's annual the compression was down a few
pounds on a couple of the cylinders, and the mechanic said he really has
his doubts about it passing next year's annual. That might be
significant, or it might not.

Twice this year, while people have been flight training in it (I was doing
a BFR this spring, another pilot was checking out in the plane for the
first time a few weeks ago), the engine has been running fine and on
rollout afterwards the engine died and couldn't be restarting. Both times
it was after doing some air-work (stalls, steep turns, etc) and then a
couple of touch and goes. Nobody has had any problems in a normal point
to point flight, although we've had the normal problems with hot starting
that's endemic to fuel injected aviation engines.

Many of the replies here are confusing the operation of the Continental fuel
injection with the Bendix system on the Lyc. The delivery fuel pressure and
flow rate in the Bendix system is controlled by the servo unit, no external
regulators or fuel return to tank. The servo measures the impact of the
entering air and adjusts the fuel flow rate accordingly.

An idle speed a little higher than normal might stop the dying on rollout
and a slightly richer idle mixture might help dissipate vapor that could be
forming in the heat of the day.