Carbon Cub EX-3 Engine Failure (N40DT)

[Cactus Charlie]

One option for Lycoming O-360 and IO-360 engines is to fit a standby alternator on the accessory housing vacuum pump pad.

That option may not be available on the CC363i without significant engine modification.

"for example the latest CC363i rear accessory case is currently made from Magnesium and does not include installation of typical 360 style rear accessory drive gears (as weight reduction)."

ref - CC 363i crankcase - CubCrafters Forums

The CC363i parts catalog is confusing as it shows the pad in some drawings but not in others.

 

[Neal]

So here we are, very cold winter in VA. But those affected by winter weather, snow, etc. will fly less frequently. So your plane sits for a month, temps never get out of the 20's. For those that now are educated about this setup know that if you have to rely on your $29 ignition backup battery that is weak from the cold and not being charged for a month or more you might as well not have one. Combine that with a weak starter battery such as the SBS-J16, which hopefully has been on a charger, it's just not a good situation IMHO.

Education and community share is vital and learning from scenarios such as this thread has taught many of us. Knowledge is key.

 

[ve6yeq]

One option for Lycoming O-360 and IO-360 engines is to fit a standby alternator on the accessory housing vacuum pump pad.

My 2024 Factory Carbon Cub EX-3 has a Lycoming assembled CC363i (YIO-360-EXP128) engine, and I can confirm that the vacuum pump accessory pad has not been milled out. Both magneto pads have been milled and have covers installed. The propeller governor pad has also been milled, but there is almost no space between that and the firewall.

I just got off the phone with Monkworx, and it appears that the gearing behind the magneto pads is very slow, and the propeller governor has a very small gear, so the current MZ-30 will not work. However, he did mention that he is working on a dual belt-driven generator solution, so it might be possible to replace the current 40 Amp alternator with a single belt / dual generator solution. He is going to send me the dimensions so I can see if it will all fit under the carbon cub cowling.

 

[ve6yeq]

if you have to rely on your $29 ignition backup battery that is weak from the cold and not being charged for a month or more you might as well not have one.

I normally fly for a couple of hours once a week, and now that I am paying more attention to the ignition backup battery, it is clear that the AGM PowerSonic battery has been designed for continuous float charging, not the usage pattern of my cub. During the XC from Toronto to Florida (16+ hours in 2.5 days) the battery definitely performed stronger during my run-up ignition battery tests on the final legs than it did during the early legs. Down here in Florida, I have been refueling at a local grass strip 20 min from where I am based, and the run-up battery voltage test is ~0.4 Vdc higher after a couple of hours of flying, so it is clear that the lack of continuous float charging is not good for the battery condition. Rather than try to rig up a solar float charger for the AGM, I think I will replace it with the EarthX EBBS once I have worked out the options for power generation...