Engine Analyzers: Information Is Power

Research has proven that many---if not most---engine failures telegraph themselves far in advance of the failure. It's rare that an engine just fails mechanically for no reason and without warning. In addition to an oil analysis at each oil change, which is cheap insurance when it comes to engine issues, an engine analyzer can catch problems before they become catastrophic. Conditions such as oil starvation (and subsequent heat damage), pre-ignition or destructive detonation can be detected with engine monitors so pilots can take corrective action with their mechanics before heat damage is done.

From a failure point of view, the components in the engine that will most likely fail and cause a serious power loss are: the crankshaft, main bearings, pistons and cylinders, magnetos and connecting rods. Much of the bottom end of the engine is quite robust, and many people don't realize that even during an overhaul, many of these components (like the crankshaft, for example) aren't replaced and go on to endure many TBOs. Research tells us that if these components do fail, they usually do so early in their lives---what the industry calls "infant-mortality"---from either defective manufacturing or heat distress.

The top end of the engine (pistons, cylinders, valves, gears, etc.) is much less robust. It's here that engine analyzers are worth their weight in gold. Problems with these components can be caught early through careful monitoring of engine conditions. An entire article could be written about how to read these indications (and there are entire books devoted to this subject), but the bottom line is that knowing what indications are normal---and knowing when they become abnormal---is the key to preventing engine failures in flight. Like small cavities that eventually require a painful root canal because they were ignored, engine problems should be caught early.

At minimum, engine analyzers should monitor a few crucial parameters. The basic data you need is cylinder head temperature (CHT) and exhaust gas temperature (EGT). While many of the lower-priced models give you that, the problem is they only read that data from one cylinder (usually the "hottest" one near the firewall). A better choice is an analyzer that displays CHT and EGT on all cylinders. If one cylinder begins showing anomalous indications, it can be caught quickly.

Next up is fuel flow (FF). This is useful in diagnosing mixture issues, fuel pump health, dirty fuel nozzles, excessive consumption, etc. Continuing in order of priority, manifold pressure (MAP) and engine speed (RPM) are extremely useful in catching problems with the propeller governor and ensuring that the pilot is operating the throttle, prop and mixture controls properly for a given altitude and performance combination. Especially if that data is logged, it's highly useful in troubleshooting engine problems.

Finally, electrical voltage (VOLTS) and current (AMPS) are useful in monitoring the health of your electrical system. These are also key to determining battery and alternator condition, especially in multi-bus systems. In some engine analyzers, engine vibration is measured, as well as data like outside air temperature (OAT), true airspeed (TAS), pressure altitude (PA), and other parameters useful in getting a complete and detailed look at your engine's health. For turbo-charged aircraft, a turbine inlet temperature (TIT) is also essential.

The best analyzers log performance data long-term and allow downloads of that data. Maintenance technicians can put this raw data into reports that are extremely useful to look at and can provide a graphical look at your engine's condition. These reports are also useful if something goes wrong and an accident occurs. Engine analyzer data helped determine that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 flew for a long period even after it disappeared from radar.

The final thing to consider is how the information is displayed. Is it a standalone analyzer or does it integrate into your other cockpit displays? For those of us with simple engine monitors that don't archive log data, the choice is simpler. Also, does the unit offer alarms for certain indications like runaway CHT or excessive drops in voltage? With so many models to choose from, here are a few of our favorites.

Advanced Flight Systems
Acquired by Dynon Avionics in 2013, Advanced Flight Systems was an entrepreneurial startup that successfully made engine monitor displays for the light-sport aircraft (LSA) and experimental market. It has an excellent line of electronic flight information system (EFIS) displays including their impressive AF-5000 series touch-screen integrated flight deck.

In addition to a clear and intuitive engine monitor display, the AFS-5000 series includes data logging of oil changes, annual inspections, ELT batteries, filters, brakes, etc. The unit calculates weight and balance, and includes little details like gear warnings and voice alerts. www.advanced-flight-systems.com

Alcor
If you prefer round-dial analog gauges for basic engine monitoring, Alcor makes the best. Owners of vintage aircraft sometimes like to use round gauges because it keeps the look of the original aircraft, and owners with very limited panel space can get great benefits from Alcor's units. They're available for single- and multi-engine aircraft.

Alcor made its reputation from more than 50 years of being installed in demanding environments. Their units are renowned for their reliability, durability and affordable price. Alcor probes are some of the most robust in the industry and also can power sophisticated glass systems. The blanket supplemental type certificate (STC) held by Alcor allows the installation of their probes in any reciprocating-engine aircraft without additional paperwork. www.alcorinc.com

Avidyne
Avidyne's Entegra Release 9 integrated flight deck is one of the most feature-rich and gorgeous displays in aviation. The large displays and well-designed graphics create an intuitive, useful whole. It's pretty to look at, but useful and crucial at the same time. The Release 9 flight deck includes the EMax Engine Monitoring system as its integrated engine analyzer, though it's much more than that. EMax is a dedicated engine page with an avalanche of performance data including a handy graphical fuel totalizer, a lean assist mode, and a percent power display to take the guesswork out of fuel and power management.

EMax monitors fuel flow and computes nautical miles per gallon, fuel remaining, fuel to waypoint and fuel to destination. Temperatures, pressures, RPM, fuel flow, OAT and electrical bus voltages are also monitored and displayed. The integrated fuel totalizer monitors fuel flow and computes nautical miles per gallon, fuel remaining, fuel-to-waypoint and fuel-to-destination. All cylinder head (CHT) and exhaust gas temperatures (EGT), RPM, manifold pressure, oil temperature, oil pressure, fuel flow, outside air temperature (OAT) and electrical bus voltages are monitored and displayed. www.avidyne.com

Dynon
EMS-D120 and EMS-D10. Dynon's engine monitoring systems (EMS) replace and integrate 16 different functions into one highly compact design. The EMS-D120 is a large-screen engine monitoring presentation that blends traditional analog gauges with digital technology. The sunlight-readable color display and soft-key menu system monitors 27 different parameters and displays them on a seven-inch color screen. It's configurable in several ways including split-screen, allowing pilots to set up their displays how they like them. The unit monitors engine, fuel and other miscellaneous systems and annunciations, covering the entire spectrum of performance analysis.

Pilots with less panel real estate can opt for the EMS-D10 that fits into a standard three- to 18-inch-panel hole and consolidates all engine instruments into one nice compact panel-space-saving device. Much more than a single round display, the EMS-D10 is a full-panel display that includes many of the features of the larger EMS-D120. In addition to its configurable, soft-key menu system, the bright display features a wealth of engine and fuel information on an easy-to-read rectangular screen. One of the unique features of the EMS-D10 is the "Info Bars." These are designed to afford greater flexibility in accommodating a wide variety of engine types and pilot preferences. Info Bars are represented by colored vertical bars, each with an identifying label, sliding bar and digital value. www.dynonavionics.com

Electronics International
Electronics International manufactures an impressive line of engine analyzers, gauges and engine monitor instruments. Engine monitor instruments are all it does, and it excels in every sense. Its line includes everything from single-hole gauges to its impressive MVP-50P dedicated engine monitor and analyzer panel. It has something for every aircraft and every budget.

The MVP-50P is an impressive unit and certainly one of the best out there today. STC'd and TSO'd, the 5-½-inch panel-mount glass display offers 15 screens of information and more than 50 functions---almost all of them customizable. The MVP-50 allows pilots to accurately monitor dozens of engine and system parameters, create limits and alarms, set up custom inputs, create interactive checklists, record and review pertinent data from every flight, track an engine's health and more. The digital display provides accurate detection of small trends. The analog display provides field-of-vision, allowing the pilot to determine a function's position in its operating range.

The company's newest CGR-30P is an STC'd and TSO'd engine monitor designed to fit into a single 3-1/8-inch instrument hole---usually replacing the tachometer. In exchange, it provides a detailed view of performance in a beautiful and graphical interface, and replaces your tachometer, manifold pressure, fuel flow totalizer, EGT/CHT bar graph analyzer and more. It's hard to believe something this compact displays all that information so intuitively and clearly. http://buy-ei.com

Garmin
Garmin has become an industry leader when it comes to performance monitoring. In advance of legislation that will likely require recording and retention of flight data in our little GA aircraft, Garmin offers monitoring of 64 different performance parameters, all built into its nearly ubiquitous G1000 integrated flight deck (as well as the G2000, G3000, G5000, etc.). Most of the performance data is available on the suite's "System" panel and includes an all-cylinder graphical EGT with a lean assist function, as well as an all-cylinder CHT. Electrical system health (alternator and battery information), along with fuel flow, fuel quantity, oil pressure, oil temperature and manifold pressure are displayed. Fuel totalizers track fuel consumption and remaining fuel.

Garmin's flight decks offer the capability of recording the data and downloading it later for reporting or tracking use. The data sits on an SD card in the flight deck's MFD, so it's easily accessible. For experimental aircraft and LSA, Garmin offers engine monitors in their G3X glass display, as well as their G900X flight deck for noncertified aircraft. Garmin's selection of integrated flight decks is constantly evolving, and it should be noted that most of its displays integrate engine-monitoring features. www.garmin.com

Insight Avionics
You have to love a company that makes a special engine analyzer just for radial-engine birds. Insight only makes engine analyzers, so it knows a thing or two about them. It recently introduced the new GX-MFT tachometer replacement, which is a whole lot more than that. The big differentiator is that the unit is self-powered through the engine. Insight calls it "energy-harvesting," and it means the unit will continue to work even after your entire electrical system is gone and the battery is dead. As long as the engine turns, the GX-MFT works!

The GX-MFT displays tachometer (RPM), manifold pressure, fuel flow, battery voltage, alternator amperes and a complete electrical analysis. The unit conforms to any aircraft, with the display changing to match. The GX-MFT is designed to work with Insight's G4, which is its newest complete engine analyzer and monitor. With the two instruments, all performance bases are covered. Information from every flight is stored on an SD card for tracking, trend analysis and reporting. www.insightavionics.com

JP Instruments
When it comes to engine analyzers, JP Instruments (or "JPI") has become something of an industry standard. Based in Huntington Beach, Calif., JP Instruments helped pioneer the digital engine instrument market when founder, Joseph Polizzotto---an engineer for Pratt & Whitney---made his own engine temperature scanner for his Cessna 172. Demand for the instrument was so big that Polizzotto started a company in 1986 to sell them, and JPI was born. The company has a wide array of single- and multi-engine analyzers, with everything from fuel flow-only to full-featured performance displays, so it's tough to pick just one.

JPI's most advanced monitor, the EDM-930, is certified as a primary flight instrument. With the 930 on board, you can remove your old engine gauges and open up valuable space in your panel. It does just about everything you can think of, including tracking, recording and storing all engine data (CHT, EGT, FF, MAP, TIT, oil temps and pressures, fuel quantities and range, etc.). The unit includes an interface to popular GPS models, as well as programmable alarms, an accurate Hobbs meter, fuel totalizers and detailed quantity indicators, and a slew of other features. Think of it as your personal flight engineer---a really good one too. www.jpinstruments.com

MGL Avionics
MGL is a California-based company that sources many of its parts and programming expertise in South Africa. It specializes in the LSA and experimental market, and its avionics suite is installed in the impressive and much-lauded Sling LSA, also built in South Africa. In business since 2000, its line of EFIS displays and digital instruments is impressive, and it has shipped tens of thousands of instruments all over the world.

The company's flagship system is the iEFIS, a comprehensive flight, engine and navigation display designed for experimental and light-sport aircraft. In addition to navigation functions, it contains a comprehensive systems page, all displayed on a custom-developed, pressure-sensitive, sunlight-readable touchscreen that can also be operated using gloves. MGL's XTreme EFIS display is a dedicated engine monitor that can also be configured as a PFD. It displays engine parameters, fuel, range and electrical system health, as well as maintenance alerts and alarms. www.mglavionics.com

Ultra Electronics
Ultra's "AuRACLE" line of engine management systems are STC'd as primary instruments. They're made to be compatible with 95% of all single- and twin-engine general aviation aircraft. In addition to common monitoring parameters like fuel data, EGT and CHT, voltage and ammeter, OAT, manifold pressure, and oil information, the AuRACLE line offers a useful "percent horsepower" (%HP) display.

The company's CRM 2101 is a single-box unit that provides all the performance monitoring you can imagine and then some. It will log and keep 150 hours of performance data and allows transfer via USB. The unit's SmartLean intuitive leaning process feature makes correct leaning to LOP or ROP a snap. EGView software (included) allows you to download your archived engine data and examine it using colorful graphs and data displays, and track countless performance parameters. Designed to replace JPI monitors, the CRM 2101 fits into the JPI's wiring harness without modification. www.ultra-fei.com