GAMI INjectors

[iceman]

Has any one installed GAMI injectors and can advise on the changes you encountered. Curious if they are worth the cost .

[maules.com]

I don't think you could improve the EGT spread very much on the Lyc IO540 as most of them lean to a 70deg spread anyhow, which is all that GAMI claim you will get. Now the Continental injected engines use a different injection system and maybe some of the M5-210's have been GAMI'd.

[a64pilot]

I have a C-210L with an IO 520 Cont. They work great, smooth way lean of peak, work great. I put a set in My M-6 with the IO-540 Lyc. Both engines were fresh overhauls. In the Lyc you lose so much power by the time your lean of peak that even if it were smooth it wouldn't be worth it. My Lyc gets a little rough LOP whereas the Conti doesn't. Gami will exchange injectors until you get a good "profile", but I haven't. I don't think they work nearly as well in the Lycomings as the Conti.

[Lowflybye]

I have a C-210L with an IO 520 Cont. They work great, smooth way lean of peak, work great.

Ditto! We put a set in our C-210J with the same results. Great lean of peak performance and dropped the fuel burn to around 13 gph at 50 degrees LOP while still cruising at around 155 kts indicated. The CHT would be within 50 - 70 degrees between the coolest and hottest. Could not ask for much better.

I do not have any experience with the GAMI on a Lycoming so cannot speak to their performance in that area.

[Maule 9V]

I have had GAMIs on my IO360 for 6 years. They do what is claimed and combined with agressive leaning on the ground will keep the plugs and oil clean of lead. The goal of balanced fuel injection is not uniform EGT readings. Slight differences in EGT values can result from probe placement. The goal is to have all cylinders reach peak EGT at the same moment in the leaning process. This results in a smooth running engine due to all cylinders makaing the same amount of power on each power stroke. If equiped with fuel flow, the value at the first cylinder to peak can be compaired to the fuel flow when the last cylinder peaks (delta fuel flow). This value in gallons per hours is a good measure of how well balanced the system is. GAMI will exchange injectors to aid in getting the delta fuel flow near perfect.

[210TC]

Before you buy any injectors invest in a ultra sonic cleaner (on-line wal-mart under $50.00) and clean your injectors. If you have a multi-cyl egt write down the the figures and clean the injectors and put them back in the same hole and compair. Then swap the richest injector with the leanest, if no difference as stated earlier switch the egt probs in these two cyl's if possible. Do only one step at a time and write it down.
For those of you that LOVE this kind of stuff, your engine will run better than ever before and even better than the factory new engine. If you cannot get your injectors to perform well, try to find someone who has extra's (with the same part #)to swap out or if you have the money buy Gami's.
I run stock oem injector's in my Harmon Rocket and my last trip to California I could pull down to 8.6 gph @ 160kts indicated, unheard of in a rocket. I think some of this is due to the 4 blade MT. I will soon have it down to 8 gph.
My maule has a carb or I would tinker with it.
BTW after you clean your wife's jewelry she will be HAPPY, these ultra sonic cleaners do miracles.

[210TC]

Up Date, before you buy that Wal -Mart ultra sonic cleaner think twice. The one I purchased was JUNK, I had to manualy clean my injector's, but what a difference. I will be flying to Vericruz and then to the west coast of Mexico mid-week, when I return I will note my fuel burn.

[deanecooper]

Just at comment... My IO-540 had a 160 degree differential when it came new from the factory. A sonic cleaning of all the injectors resulted in an engine that now has only a 70 degree spread. Looks like even new injector nozzles benefit from a good cleaning.

[a64pilot]

I know it's obvious, but before the Gami's or trying to move your injectors around etc. you need an engine analyzer. Without an anylyzer your just taking shots in the dark. DO NOT try to run LOP without an analyzer, your just asking for trouble.

[210TC]

Well, I'm not as happy as I thought I would be.
When I first cleaned my injectors, It ran better, but during the trip I think fuel burn dropped off "will reclean".
At times I could get down to 8.4gph, but most of the time 9.0gph @ 160 kts indicated. Overall (including ground time and climb to 15000 several times to clear mountains from Veracruz to near Acapulco and return), 16.44 mpg, 10.25gph. If my Maule would do this I would be in heaven!
The guy that built this engine was good, he indexed the injector's to each cylinder and marked them. He has passed away or I would ask what method he used. I found injector #5 swaped with cylinder #3. I will switch back to the way I found them, it is possible things changed after the engine had some time on it????
It would also be nice to have an EGT that would show ALL the cylinder's at the same time, only have on one cyl. I have never had one of these nice EGT's, maybe in the future? However, I have always run my engine's lean-of-peak (if I had NO vibration) and to this day and 30 years of flying not once have I pulled a cylinder on an airplane that I have been flying.
Note: This trip was the first time I have been loaded to the gills.
If you ever get a chance, take a trip south, the people,food and service you will enjoy.

[John-Paul at GAMI]

"My IO-540 had a 160 degree differential "

That can be somewhat misleading. Its the FUEL FLOW spread that's important, not the temperature spread, though sometimes one can be indicative of the other.

"I don't think they work nearly as well in the Lycomings as the Conti."

That's a fairly silly notion, but I hear it all the time. The truth is this: If the fuel/air ratios are screwed up, GAMIjectors can typically fix them. In both TCM and Lyc 6 cylinder engines, the F/A ratios are almost always screwed up. We can fix them, but you have to do the GAMI lean test and let us swap nozzles to make it perfect. Every engine is a little different in what it requires. The same can't always be said for 4 cylinder engines. They are sometimes tuned well enough and don't need our help.


"I know it's obvious, but before the Gami's or trying to move your injectors around etc. you need an engine analyzer. Without an anylyzer your just taking shots in the dark. DO NOT try to run LOP without an analyzer, your just asking for trouble."


AMEN.

[210TC]

To this day I have never owned an analzer (in the panel).
In 30 years of flying I have never replaced a cylinder on any aircraft I have owned or operated that was in good condition in the beginning.
I ALWAYS run lean of peak unless the engine will not, without shaking.
I have had some of my engine's so well tuned that they would only decrease engine rpm as I leaned. A few of my freinds have noted the same.
The best way to prolong the life of an engine is to reduce the amount of lead and combustion chamber deposites, unburnt fuel etc, etc, all else being =.
A few on this site are aware of my aircooled engine back ground and I to use to be annal about egt's and cht's. Now many years later I see an OVERKILL on this matter. What disturbs me is the majority of people writing the stories have NEVER ground a valve or replace a burnt seat or had any exposure to cylinder scuffing.

[John-Paul at GAMI]

There is a lot more argument for using an engine analyzer while ROP than LOP.

While LOP there's not much that can go wrong, provided that the engine does it smoothly, like you said. ROP is where all the bad stuff happens.

As far as the valve issue . . . Lycomings are pretty good in that respect. Continentals were until about 1991. After that, they have trouble making 500 hours whether you run ROP, LOP, at Peak . . . it doesn't seem to matter.

[210TC]

When I have a little more time I will argue with you about the fuel flow vs exhaust temp theory. I think this will be a great read.

[beaver]

from a maintenance perspective, I don't see 50% of the GAMI installations where any flight tests were ever done, and even less where any tuning was ever done, and I would say of the 50% who did complete the process and tune the nozzles with flight tests and nozzle changouts, not one of those has ever done it since the original tuning. Without tuning or follow up's GAMI's are no better a guess than original nozzles. Save your money and buy gas and fly your planes !!!