You have new e-mags that are putting out a LOT more voltage. If your wires aren't in perfect shape, you could be getting spark leakage to ground somewhere through failing wire insulation. The old mag, with lower output, still works fine, but the new mag, with 70KV potential, can just zap right through that wire's insulation and cause the mag drop.

Swap the Mags. If the problem moves you know it's a bad Mag.

man I just love your videos. when I am feeling homesick or just not feeling right, I put on some of your videos, and before I know it I feel better again. It really helps. It's like something familiar to me or perhaps it just reminds me of my recently departed Dad. I miss him so much. We did everything together. He was such a great man, taken from us quickly and unexpectedly. Life is not always fair, but intelligence is the ability to adapt. Anyway, thanks again for your content, I sure hope to meet you one day Jimmy. Your my kinda guy... Your legendary my friend. Legendary!

Come on up to Panama City this spring and let me take you on a free guide trip. It would be my absolute pleasure!!!!!! - Matt

On today's very special edition of Jimmy's World, Jimmy finds out why the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" is a saying!

You will not see any improvement without spark advance (unless, of course you have a "weak mag"). Surefly has the spark advance option; Lycoming uses traditional fixed timing. As you know, the Lycoming mag is made by Surefly to Lycoming specs. I recommend cutting your losses and replacing the impulse coupled mag with a Surefly and keep the other mag. In my case I saw about a 12% boost in power with a single Surefly configured with spark advance. Think about it ... the voltage delivered to the plugs is the breakdown voltage, not the "70,000 volts" that is possible. Spark plug gaps usually break around 30,000 volts. The fact that your engine was running great before shows you that the ignition wires and the plugs are good. You'll be chasing your ass if you start changing parts. Adding a second electronic mag has minimal impact because the Surefly mag will start the advance ignition process and the second tradition mag fills in. The "advanced timing" spark energy delivered by the Surefly mag is what does the trick. Adding a second Surefly complicates matters and is not as safe. Once you get a single Surefly mag running smoothly, my other recommendations would be fine wire Tempest plugs (not Champion) and New Horizons ignition harness.

Since you went for the expense to replace the mags I would be inclined to replace wires and plugs at the same time just to ensure you are getting maximum from your e-mag. Cool stuff - thx!

Jim, you have two complete ignitions. One firing the top plugs (or half of them and half the bottom) and the other firing the other half. Make sure you know which system is being powered in which switch position. Remove the lower cowl, clean and check the plugs. When you test run positively identify which cylinder is at fault and correct it. 😊

Since you have greatly increased the high Voltage, I am wondering if your wires are up to the task.

Those mags are made by surefly. When I installed mine I had all kinds of running bad. What it turned out to be (for me) was the wires going into the cap were wrong. I had to re position the wires to the correct firing order. Best of luck. Darryl

I agree with some of the comments below, They specifically said to have 2x independant supplies to each mag and that the plug leads may not be able to handle 70kv. looking forward to the fix.

At 07:02 Never use a steel hammer. Better use a copper or nylon hammer to avoid damage.

I don't even like planes that much but I LOVE your spirit and your attitude and excited for every video! God bless you and everyone who is part of your videos!

Hey Jimmy! 10 year ame from Canada with tons of experience on 4 cyl Lycoming and surefly e-mags. I know we had issues with our emags when we first but them on our fleet, we talked to surefly alot and they had us install a capacitor inline with the mag power. Something about power fluctuating in system power and doing weird things in the magic spark box. Idk if it's ur issue but we had the same symptoms! Also whenever I had idle issues I'd do a good look for intake leaks. Good luck jimmy!

Jimmy, I just read the installation instructions and here are a couple of things. Manual say you may reuse the slick wires so you don’t need any “beefier” wires as some have recommended. I think it’s just mis-timed. Under “install drive interface” section of the EIS installation manual is this: “NOTICE: The drive gear fits on the EIS shaft in one of two orientations. A normal installation will align a gear tooth valley with the woodruff key on the EIS shaft (Figure 4). If you have difficulty timing the EIS to the engine in further steps, it may be necessary to remove the drive gear from the EIS and re-install it 180° on the shaft as shown in the alternate orientation (Figure 5).” Also this: “NOTICE: The EIS LED will not turn on if the p-lead terminal is grounded. 5. Slowly rotate the EIS drive gear to find the point where the LED goes off. 6. TURN SLOWLY - the LED alignment point has a 1⁄2° window and is difficult to see if turning fast! 7. The point at which the LED goes off is the EIS’s internal TDC alignment. 8. Once this point is found, care should be taken to avoid any rotation of the EIS drive gear during further steps of engine installation.” I’d put the t TDC gauge into cylinder 1 to time the mag accurately. Then “VII. UNLIKE A MAGNETO, THE LYCOMING EIS IS TIMED (SYNCED) TO #1 CYLINDER COMPRESSION STROKE TDC (0°). The EIS operates by syncing its internal TDC alignment point to #1-cylinder compression stroke (TDC - 0°). 1. Confirm the engine is at top dead center (TDC - 0°) of #1 cylinder on the compression stoke. 2. Ensure the O-ring is present, free of debris and seated in the EIS face groove. 3. Apply Lubrico® M-6 grease or equivalent to the mating surface of the EIS flange and the O-ring. 4. Ensure the EIS is still internally timed as described in Section V above. NOTICE: When installing a fixed timing EIS, make sure the manifold pressure port (Figures 1, 2, and 3) is not obstructed and open to atmospheric pressure. 5. Without allowing the EIS drive gear to rotate, align the EIS mounting ear slots with the engine studs and slide the EIS into the magneto cavity. 6. Hold the EIS flush to the engine, clock the EIS to ensure the point when the LED goes off is within the rotational sweep limits of the mounting ear slots. 7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 above if unable to find the point when the LED goes off as the EIS drive gear may have skipped a tooth over the engine gear when pushed in. NOTICE: For 66K4A and 66K4F installations, continue with steps 8-13. For 66K6D installations, do not complete step 8, and continue to complete steps 9-13. 8. If still unable to find the point when the LED goes off, reinstall the drive gear to the alternate drive gear orientation as described in Section II and begin over from Section V step 1. NOTICE: In the next step use the referenced Lycoming part numbers or AN/MS equivalent. 9. Install flat washers (P/N STD-1727), lock washers (P/N STD-475), & nuts (P/N STD-410) on to the engine studs over the EIS’s slotted mounting ears. Do not re-use lock washers - install NEW lock washers. 10. Do not use the clamps that some magnetos are installed with. 11. Finger tighten the nuts, do not allow the EIS to rotate. 12. If necessary, rotate the EIS to ensure the LED stays off. At this point the EIS is timed (synced) to the engine. 13. Torque the mounting nuts, alternating between the nuts in 4 ft.-lb. (5 Nm) increments, to 15 to 18 ft.- lbs. (20 to 24 Nm) ensuring the LED stays off. EIS Timing Check 1. Turn the crankshaft counter to normal rotation 1/8 of a turn from #1-cylinder TDC. 2. Slowly rotate the crankshaft in the normal direction. • If the LED goes off more than 2° before or after #1-cylinder TDC, the EIS is incorrectly timed and is not in sync with the engine. Loosen the EIS mounting nuts and re-clock the EIS per Section VI step 6 through Section VI step 13. • If the LED goes off as #1 cylinder reaches TDC - 0° (compression stroke) the EIS is correctly timed (synced) to the engine and you may proceed.”

You more than double up the voltage of the spark, so the question pop up in my mind, : Can the isolation of the spark plug leads (wires) handle that, without breaking through to ground somewhere along the line? Or even the plug body itself that may have a small crack that allow the higher voltage spark to break through.

I would have personally swapped the new "mags" side to side to see if the problem followed the mag, assuming they're interchangeable. If not, putting the old mag on was the next best thing but wouldn't have tested your power source. Entirely possible the new unit is bad. I got a new in box Ford fuel pump that was bad. Turned on, wouldn't build pressure. Ever since the COVID shut downs, I've seen more and more new parts from reputable companies where it seems they chose to pull people from quality control to make more parts instead.

i love it already even before Premieres starts . Keep up the great video's. Save The 310 !!!!!!!

even on a 40 year old 4hp outboard i change the plug wires lol. this thing probably needs new suppressor type wires or whatever the lycoming guys recommend. new plugs can't hurt, either. not surprised if they call for different plugs as well.

Remember that with higher magneto voltage your ideal spark gap has probably changed and maybe the plug type has to change, too.

Looks like aircraft mechanics have a lot of precision tools 🙂

Every SBC Chevy, and the one BBC I've ever owned, has had the points/condensor system replaced with HEI. You can never go wrong. My totally unqualified opinion, as I am no aircraft mechanic (ICBMs? Yes, qualified. Airplanes? No) is the stand alone battery power for the right mag is rather important. I feel it the left mag isn't getting the constant voltage it needs.

1st, when you reinstall magnetos, always switch through left/right at idle as soon as you get the engine started. Real quick, 1st thing, check to see if they are both smooth BEFORE bringing the power up. My suspicion is that you have one of the magnetos timed 180* out. Even though the timing lights both went on/off at close to similar times, one magneto is firing on the compression stroke and the other (rough one) is firing on the opposite cylinders in the firing order.

This is exactly why I fly a 24' Neptune sailboat with a 5hp long shaft motor. LOL If my engine fails I can still sail safely home. Can I get a "prepare to jibe"?

Thanks for the morning show Jimmy. It was a nice break for me. I'm on lake Kissimmee fishing. We'll back to it. I really enjoy the channel. Ty

I would take an ohm meter and check the resistance on all the plug wires. Deteriorating plugs wires may be ok at low voltage, but once you double the juice to them they get hot and their resistance increases.

Thanks Jimmy and team. Love what you do! Better than Netflix.

The best suggestions here: New wires, check dip switches (didn't see you check them and did you loc tite the screw?), plugs looked "footballed" to me), the ignition switch may be incompatible, wires running to wrong cylinder. Now is the time to read the instructions! Lol. Good luck.

Follow up on my previous comment. If the wire isolation is the problem, darkness is your friend. Start in darkness and watch for sparks where there are no sparks supposed to be. Check all places where the wires goes through holes and may have some wear because of vibration.

Your plugs should be replaced along with the wires whenever you replace your ignition system. You should check your fueling because from what I could see those plugs look too rich.

Vice grips and a claw hammer ... precision tools ! Your a blast

I had a student who wanted to change his carby from the standard one , I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. When he did a thrust test he lost nearly a quarter of his original thrust. When an engine maker builds an engine they put the best engine components to suit that model. Don’t listen to other people who knows it all. I can remember when I used to race motorcycle’s, a mate of mine put his shock absorbers on upside down, just to see what other riders would do. Well the race two weeks later half the riders did the same. They asked why he put them back the original way. He didn’t have the heart to tell them. I thought I would share that with you.cheers

For safety, keep one original mag on it and one elec mag.

Get that separate 2nd power supply that it called for.

Verify your dip switch settings. The left mag may be out of time.

First, those units are rebranded Surefly units, that were designed by a friend of mine (and fellow Grumman Pilot) who also designed the Skytec Starter, Plane Power Alternator and Regulator and lastly, the Treo Autopilot. Ist, the sparkplugs in your motor appear to be 40E's. Generally, most use Tempest UE37BY's (stay away from Champion plugs). However, you ain't gonna get either of those plugs to gap out at 0.032 without cracking the insulator. However, Tempest now makes a new plug (UAREM37HE) just for electronic ignitions pre-gapped at 0.032. 2nd, My friend states (and this is in the Surefly Literature) that you should check the leads and they actually recommend swapping them out if you have any issues. 3rd, If you are going to check your sparkplugs, you need to check them out on a sparkplug tester that with test the plug under load, and in addition, check the resistance in the plugs themselves (especially if they are Champions). 4th, With the exception of easier starting (much easier), you will see almost no extra performance unless you setup the vacuum advance, I dont care how many of these things you install on your motor. On my Grumman (0-360A4K) I have my Surefly firing UARE37HE's on the bottom four plugs and the standard mag firing the four UE37BY's on the top. My Grumman has a fixed pitch prop so I cannot spin the prop faster than 2700 RPM anyway, so there is no speed increase, however, climb is noticeably better. The Major improvement is fuel burn. Before the change, at 7000 feet I could lean down to 8.5 GPH or so before the engine got rough and had to turn the mixture to smooth things out. Now I can lean down to 7 GPH and run smooth (actually, the engine will not get rough. It just quits running if I try to lean too far. At todays Avgas prices, this is not small potatoes. That saves about 10 bucks a gal at cruise, enough to pay for that second Surefly by the time two of these can be legally put on a certified airplane. CLaude Allen Green Cove Springs, Fl

When I saw you put that Lycoming box up there my first thought was realized when your box fell off. 😖 DOH!! Keep up the great content!

With that magnificent 'tash' comes great responsibility.

I like the suggestions below the spark too hot for the old wires or the 2nd mag is bad. Replaces wires and plugs makes sense to me. Great video.

Old adage which is always correct, if it works, don't fix it. Love your channel Jimmy.

A thought. There's a significant difference in voltage output between the magneto and the electronic unit. It may be that with the magneto output, the plug leads are containing the power, but with the significantly higher voltage of the electronic unit, the higher voltage is breaking through wire insulation (or in the cap) somehow. As suggested below, and since you know which cylinder is not firing well, I might suspect plug leads before sending the electronic unit back.

I believe your Fetzer valve is too tight, you need some ball bearings and some 40 weight oil. Any Fletch fans out there?

Simple diagnostics, Jimmy. The left one is having an issue, the right one is ok. Switch the left and right units, see if the problem follows the unit or stays on the left side.

Thanks for another great video Jimmy. Was super interesting. Trust you are pleased with the parts. Thanks. Retired Air Force veteran.

Is your firing order correct on that left magneto? Binding on start, bad misfire... been there done that.

Can’t wait to see what’s going on, this is my favorite channel here. 🇺🇸

Thank you for the video Jimmy.

Assuming the Left Mag (or now the Electronic Ignition) feeds the lower plugs, you need to pull the lower cowl to check those plugs, not just the top. The lower plugs are most susceptible to oil fouling as any oil that seeps past the valve stem seals into the cylinders and collects on the bottom plugs. Best to use iridium fine wire plugs on the bottom to help prevent that fouling if that's an issue.

If each Magneto needs his own power source, could it be that they interfere with each other? Additional: I mean a ESI.

That start and idle sure looks like an engine with its timing too far advanced. Prop going backwards on start is sure fire indication…

U got a like from me just because of yr funny talking. "Get the old interweb fired up..." Hilarious!

Yep, I wanna go fly in an aircraft that Jimmy installed the mags with vice-grips and a claw hammer!! Factory trained mechanics using specialized tools!!! Lol!!!

Hey Jimmy, Instead of a screw driver, a pencil eraser ✏️ works really good to clean that black char off points or contacts.

I’d use some die-electric grease in plug wires so it minimizes corrosion.

I don't know who you are or what you do, but you're keeping the tickler. That's set in stone.

Jimmy you are very entertaining I basically live on your channel. Love to see these planes come alive.

About the growth on your lip: Those yellow oxygenimagic thingies that drops from the ceiling in the unlikely event of cabin depressurising does not seal well on facial hair. Think about it.

Never change a running system :) Maybe change only one magneto first and then try to synchronise

gm. Jimmy you need to make a brace to keep your canopy open !! while you are one the ground working so as not to roast in the cockpit...make working on or in it more enjoyable

Great videos. Great flyer. Great number of aircraft activities. Great time to self audit for the sake of revitalising all safety matters. Go well Jimmy.

Wish my Glasair has an O-360. Even more than that I’d love to have a normalizing turbo. Man that little bud would scoot at 15K with 24”

Ditch the parallel valve heads for angle valve for more HP, you're experimental right? Look into the guys out at Reno and see what they do for the Lycoming 4 bangers

Love the new growth of the stache. It gives you new character.

You mentioned that sparculators would have larger gap. Chevy HEI require a larger gap than old school point and coil system. I would check on correct spark gap as well as ignition wire requirements.

Hey Jimmy! I would love to have some tinkering time with some of these types of aircraft! I work on Airbus A320 family and I love my job! Greetings from Glasgow, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇬🇧

Jimmy you mentioned getting 2 separate power sources could it be that the one for the left mag is unreliable? Could even be a poor connection in the switch itself. Cant see new mags (which have been freshly tested before leaving the factory) being bad out of the box and since you eliminated the high voltage side Im thinking it must be a poor connection or low voltage coming into the mag. Loose or pinched wire or possibly poor ground.

Hey Jimmy personal opinion i think you should really pit the mags on seperate voltage source since they are both drawing from the same source

I've encountered issues similar to yours. Check your plug wire caps which mount to the mag themselves. Good chance the springs are not making good contact with the mag. Check protrusion of the spring and compare to the depth of the female end on the mag. Those plug wires look like the ACS brand (going off the blue color) and found the springs were not long enough to make solid contact on the mag. Got a set of non-ACS spark plug cables and the problem went away.

Good Lord….. quit using a carpenter hammer on aircraft parts…

Hey jimmy hope you and the family have a blessed day!

Loving the Stach’ bro! Keep it!!!

That mustache loudly and boldly says: "Clear Prop".

Hey Jimmy how about adding a turbo to the Engine !

The warp drive's antimatter in a fusion reaction mediated by dilithium crystals need to be aligned.

Hey ~Jimmy, you are rockin' the Jed Clampitt look with the 'tash and the hat! Nice!

HB reference was amazing! Carry on- great content as always!

Wires could be leaking spark to a ground, happened on my motorcycle, couldn't figure it out until I tried to pull the wires while it was running and got a spark up to my shoulder. It was arcing out of the plug boot.

Maybe I missed it, but those Lycoming electric mags require voltage to function, right? So now the plane may have the engine quit if electrical power is lost. Do you have a second battery and alternator? What if there’s a problem with the master contactor? I would be scared of a dual electrical dependent plane.. the PMAGs have the ability to self generate, I didn’t think these Lycoming ones do, right?

Replace spark plugs. Higher voltage can short to ground internally; especially after warmed up (operating temp) and under operating load. Shop testers can give false positive results. Not usually rated nor designed for turbo-mags.

Jimmy....any update on your guys stolen tools ? Disappointed you did not retool this guy then get repaid thru go fund me page. Have fun...be careful...and stay safe.

I'll be shocked if the mag is bad. I think its too much draw on the single supply system. The old mag brings the draw back to limits the system can handle. Just my thoughts...

I Busted out laughing at the Hunter B comment!! Man, I love your channel!! Keep it up sir!!

Nice work Jimmy. You let me know when you get that hotrod running right and I will race that puppy. Lol

Misinformation Effect:....The misinformation effect: When our memory for past events is altered after exposure to misleading information. 2. False memory: A memory of an event that is entirely false or partially distorted....Jimmy's/World.....LOL.!

There was 2 obvious problems here. 1st problem was the classic if it aint broke don't fix it. And 2nd problem you let a dummy work on your plane. Just kidding around love your videos!!!

Simple test,for wires leaking: At idle,spray a fine mist of water(spray bottle) on the wires,and see if it arcs.(Best done in low light)..

I’m studying to get my license, so watching you make me really getting into the mood to study hard.

Your jokes are great, keep them coming

Love the 70s bow Chica wow wow mustache haha.

Digging the stache Jimmy, "Can I get a CLEAR PROP!"

It's not March Moustache Madness! But I guess watching Top Gun might be a legitimate enough reason to scuff the edges of AFI 36-2903.🤣You gotta go full Col. Olds style!

Jimmy, love your videos but please, please, move those spark plug wires away from the engine spars, at least an inch if not more. I'm not an A&P but I did hold my 7-lvl on B-1 Bomber and the C-5 (don't question the logic of the USAF). I spent the better part of my military career chasing down impossible gremlins and defying the "can't" crowd. Those high tension leads 'should' be shorting/leaking energy to those spars unless they are pristine condition (which I'm dubious that is the case). For those who aren't aware, you can take a new spark plug cable, make a simple mark on it with a #2 pencil and move it near a ground and it will arc through immediately (the damage is permanent and erasing the mark won't undo it). This is important to understand because dirt/grease and grime will cause the same issue in short order. Even if they aren't shorting/arcing visibly, a creative technician with an o-scope can probably detect leakage near the wires/frame. Good luck Jimmy!

I like the "can I get a clear prop" BUT .... I am sure u suppose to hollar it out for others to be aware. But it still makes me laugh

I think most people here misunderstand something about spark voltage: The spark voltage rises until the arc starts to form. That will be at the same voltage with this magneto as with the old one. When the plasma channel has formed, the voltage drops much lower, since the resistance of the plasma channel is much lower than that of compressed mixture. What these powerful magnetos maybe produce a faster rising, higher >possible< voltage before the spark forms, and while it is burning they can provide more current (at slightly higher burn voltage but still low voltage compared to the peak), giving a hotter arc. Therefore, the wire insulation is most likely not the problem. That being said, I don't understand why Jimmy put back the old Magneto instead of swapping the left and right new ones around. It would tell more a possible insulation problem.

You should hit the parts harder with a hammer. Aircraft engines loves that!! Don't forget to film it for us. 😉👍

Check power - make sure its getting full voltage check firing order - you wouldnt be the first person to accidently get a couple wires crossed

Yep a little bit of rusty connectors goes a long/ bad way !! A tiny bit of spray silicone on da wire ends and a little bit of anti seize on the threads will help make a better electrical connection

11:38 So Great to find someone else who reads the Distructions!

Sweet Stache Goose. Your intern does great camera work by the way. 👍

As others have suggested, I think that new plugs and wires are in order. Either could be breaking-down under the extra voltage!