Hi to all,
I live in Italy that is a place full of short grass strips, where finding avgas is a problem (nightmare).
Now I found a C185 reasonably priced, with a injected engine (IO 520B) close to the TBO.
Does any one of you know if it would be possible to downgrade the engine mounting a carbureted O-470?
This would allow me to use auto fuel. As far as I know on Continental injected engines there are no stc’s for auto fuel, this is why I am thinking for the downgrading.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Gustavo

I knew a guy who used to make tons of money, drive the fastest cars, travel the world, and date the most beautiful of woman... He eventually got tired of that, gave his money to charity, married his stocky obese 3rd cousin, and moved next door to a powerplant outside of Newark. He says he is much happier now.

I'd consider keeping it 520 but putting the same low compression pistons in like a Pponk, XP470. TSIO 520 uses 7.5 to 1 compression ratio and car gas will work without the turbo.

180Marty wrote:I'd consider keeping it 520 but putting the same low compression pistons in like a Pponk, XP470. TSIO 520 uses 7.5 to 1 compression ratio and car gas will work without the turbo.

But no basis for approval....

MTV

Do you plan to register it on a US number or on the Italian registry? If n numbered then pass and look for a 180 H or J with a O470R or S and buy the STC for auto gas. You could probably pay twice as much for the 180 and have less in it than modifying the 185 you have found if that were even possible and I doubt that it would be possible without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on engineering and flight testing. If cruise speed is not very important to you consider a 8043 prop for you 170A to get better takeoff and climb performance. A 180 or 185 will never have that nice light feel of the 170 or the over the nose visibility. I have had a 185 and a 180 and even bought a 180H project and finally came to relies that for me and what I do 180 hp 170B is the right choice. It is more fun.

Tim

I believe that 180K and 185 were basically the same. I just put a Pponk,XP470 on my 180K and love it!!!!!! Or, maybe someone could just accidently put low compression pistons in the 520D.

Your 520 will run on mogas just fine. If you need some sort of approval contact these guys.

https://www.flyinpulse.com/inpulse_info/what_is_inpulse

180Marty wrote:I believe that 180K and 185 were basically the same. I just put a Pponk,XP470 on my 180K and love it!!!!!! Or, maybe someone could just accidently put low compression pistons in the 520D.

The compression isn't the issue for the mogas. They will run mogas just fine. From what I understand, they were having vapor lock issues in the injection system which is why it wasn't pursued. I know of a lot of operators that have or do run avgas in one tank and mogas on the other, and the mogas one gets filled a lot more then the avgas side.

whee wrote:Your 520 will run on mogas just fine. If you need some sort of approval contact these guys.

https://www.flyinpulse.com/inpulse_info/what_is_inpulse

He's in Italy. Plus it's a fuel injected motor.

I'm sometimes amazed at how cheap folks will get and then spend a fortune trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

akaviator wrote:

whee wrote:Your 520 will run on mogas just fine. If you need some sort of approval contact these guys.

https://www.flyinpulse.com/inpulse_info/what_is_inpulse

He's in Italy. Plus it's a fuel injected motor.

I'm sometimes amazed at how cheap folks will get and then spend a fortune trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Did you even bother to click the link and read the info? Their STCs are specifically for fuel injected Continental engines. Idk if Italy has reciprocity with US STCs but that will be his best chance.

He’s not wanting to run mogas because it’s cheap, he wants it because avgas is not accessible to him. That seems like the perfect reason to install the inpluse system.

I am cheap and run mogas in my “high compression” fuel injected Continental because I save about $20/hr by doing so. Do you know how much I had to spend or what I had to do to make my silk purse? Zero, absolutely nothing.

Edit: Eww, that reads kinda sassy and that’s not how I meant it. I apologize. I’ll try to rewrite tomorrow when my brain is not half asleep.

whee wrote:

akaviator wrote:

whee wrote:Your 520 will run on mogas just fine. If you need some sort of approval contact these guys.

https://www.flyinpulse.com/inpulse_info/what_is_inpulse

He's in Italy. Plus it's a fuel injected motor.

I'm sometimes amazed at how cheap folks will get and then spend a fortune trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Did you even bother to click the link and read the info? Their STCs are specifically for fuel injected Continental engines. Idk if Italy has reciprocity with US STCs but that will be his best chance.

He’s not wanting to run mogas because it’s cheap, he wants it because avgas is not accessible to him. That seems like the perfect reason to install the inpluse system.

I am cheap and run mogas in my “high compression” fuel injected Continental because I save about $20/hr by doing so. Do you know how much I had to spend or what I had to do to make my silk purse? Zero, absolutely nothing.

Edit: Eww, that reads kinda sassy and that’s not how I meant it. I apologize. I’ll try to rewrite tomorrow when my brain is not half asleep.

Greg,

Nah....sometimes a direct response to a post is just fine. Your post was direct. At my age, “direct” works best.

Good post.

MTV

It was well meant but a bit harsh; on point but never the less a bit strong and well softened by a suitable apology that was a nice touch Whee.

whee wrote:Your 520 will run on mogas just fine. If you need some sort of approval contact these guys.

https://www.flyinpulse.com/inpulse_info/what_is_inpulse

whee wrote: Did you even bother to click the link and read the info? Their STCs are specifically for fuel injected Continental engines. Idk if Italy has reciprocity with US STCs but that will be his best chance.........

I did...did you?
Their STC only covers the C188, C210, & Beech Baron. Period.

FWIW this is for a water injection system.
They don't include any pricing info and I bet I know why. ($$$)

hotrod180 wrote:

whee wrote:Your 520 will run on mogas just fine. If you need some sort of approval contact these guys.

https://www.flyinpulse.com/inpulse_info/what_is_inpulse

whee wrote: Did you even bother to click the link and read the info? Their STCs are specifically for fuel injected Continental engines. Idk if Italy has reciprocity with US STCs but that will be his best chance.........

I did...did you?
Their STC only covers the C188, C210, & Beech Baron. Period.

FWIW this is for a water injection system.
They don't include any pricing info and I bet I know why. ($$$)

I did and I’ve talked to them in the phone a couple times. You should know nothing is really definite and often manufacturer websites don’t provide complete information. They have installed their system on C180/185s. The pricing is expensive but with limited options it might be worth it to the OP.

Here’s guy in Italy with a 185 that needs a 180. We have a guy in Maine with a 180 thinking about putting amphibs on and modifying it to try to be more like a 185.

Would Iceland be about halfway for a meet and trade?

Not sure if this helps but I ran across this 180 for sale that was converted from an IO520 to carb 520.

https://www.spectrumairways.ca/aircraft ... essna-180h

noodles wrote:Not sure if this helps but I ran across this 180 for sale that was converted from an IO520 to carb 520.

https://www.spectrumairways.ca/aircraft ... essna-180h

Ummm, nope. This is a 180, which was always carbureted, modified via an STC.

The subject of this post is a 185, all of which were originally equipped with fuel injection, which on these airplanes involves significant changes to the fuel system. To the best of my knowledge, there are no STCs to change one of these to carburetor. To do so would require modifying the fuel system.

Would be a big deal, and there would likely be a total of one customer for that STC if it were developed.

MTV

No idea about putting an 0-470 into a 185 but I do know a guy who worked on an STC for putting a carb onto a 185s i0-520 (making it an 0-520). It was a pretty labour intensive apparently with cowls and controls and everything involved with switching to a carb. They were trying to make a 185 that would burn mogas, in the end they put a carbed 0-520 in an upgrossed 180 and never did complete the mogas portion of the STC.

Isn’t the Mogas capability more about the compression ration and less about injection?

What components in the FI system are not compatible, or is there a higher chance of vapour lock?

Pinecone wrote:Isn’t the Mogas capability more about the compression ration and less about injection?

What components in the FI system are not compatible, or is there a higher chance of vapour lock?

Yes, from what I've read its a vapour lock issue more than a fuel grade issue sir.