My PA39 Turbo needs a new/rebuilt/serviceable exhaust tail pipe on the right engine. The RayJay part number is RJ 0604-005.

RayJay Parts has it listed on their website as a common ordered part, but they don't have any in stock. I'm looking for alternatives and will appreciate suggestions for a good source.

My A&P shop can repair the existing (they are very good fabricators), but that takes time and treasure. A more reasonable alternative, if available, is preferred.

Thanks,

Bill

Bill,

That's a pretty-looking PA-39.

I would contact Aerospace Welding Minneapolis, Inc. They are at 651-379-9888. You'll need to ship them your exhaust component. They will reuse what they can (perhaps flanges or sections of pipe) and rebuild the rest. It will come back like new with the proper paperwork (8130-3 etc..). They do good work.

Maybe not what you want to hear (ship yours off... wait... get it back...etc...) but I think this will get you the best result.

- Charles

Mmm, haven't had good expreince with AWI in terms of having their work last.

Heads up on AWI repairing TwinCo exhaust stacks. Both outboard, forward cylinder stacks cracked just below the cylinder attachments on each engine.

Here are the details of the history.

A shop adjusted one stack after firewall attachment bolt was found to be extremely worn (think wasp-waisted bolt) due to incorrect bolt material type and inadvertently left it rubbing on the cowl flap. Rubbed a hole before we noticed - guess what's on our pre-flight now for close inspection?

So, as long as we were sending one for repair, we looked at the rest and I decided to send them all. Mistake on my part as it turns out. I had heard that others had difficulty in this process and was promised that the jig made sure the exhaust would fit in the TwinCo cowls.

Nice looking exhaust stacks go back on plane. Ancillary benefit was JPI monitor holes are now more consistently located and they have less conflict with other stuff in the engine area. Took some adjustment to where they didn't whack the Gulf Coast stack extensions.

Within 90 days the #1 on right engine started showing JPI EGT cooler readings. Took awhile to figure it out, everyone thought it was a Champion fine wire spark plug problem - swapped upper and lower but problem persisted. Ran for 8 more months and at annual, the exhaust crack just below the attach and ahead of the EGT probe was barely visible. It was a very sharp-eyed Clifton mechanic that found it. To their credit AWI repaired with a weld even though warranty had expired. I suffered the down time and shipping charges and labor to remove and install. They said the problem was the stack extensions. I commented that the extensions had been on for a decade with zero issues. #1 cyl is forward on the outboard side of the right engine.

Recently, the #2 cyl on the left engine EGT started showing JPI EGT cooler readings. Not huge delta but cooler. #2 cyl is forward on the outboard side of the left engine. Shorter problem diagnosis. Yup. Exhaust cracked in same place as the outboard right engine forward exhaust stack. Since I had been educated, even I could find the problem this time becasue I knew what and where to look.

Well not having much luck finding a "ready to go" exhaust tail pipe for the right engine. The RayJay part number is RJ 0604-005.

RayJay Parts ( http://rajayparts.com/index.html ) does not have it in stock, and they don't know when they will. Now looking at repair or custom fabrication of a new one.

I attached an image for reference. If someone has one sitting on a shelf I might be the customer for which you didn't know you were looking!

- Bill

Wow that's certainly different from my normally aspirated PA-30 exhaust. If you've checked with all the normal sources for parts (Webco, etc...) not sure what to suggest other than repair.

Pat - thanks for the pirep on your AWI experience. Wow that is eye opening. I will keep a close eye on my pipe they rebuilt. They gave me the same warning regarding the Gulf Coast stacks and I gave the same response you did. Also they warned that any pencil marks on steel will promote premature failure - use a sharpie instead. I don't have that may hours on my new exhaust but will watch it carefully.

- Charles

Charles,

If I hadn't specifically asked that the stacks be checked in a jig prior to shipping, I wouldn't be so unhappy with them. IMHO they have a bad jig for TwinCo. Wrote a letter after the first failure and stated same. Maybe they got it fixed. Watch aft of the attach point within the first inch.

FWIW, the guy I dealt with on the phone (bit over a year ago I think but I'd have to check my 8130 file to verify), was very helpful. I told him about the stacks and he said "shhhh don't tell me that.... it would void the warranty" I did not send them the stacks or EGT probe position, etc... We let them build a straight exhaust (left engine cyl 1-2 pipe) and it came out perfectly with no fitment problems. We drilled our own holes for the EGT and Gulf Coast Stacks. Everything came out perfectly for us...

- Charles

Acorn Welding Ltd. in Edmonton, AB, Canada does beautiful work and have a large inventory of exhaust and engine mount parts. They have a booth at Oshkosh every year and do a lot of "trans-border" work. Former ICS President, the Dearly Departed Karl Hipp, had them do what I recall as being a complete exhaust rebuilding on his Miller Turbo PA30 a number of years ago. Karl's system had a bit of a "one of a kind" element to it and when he got the assembly back there was a problem with one component not fitting right. Without argument, Acorn sent a man down to Karl's place in Colorado and "made it right" - right on the spot!

Don't let the international boundary scare you - they do work for US customers every week. They are at www.acornwelding.com (888) 388-8803, (780) 447-5955.

Don Ostergard
c-flhv@magtech.ca
(403) 823-0405