Maintenance Tips    e-mail your maintenance issues/fixes to: dcoy@IAR823.com

NOTE: The information contained in this section is based upon the personal experiences of IAR-823 owners, pilots, A&Ps and AIs and other sources. It is intended to be used as a guide for information only and to assist in the maintenance and operation of the aircraft.

Consult with certified FAA maintenance personnel prior to performing any maintenance or repair operation.

FAA Special airworthiness safety bulletin: This Special Airworthiness Information

Bulletin (SAIB) alerts you, owners and operators of Amateur-Built Experimental IAR SA BRASOV Model IAR823 airplanes, of the need to inspect the canopy latching rods for proper alignment and wear

___________________

Tow Bar Converter - Steve See. Have you had trouble finding a tow bar to fit the nose gear on the IAR? Try this out for size. Steve carries these adapters with him and inserts them for ground handling.

___________________

Landing Light Replacements

Hello Dan!

I've attached a couple of close-up pictures of an IAR 823 landing light that obviously needs replacing in case you wanted to start a collection of airplane parts images for the IAR 823 website. Steve See N129GC

                                                                                        24B220Br 79 Good luck on the part number.

                                                                                        Put Aircraft Spruce to the test.

                                        Romanian Shop Light

___________________

Landing Gear & cockpit lamp replacement: If you detect a dark landing gear indicator light in flight do not attempt to switch or replace the bulb in flight.  The procedure of in flight switching indicator lamps to determine if one is burned out will not work on the IAR-823. When the red or green lens is unscrewed from the panel front there is nothing holding the lamp assembly to the rear side of the instrument panel. The assembly will fall into the void behind the panel  and you can not get to it without pulling the instrument panel down. For access, unlatch the instrument panel, remove the two thumb screw retainers from the front of the panel then pull it forward and rotate it down. The bulb in the landing gear indicator may be replaced in a pinch with the bulb from the cockpit light (dome light).  The Romanian bulb only states: 28V - 4.8W. The GE part number is GE-1864 for this 17amp replacement bulb and it is available at Aircraft Spruce part number 11-04171 for $1.26.

    Dan Coy

____________________

Here is a list of some of the maintenance items Steve Beaver is aware of:

   1. The gear retract motor is sensitive to brake fluid and is located under the rudder pedals on the left side of the cockpit. Extreme care must be taken to avoid getting fluid in the motor when working on the brakes. The motor brush housing will disintegrate in the presence of brake fluid.

  

  2. I have learned some more about the fuel venting system. There is a check valve in the fuel tank vents which will admit air to the tanks but which does not allow air to escape. If the tanks are near full and the fuel expands as it warms up, a high pressure can build in the tanks and cause real problems. When the aircraft is parked under these conditions, a wire has to be inserted in the vents to disable the valve.

 

   3. The CG may be an issue. The original battery was very heavy indeed and replacing it with modern batteries may be placing the CG a long way forward of its original position. - Hence the nose heaviness some people have noticed.

  

   4. Rust spots have been noticed on valve springs which in once case, led to a spring failure.

   

   5. The brake master cylinders may be replaced with Matco cylinders for better braking.

  

    6. The original Romanian radio, while not the most discriminating radio ever, does have a self-contained intercom which although of the "hot mic" type, works quit well.

 

7. 7.Be very careful of carbon monoxide in the aircraft. It seems that at lower airspeeds, the exhaust gasses get blown back into the cowl and can enter the cabin. An owner who contacted me recently had a CO test performed and was shocked at the readings. Others have reported feeling dizzy after practicing touch-and-goes. Please check the length of the exhaust stubs, the cowl outlets and do use a detector.
   

      Steve Beaver

____________________

Thanks to Bill Hill for this information.

Bill now tells me that with a new three into one swept back exhaust on each side of his IAR, not only has the CO problem been resolved but the top speed of the aircraft has improved by more than 10 kts!

Remember that by modifying the exhaust, you get a reduction in drag and an increase in power so the usual square law of speed improvement is countered by a squared improvement in the aircraft.  This magnitude of improvement is actually quite realistic.

       

      Bill Hill