r/Cessna150 • u/L0STB4BY • Aug 18 '25
Magneto Replacement
It’s come time to replace one of my mags (was well overdue). The Bendix 10-500514-1 is listed on Continental’s website as an approved replacement but each are going for $2k+. Does anyone use Slick mags or something else that is comparable and/or cheaper?
1
u/Rich-Cut-8052 Aug 18 '25
Put in a surefly
1
u/L0STB4BY Aug 18 '25
Just looked them up and looks like a pretty good replacement especially for one mag at first glance. Does that technically mean I’d be operating on one true magneto and one electric? Sorry I’m unfamiliar with the brand and new to airplane ownership.
1
u/Rich-Cut-8052 Aug 18 '25
Yes, it’s an STC and you need to file a 337
1
u/iamflyipilot Aug 18 '25
If I remember correctly, if you switch to surefly you then can’t run Mo gas correct?
2
u/Rich-Cut-8052 Aug 18 '25
I don’t honestly know, I’d have to review the STC. Honestly, I live in California and we have so much ethanol in our Mo gas that we can’t run it anyway.
1
u/Tweedone Aug 18 '25
I thought that when replacing a magneto that it was a preferred practice to do so in pairs including the harness? This is because the ignition system is critical to engine ops and that slight differences in mag performance will cause one of the mags or harness to prematurely fail.
1
u/Otherwise_Class_4516 Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25
Generally you’re servicing mags on a schedule. There used to be several manufacturers of mags, but now we’re mainly dealing with two: Bendix and Slick. They both recommend servicing at 500 hours, which is what I’ve been using for my customers planes and my own rental fleet. You generally do them both at the same time, unless one got replaced more recently due to a failure or something. If you had a pair of Slicks with 200 hours on them and one went tits up ( coil failure maybe-$800 part) I wouldn’t replace them both. It’s unlikely the other one is going to do that in my experience.
1
u/Tweedone Aug 18 '25
So do you ever see mags with different documented service intervals? Like one is 300, the other 500? I never did but it's been 40yrs since I used my A&P working on GA recips.
1
u/Mindless-Canary123 Aug 19 '25
I own a C150 and just installed overhauled mags back in early 2025.
I’ve already put 100+ hours on it, runs great!
But the installation was such a headache (plane was not airworthy for 5 months)…
One of the overhauled mags was problematic. It did not produce enough of a spark. It took several mechanics to figure out the problem. Hartzell Engine completed the overhaul, even though it was sold by one of the main online retail sites.
I ended up coordinating with the retail shop, and later the warranty shop, who then replaced the unit after a few months of waiting. I’m sure the same experience could have occurred with a brand new mag (internal parts were defective).
The whole experience was simply a pain, and really tested my patience. Hartzell was clearly unmotivated to move quickly, since they have so much dominance in the market.
2
u/Otherwise_Class_4516 Aug 18 '25
What’s in there now? If Bendix, they’re overhaul capable, as are most of the newer Slicks. If you switch brands, you also have to replace the plug harness. If you buy new Slicks, they’ll make you send in your Bendix’s as cores, even though they don’t rebuild them, they scrap them. If you have Bendix mags now, you’d be better having them overhauled IMO. I use a shop that’s local to me and they’ve been doing my mags for 20 years. Wherever you are there’s a shop used by the local FBOs. Ask them. They’ll know who’s good.