Franklin vs Continental

[Culver Dreamer]

   
      If you had the option which engine would you go with, the 4AC-199 90hp Franklin or a Continental C-85-12 in a Culver Cadet.
    I owned a Luscombe which had the A-65. I found this engine bullet proof and cheap to maintain. It never gave me any problems. 
    What's the parts availability like for the Franklin and who are the parts vendors? What for example does a cyclinder cost?
    I remember reading in the early years the J3 Cub when powered by the Franklin engine didn't put out the same thrust as the "equilivent" HP Continental. Has anyone flown a Culver Cadet behind both the Franklin 90 and Continental 85? Could you comment on the difference in performance between these engines  please.
  Does the Franklin tend to go to TBO?
  I know Continentals are so much more numerous and it probably seems like a no brainer that It should be my choice but I'm also a sucker for originality and having something that's just a little different.
 Please tell me your experiences with both engines and oh ya Happy Easter!
Mark

[JoeB]

I would go with the best example Culver Cadet you find for sale and not be concerned about the engine choice as much. 
My Cadet has the 4AC-199 and I was a bit worried about parts availability before making the purchase (I learned a lesson after trying to find parts for a Lycoming 0-290D on my Pacer, it now has a 0-320).
The Franklin engine hasn't skipped a beat in 44.4 hours of operation since Feb 16th.  The fuel burn is low, 3.5-4.0gph.  The engine is balanced and smooth.  Oil consumption is minimal.  Only parts purchased so far were spark plugs,which I was warned before hand are pricey, at $44 each. 
The Franklin engine owners are a pretty tight family and seem to be willing to help with tools and parts.  There are 3 or so suppliers here in the USA and the Franklin Engine company (out of Poland) has started producing new parts, camshafts, crankshafts, pistons, etc.
Southern Aero is a rebuilder and supplier of Franklin engines, located in Thomasville, NC.  The A&P IA, Robert Stills, did a Franklin engine forum at Sun n Fun this year and it was quite encouraging.
Hopefully someone with Franklin and Continental experience in the Culver Cadet can give comparison feedback, should be interesting!
Happy Easter to you as well!
Best regards,
Joe
 

[Woody]

Well, it's been years since flying behind a Continental 100 and had four engine outs that summer as I recall. (racing)  and now have two 0 time 4Ac199E3 Franklin's and a 65.  Price is much cheaper than the Cont. and parts seem to be plentiful.  I bought new plugs (set of 10) for $ 55 so I was happy with that.  I will pick one and sell the other and the 65 when they are rebuilt unless I find another project.  After talking with the old boys, I'm very happy with the Franklin plus it's original!

[JoeB]

I bought new plugs (set of 10) for $ 55 so I was happy with that.

Those were not the Champion REJ-38's, were they?  If so, please share your source!!!

[Woody]

Sorry, these were the original ones still in the waterproof box (C10S Champion) that had the offset in them.

[Brett Lovett]

How about an LCA with a Continental A-75-8 or -9???

[Dan C]

The Champion C10S is a good plug for the Franklin. You can always buy them from Fresno at $7.50/ea and sometimes a lot cheaper on Ebay. Don't try to straighten the offset. Remember the torque to install is only 200 in/lbs +- 20. They don't last as long as the REJ-38, but at the price.........
Dan

[Paul Rule]

Franklin aka: Air Cooled Motors  (back in 1942-43) recomended top o-haul at 250 hrs and major at 500 hrs.   That said, keep in mind that such tools as differential compression testers did not yet exist (or were just begining to be used by a few)  and the gasoline and oil quality was only a ghost of what it is today .

[Culver Dreamer]

Hi  Paul: What oil are you using in your Franklin? Single weight or multi weight? Secondly do you use straight 100 LL fuel or do you cut down the lead by mixing it with auto fuel?
Thanks Mark

[Paul Rule]

I did not use auto fuel because it's not approved for the Cadet and because of the alcohol content.  Non- USA gasoline w/o the alcohol might be worth looking into.  As for oul - here in the (warm) AZ desert I just used Shell W-100 which worked fine and did not spike the perssure at all.   

[Dan C]

You can go online to "purefuel.com" and find a list of vendors selling non-ethanol fuel in your area. Here in the Seattle area there are several sources of 87 and 92 octane fuel w/o the corn juice.
If you review the Franklin manuals of the time, non-leaded fuel was specified.
Dan

[Bill Poynter]

I found ethanol-free fuel listings at the link below.

http://pure-gas.org/