How a magneto works.
If you ever wondered how a magneto works, you can stop wondering.
There is no requirement to have the magnetos refurbished, but I always do when they have around 500 hours on them. It is fairly expensive, around $500 each depending on which parts need to be replaced. But is is much cheaper than new or overhauled mags.
Here’s an old video explaining how magneto’s work. A little bit boring, but good stuff.
We do a timing check like this at every annual.
And here are some goofy A&P students running through the whole process.
And while we are on the subject of magnetos, it is important to do a check to make sure both the switch and the leads are grounding. There is an AD on my Bendix switch that requires this every 100 hours. It can be done and logged by the pilot, so I do it every month when I do my monthly maintenance checks.