Engine upgrade

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Engine upgrade

Amen!

[Steve Green]

Re: Engine upgrade

Says WHO? Dial it and run it under part 91!

"T.C.M.'s Service Bulletin 96-11, in a nutshell, says that if a propeller must be removed from the aircraft to be repaired following a propeller blade impact of any sort or if the engine physically lost R.P.M.'s from the incident, then the engine has experienced a propeller strike and it should be removed from service and completely disassembled and thoroughly inspected for damage from the incident." From the Mattuick site. Granted that a Service Bulletin is not necessarily mandatory.

Maybe I am reading too much into the question. I'm just trying to say that I think a conservative approach to an engine of unknown history is a good idea. That's what I did and I have no regrets.

[jim cooper]

Re: Engine upgrade

The facts are , as I read them. You can purchase an 0200 for 1000.00 which includes all accessories. That correct? Now...it HAS had a prop strike...right? Now...your wondering if you should tear it down and take a peek, and you only paid a grand for the entire wurlitzer? It comes down to this...do you want to be legal? insured correctly? Do you want to be as safe as possible? or do you want to be a test pilot? ....and always wonder, as you clear the trees on take off... "what if this f----ing thing seizes up?" Personally, I would not ride in it or fly it until the aforementioned was done. This is only my humble opinion but in 55 years of flying, I've seen things like this go very wrong, with bad results. JC

[Dennis Keels]

Re: Engine upgrade

I've only been flying 47 years, but even if it turns out the crank is junk Just the case is worth the grand. For a complete engine how could you go wrong.

[astjp2]

Re: Engine upgrade

The facts are , as I read them. You can purchase an 0200 for 1000.00 which includes all accessories. That correct? Now...it HAS had a prop strike...right? Now...your wondering if you should tear it down and take a peek, and you only paid a grand for the entire wurlitzer? It comes down to this...do you want to be legal? insured correctly? Do you want to be as safe as possible? or do you want to be a test pilot? ....and always wonder, as you clear the trees on take off... "what if this f----ing thing seizes up?" Personally, I would not ride in it or fly it until the aforementioned was done. This is only my humble opinion but in 55 years of flying, I've seen things like this go very wrong, with bad results. JC

Well most aircraft for the previous 70 years before the Continental and Lycoming SB's came out were dialed and flown and were legal. Of course if your prop hits a blade of grass are you going to tear down the engine? That is what the SB implies. Would you be any safer? Be realistic, not every prop strike needs to be torn down. If you can afford it, more power to you but most people on here quibble about paying $125.00 for a fuel valve because they can barely afford to fly now. Most Taylorcraft owners have to be frugral and conservative on thier spending so they still have money left for gas and oil. I know, I have been there. For a grand I would dial it and if its good, fly it. Oh and for what insurance would cost me I could buy the average T-craft about every 5 years. Tim

[rammon3]

Re: Engine upgrade

What is your life (and/or your passenger's) worth? I, for one, wouldn't chance it.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Engine upgrade

This conversation is a lot like the one on when to recover. I think $1,000 for an 0-200 is a good deal even to part it out. I would buy it. Just like the recover discussion, do your decisions in steps. Look, make a decision on what you see, measure and KNOW, then move on.
That said, I'm also conservative. I would dial it first. If it fails, easy decision, tear it down. If it passes, I have a harder decision. For ME (what I would do, not what I would push on another person) I would tear it down to parade rest and do a major. If everything is perfect (what you are assuming if you just fly it) all you have invested is the cost of a seal and rebuild kit. The cost is worth it just from the learning experience (I am assuming you do the work and have someone watch to sign it off). If you find NOTHING wrong, you paid for the learning experience. Pretty good deal! If you DO find something wrong, well, you may have just saved some lives.
I don't see how you loose if you just do what is needed at each step and stop trying to make decisions based on "might be's", "could be's" and "probably should's".
Hank

[rammon3]

Re: Engine upgrade

Very well said, Hank.

[marc]

Re: Engine upgrade

Howdy all, Well i lost the 0-200 I had to buy the whole c-150 and so far the bid at $5,000 so i looking for a 85hp my 65hp is just not enough for the IDAHO back country.50hours smoh if anyone want to make a offer let me no.Built by Jason Gerard.

[Marv]

Re: Engine upgrade

Funny thing we call an "aerosol overhaul". I got a freshly majored A-65 with less than 6 hours on it.
Yada yada, lots of details that don't matter, but I had to open it up. NOTHING was overhauled. Nothing was usable. The valve seats hadn't even been ground. The cam shaft was no good, several cylinders were cracked. The engine was JUNK. The amazing thing was, he FLEW IT, several times! It smoked some and didn't produce full power, but it DID run, and was pretty smooth from what I was told.
If that piece of C**P could fly a Taylorcraft, I am REALLY impressed by Continental engineering and manufacturing. What I had was a core with fake paperwork and a REALLY nice paint job. If I had believed the logs with it, I probably would have used it, and no telling how long it would have kept running before it had a catastrophic failure.
Don't get me wrong, this engine could be a real jewel, or it could have been critically damaged in the crash. CHECK IT before you buy it. Engines make really lousy coffee tables. They just won't stand up on the kidney tank!
Hank

By the way, I ended up OK with the engine. I learned how to do a major on it. It's like new now, wrapped up and stored for when I need it. Only problem is the IA who taught me while we did it, DIED before he filled out any paperwork. I used to have a bad engine with papers (fake, but who would know) and now I have a fresh major engine with no paper!

Hank you have paperwork for a rebuilt engine, even if it was fake. Now that you rebult it why do anything. You know it is good, just put it on and run it

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Engine upgrade

I have had several people (even an IA and a couple of A&Ps) say the same thing, BUT, when I found all the problems with the engine I contacted the FAA and they did an investigation (I wanted the IA's head for my mantle). The paper looks good, it's just that the IA number and name don't match. The name isn't in the FAA records anywhere and the number is for an IA who lives half way across the country and has never lived (or even visited) the location where the paper says the overhaul happened.
Everything in the paper is bogus and I and the FAA know it. I have a first class IA now and I couldn't in good conscience have him annual a plane that I knew wasn't in accordance with the regs. If it was going on a homebuilt I would make a notation in the logs and fly the heck out of it, but to put it on my 45 (or the 41 if needed) and not break the faith with my trusted IA, I need to tear it down again and let him watch me put it back together. All things considered, the cost is cheap. Besides, when I put it together the last time, it was a BLAST. I'm an engineer. How often do I get a chance to do this kind of work?
Hank

Don't ask my wife that.

[Marv]

Re: Engine upgrade

Well Hank that is a different story. I did not know the IA's signiture was fake. This means you do not have paperwork.Guess you will get the tools out. If your IA is good you would not stick him anyway, he would find prolems if they were any. Marv

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Engine upgrade

My IA trusts me and I trust him. I don't think either of us would violate that trust in any way. I wish there were more like him. He does the first flight of every plane he does an annual on.
Solid gold.
Hank

[fearofpavement]

Re: Engine upgrade

A powerplant mechanic can do the overhaul on it in case that makes it any simpler for you. An IA is only required to do a geared engine.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Engine upgrade

I guess that point isn't necessarily clear. My IA is obviously an A&P also and a lot of what he does does not require an A&P.
He is also not always available and in fact I will be working with another friend this weekend who is an A&P on the plane. I usually need to be reminded by the A&Ps which things they can and can't do.
Of course, I "can" do ANYTHING! It just won't be legal unless one of them will sign for it, thus, the A&P this weekend. I expect he will give me a list of things to take to the IA. Never cover anything you do yourself up until your mechanic can look at it! You may have to take it all back apart and pay him to put it back together!
Hank