There has to be a ground run to check before flying, with a shut down to examine the engine, but I checked with ATC that I wouldn’t be held before starting for first flight.
Zorg, don’t fret about it. Just fly normally (I mean like a normal VFR pilot, not Peter’s “normal” half a day at FL180 
) for a few hours and check the oil consumption. When it’s reduced or stabilised at around 1 litre for 5 hours, or hopefully better, you’re done. Change the straight oil for your usual/local brew, Aero DM 15-50 or whatever, and worry about something else. And whatever you did with the mixture knob, don’t worry about that either.
For the record, I fly rarely for hours, and equally rarely at FL180 
but I’m honestly quite traumatized from all the trouble I had with this airplane since the day I bought it. (And I spent about the purchase price just in fixing it up.)
That is where a competent prebuy inspection comes in…
I would hate to have a failed break-in out of ignorance / lack of instructions / stupidity.
If your oil consumption is ok for the engine type, no need to worry. An IO540 with glazed cylinders might be consuming 1-2 quarts per hour which you can’t fail to notice.
That is where a competent prebuy inspection comes in…
I couldn’t agree more, Peter.
Not that it matters, but for the record: Against better knowledge, I didn’t do prebuy because a) I didn’t know how to organize it due to lack of contacts, French language skills, and distance from seller, b) I trusted the seller (a well-known aerobatics pilot and Air France captain).
If your oil consumption is ok for the engine type, no need to worry. An IO540 with glazed cylinders might be consuming 1-2 quarts per hour which you can’t fail to notice.
No idea how oil consumption will be after break-in. Before top overhaul, it consumed about 0.5-1 quarts per hour. Previous owner swapped pistons without re-honing the cylinders. Didn’t help that cylinders were beyond max tolerance. But “il est très beau, il n’y a rien à prevoir”… famous last words! ;-)
Still surprised that an experienced shop would not follow break-in instructions to the dot on the i. But I do hope Jacko and others are right and break-in will be successful, and I finally get to enjoy my airplane.
But I do hope Jacko and others are right and break-in will be successful, and I finally get to enjoy my airplane.
From what you have said i reckon it should be. Then again, an O200 is not a critical engine. Don’t baby the engine, let it run flat out until the first oil change and you will be fine.
From what you have said i reckon it should be. Then again, an O200 is not a critical engine. Don’t baby the engine, let it run flat out until the first oil change and you will be fine
Sounds good. I anyways fly at 2500-2600 rpm cruise with this plane routinely to get reasonable cruise speeds of about 100 kias (due to climb prop, no fairings, not an aerodynamic wonder …). And in mountain flying (my intended mission) there’s no babying possible anyways I reckon.
Zorg wrote:
I didn’t get any instructions by the engine or repair shop
A shop overhauled my O-200 in 2015 ; I still have the break-in instructions that I can send you via email (mine is on my profile).
Very simple :
- run the engine at 75% minimum (not letting you climb too high)
- check pressure ratio after one hour
- oil change after 10 hours
- oil change after another 25 hours
- oil change after another 25 hours
Which brings you to 60 hours with mineral oil ; normal oil and use after that.
Michel, Grenoble
I recently heard of similar advice from a Swiss engine shop but using straight mineral oil for 60 hours after top overhaul is unnecessary, contrary to the engine manufacturers’ instructions, and potentially harmful. Straight oil provides limited corrosion protection and many private owners will take weeks or even months to fly those 60 hours.
As soon as oil consumption stabilises, usually within 10 hours, I dump the mineral oil and get some good quality oil with a full additive package into the sump to see my engine through the winter.
Not « babying », but also not overheating, the engine in the cruise is the key. Note, for instance, that turbocharged engines are run in with ashless dispersant oil from the start.
This would not surprise me, Jacko, and (whether it is correct or not) it illustrates a frequently overlooked component of the true cost of engine work: the large amount of avgas which needs to be burnt afterwards to get the cylinder(s) to bed down properly. It is probably into four digits. Often, flights have to be done whether you want to fly or not.
Looking at that Lycoming document, it has a formula for the maximum allowable oil consumption of an engine – it turns out that Lycoming only consider an O-320 to be consuming excessive oil when it reaches 1 quart every 2 hours (which seems awfully high to me!)
