Peter wrote:
how to stop mice climbing up the tailwheel and eating the seats (a real article)
I bought a spare set of wings a few years ago and it would’ve been nice if the previous owner of the plane they came off had read that article! What seems like a odd topic to somebody with a relatively narrow aviation focus may be quite interesting to others.
That aside, my approach to making engines last is to buy aircraft with engines that last without fussing around – Continental A-65 and Lycoming O-320, both bulletproof to TBO and requiring little service along the way.
Peter wrote:
NA engines (well, Lyco ones, anyway) will make TBO if used frequently (every 1-2 weeks, max) and with some basic procedures.
My club has a C172 with a Lyco IO-360-L2A with 3000+ hours since new. Owner-declared maintenance programme. It has excellent compression and oil consumption figures.
I am told the Continental 0-300 may hold the record for longest TBO on condition in terms of hours.
This engine, the Continental O-300 holds the WORLD’S RECORD for longest flight on record is 64 days 22 hrs 19 min. Set by Robert Timm and John Cook in a Cessna 172 . They took off from McCarran Airfield, Las Vegas. In 1958 this engine took off in a 172 and flew until the following year, landing in Feb. 1959. The airplane and engine are still hanging above the baggage claim area in the Las Vegas airport.
The US Navy used to test the RR turbine (Nene?), to see how long it would run without oil- after a week they shut it down.
…actually that flight in the 0-300 was only around 1,600 hours so less impressive in terms of engine longevity TBO.
We recently had to top end our O360 engine which had done 1600 hrs from new.
All of the exhaust valve guides were excessively worn with cracks in the guides on 2 cylinders. It was picked up with low compression during the 100 hourly.
We have owned the aircraft since 1100 hours and did the 500 hours in 4 years.
Previously the aircraft had been flow by the same owner since new but in the 3 years prior to us purchasing the aircraft it had done little flying.
The cylinders showed signs of minor corrosion but cleaned up fine in the overhaul. New pistons and rings were fitted.
The cam was clean with no sign of corrosion.
We fitted an EDM830 with fuel flow when we purchased it and I have data for all the flights we have done and there is nothing that suggests anything out of order with temperatures. Cylinder temperatures are closely matched and generally in cruise run between 350 and 375 depending on OAT and altitude.
I’m not sure what has caused the wear to the exhaust valves but any input would be appreciated.
Lyco engines before a certain date had problems with valves sticking.
The later cylinders, marked with C, fixed this pretty well.
Not sure if this is relevant but an overhaul requires new cylinders.
BTW I tried to get data on the best power ROP point yesterday but due to turbulence found it difficult. At FL100 it appeared to be 110F ROP. I know from FL200 it is about 150F ROP.
