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Question on a Lycoming 0-320

I have a lycoming 0-320 that has been sitting in my garage for the last 10 years, it has about 1300tt on it then had a prop strike (not me) it was rebuild and shipped back with all the plastic plugs in the sparkplug holes etc, what is the opinion? it will be knackered coz it has sat for 10 years and will need rebuilt, it will need some minor work or it could quite possibly be good to go?

Anyone got any experience with a similar type deal where an engine has sat around for years?

Farm strip in Angus Scotland

The short answer would be that you should not expect to just take the engine and run it. It might be okay, depending upon how it was preserved, if it has turned, and how dry the garage has been all that time, but you're going to have to check. The shop that put the plastic plugs in probably preserved it well, and if had not turned since then be hopeful. Lycomings are weak in the camshaft and lifters, they can be affected by rust, and once started, deterioration is certain.

Depending upon what type of cylinders were installed, they could have rusted a bit - if they have an orange stripe, they are chrome, and that is probably not a worry. No stripe, steel, be concerned, blue stripe, nitrided, a bit less vulnerable than plain steel.

As the engine is not installed, removing two cylinders for inspection is not too big a job. If that inspection reveals that there is no rust, you're probably okay to install and run it.

Also consider calendar items which are installed like rubbers and some gaskets. Certain maintainers might want to have them replaced.

Home runway, in central Ontario, Canada, Canada

The Lycoming position seems to be in this Service Instruction.

There does appear to be a process in there where you do Process X every 6 months or whatever... my reading of it is that if the dessicant is perfect then the engine should be OK.

But if the engine just sat there for 10 years, the SI was not complied with.

But does a noncompliance with a SI render it unairworthy?

An engine stored for 10 years may be spotless, though that is unlikely IMHO unless it has actually been filled right up with oil. So it will need an "overhaul" which, if no rust is found, would just be an inspection with some stuff like changing seals, and replacing mandatory-change-at-OH parts. Probably get it done for a few k, or much less...

This is a topic close to the hearts of some Socata TB GT owners

It is now well known that a number of TB20GTs (and possibly 21GTs) were delivered with engines which were stored in France for too long without being touched, and some were found to be badly scored due to heavy corrosion. In the original French logbooks which I got, some of the dates were, shall we say, "interesting" relative to the subsequently obtained Lycoming ship date for the engine (1 year earlier)... None of this will be relevant today because even the youngest of those engines, 2002, will have been the subject of SB569 and would have been opened up, and no reputable engine shop would return to service a corroded engine, so I am not reducing anybody's aircraft value here.

I got away lightly, with light corrosion as described here.

A dozen of the engines were still there, on the shelf, a decade later. I tried to buy one as an exchange engine (to be immediately overhauled in the USA) for the SB569 crank swap job but by then they knew they were unairworthy so they would not sell it to me other than via a French overhaul shop, which was not an attractive offer.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I have been to hell and back with corrosion on Lycoming engines. All of it not of my doing and was to do with prematures failure and vibration on new aircraft. I don't want to go into the details but suffice to say corrosion is a big problem. I sent some items including cylinders, pistons, cam shaft and followers to the Department of Metallurgy at Newcastle University who analysed the various bits. They were astonished at some of the dissimilar materials used and from a corrosion point of view they were scathing. It means you have to really look after these engines to keep corrosion at bay. A new engine can be ordered from Lycoming with either 3 or 12 month corrosion inhibiting. Part of keeping the engines in good order is a monthly Physical turning of the engine upside down allowing the inhibiting fluids to cover all parts monthly. If the engine is still not used after 12 months it should go back to Lycoming for rebuild. Is this strictly adhered to, hmmmmmm! So, this is the situation with new engines. As for a used engine, in some ways it's better. Some of the lets say older pilots say the metal used in the older engines was better than the metal today so you may have a slight advantage there. However, unless you filled this engine full of oil and physically turned it over regularly the you will have some corrosion issues. So, would I fly you engine , well no. I would have it rebuilt and start again.

EGNS/Garey Airstrip, Isle of Man
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