> >I would appreciate your comments. The fact that the engine has not >been overhauled concerns me. > >Thanks much, >Leigh
Hi Leigh. I went through something similar a couple of months ago. While this doesn't directly address your concerns with the age of the engine, these are the main things I'd look at when considering the airplane: (and I may have forgotten a few things) * Title search! AOPA can help. If you can, get a GOOD A&P (and not a friend of the seller) to do a pre-purchase inspection. There are several things to look for: * Logs, 337's and STC's to make sure all mods, if any, are legal. * Corrosion, especially in the wing and center-section, battery area. * All AD's and service bulletins complied with. * Put some fresh oil in it, fly it for an hour or two to see what the oil consumption is; if it's more than about 4 quarts per hour, find out what's up. If the oil is black after a couple of hours, the engine has blow-by. This can also cause oil on the belly and high oil temps. * Compression check. * If you can, pull the cylinder with the lowest compression off and have the mechanic take a look. More importantly, while the cylinder is off, Run your fingernail across the cam lobes and followers, if your fingernail catches on anything, you have lobe/follower wear. Some say that this is cause for overhaul, it's something to ask a mechanic who knows engines. It would be a bad deal to pull a cylinder for repair a few hours down the road and find that the whole engine needs to be overhauled because of cam/lifter wear. * Take the magnetos off and look at the condition of the drive gears. If they're pitted enough, you'll need to replace them. Ask your mechanic to inspect them, and if there are more than a few pits on a few teeth, I wouldn't use them because if they lose a tooth, it's catastrophic. A good engine mechanic would know if they're OK by looking at them. The reason I think this is so important is that they cost about $450 EACH, unless you find used ones. Slick isn't going to be making these gears for at least another year or so, so you're stuck with the $450 Continental part. Those price-gouging bastards :-) make that :-( Look at the camshaft/magneto drive gear inside the case too, while the mags are out. They don't seem to pit as easily as the drive gears on the mags, but you might as well look at them while it's open. Those are just a few things, I'm sure other will have more ideas. ----------------------------------- Steve Dold ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Say NO to useless over-quoting -----------------------------------
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