----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----Eliacim,
My C-75 had 1600 hours when I decided to go ahead and have it rebuilt. It was consuming a quart of oil every 3 hours or so, and the crankshaft end play was way too loose. Mechanics told me that too much movement of the crankshaft could cause things to break.
I had it rebuilt completely, made it a C-85 and bought the O-200 crankshaft STC. This makes for a nice engine with lots of power. I feel a lot more comfortable (and safe) with this powerplant. The total cost for this was about $15,000, including removal and reinstallation of the engine (of course, that one 10 cent cotterpin did cause some problems...).
Was it like buying my coupe all over again? Yes. But when you first buy an Ercoupe you get an unknown quantity - and as I spend money I'm becoming more and more confident that the airplane is getting as good as it can be.
Of course, if you can do the rebuild yourself, you can cut that cost in half. I had neither the patience, the expert help, nor a place to do it. And I felt good about a place with a good reputation and all the skills and equipment necessary to do a professional job.
Good luck - I know when I felt my crankshaft end play my heart fell. But it led to improvements and now it's better than ever. At least you have that to look forward to.
Larry
N99340
On Jul 29, 2006, at 8:24 PM, heavensounds wrote:
----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----For those who have had the patience to follow my low power saga, I have good and bad news.The good news is the problem was finally identified today, with the guidance and advice (via e mail) of John Cooper (Skyport) (Thanks John!)It's a broken cam follower (lifter body) for the intake valve of cylinder 1. That caused the intake valve for cylinder 1 to open much less that required, causing low power and the rest of the symptoms.The bad news is that to replace the cam follower, I need to split the crankcase. My A&P / IA insists on doing at the very least a bottom overhaul, since we are opening the crankcase. Given the hours of my engine (between 1500 - 1600 SMOH) I know he is right, but I dread the cost, the downtime, and the possibility that something else goes wrong, after all the expense and downtime.So I guess I won't be flying for at least a couple of months. Funding this bottom overhaul will also be a challenge.We already pulled the engine out of the plane and it's sitting on a cart.I hope that sharing this experience has added something to the knowledge base of the group.Thanks to all of you for bearing with me, and for all the advice. I have learned a lot from all of you.Best regardsEliacim============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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