Does any one know of an stc to put a IO-540 in a 206F? all I can find is one for a 550 cont. and we already have that piece of junk!

OK, let's hear it. What's wrong with the IO-550?

It's a Continental. Just set back and invision a union shop in Mobile AL......

Ya what beekeeper said.

it turned into a piss poor glider twice (ECI cylinders) so installed contintals, worked ok for 8 or 900 hours now it needs a complete top overhaul...and its heavy...and it shakes.

Continentals take their cylinders half way to TBO, and Lycomings will spall their cams if you let them sit idle or wear their valve guides if you run 'em too hot. So how come we don't have a nice motor from Toyota or Honda, or a good USA made engine using up-to-date technology? Oh . . . wait, forgot . . . we have the FAA and their multi-million dollar certification programs to make sure we fly "reliably" with 65 year old designs.

flynbeekeeper wrote:It's a Continental. Just set back and invision a union shop in Mobile AL......

haha. My buddy just went back to the Continental engine school in Mobile. He said it was nothing like he invisioned...some of their shops had medieval-era equipment, dim lights and old wood plank floors that had hardware from the last 70 years wedged into the cracks. He was expecting a cross between NASA and a Toyota factory and the workforce...

I'll bet the Briggs & Stratton factory is cosmic in comparison-

bumper wrote:Continentals take their cylinders half way to TBO, and Lycomings will spall their cams if you let them sit idle or wear their valve guides if you run 'em too hot. So how come we don't have a nice motor from Toyota or Honda, or a good USA made engine using up-to-date technology? Oh . . . wait, forgot . . . we have the FAA and their multi-million dollar certification programs to make sure we fly "reliably" with 65 year old designs.

Nope, not if you run them right they don't. In the case of the Continental IO 550, we had all kinds of trouble with them initially, but Continental changed the cylinder design a little, and some folks learned how to run them. I ran one to 1400 hours without touching it. Another pilot put 25 hours on it, and we had to change a cylinder. Duh. I ran it lean of peak all the time, but at LOW power settings. That engine went to tbo with five of its original cylinders.

The biggest problem with the IO 550 is that pilots try to run them at the same rpm/mp settings as an IO 520, and that means you are running a LOT of power. The factory says NO leaning above 70 or 75 % power, I don't recall which. Every pilot I visited with that complained about these engines was running 24 squared, which is a lot of power on the 550.

I'd run a 550 again any day.

In answer to the question, however, there is only one STC for a Lycoming engine on a 206, and that was for a TIO 540 conversion--MEGA expensive, very heavy, but lots of power.

Get a late model 550, get a good set of power charts, and abide carefully by the manufacturer's recommendations and I think you'll have good things to say about the 550. They have a lot of power, and they can last.

If your 550 vibrates, maybe you should get the engine/prop dynamic balanced, or get a new prop....

MTV

ccurrie wrote:Does any one know of an stc to put a IO-540 in a 206F? all I can find is one for a 550 cont. and we already have that piece of junk!

Yes to IO-540 in 206 -- I believe it's around Northern Calif area.

1600 hours on my IO550 flying Skydivers. I did top at 800, rings and dimension check. I have the Roller Rockers so the guides made it. This engine has had all the cyl flow matched, injectors flowed to .5 gph at peak, leading edge exhaust and the roller rockers. We run at 125 -75 rop at 2550 WOT, airspeed to maintain 400f on the hottest cyl. Ill cruise x country LOP. I like my 550, will love my pratt in it better. I do spend a lot of time playing with the engine to make max power and staying on top of it. The IO 550 N would have really stomped but I missed the STC by 20 s/n on my F model. Have Lycon build you one.

i agree mtv. the books on the 550, like in our f-33, and the books on the 540 as in my 182, say to fly 'em squared also...

bout all that does for either motor is run 'em hot, burns lots of fuel, and gain about 5-10 kts...fuel burn goes to 16-18, and pulled back at 50 rich of peak, they do much better...my 540 is whisper smoothe at 50-60% power, burns 11-12, and the head temps stay below 360 with the cowl flaps closed all the way. mine has the oil cooler mounted on the firewall,per cessna, with a tube which feeds it, kinda weird!? i think either motor will go the distance with good oil and temps down.

these old design engines are damn good, but like bumper, i would love a ford 4 6 or 8 that is double dog solid...water cooled and such would be way nice! slip a turbo on 'em and have a back-country rocker!

AeroMods TSIO-540 350HP, Check out the photos of the install. scared the shit out of me. I have a friend that owns one and hasnt made money with it yet.

I dont want a turbo as it is not high or hot were we are working

i find that my turbo 540 is indeed a life-saver on short/soft stuff...takes a lite 182 off the ground in about 450'...i dont even run the turbo when in cruise, as i said before...once u have had the turbo, u wont go back if u fly the back-country at all...jo

what is the latest greatest model of IO-550? (seems we have more problems than just valves)
jomac what setup are you using ive never seen a 540 in a 182?

Atlantic aero has an STC for the IO-550N Tuned intake. I call it cold air induction, 310 hp at 2700 rpm.
Remember the Thielert 350 hp deisel? I wanted one so bad,200 lbs overweight. Saved my money for the IO 550N, 20 sn off. Now the PT6.

everyone tells me the 540 conversion is heavy but the dry weight of a 540 is less than a 550, what makes it so heavy the turbo setup?

anyhow aeromods does not seem to be suporting that conversion any more. next suggestion?

Ccurrie,
Are you comparing apples to apples? Are you comparing the 300 HP IO 540 Lyc to the Continental, or one of the lower HP versions? There are LOTS of different versions of the IO 540 Lyc, from 235 hp up to 350 hp. The angle valve engines are all pretty heavy, and all the 300 hp Lycs are angle valve engines, I believe.

I would agree that the Atlantic Aero IO-550 N engine conversion is the best for the 206. That is a really nice engine and conversion.

That said, the IO-550 F engine also works fine in the 206 and is some less expensive.

Getting these engines to tbo is a matter of proper engine management. Pilots can screw things up if they don't read the instructions, and try to run these engines like an IO 520. Run them per instructions and they'll run like a top. I think the later versions of that engine are excellent engines.

MTV

Anyone know someone with a 206 that would be interested in a STC for a TIO-540 350hp still? I am soliciting to see if the GA industry still has interest in this STC Mod?

What did the exchange weight come in at for that conversion? IO-520 vs TSIO-540. TSIO-520 vs. TSIO-540.

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