Would you guys buy it? What should I look for. Not many hrs flown, and who knows how for the break in.

Its in a plane that a buddy is looking at buying.
David

That must have a story behind it... to poney up the $$$ for an overhaul then never fly it again? Any idea where and how it was stored? Was it mothballed and stored in a dry climate? Stored outside in the elements in Florida? If it is a great enough deal it may be worthwhile pulling cylinders off to look at the camshaft. Sometimes you have to use your best judgement and hope for the best, no guarantees either way...


I've had many boats and motorcycles sit for years then taken them out and they have been just fine... but of course an engine problem with them is just a bad day. Still my belief is that engines are pretty resilient overall.

If the price is right, and it hasn't been outside collecting rain water, I'd sure be tempted. Rings and a hone job aren't gonna cost that much.

Gump

It was ground looped, so new fabric and zero timed the engine. Yet the spars weren't wrecked, which seems weird. Why put new fabric on if the spars are good? I believe it was hangared near Edmonton, Alberta. I'd consider it dry. One of my questions is whether the overhaul included new cylinders or overhauled the old ones.
Its not a steal price wise, I paid $10k less for mine, 10 years newer but 1600hr engine...

If its a steal, maybe.

You can just about guarantee the cam and lifters will spall within a couple hundred hours if not before. And that's hard to predict from visual inspection. That's dry country but I've seen this same scenario in Fairbanks, which is dryer, and all three ate cams within 200 hours.

Dry climate can't hurt, but engines CREAT moisture as part of the combustion process. Unless you properly pickle the engine, that moisture will adhere to internal parts and "humidify" the inside of the engine.

If you can get a good enough deal to pay for a cam later, consider it, otherwise, walk.

Ground loop resulting in new fabric, but no new wood spars? Real suspicious. Could happen, but.....

If the engine was PROPERLY pickled, it would probably be okay.

MTV

mtv wrote:Ground loop resulting in new fabric, but no new wood spars? Real suspicious. Could happen, but.....

If the engine was PROPERLY pickled, it would probably be okay.

MTV

Ground loop resulting in engine tear down and new fabric but no mew wood spars is even more suspicious to me.

Thanks for the advice guys. Just some reassurance to what I was already thinking.

David