Well he is honest
I am looking at a 6 with a 180+ HP 0-360 A1D with Fuel Injection engine. it has about 300+hours on it in 10 years. good compression however the current owner say it burns 1 qt per 4 hours of flight.
does this seem normal? Thanks In Advance Jim
At least he is being honest. Most people would lie, "Oil, it does not use any". To me 4 hr/qt sounds high for a 300 hour engine, but not necessarily non-normal. 300 hours in 10 years is low use, which is not great, corrosion wise. Those are my first impressions. Ask him how high he filled his oil level To! It's common knowledge and accepted practice to keep oil at or less than 6 qts. Most agree that any thing much over 6 qts gets blown out the engine. If he was in the practice of putting in 8 qts all the time his oil consumption may be the result of his practice of over filling the oil level, more than actual indication of engine condition.
Lycoming does not publish an exact oil use except for break-in but guide lines. 4 hr/qt could be considered normal with caveats. Personally I like to see at least 8 hr/qt or better. Frankly my O360 was in the 16 hr/qt per hour range after 900 hours, but than I flew it 300 hours in 2 years not 10 years. The low hours bothers me the most.
Lycoming says an engine that gets 4 hrs/qt or 20 hrs/qt can both be healthy. There's other criteria to judge health. Compression, power and limits. Is oil temp & pressure OK? Is the oil filter free of debris? Last but not least is trend monitoring of oil use. If its always used oil 4 hr/qt it may be normal. It's also possible the rings never seated. Also any time oil use JUMPS more than a qt you may want start to investigate.
I would consider getting an AI to do the compression check for you independently and even bore-scope the cylinders and possibly look at the cam (some small dis assembly needed). If it cost a few $100 its worth it.
Oil use is a function how harder you run it and how much you fly. Engines run frequently are better and use less oil than ones infrequently flown. You can have bad rings, valve guides that allow more oil use. Seal leaks can be an issue as well.
A Lyc will run fine using oil if the plugs are not fouled and all limits are in the green. However I would not like 4 hr/qt personally. It would bug me. Here are some PDF's of Lycoming Key Reprints, where they discuss oil consumption and "what does it mean?" Look in General, Maintenance and Operations. Good info in there. What ever you pay plan on a top end or about $4,000-$5,000 in the price. Now compare to an ALL brand new 360 for about $21,000. Don't pay too much. A complete overhaul may be in the $10,000-$14,000 range or more. If you pay $10,000 and find you need an overhaul, it may cost you a lot more than just buying new. Plus you get a warranty with a new engine.
http://www.lycoming.textron.com/support/tips-advice/key-reprints/index.jsp
Here is just a few excerpts from Lycomings Key Reprints:
QUESTION: At what rate of oil consumption does continued operation of the engine become a hazard?
ANSWER: Generally speaking, when the oil consumption reaches one quart per hour, corrective action should be taken. However, maximum permissible for each particular engine is listed in the engine operator’s manual.
QUESTION: What are the dangers of operating an engine with high oil consumption?
ANSWER: When excessive amounts of oil get past the rings, there is danger of the ring sticking or breaking with a dramatic rise in oil consumption. Then oil soaked carbon forms at a fast rate. At the same time, the presence of oil in the combustion chamber has the effect of lowering the octane rating of the fuel. Operating temperatures go up. We have now set up conditions inviting detonation and/or preignition.
QUESTION: What are some common causes of excessive oil consumption other than the burning of oil due to high
engine time?
ANSWER: Building up of crankcase pressure due to “blow-by” caused by ring wear may result in oil being blown out of the breather. The same thing can result from broken piston rings. Oil may be pumped overboard due to a faulty vacuum pump or faulty automotive-type fuel pump.