About to purchase a plane, oil analysis looks bad?

Hello,

I am in the process of purchasing a beautiful early 2000s RV6, very nice dual 10 inch panel, great fit and finish throughout from outside paint job to inside. It's paired to a TTSN 1000hr Superior XP 360 motor that burns a qt of oil every 5-6 hours.

Today, I requested the most recent oil analysis and it doesn't seem good, but I am new to the Vans world so I'm not sure exactly how bad it is. Is this motor on its way out?

Thanks for any help!

I'd say there is cause for concern. No idea what price you are looking at, but I'd say you might want to price in an overhaul.

Any idea of the flight history? Did it sit a long time? Strongly recommend a good pre-buy inspection, included borescope and compression.

Any idea of the flight history? Did it sit a long time? Strongly recommend a good pre-buy inspection, included borescope and compression.[/QUOTE]

It’s not cheap, to be honest. It was purchased at 350 TTSN over 12 years. Since then it has been flying 100 hours per year.

Not catastrophic, but yes, cause for concern. The oil consumption is also, though not excessive, quite high.
Agree with Mickey’s good recommendations.

I’d want to see all the previous oil analyses, compression check history from as many previous Condition Inspections as are available, and get it borescoped as Mickey suggested. I’d be leery about making a purchase decision based on a single oil analysis.

Do you know who did the analysis? Granted, numbers are what they are, if the oil was analyzed to industry standard. Looking at the posted results, compared to those conducted by say, Blackstone or AOA, tend to be more informative.

I would only buy the plane if the price and your appetite can handle a full engine overhaul. Copper and tin are most commonly seen when bearings start wearing to unacceptable levels and this has been going on for a while. Valve guides could cause elevated copper, but that it just as bad. The more recent high levels of iron and chromium, along with the relatively high oil burn would seem to indicate problems at the piston ring/cylinder wal interface. The iron could be from the oil pump, but if that were the case, I would expect elevated levels of Aluminum also. Gears are iron, but bad gears would likely start destroying the case, which is aluminum.

IMHO these reports will continue to get worse as time goes on and shown by th reports from the last 350 hours. Eventually the bearing will wear to the point that oil pressures drop to unacceptable levels.

Larry

I went through this a few years ago when looking at an RV6. I made an offer based on having to do an engine overhaul. Offer declined, and aircraft sold to a different individual. Engine turned out to be trashed necessitating a $25,000 overhaul.
Buyer beware!

Options.

Potentially very problematic. You’ve already been given enough advice here, and mine would be the same. Either price in an overhaul, or work a deal with the seller to place money in an escrow account for 6 months to cover the overhaul or at least a part of it, if needed.

I have given that advice to multiple customers and it has worked many times.

Vic

I’m guess a top. Also high silicone is symptomatic of a dirty air filter.

Thanks for all your replies everyone. Served as a great guide to get me through the purchase process.