Lycoming O320 B2C

[herve-RV7]

Dear All,
I have the opportunity to buy a partially used O320 B2C. This motor is coming from a Robinson helicopter. According to Van's technical support, this motor has to be modified (sump to be replaced). Does anyone now if this is a big issue in term of cost to have this chage made ?

[alpinelakespilot2000]

Aerosport Power in British Columbia does similar conversions. They have some old helicopter run-outs which apparently have life left in them. They then convert them for RV use and sell them quite cheaply (compared to their rebuilt and new counterparts). You might check with them about the challenges or difficulties. Good luck

[RScott]

I talked with Aerosport in 2005 about one of their helicopter engines. I don't remember the details, but there was more than the sump change, but it may depend on what you want. As I talked with them over several occasions, more things kept coming up & the cost began to approach the price of their rebuilds. Talk with Sue at Aerosport.

On the up side, they said the way the helicopter engines are run, when they tear them down, they usually find they are in very good shape and they are often first runouts.

[penguin]

A typical Robinson accident is to roll over on it's side and thrash itself for a while. The engine might seem OK and not be shock loaded, but it can run for several seconds without oil. Try to find out a little about the accident that made your engine available. Swapping the sump is relatively straight forward, but you will need new intake tubes also. I believe sumps are around $650 with a set of tubes about $200. You may also need a few other parts, say less than $1000 to do the swap.

Pete