Would you buy a basketcase?

[Phlyan Pan]

Just curious, would you ever consider buying a basketcase motor? I've seen multiple ads for engines that are torn down and need reassembly. I'm not sure if this is a potential money pit or a potential way to save some money.

Just some background, I'm a fairly handy guy, I do all my own auto maintenance and have done head gaskets, motor swaps, clutches, transmissions, have rebuilt 2 stroke snowmobile engines, etc... But no experience working on airplane engines.

[Vern]

...but it depends on what you mean by basket case! Some might be OK.
It's hard enough and expensive enough when you start with a good engine to overhaul!

[pierre smith]

If you're a pretty handy guy with a good assortment of tools, you can overhaul your own engine.

That said, a runout engine is a good place to start...if the owner will gaurantee the crankshaft to be serviceable. I've seen a bunch of 160 Lyc takeouts for upgrade to 180 horse and also some 180 takeouts that were running fine at time of removal...they're also complete with carb/injection and accessories.

Bear in mind that TBO isn't mandatory either. A friend of mine put 3,000 hours on his 160 in his 172 and it didn't really need overhaul then.

Quite a few guys have started with a high time (around 1800-2100 hour) engine and flown them for several years, since most guys don't fly much over 100 hours a year, so there's a potential 5 years or more of flying while you save for an overhaul/exchange engine.

Best,

[panhandler1956]

I'll throw in my two cents;
You would need to really do your homework.

There are alot of gotchas out there in terms of different s/n's for different applications and of course there is stuff that is junk.
For example on the capatibility side there are certain crankcases that won't work with constant speed props, but they end up installed around a hollow crank and the unsuspecting builder straps on his c/s prop and the assorted hardware only to find that his case vent off the oil pressure - e.g. prop doesn't work! Not a fun discovery.

I think if these were such a great deal, knowlegable mx guys would buy them up and resale as majored engines...maybe the market is flooded, who knows.
BTW I bought a used engine, running on a Pitts with 200 SMOH FWF for $15,000. I got a lot of engine for the money, but I'm certainly not without some risk.
Just offering some perspective.
Best of luck on your journey!

[rocketbob]

I would take a disassembled engine hands-down over a runout. For one thing less knowlegeable people will be interested in purchasing the parts which will give you a price advantage. With a micrometer and a bright light you can inspect things not normally possible before a purchase. If you're handy with some v-blocks and a dial indicator you can easily measure crank runout.

[DakotaHawk]

As others have said, there is a definite difference between a "basketcase" compared to a "runout" engine.

I purchased a runout engine and prop from an RV-4. Did a MOH just to make sure everything was kosher, and ended up spending less than $16k for an IO-360 and CS prop installed! If I had to pay full shop rates for the MOH, I would have been closer to $25 - 28k for the engine/prop.

I did the same for a Continental C-85-12F that I installed on my other plane. The engine had been sitting on the floor in the back of a hangar for about 20 years before I purchased it for 30% of it's overhauled value. I did my own overhaul, and have flown for the past eight years behind a very reliable little engine! Total cost to me was about 50% of it's overhauled value.

If you're considering a basketcase, you should be paying basketcase rates! You should consider every accessory / case / crankshaft / cylinder / etc to be junk until you send it out for IRAN (inspect and repair as necessary) or overhaul.

You should also consider that there are a lot of details to an aircraft engine overhaul that are more than just turning wrenches. There are specialized tools and equipment, most parts will be shipped out to be cleaned and inspected, there are very strict tolerances for bearings, rings, and pushrods, and lots of "gotchas" that could make a simple overhaul turn into a nightmare.

Not to discourage you. I had a mentor hold my hand through both overhauls. Without a mentor, I could not have done an acceptable job!

Good luck!

[bkthomps]

one guy was selling it on here, i specifically said i was interested if all parts were tagged, he said they were

come to find out, all parts were tagged before the LAST overhaul, it is now disassembled 11 years and 1000hours later, and it is a total grab bag

he wanted $8500 still

[Mel]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

If you're a pretty handy guy with a good assortment of tools, you can overhaul your own engine.

Remember even an A&P can't legally overhaul a particular engine unless he has overhauled that particular model under the supervision of another mechanic who has.
I realize that this is not a requirement for experimentals, but, there's a reason for the rule. It would be very prudent for anyone to follow these same guidelines.

[tmbg]

so who oversaw the very first engine overhaul?

[az_gila]

Originally Posted by tmbg

so who oversaw the very first engine overhaul?

The factory...