Michael Burbidge

Michael Burbidge

Well Known Member
What makes an engine certifiable after a rebuild? If there are no logs on the most recent rebuild does that mean the engine cannot be put in a certified aircraft?

I've noticed in looking for a used engine that often there are no logs, or there are logs up to the most recent rebuild, and then there is no log information on the most recent rebuild. Buying such an engine is probably not a good idea. I've seen a few with 0 SMOH, but no logs on the overhaul.
 
Paperwork

The short answer to your question is paperwork, and lots of it. In the case of a "certified" aircraft, here is the guidance from the FAA. AC 43-9C. Google it and enjoy!

John Clark ATP, CFI
FAA FAAST Team Member
EAA Flight Advisor
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
Certified for my RV-9

I'm obviously looking for an engine for my RV-9. It seems like it would increase my chances of getting a reliable, known quantity engine if I restrict myself to one that could be placed in a certified aircraft. i.e. Know the history.
 
John is exactly right, and in order to get the "lots of paperwork", you'd need to do a lot more. To be honest, if you truly want it "certified" and there is ZERO paperwork regarding the overhaul, then I know that we as FAA certificated people/shop wouldn't be able to do anything with it except tear it down and start from scratch. That means verifying EVERY part in that engine, inspecting it for airworthiness, and replacing a good deal of parts beacause you need to when teardown (rod bolts, etc...). Simply doing a cursory inspection would not legally suffice, although you may find someone of dubious character to "make it correct" on paper. This also isn't limited to the big parts of the engine, but things like plungers inside the tappets, valve spring retainers/washers, pushrods, etc...

Then, on top of the core engine, you need to literally do the same thing with each accessory that you have zero paperwork for - and in many cases it'd probably be cheaper to buy a new unit (like a mag for example) instead of tearing them down for inspection/verification.

In the end, unless it comes from a reputable shop or person I'd just stay away or consider it a core. That being said, your assumption that an engine needs to be 'certified' to increase your chances of finding an engine isn't necessarily correct. There are plenty of high quality shops/individuals that will do an overhaul on an experimental engine at a level equal to or often times better than a base level 'certified' version.

My 2 cents as usual!

Cheers,
Stein
 
But Stein's pennies are worth more than most people's. The short answer is that an uncertified engine must be certified by someone who has the authority to do so, which will mean a rebuild so they can verify everything.
 
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