I want you guys to give me your two cents here please. My plane is a RV-4 that first flew in 2003. The engine on it was new in 1986 on a Cessna 172 and had about 1970 hours total time on it when the CAP pulled it off their Cessna and replaced it with a new one. This was back around 1999. It apparently sat in the hangar till 2003 when it flew again on the front of the RV - I didn't build the plane so I don't know all the details. The RV now has about 260 hours on the hobbs so add that to the 1970 hours the engine had on the cessna and it is now well past TBO.....
The engines logs are quite complete and show every oil change and adjustments ever made to it, and looking through I don't see any repairs made that I would consider major type repairs - such as new cylinders or anything internal - just rebuilds or replacements of things such as vacum pumps, or starters, mags, etc....
The builder of my plane did swap out the rear case so it would fit properly in the RV, and he installed a lightweight starter and alternator and that appears to be all he did to the engine to put it in the plane. Since then it has just had oil changes. Compression has been quite good, with readings of 70,71 and two at 75 at the last oil change and so far no metal has been found in the oil filter. The engine seems to be running very good overall.
I am considering overhaul because I know it will have to be done at some point, maybe sooner than later since I fly it quite a bit - over 110 hours since I bought it in March. So what I want opinions and advise on is my options.
What is my current engine worth as a core? I ask because a friend of mine is telling me to just buy a freshly overhauled engine - he says people on Barnstormers and Tradeaplane have them for sale from time to time - for 10-12 thousand, and he thinks I can sell my current engine as a core for 4-5 thousand.
Or what would it cost to overhaul it through a typical shop? Or if I did the removal from the plane and torn the engine down myself - I wouldn't know what parts are good or bad but should be able to take it apart, putting it back together I wouldn't trust myself to do right! -
What other options do I have??????
The same friend who I mentioned above has a little Acrosport Biplane for sale with a 150 hp O-320 in it that only has about 100 hours since major overhaul. He will sell me the whole plane for 18 thousand, possibly less... and even though my RV has a 160 HP version of the O-320, he thinks the engines could be swapped and I put the low time engine off the biplane on my RV and the high time engine off the RV on the acro, and then sell the Acrosport for 10 or 12 grand..... What about this idea? And IS it a easy swap - both engines have dynafocal mounts?? Will I really be able to tell the loss of 10 horsepower????
Lastly, one concern I have is trying to keep myself from having more into the plane than I can get back out of it. This RV is the most expensive thing I have ever owned other than my house.... I would not have bought such a expensive - for me - airplane had I not thought I could get most if not all my money back out of it at resale if that time ever came. The plane is well built, has a nice panel and one of the best looking paint jobs out there. Other than the high engine time, it is one of the nicest RV-4s I have seen. I paid just under 43 thousand to buy the plane, and not sure if I buy a new engine or pay a big shop to overhaul this one that I could afford to keep the plane afterwards, and really scared that I will end up with a plane worth much less than I have invested in it.... I know some people will say I should be more concerned about safety as a consideration for overhaul, but I don't feel this engine is all that tired with how good the compression is and how steady the oil pressure is, the lack of oil leaks and so on. I have heard of these engines going well over 3000 hours with no big troubles.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, and looking forwards to reading your replies.
Btw, I tried to attach a picture of it, but the forum won't take it for some reason....?
The engines logs are quite complete and show every oil change and adjustments ever made to it, and looking through I don't see any repairs made that I would consider major type repairs - such as new cylinders or anything internal - just rebuilds or replacements of things such as vacum pumps, or starters, mags, etc....
The builder of my plane did swap out the rear case so it would fit properly in the RV, and he installed a lightweight starter and alternator and that appears to be all he did to the engine to put it in the plane. Since then it has just had oil changes. Compression has been quite good, with readings of 70,71 and two at 75 at the last oil change and so far no metal has been found in the oil filter. The engine seems to be running very good overall.
I am considering overhaul because I know it will have to be done at some point, maybe sooner than later since I fly it quite a bit - over 110 hours since I bought it in March. So what I want opinions and advise on is my options.
What is my current engine worth as a core? I ask because a friend of mine is telling me to just buy a freshly overhauled engine - he says people on Barnstormers and Tradeaplane have them for sale from time to time - for 10-12 thousand, and he thinks I can sell my current engine as a core for 4-5 thousand.
Or what would it cost to overhaul it through a typical shop? Or if I did the removal from the plane and torn the engine down myself - I wouldn't know what parts are good or bad but should be able to take it apart, putting it back together I wouldn't trust myself to do right! -
What other options do I have??????
The same friend who I mentioned above has a little Acrosport Biplane for sale with a 150 hp O-320 in it that only has about 100 hours since major overhaul. He will sell me the whole plane for 18 thousand, possibly less... and even though my RV has a 160 HP version of the O-320, he thinks the engines could be swapped and I put the low time engine off the biplane on my RV and the high time engine off the RV on the acro, and then sell the Acrosport for 10 or 12 grand..... What about this idea? And IS it a easy swap - both engines have dynafocal mounts?? Will I really be able to tell the loss of 10 horsepower????
Lastly, one concern I have is trying to keep myself from having more into the plane than I can get back out of it. This RV is the most expensive thing I have ever owned other than my house.... I would not have bought such a expensive - for me - airplane had I not thought I could get most if not all my money back out of it at resale if that time ever came. The plane is well built, has a nice panel and one of the best looking paint jobs out there. Other than the high engine time, it is one of the nicest RV-4s I have seen. I paid just under 43 thousand to buy the plane, and not sure if I buy a new engine or pay a big shop to overhaul this one that I could afford to keep the plane afterwards, and really scared that I will end up with a plane worth much less than I have invested in it.... I know some people will say I should be more concerned about safety as a consideration for overhaul, but I don't feel this engine is all that tired with how good the compression is and how steady the oil pressure is, the lack of oil leaks and so on. I have heard of these engines going well over 3000 hours with no big troubles.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, and looking forwards to reading your replies.
Btw, I tried to attach a picture of it, but the forum won't take it for some reason....?