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Engine that hasn?t been run in 11 years

redhawk

Well Known Member
What do you think about a Lycoming 360 engine that has sat for 11 years in a hangar in a humid climate? Would you trust it after a thorough boroscope inspection or assume a overhaul no matter what ?
 
The most common problem with engines sitting is rust and corrosion. The cam takes the hit internally. If you want to be sure you have to pull a cylinder or two and get a good look inside. If the cam looks good and the cylinder bores are not rusted you've got a good chance the engine is fine. If this is the case you'd want to lube it up real good and pre-oil before running it.
 
As mentioned above, you can take a few cylinders off and get a look at the internals. There?s no guarantee though that after some use, you won?t encounter a problem that wasn?t immediately apparent. Therefore, I?d suggest doing your homework on the motor, but even then, only buying it for a price where if the motor needs work after purchase, you?re not going to be left in a worse situation than if you would have bought a known good motor.
 
Short and long term items

I did the same, purchased one sitting for over 11 years with the idea of using it only as a build shell then having it rebuilt. This one was in a dry climate for 11+ and by the ocean for another 3. I purchased it for basically core value with low expectations.
Pull a cylinder and look at the cam. Mine :D had been properly stored with a thick coat of grease covering everything and chrome cylinders. End result, after 350 hrs I am still getting 80/74+ across the engine and good oil reports.

I don't think this is typical of what people find but if you did, the only long term issue is the seals. They will all leak after some vibration and I ended up replacing everything I could without splitting the case. Expect that as the best case scenario...

* I did rebuild the fuel system and replaced or overhauled all the accessories due to a lack of verifiable data on them
 
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YES!!! Good point.. No matter how the engine turns out.. You must overhaul the fuel system before flying it.
 
I bought an 0360-a1d narrow deck that had been sitting in houston for over 15 years on a mooney. The mags were removed years ago and the accessory case was left open to the atmosphere. The engine had 30 hrs smoh when the plane was parked. I pulled it down for a complete overhaul and found rust everywhere. Aircraft specialties was able to save the crank and cam. I bought new dlc coated lifters. The rods red tagged for pitting on the beams. The case was overhauled by divco with no surprises. The cylinders were overhauled by sal’s aircraft machine shop. The cylinders are chrome and required all new exhaust valves and springs due to rust on the stems and coils. When i totaled up the parts bill, it came to $11000. I paid $2000 for the core. I think $13000 for a 0 smoh, fully yellow tagged, 180hp engine is still pretty good. I am overhauling the engine for a buddies rv6, so the labor is free except for a few cheeseburgers.
 
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