Andrew Gideon wrote:
Dave Butler wrote:


If downtime is crucial, you can get a faster turnaround on an engine swap
than overhauling your engine. When you swap, you're taking pot-luck on the
case, crank, and cam. If your case, crank, and cam are known good, you
might want to hang onto them. If they're suspect, you might improve
yourself by taking pot-luck.


What does "known good" mean here? "Never had a problem with"? Or is there
some analysis involved?

It's pretty hard to know with any precision. In the absence of any operational
problems, about the only information you have is whether it's first run (never
been overhauled), etc., whether any regrinding has ever been done, whether the
case has ever had any welding done on it.


Any recommendations for shops for the overhaul (or shops to avoid)?

Sorry, I don't know the shops in your area. Ask all the nearby FBOs where
they send their engines for overhaul. Probably there will be a consensus.
Pick a shop nearby.


Are you speaking here of the shop doing the R&R or the shop doing the
overhaul itself? Or both shops?

Probably if there's a warranty problem, the R&R shop is going to refer you to
the overhauler (unless the problem is with the R&R, of course). The R&R shop may
or may not intercede on your behalf with the overhauler. If there are two shops
involved, that might be something you want to discuss beforehand. How are
warranty issues handled?

Of course, each shop will say they will stand behind whatever work they do, but
if the overhauler is remote, will the R&R shop work with you to resolve issues
with the overhaul?

If so, is the time to resolve the overhauler's problem billable by the R&R shop?
If you go to a local shop and they sell you a turnkey overhaul where they pick
the overhauler, the local shop should stand behind everything. If you go to a
local shop for the R&R and shop separately for the actual overhaul, the R&R shop
may not take any responsibility for the overhauler's warranty.


Warranty service by long-distance telephone is a PITA.
Much better if you can get the plane to the shop (for warranty service).


Hmm...WRT warranty work, would that be dealing with the R&R shop or the
overhaul shop?

See above. The reason I raise this issue is because of my experience with my
very first overhaul. My partner was a more seasoned owner than I was at the time
and he recommended a nationally known overhauler 2/3 of the way across the
country. There was a problem when the engine came back, and a lot of billable
time was wasted by the local R&R shop resolving the problem. In retrospect, the
overhauler did everything he was supposed to do and perhaps more, but the
problem was just exacerbated by the distances involved. Had we been able to just
fly the plane to the overhauler, I'm sure it could have been quickly resolved.

Dave