Ken-Royce 90

In article , (JDupre5762) wrote:
I am thinking about buying a project with the 5 cyl Radial Ken-Royce 90
engine. It has the oiled rocker arms. What can I expect out of it as for
as maintence required and time between working on it. Would like to fly it
and it be some what dependable. Can anybody give what I should
expect?

I am no expert but I would think that maintenance would be a lot higher than
the opposed engines today. There is a Rearwin club that I believe owns most of
the surviving stock of the old KenRoyce engine company. Ken and Royce Rearwin
were the sons of the founder of Rearwin Aircraft who bought the old LeBlond
engine company. There must also be a few people who specialize in overhaul of
these engines. The Rearwin club would know them.

John Dupre'

The Rearwin club is fairly moribund but is affiliated with the Antique
Aircraft Association in Blakesburg, IA. There are still a few parts left at
Blakesburg, but most of the good stuff and things that are consumed have been
picked over long ago.

For flying & maintenance - sounds like you're looking at a project with the 5G
pressure lubricated engine. They're fairly solid, and with pressure lube you
don't need to do the top end grease ritual for every flight. Plan on a valve
clearance adjustment about every 25 hours and more inspection that a "fly and
forget" flat engine. The good part is that the engine is simple enough where
there's no much to go wrong with it. Make sure that you check the history and
serviceability of the carb, mags, and oil pump assembly.

Old planes just have more stuff that chafes, breaks, needs attention, etc than
a modern plane. I figure on a good inspection every 50 hours minimum, or
annual, whichever comes first. Before getting the engine to a "stable state"
of known parts and overhaul status, you may be doing a lot more maintenance
and parts overhaul. This can be tricky since most of the accessories require
custom work and very few NOS engine parts are available. Most of the time
you're going to have to make parts.

There's a copy of the Ken-Royce factory manual at
http://www.vintageaircraftengines.com.

-Russell