Overhaul of 180HP Lycoming 0-360-A4M in a Skyhawk (C-172)

On Thu, 12 Jan 2006 14:08:59 -0500, Andrew Gideon wrote:

I'm curious what others have done, and how its worked for them. I've been
doing some of reading of articles, but it's raised more questions than
answers. Questions I do need, but I'd also like some of those answers.

Questions bouncing around head include:

Hi Andrew,

My experiences with an overhaul is as follows on a Sundowner. Some of what
follows are based on what "I was told"....

Should we get our engine overhauled, or swap it for a previously overhauled
engine?

I was advised on my engine that had 2140 hours to overhaul it especially
due to the low time on the crankcase. Keep a perfectly working crankcase.

If we do overhaul, is "to new specifications" the only reasonable choice?

I *think* overhauls are to new specs?

Is there a difference of significance between "factory rebuilt" (zero-timed)
and "overhauled to 'new specifications'"?

Price would be the difference from what I was told. Also, you get to start
your engine log book at zero hours. I went for the overhaul on my
Sundowner as it was 7K difference. Mighty big difference for the price of
a new log book....

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

Nope, sorry don't have any. Mine was done in FL. No problems encountered.

Finally, I'm confused about the process. Does one shop remove/replace and
another actually do the engine work? Or does the plane need to be flown to
the shop that either does the overhaul or has the engine to swap?

My A&P pulled the engine out, and FEDEXED it to the shop in FL. Down time
was 3 1/2 weeks.

Overall, for me, it was a positive experience. 13.5K for engine and labor.
For the piece of mind of knowing who is behind this engine for break in,
well worth every penny.

Hope this helps.

Allen