Advice needed in replacing Lycoming IO 320

Possum

Possum

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
390
Location
South Carolina
Display Name
Display name:
Frank
Advice needed in finding a engine for my 172. Recently while on a short trip the engine picked up a vibration and my partner landed at a nearby airport. A & P took a look and recommended that we remove the engine and send it to Triad for a rebuild. Triad says that the crank, cam shaft and case are damaged and that we need check our options. Can anyone recommend a source for a low time engine? Most reman shops require a core exchange and our core is probably not acceptable for an exchange. We have begun looking on Barnstormers and Trade-a-plane. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Do you mean 0-320 or is it fuel injected?
"Probably not acceptable for an exchange" Got to find out one way or the other before you can start your search.
Man that is a tough deal as my good core was worth $16000. to lycoming when I traded in my old 0-320 for a rebuilt one back in 2020.
Check with all the salvage yards and the insurance salvage sites. They may have a wrecked plane that you could get a good engine from or at least a good core to have overhauled.
Good luck, sorry to hear.
 
Your best bet is probably going to be a salvage yard, but that's going to be a bit of a crapshoot, and many of them are going to be prop struck. Or just paying a core charge, but those have gotten pretty incredible these days. Lycoming for example now has a $23k core charge for one of their engines, up from $18k less than a year ago (plus you are now 19-22 months to get an engine out of Lycoming when I checked last week). What's the full spec (e.g. O-320-E2D) of the engine you need to replace?
 
Probably out of your price range, but there are several engine/prop STC's to use 360 and 370 Lycs in 172's as well, so you wouldn't have to stay with the 320 if you didn't want to.
 
Possum said:
Advice needed in finding an engine for my 172. Recently while on a short trip the engine picked up a vibration and my partner landed at a nearby airport. A & P took a look and recommended that we remove the engine and send it to Triad for a rebuild. Triad says that the crank, cam shaft and case are damaged and that we need check our options. Can anyone recommend a source for a low time engine? Most reman shops require a core exchange and our core is probably not acceptable for an exchange. We have begun looking on Barnstormers and Trade-a-plane. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Crank shafts are available new. Crankcases are available used or repaired. Who cares about the cam, you were better off new.

Preferred Airparts, LLC - New Surplus and Used Aircraft Parts. Lycoming Crankcases

Surplus New and used aircraft engine parts. Lycoming engines, Lycoming crankcases, parts, and engine accessories. Parts available for most other general aviation engines.
www.preferredairparts.com www.preferredairparts.com

Inventory — DivCo, Inc. - FAA Certified Aircraft Crankcase Repair

View our Lycoming and Continental crankcase inventory, type and cast numbers. Please contact us with questions about crankcase repair.
www.divcoinc.com www.divcoinc.com
 
Last edited:
Possum said:
A & P took a look and recommended that we remove the engine and send it to Triad for a rebuild. Triad says that the crank, cam shaft and case are damaged and that we need check our options.
Click to expand...
Why not fix/OH your current engine?
What made your mechanic to recommend removing the engine?
 
Thanks for the replies. Apparently engine suffered a connecting rod failure and that damaged the case and crankshaft. Original budget number for the overhaul was 28k (Triad rebuilders in Burlington NC) but now is well above that. We were looking at our options and the used engine came into the discussion. Our core may be salvageable but most engine reman services will discount the core if crank is in bad shape. This is a L model 172 and not fuel injected. Again, thank for the replies.
 
A damaged case and crank means a core that is worth very little at all.

Why did the rod fail? Was the engine run low on oil, or did an ancient oil cooler hose rupture and pump it all overboard?
 
Unfortunately, when engines blow up like that there is often very little that is worth saving.

A core engine is your best bet at this point, although there is some risk associated with going that route as well. It is probably the least expensive option assuming all the big parts in the core engine are reusable.
 
Possum said:
Can anyone recommend a source for a low time engine?
Click to expand...
If this is the route you want to take, contact EnParts via their request quote email about what you need. For used engines and parts, top shelf all the way.
 
give JB engines in sebring FL a call. jimmy has good connections to getting cores and his outright engine prices are good. they build a great engine.
 
Clip4 said:
Crank shafts are available new. Crankcases are available used or repaired. Who cares about the cam, you were better off new.

Preferred Airparts, LLC - New Surplus and Used Aircraft Parts. Lycoming Crankcases

Surplus New and used aircraft engine parts. Lycoming engines, Lycoming crankcases, parts, and engine accessories. Parts available for most other general aviation engines.
www.preferredairparts.com www.preferredairparts.com

Inventory — DivCo, Inc. - FAA Certified Aircraft Crankcase Repair

View our Lycoming and Continental crankcase inventory, type and cast numbers. Please contact us with questions about crankcase repair.
www.divcoinc.com www.divcoinc.com
Click to expand...
This is brilliant. About all that's left to reuse is the con and lift rods, and a few accessory gears, but who cares? lol Buying an entire engine one piece at a time and paying to have it assembled is probably a lot cheaper.
 
Last edited:
I'll also support just rebuilding what you have. My O-320-E2G reached its expiration date at 1900 hours due to spalling lifters and an obviously worn cam, as well as 4 very worn cylinders. I sent it off to Penn Yan Aero and had it rebuilt. The crank and cam were junk and the overhaul involved new rods and pistons anyway (I was upgraded to a high compression STC at the same time at no extra cost except for the paperwork). The only thing I reused was the case. New crank, new cam, cylinders of my choice. I got a new carb, too (I hated the old carb which had been through three different not-so-hot venturi changes by SB or AD). The price was quite reasonable, and I pretty much got a brand new engine out of it. In retrospect, this turned out to be a really good decision. I had forgotten how trouble-free a good engine could be.
 
I would check craigslist, ebay and facebook too.
 
Salty said:
This is brilliant. About all that's left to reuse is the con and lift rods, and a few accessory gears, but who cares? lol Buying an entire engine one piece at a time and paying to have it assembled is probably a lot cheaper.
Click to expand...
Or buy an unknown piece of junk and take your chances the crank isn’t bad and and the case isn’t damaged.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top