Engine overhaul costs and times

Llewtrah381

Llewtrah381

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Llewtrah
Just a curiosity question, as my engine gets more hours on it.

Anyone have any recent experience re cost and times for overhauls by reputable shops (a somewhat subjective term)?

Just poking around, it looks like at least some new Lycoming cylinders are very backordered at best.

My specific engine is an O-360 A4M.
 
We were quoted a Penn Yan oh’d O-320 160hp exchange at $42K + $12K core deposit, shipping included about six months ago.
 
TCABM said:
We were quoted a Penn Yan oh’d O-320 160hp exchange at $42K + $12K core deposit, shipping included about six months ago.
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Not to sound dooshy but that sounds horrible. Maybe I just haven’t been paying attention to recent pricing.
 
A few years ago I bought a Thunderbolt IO-390 from Lycoming for around $40K. Right now that engine is close to $70K and 3 years lead time.
 
TCABM said:
We were quoted a Penn Yan oh’d O-320 160hp exchange at $42K + $12K core deposit, shipping included about six months ago.
Click to expand...

Wow. Did my O-320-E2G with the HC STC ten years ago for about half that, and my crank and cam were unserviceable. However, they do an excellent job. My engine has been trouble-free. Basically all I kept was the case.
 
Hmm, they show a YIO-360-M1B for 40 grand, but airpower has it listed (they call it IO which implies fac built application, though they state it is for Van's RVs) for 79K. Kinda gives up the gig in plain sight (for airpower).

I'm encouraged by the fact they did lower the pricing YoY on their non-snobby engines. That [ought to] provides downward pressure to those overhaul shops who are trying to quote overhauls for more than these guys are selling new straight from the OEM. And yes, I know, EAB vs fac built.

Frankly, I'm not offended at a new IO-360 with standard mags for 40 grand in 2023 dollars. 80 grand for the "fac built" version does antagonize me to the moon however. I find the EAB pricing offerings more in line with my valuation of the activity as a non-revenue participant, though it knee caps me out of my family trips. I'm gonna miss it no doubt, but at double the asking price for an airboat engine from 1950, it's nothing a row of boring economy-plus worth of tickets twice a year can't fix. Shark meet ski jump.
 
New cylinders from Lycoming are still slow to get. Superior isn’t too bad. OH’d cyls isn’t a bad option if yours are first run. Price depends on the quality of your core. Bad crank or case, prepare to get hit hard with a core penalty. Last I checked we were quoting a 16 week turnaround.
 
TCABM said:
We were quoted a Penn Yan oh’d O-320 160hp exchange at $42K + $12K core deposit, shipping included about six months ago.
Click to expand...
Gulp. Mine’s currently a Penn Yan with new Lycomings. I paid $22K in 2015. They were very fair with how they treated my cracked case ($2K, I think).
 
Llewtrah381 said:
Gulp. Mine’s currently a Penn Yan with new Lycomings. I paid $22K in 2015. They were very fair with how they treated my cracked case ($2K, I think).
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Found the exact quote this morning:
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To the OP. What condition your engine is in will determine cost. If your crank and cam are in good shape, getting them into shape to run again may be as simple as inspect and reuse. Cylinders, too. I prefer to have the case milled and aling bored but not everyone does that. On the low cost side you may need little more than hone, rings, and bearings. If your engine has corrosion you may need the crank turned and replace the cam. Still not horrible for cost. If the cylinders need replacing? You have a new set of decisions and associated expenses. You may want to budget for the worst and hope for the best.
 
Skyrys62 said:
This should encourage some who are on the fence about getting an engine monitor to take the leap. Except those who are religiously against it.
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ok dumb question time ... why would someone be against an engine monitor? Isn't more information about how happy/unhappy the engine a good thing?
 
it's an unnecessary expense, which is self-evident (to me) as I'm still alive after two decades of flying "blind". And since it's a hobby, said expenses are my prerogative anyways.

In fairness to engine monitors, this commentary isn't limited to engine monitors. You can pencil me in on higher end avionics on light pistons as well, for the same subjective value proposition.
 
6-12 months and 3-5x what your buddy said he paid 5 years ago. Probably should buy a second plane to fly while she is down.
 
hindsight2020 said:
it's an unnecessary expense, which is self-evident (to me) as I'm still alive after two decades of flying "blind". And since it's a hobby, said expenses are my prerogative anyways.

In fairness to engine monitors, this commentary isn't limited to engine monitors. You can pencil me in on higher end avionics on light pistons as well, for the same subjective value proposition.
Click to expand...

Engine monitors can also save you time and money. If I have a cylinder not firing you’ll know which one. Without the engine monitor I would only know the engine was running rough.
I was able to diagnose a bad cam with mine, saved a lot of money, the AP wanted to play “let’s start pulling and replacing engine parts” game.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Engine monitors can also save you time and money. If I have a cylinder not firing you’ll know which one. Without the engine monitor I would only know the engine was running rough.
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Or put a grease pencil mark on the risers and see which one doesn’t melt.
 
texasclouds said:
6-12 months and 3-5x what your buddy said he paid 5 years ago. Probably should buy a second plane to fly while she is down.
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Exact reason we are planning around an exchange from one of three shops as our primary choice; will put our down time at 1-2 weeks (and do the annual and pretty much new firewall forward at the same time).
 
I paid $35K in March for an AEIO-360 to new limits with new cylinders. Price was quoted last July, when supply chain issues were still a major constraint, and the shop was backlogged 6 months. Not so bad now, I would guess 3 months.

IMO you pay a $5K premium for name brand overhauls, and you can get a $5K discount from a no-name shop. So call the range 30-40K. You could probably find someone to do $25K for field limits with overhauled cylinders. All prices assume case and crank are good. New crank adds $7K.

Plan on spending another $5-10K for FWF: new hoses and oil cooler, overhaul prop gov and boost pump, repair baffles and engine mount, R&R, etc.

If there is a reputable shop within a few hours drive, I recommend that as your first option. It's helpful to be able to visit.
 
Skyrys62 said:
This should encourage some who are on the fence about getting an engine monitor to take the leap. Except those who are religiously against it.
Click to expand...

Just strike the second statement. Silly me...those who are religiously against it, aren't really on the fence anyway :D
 
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