TR182 Important Prebuy Items and Feedback

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David Lunn

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Dave
I'm seriously considering purchasing a 1981 TR182 and have been researching important items to check at the prebuy. The link to the aircraft is below, it seems to be one of the more expensive TR182s but I'm upgrading from a 182Q with a run out engine and looking to get a plane that needs minimal work and has been well-maintained.

I've come up with the items below, if anyone has run into any other items that are important to check (in addition to standard prebuy stuff) I'd greatly appreciate the feedback and any other feedback on this aircraft. I have very very mild concerns about the 6000 hours on the plane but it hasn't ever been used for training so it should have plenty of life hopefully, my 182Q only has 3500 hours but I'm looking for something faster and better at altitude (live in the Rockies).

- main gear break line swivel assemblies
- cracks in gear saddles (how do you check for these?)
- condition of turbo impeller
- age and condition of gear powerpack
- age of the unusual dual magneto setup
-exhaust clamp AD


https://www.controller.com/listing/...bo-r182rg-skylane-piston-single-aircraft

Also if anyone has any recommendations for a good A&P with RG experience to do the prebuy in the Bay Area (Novato) that would be very helpful.
 
I think you are confusing 210s and R182s. The gear pivots are what typically cracks in the R182s, not the saddles. These are identified by leaking brake fluid at the brake line pivots. Yes, the brake line pivots do need periodically replaced.

The biggest issue with R182 landing gear is failure to lubricate as provided in the maint manual. I would look in logs for entries saying this was done.

The mags have an AD and must be inspected every 500 hours. Shops that will service these are becoming fewer and parts availability is always a comcern.

Usually the gear pumps don’t require much maintenance, the motors go bad and at 6000 hours I would say if this is the original motor it has reached TBO.

Here some other items I would check,
strength condition steering bungee
Corrosion in ceiling and sides forward of doors
Door hinges and fit
Flap position switch - indicator matches position
Nose gear play. Shouldn’t move forward / aft when extended.
Condition nose gear actuator
 
David Lunn said:
Also if anyone has any recommendations for a good A&P with RG experience to do the prebuy
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As I've recommended in the past, if you haven't already done so, select the mechanic you plan to use if you buy this aircraft. It will be only his opinion and determinations that will count when he performs its 1st annual, especially with a Cessna retract. And if you're lucky he may even want to perform the prebuy itself or help you select the mechanic to do it. Good luck.
 
I noticed from the ad you posted that your proposed a/c is ex-FBI. We've been flying one of those (non-turbod) since 2013...great airplane. The complete interior of ours is zinc chromated, but I don't know if that was standard for feebee (retired cop humor) planes. I think your bullet points are pretty comprehensive...good job.

Welcome to POA(as a poster)!

Jim
 
asicer said:
Pun intended?
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Nah...I'm not that witty! However, on the subject, our R182 DID come with a bullet hole. Some SA had put a paste-on one on the fuselage pre-us ‍ ;-)
 
Clip4 said:
The biggest issue with R182 landing gear is failure to lubricate as provided in the maint manual. I would look in logs for entries saying this was done.
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Bigger issues with that gear include cracking actuator housings and cracking pivot castings. There are SBs on the housings. There were two versions of that part, the earlier being weaker and more likely to fail than the later. If it cracks and breaks, the rack and pinion might not be able to get the gear leg down no matter what you do. Cessna recommends removal and NDI every so often.
1724546298425.png
The pivot cracks in the radius where the drive splines meet the bearing journal. I believe the radius between the journal and body has been known to crack as well.
1724547511359.png
Clip4 said:
The mags have an AD and must be inspected every 500 hours. Shops that will service these are becoming fewer and parts availability is always a comcern.
Click to expand...
Those mags have multiple SB on them as well. The 500-hour thing is a Cessna recommendation. And yes, they haven't been made for some time now and sooner or later they'll have to be replaced with something.
Clip4 said:
Usually the gear pumps don’t require much maintenance, the motors go bad and at 6000 hours I would say if this is the original motor it has reached TBO.
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Cessna recommends, IIRC, a 500-hour brush inspection. Not a big deal, but it seldom gets done along with most of the other checks they recommend, such as pressure checks of the switch and relief valves.
1724547046828.png
1724546957636.png
1724547129057.png
Note also the 5-year overhaul of the hydraulics for certain earlier models. Those airplanes used the Buna-N o-rings that can fail, and there are many critical o-rings in that system. If one fails you can't get the gear down. The pressure bypasses and won't build enough to force the gear down against the slipstream. It won't free-fall into position.
We had one of those o-rings fail in the gear selector valve while the airplane was on jacks and we were swinging the gear. The gear would not come into position even with no wind against it.
Clip4 said:
Door hinges and fit
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Yup. Those door hinges crack. I had to replace several of them. That fuselage flexes through the door opening in flight. Even when the airplane is on jacks there's often enough distortion that the door won't latch. In flight, the door ends up stiffening the opening, and that load cracks those hinges. They are not cheap.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Bigger issues with that gear include cracking actuator housings and cracking pivot castings. There are SBs on the housings. There were two versions of that part, the earlier being weaker and more likely to fail than the later. If it cracks and breaks, the rack and pinion might not be able to get the gear leg down no matter what you do. Cessna recommends removal and NDI every so often.
View attachment 132735
The pivot cracks in the radius where the drive splines meet the bearing journal. I believe the radius between the journal and body has been known to crack as well.
View attachment 132740

Those mags have multiple SB on them as well. The 500-hour thing is a Cessna recommendation. And yes, they haven't been made for some time now and sooner or later they'll have to be replaced with something.

Cessna recommends, IIRC, a 500-hour brush inspection. Not a big deal, but it seldom gets done along with most of the other checks they recommend, such as pressure checks of the switch and relief valves.
View attachment 132737
View attachment 132736
View attachment 132738
Note also the 5-year overhaul of the hydraulics for certain earlier models. Those airplanes used the Buna-N o-rings that can fail, and there are many critical o-rings in that system. If one fails you can't get the gear down. The pressure bypasses and won't build enough to force the gear down against the slipstream. It won't free-fall into position.
We had one of those o-rings fail in the gear selector valve while the airplane was on jacks and we were swinging the gear. The gear would not come into position even with no wind against it.

Yup. Those door hinges crack. I had to replace several of them. That fuselage flexes through the door opening in flight. Even when the airplane is on jacks there's often enough distortion that the door won't latch. In flight, the door ends up stiffening the opening, and that load cracks those hinges. They are not cheap.
Click to expand...
AD 2005-12-06 applies to Bendix/TCM magnetos installed on Lycoming O-540 type (AEIO-540, HIO-540, IO-540, O-540, and TIO-540) engines. AD 2005-12-06 required a 100-hour inspection interval for riveted couplings and retained the 500-hour interval for snap-ring couplings.

This is a bit more than a Cessna recommendation.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Bigger issues with that gear include cracking actuator housings and cracking pivot castings. There are SBs on the housings. There were two versions of that part, the earlier being weaker and more likely to fail than the later. If it cracks and breaks, the rack and pinion might not be able to get the gear leg down no matter what you do. Cessna recommends removal and NDI every so often.
Click to expand...
Do you know what year there was a switch from the early to later parts?
 
 
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