50 year old Lycoming 360 B2A

Good morning,

I want to buy a RV6 that has a 50 year old engine on it, but only with 25 TTSN. It has all the bulletins passed until 1996, that was when it made 20 of its hours, the others were made on the year 2000.

My questions are... Is this a reliable engine? What inspections will I need to do?

Thank you so much for your help, and sorry for my english!

An engine that hasn't flown much could be rusted and the only way to know for sure is to pull a cylinder so you can get a look at the cam.

That said, the first engine I put on my -9 was overhauled in 1959 and put in storage. When I pulled a cylinder it was spotless on the inside.


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N941WR said:

An engine that hasn't flown much could be rusted and the only way to know for sure is to pull a cylinder so you can get a look at the cam.

That said, the first engine I put on my -9 was overhauled in 1959 and put in storage. When I pulled a cylinder it was spotless on the inside.


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What kind of inspection, apart from the cilinders, had you done to that engine? Did you change magnetos, for example, or you used them as they were?

The inspection was strictly visual for me. However, I did pull all four cylinders and changed the accessory case. For some reason I didn't change the nose seal and surprisingly, it didn't leak. I recommend you change all cylinder base O-rings, the intake gaskets, and nose seal.

My engine came without any accessories. So, I had to find a carb, have it overhauled, install a new ignition (dual P-mags), fuel pump, etc.

After inspecting the engine, I would have the carb overhauled and replace/rebuild the fuel pump. The ignition should be OK (other than checking the timing) and if not, it will be very evident.

That is just one guy's opinion. Others will probably say to overhaul/replace everything. (There is a time limit between RTBO and I think that is 10 years.)

dimoniet said:

Good morning,

I want to buy a RV6 that has a 50 year old engine on it, but only with 25 TTSN. It has all the bulletins passed until 1996, that was when it made 20 of its hours, the others were made on the year 2000.

My questions are... Is this a reliable engine? What inspections will I need to do?

Thank you so much for your help, and sorry for my english!

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I considered such an engine (with more time) and talked with Allen Barrett at BPE about it.

The decision of course is yours and no one can say anything that will make it safe of unsafe.

My criteria was I wanted it torn down and inspected for corrosion and all AD's complied with. I did not want problems with an engine, flight has enough built in risks as is. The bottom line was this - to do the job right, the cost was approaching a new Superior engine and remains a 50 year old engine in the log.

Another factor to consider is Lycoming will not overhaul an engine that old. I don't know if that's because they want to sell new engines or there is a problem with aging metal.

I always amazes me that an engine can sit for 50 years and not be flown but 25 hours. What a waste of money.

If it is a matter of money, this obviously is a good deal. Kick the tires, crank it up and see what happens. It might just run another 50 years.

I fly behind a

45 year old engine in my -3. Uses very little oil, and starts without prime. I would hop in it tomorrow and fly cross country,,,,,,,,,,,,,, hmmm, that's an idea.Btw cylinders are in the 75 range.

Time on an engine build is 12 years in the US. I don't know the standard for the EU. Do you have the logs? What were the last compressions & oil pressures? The cost of the engine parts & machine work, ie.. getting everything in spec and on a bench ready to assemble is where the cost is. The labor to assemble and cell test time another consideration. Cam & tappet condition as well as oil pump, other ADs are another. How about posting some photos?The next best thing to being there! How much is all of this going to cost?

EDIT: turns out what follows is for Continental engines (thanks for correcting me Mel.)

The CAM can be inspected without pulling a cylinder. (I didn't know this until a recent FB post by Mike Busch).

"if a cam inspection was warranted, there’s a far less invasive method. Instead of a 10-hour cylinder removal, the mechanic could pull the intake and exhaust lifters, and then determine the condition of the cam by inspecting it with a borescope through the lifter boss and, if warranted, probing the cam lobe with a sharp pick. Not only would this procedure require just 15% as much labor, but the risk of a MIF would be nil."​

source: http://blog.aopa.org/opinionleaders/2014/06/10/dark-side-of-maintenance/

humptybump said:

The CAM can be inspected without pulling a cylinder. (I didn't know this until a recent FB post by Mike Busch).

"if a cam inspection was warranted, there’s a far less invasive method. Instead of a 10-hour cylinder removal, the mechanic could pull the intake and exhaust lifters, and then determine the condition of the cam by inspecting it with a borescope through the lifter boss and, if warranted, probing the cam lobe with a sharp pick. Not only would this procedure require just 15% as much labor, but the risk of a MIF would be nil."​

source: http://blog.aopa.org/opinionleaders/2014/06/10/dark-side-of-maintenance/

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What you are reading about here is a Continental engine. Lycoming lifters cannot be removed without splitting the case.

If this were my engine there are several concerns I would want addressed before I flew it. #1 Cam rust. To be inspected properly two cylinders from the same side of the engine will need to be removed .In order to see and inspect the whole cam not just part of it. Inspect all of the lifters for rust, or damage of any kind. #2 Because this is an engine with 25 hrs TTSN that means it has nitride bores which tend to rust; all bores should be inspected for rust damage or pitting. #3 If 2000 was the last inspection I would make sure there are no AD?s or service bulletins that are applicable to that engine even though they are not mandatory for experimental AC. #4 Replace or rebuild engine driven fuel pump(because of the diaphragm). Just because the engine is 50 years old doesn?t mean its not a good engine.

Mel said:

What you are reading about here is a Continental engine. Lycoming lifters cannot be removed without splitting the case.

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Thanks for the quick correction Mel.

I hate when I find useful information that proves to be of no use.

Sorry folks.

Thank you all for your answers!!

So what I have to do is check for rust in cilinders, overhaul fuelpump and check (only check) mags.

I think the problem will come when I'll have to overhaul the whole engine, because of the replacements parts, right?

Finally I'll not go with the aircraft that mounts that engine, I'll look for another one.

Thank you all for the information!!!

Parts supplies for this engine is not a problem, they are widely available from multiple suppliers. There many companies who can overhaul it to like new condition as well.