ECI Titans on Lycoming O-383A1A
I have a 1959 Piper Comanche with a Lycoming O-360A1A overhauled by Mattituck Airbase in 1998 with new ECI Classic Cast through-hardened steel cylinders. A few years later, after oil consumption did not improve and compressions started to sag below 70, I replaced the rear cylinders with new Lycomings and rehoned and re-ringed the front ECI's at about 340 hours SMOH. Then the ECI's on the front became subject to an AD for cracking and had to be replaced in 2006. I thought I would give ECI one more chance and replaced the front ECI Classic Cast cylinders with two ECI Titans at about 740 hours SMOH. Then another AD comes along for those cylinders (the one to which you are referring) and, as luck would have it, mine (based on S/N) were in Group "A", which did not have to be replaced but were subject to a 50 hour repetitve inspection for cracking. I now have 1475 hours SMOH on the engine and still have those ECI Titans on the front. But another thing to be aware of, at times mentioned elsewhere in this forum, is possible delamination of the plasma coating on the top compression rings on some of the ECI Titans produced around 2005-2006. According to different posts I've read, when that happens, compressions sag and blowby increases, but no AD has been issued, although I think ECI did issue a Service Bulletin about it. I don't think that has happened to mine (compressions on all cylinders have held in the low to mid 70's)...my oil consumption, with a wet vacuum pump, has held steady at about 7-8 hours/quart for about the last 10 years.
