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Lycoming IO-390

Allen Buckley

I'm New Here
I am considering the purchase of a Lycoming IO-390 , but prices seem to vary considerably.
Vans don't offer this engine as a stock line.
Can anyone point me in the right direction for a competitave fixed price please.
Regards
Allen
 
About $32,500

Aerosport has them and VAF advertiser Barrett Precision Engines (link to the left) has them no doubt. The price I see is $32.5k, which is cheaper than a 200HP IO-360 from Vans ($32.6k). (ref Aerosport/vans web store).

The IO-390 is a Lyc product and it comes with roller cam. You can buy it direct from Lyc as well. They now have a non-certified engine division as well as a custom engine division (Thunderbolt).

Call or check out Lyc: http://www.lycoming.textron.com/engines/non-certified/index.jsp

Direct link to Lycs Thunderbolt engine site (custom engines): http://www.lycoming.textron.com/thunderbolt/index.jsp

I suspect for the IO-390 Aerosport or Barrett (both Lyc dealers) can help you out and price should be about the same with in a few hundred.
 
Last edited:
Thankyou for the replies on where to purchase a Lyc-390.

Another question please.
As I understand the 320 is considdered one of the sweetist running engines in the Lycoming range. ( Less vibration than the 360 )
This may sound like a silly question but can anyone comment on what the 390 runs like ? ?.
Is the fuel burn similar to the IO-360 200hp ? ?.
As the 390 has not been around for long , it seems there is little known about it as yet.
Allen B
 
I got mine from Mattituck...great price (at the time) and excellent service so far. I hope to fly later this summer.

As a CFI and past owner of several 4 cylinder Lyc's, I would suggest that all can be setup to run fairly smoothly with a good balanced build. The counterweight crankshaft also seems to help (standard on the 390) as does certain types of props.
 
This may sound like a silly question but can anyone comment on what the 390 runs like ? ?.
Is the fuel burn similar to the IO-360 200hp ? ?.
As the 390 has not been around for long , it seems there is little known about it as yet.
Allen B

Allen:

There's an Aussie in Sydney that has a 390 en route for his RV. His name is Wayne Glasser. There are several posts that you could search in the archives discussing the 390s performance. Travis Hamblen and Bill Gill can both give performance numbers. We have found the 390s built in our shop to be extremely smooth running engines. We dynamically balance crankshafts (yes, even new ones) and match balance rods/pistons as part of our standard assembly process. One thing we do is run all of our new engines on our water break dynomometer for 1.5 hours to help get the rings get a good seat started. The fuel burn is .5 gallons per hour more than the 200 hp 360. If you have access to Kit Planes magazine, you can look at the September 2006 issue and subsequent articles by Marc Cook about his 390 (installed in a Sportsman.)

The 390 is an angle head (200 hp) counterweighted 360 engine, with 580 cylinders. We developed the engine here in our shop from an IO-360-A1B6 for one our Extra customers in 1999. Lycoming had just started certification process on the 580 cylinders, and we were looking for more power than a 10:1 360 would produce without the ill effects of bumping the compression through the roof. The engine and airplane are still flying and used in competition contests. This is the engine that helped initiate the Lycoming experimental kit engine program that George mentioned in his earlier post.

The highest time 390 in an RV is probably Dick Martin (RV8) in Green Bay, WI. Dick's was the first installation, and he flies a lot. We have not seen any issues from the field with the engine, although some folks that have installed seem to have some cooling issues. We do recommend putting a larger oil cooler on the engine, and there are some baffling adjustments that have to be made. I'm sure some folk that have completed their installation can give you details about modifications or adjustments they have had to make.

Hope you find this information helpful.
 
Hi Roy
Is your 390 flying yet ? ?.
What have you installed it into ? ?.
Allen B

Hi! Allen!
I'm wiring things up right now, so the plane hasn't had its first flight yet.

It's hung on an RV8.
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IO-390 Thankyou to everyone. Allen B

Thankyou to all who have answered my questions on the Lyc-390. The info and photos have been most helpfull.

Rhonda , I did try contacting you a couple of days ago but your web site would not come up. Maybe it was something I was not doing correctly.
So now that I have you on line , can I ask a few questions please ?.
What is your curent sell price for the AEIO-390 assembled , balanced and fine-tuned as you mentioned above ? ?
What is not included in this price ? ?
Does it truly produce 210hp at 2,700rpm ? ?
Is it forward facing cold air induction sump like the XP400 ? ? I am keen to ensure it is able to breathe to it's max through the air-box , therefore without having to try Ram-Air !.
Which exhaust should I purchase from Vans for the 390 to suit my 7A ? ?
What is the true all up weight of the AEIO-390 with the light weight add-ons , compared to say an IO-360 180hp engine , which I understand is about 375lbs ? ?
Any thoughts on the prop to best suit the 390 ? ? I am considering using the MT 3 blade hydraulic C/S prop !.
Sorry about so many questions.
Regards
Allen
 
IO-390 questions

Allen: See my responses below regarding your question. Thanks for the heads up on my website. I'll check that out. The details aren't posted there, but I'm happy to answer questions.

Thankyou to all who have answered my questions on the Lyc-390. The info and photos have been most helpfull.

Rhonda , I did try contacting you a couple of days ago but your web site would not come up. Maybe it was something I was not doing correctly.
So now that I have you on line , can I ask a few questions please ?.
What is your curent sell price for the AEIO-390 assembled , balanced and fine-tuned as you mentioned above ? I don't know that you really need the AEIO-390 for your -7. The IO-390 will more than handle any aerobatics that your airframe is capable of handling. The only difference in the IO and the AEIO engine is the Christen Inverted Oil kit. The IO currently sells for $32,919, and the AEIO sells for $34,500. (All new Lycoming components, including roller tappets/cam, includes Sky-tec hi-torque n line starter, slick mags and harness, and either Precision Silverhawk or Airflow Performance fuel system.) Rotating assembly will be dynamically balanced, rods/pistons match balanced, cylinders reworked with Venturi seats (helps eliminate uneven guide wear, which leads to sticky valves) and cylinders will be ported. Custom paint prior to assembly. After assembly the engine will be water break dyno tested for 1.5 hours, preserved and foam crated for secure shipment. OK also has no sales tax on aircraft parts (which is nice.)What is not included in this price ? ? Engine does not come with the prop governor, alternator electronic boost pump or exhaust.
Does it truly produce 210hp at 2,700rpm ? ? Oh yeah! The most recent one we tested for Mike Goretsas did 212. We consistently see 213-215 on the dyno, and the highest hp we've ever seen was 219. Note: this was an anomoly.
Is it forward facing cold air induction sump like the XP400 ? The engine is a forward facing induction. It is actually the IO-360-M1B sump/pipes. This is not a true cold air induction because the plenum is not separate from the sump. The air chamber in the sump is separated, but not completely outside of the sump. What you get from this sump is a ram air effect. I am keen to ensure it is able to breathe to it's max through the air-box , therefore without having to try Ram-Air !.
Which exhaust should I purchase from Vans for the 390 to suit my 7A ? ? You can purchase your exhaust from several places, including Larry Vetterman, John Forsling and Aerospace Welding in Minneapolis. All have experience building exhausts for the RV equipped 390.
What is the true all up weight of the AEIO-390 with the light weight add-ons , compared to say an IO-360 180hp engine , which I understand is about 375lbs ? Absolute true blue weight of the IO-390 is 308 lbs. The parallel head 360 wieghs in somewhere between 275 - 286 depending on how it is equipped. The angle head 360 (200 hp) weighs 299. The extra weight comes from the c/w crankshaft and the bigger cylinders.
Any thoughts on the prop to best suit the 390 ? ? I am considering using the MT 3 blade hydraulic C/S prop! Depends on your budget! Hartzell has a couple of approved props for the engine, and I know that MT did some analysis on one of our 390s in an RV-8 not long ago. I am by no means a prop expert.

Sorry about so many questions.
Regards
Allen
 
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