Engine Overhaul.
Posted by unisonic2025@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 75 comments
How many people have taken there small piston certified airplane over TBO. Was wondering specifically the Continental O-200 on a C150M model. I was looking at this plane engine time is 3,100 hrs with 900 since top overhaul. I know the owner and he takes really good care of it.
TheAvidCollector@reddit
Just overhauled my Lycoming IO-360 for my Piper Arrow and it was $33,818 out the door and back in the air.
yogaballcactus@reddit
What was the timeline for that?
TheAvidCollector@reddit
Pains me to say...... but 14 months.
lctalbot@reddit
OUCH!!!
metalgtr84@reddit
Goddamn… is that normal?
gamefreak32@reddit
No, about 5 months is standard from an engine shop. I just got my engine back.
TheAvidCollector@reddit
That's awesome it was only 5 months for you. It took 5 months for me to just receive my case back from being re worked. Sent it off in March 2025 and it came back in September.
SimilarTranslator264@reddit
Only in the world of aviation and it’s dumb as shit.
BigBadPanda@reddit
Nowadays it is. Some guy bought a plane to put in our flying club. He was bragging about how the airplane paid for itself every month and more. Then the compressions went bad and his oil consumption spiked. Now it’s sitting in the ramp with bags of sand on the engine mounts, costing him money.
thatTheSenateGuy@reddit
Did you send out to a shop or do a field overhaul?
TheAvidCollector@reddit
The plane was at their shop for the entire 14 months. It was an FAA certified repair station in OKC.
skylaneguy@reddit
That is a criminal amount of time. Aerotec can get it done in 4 months.
THevil30@reddit
I find the aerotec website really hard to parse but aren’t they charging like 74k for an io-360-c1c (the engine in most arrows)?
skylaneguy@reddit
My buddy just had a O-540 done by them this winter and it was $65k.
I’m currently getting my O470 IRAN by them for $24k. They got the motor back in February and I’m supposed to have it back at the end of May.
TheAvidCollector@reddit
My situation was apparently the byproduct of multiple issues. Mainly financially with the shop not being able to have enough cash flow for the price of parts. IMO they were running a low level ponzi scheme but apparently from all my 14 months of research a lot of engine shops operate the same way.
I initially gave them $16k as the desposit for the R&R and while that paid for the labor to remove the engine they took the rest and bought parts to finish up the engines they had at the finish line. Then by the end of the 14 months they hadn't received the amount of deposits they were getting when I walked through the door a year ago and were low on operating cash. I had to step in and buy my own pistons, engine mounts, pay for the prop governor overhaul, out of my pocket and then I deducted that amount from the final invoice.
It was a mess but at the end of the day it wasn't a question of of quality work performed their business model just sucks and it's not sustainable. This is a engine shop that's been an FAA repair station for almost 50 years so it's not being able to keep up with the times.
skylaneguy@reddit
Any reputable shop will only require funds right before the engine is shipped back to you.
I’d consider yourself lucky that you got your engine back at all from the sounds of things. My guess is you went hunting and found the cheapest option… looks like you paid for it with time and headaches.
TheAvidCollector@reddit
I was going off of recommendation from the broker I bought the plane from. I didn't go hunting at all for the cheapest option. I was a new owner going off the experience from a guy who has sent this shop many engines over decades and they've been in business for a long time with the FAA certification. I've also never heard of a single engine shop that does work for free all the way up to shipping it back to you finished.
I definitely learned my lesson through this process but it is what it is. The quality of the overhaul lives up to their reputation of being in business for as long as they have. The financial side of things for them is just a shit show.
Crazy thing about it all; is their shop is filled with other people's engines who obviously were in the same boat as myself. Not some back alley guy with a tool box saying he does engine work on a peice of cardboard.
Sensitive_Fact4976@reddit
Penn Yan Aero doesn’t charge you until the overhaul is completed. I just sent them my O-320. They quoted me 40k and 5 months
THevil30@reddit
Was the broker SW?
TheAvidCollector@reddit
You would be correct!
THevil30@reddit
I'm increasingly unconvinced that he's a straight shooter. Took a bunch of his recommendations while buying my plane and generally regret doing so. Love the plane, but immediately needed a bunch of repairs.
TheAvidCollector@reddit
Man I don't really have anything bad to say about him. He sold me a beautiful plane and has always picked the phone up when I called or needed a question answered. He always lets me borrow a hanger if my plane goes to the avionics shop or something of the sort.
He is a business owner though that does a ton of turnover of aircraft. So take that for what it's worth. What did you end up buying from him?
THevil30@reddit
Yeah I wouldn't say anything publicly or leave him a bad review or anything (and also why I didn't put the actual name of his business in the comment) - he's a nice guy. Just the couple issues that popped up were items I raised that he claimed were resolved.
TheAvidCollector@reddit
Pm sent
skylaneguy@reddit
You lost me at, “…recommendation from the broker I bought the plane from.”
THevil30@reddit
Ok, not bad I’ll have to keep them in mind if I ever need an oh.
AdditionalWx314@reddit
Just out of curiosity can’t you buy an overhauled engine and get credit for core? That used to be the way to go.
skylaneguy@reddit
Yea that’s an option as well but there’s not many built engines just sitting around on shelves.
tonykanz@reddit
For O200 right now, your cost is going to depend almost entirely on if your crank is serviceable or not. If you end up needing a crank, it’s going to be 8-15K for one. And I would plan for 10K for a M10 crank.
You have left out some important details. 3100 since what? Since factory new in 1970? Since Major OH? Since a field OH? When was that done? Generally on an O200, TBO is defined as either XX flight hours or XX years.
How many hours have been flown on the plane per year since the overhaul?
In the last 12 months, how many hours have been flown per month and what is the oil consumption? Do you have an engine monitor where you can look at the data for the last 12 months?
Regarding cost…this is a tradeoff on cost vs. time. If you have a flight school plane and need to minimize downtime (to maximize rentals) you would buy a crate O200….the problem is going to be getting a crank as referenced above. If you have all the time in the world, you can reduce costs and trade time. Budget is 25-30K if you do not need a crank. 35-40K if you do need a crank.
Every owner “takes really good care” of their planes….right up until a prebuy.
unisonic2025@reddit (OP)
Since new in 1975. 3600 TT. Not sure how old the top overhaul is but done about 900 hours ago. Don’t know the current oil burn rate but no obvious leaks. test flew it the other day and ran like a champ. Current owner tries to fly once a week maybe once every other week for minimum of 1 hour locally. Around 50 hours a year on average nowadays.
parc@reddit
It’s not leaks that you care about (ok, you care if it leaks but not leaking isn’t enough), it’s the blow-by you care about. If it’s burning a quart an hour, it’s ready for OH. If it burns a quart every 10 hours, let it ride.
KITTYONFYRE@reddit
imagine if your car burned a quart every 400 miles lol. god, aviation engines are such dinosaurs
(you could argue about that 400 mile number and how equivalent it is to 10h of airplane time, insert however far you think you drive in 10h and it'll still be absurd lol)
Mountain-Captain-396@reddit
Different machines for different purposes. Airplane engines are designed to be simple, reliable, and run at 70%+ power for extended periods.
KITTYONFYRE@reddit
airplane engines were designed in the 50s. you’re giving them too much credit lol oil consumption isn’t a feature
a new engine, also designed with reliability in mind, would absolutely not chug oil like it was a second gas tank.
Mountain-Captain-396@reddit
If your engine is chugging oil like its a second gas tank then its time for an overhaul
KITTYONFYRE@reddit
the statement was made in a relative sense vs a modern car that doesn’t let half the exhaust gases past the piston rings
OracleofFl@reddit
They also run at a much wider operating range of temperatures so it needs some looseness to accommodate the range of different metal expansions it is subject to.
Silly_Valuable_1750@reddit
Ah, those were the days, when MPG exceeded quarts per mile, collecting drain oil and a thing called “rerefined” oil to keep the roads well oiled!
unisonic2025@reddit (OP)
I can’t remember exactly but I believe the oil consumption was still fairly low. Nothing excessive at the moment.
tonykanz@reddit
The engine could last for 900 more hours, or it could grenade itself in 10….there’s just no way to be sure and you are missing a lot of information.
1975 was 51 years ago. If you can be super super sure that is the original case and crank, then the good news is that would be a M0 (new) crank and would have a good chance to OH unless it has a defect.
One perspective is that TBO is set to 1800 hours or 10 years for a reason. Bearings, seals, etc don’t last forever. Especially if they sit for long periods without use.
The other perspective would be that the nicest C150 you can buy will bring 90K (just for argument sake - sub a different number if you want)
90 less 35K engine less 20K paint less 20k avionics less 15K for the airframe.
As long as you are buying the plane in the appropriate bucket for the right money go for it. You already know you dont have an engine….so 90-35 =55 55K….that would be the absolute max assuming good paint, avionics and airframe.
usmcmech@reddit
I'm flying behind a 1973 O-235 with 2300 hours SNEW and I have no plans to overhaul any time soon.
dilemmaprisoner@reddit
There are a bunch of signs/symptoms/reasons to overhaul an engine, but TBO isn't one of them.
unisonic2025@reddit (OP)
Can you give me the main things to look for?
dilemmaprisoner@reddit
In rough order of importance (assuming you don't have an engine monitor): actual performance, metal in oil filter, borescope annually (or see most recent images), oil consumption, compression test (hot).
If you're evaluating one to buy: the first thing I want to know is how much it flies. Ideally, at least 1 hr per week. 1 hour per month is pretty marginal; terrible if it goes on for years [note: can't ignore "storage environment", i.e. hangered or not, near a coast/humidity (bad)]. If I'm looking at ads, I start with hours per year (more = better) since last overhaul. The killer of engines is corrosion. That's why, contrary to many ads "never a trainer", flight school planes can be good, and the first question I ask after finding out "1000 hrs since overhaul" is "what year was that overhaul?".
aftcg@reddit
Exactly
Snacckabllezz@reddit
C172 had about 3600 before overhaul.
Went to a 160 HP cost was touching $45-50k (also a lot was found during overhaul)
Time was 8 months plane wax down after a 3-4 month lead w/ deposit down.
BrtFrkwr@reddit
That engine needs an overhaul.
aftcg@reddit
What data are you using for this? Just numbers lawyers made up?
BrtFrkwr@reddit
Manufacturer's recommended maintenance program.
unisonic2025@reddit (OP)
Why do people still go past overhaul time and still fly safety.
BrtFrkwr@reddit
You can drive on worn out tires too.
aftcg@reddit
I had that happen to me in a TSIO541. Was a factory new 150hr engine. In Lycoming's defense, the Union was on strike and the managers built the engine. Knock on case bolts, I've only needed to OH engines that were shedding parts all well below TBO. I have more data points of premature failures vs over TBO failures. However, far is the hunter.
aftcg@reddit
Oh, I see. So just based off of time, not evidence.
BrtFrkwr@reddit
It's also what I've seen in forty years of doing maintenance as an A&P. There's a reason for inspections and maintenance.
Frosty_Piece7098@reddit
There’s a difference if you own it vs it you are buying it. If I own that plane, I’m doing regular oil samples and watching it, but I’m flying it till it needs the overhaul. If I’m buying it, at 3100 hours I’m going to price most of the cost of an overhaul into my offer.
First case it’s my problem to manage, 2nd case I’m potentially buying someone else’s problem.
unisonic2025@reddit (OP)
This c150m is going to be gifted to me by a family member.
Frosty_Piece7098@reddit
Well shit then, happy flying! That’s awesome!
JSTootell@reddit
An engine that gets used a lot will last longer than an engine that sits. Keep that thing flying, and you'll get more life out of it.
I'm flying my o200 more than I'm driving right now (not an exaggeration).
unisonic2025@reddit (OP)
Have you overhauled since new? How many hours on the engine?
JSTootell@reddit
I think it had an overhaul 1000 or so hours ago. I just bought it a year ago.
lnxguy@reddit
My C-150M had 2500 hours on the O-200 when I sold it and it was like new because I flew it regularly and changed the oil more often than required.
redditburner_5000@reddit
Suuuuper common to fly over TBO. Little O-200s and O-320s can go to 3000 if they're flown regularly and cared for.
Purgent@reddit
I bought my airplane with an O-320-D3G a few years back. At the time, it was about 800 hours SMOH, which was in 1991.
I flew it about 500 hours the first 18 months I owned it, completing all my ratings in it and more.
Then, it suddenly developed random, major detonation issues on takeoff. I could see exactly when it was happening and on what cylinders on my engine monitor. New plugs did not solve anything, and borescope turned up nothing unusual.
Fast forward to this winters annual. We drain the oil and find the forbidden shiny metal in the filter. We pull a cylinder and discover the camshaft is spalled.
Engine is out for overhaul at a very reputable local shop, quoted $26k and about 4 months time.
Inspection in OK turned up a bad crankshaft and all four connecting rods also bad. A new crank adds $10k, and connecting rods another $5k.
After labor to put it back in the airplane, I’m looking at close to $45k. I paid $60k for the whole damn thing with a brand new panel.
Not excited about it, but it’s not financially crippling because I planned for this day to come long ago.
iamflyipilot@reddit
My O-200 made it to 1900 hours and 35 years SMOH.
iamflyipilot@reddit
Cost to overhaul was about 25k out the door (2022). Case and crank were reused.
FeatherMeLightly@reddit
Every GA known to man kind. It's common practice in the usa for owners to fly well past recommended OH time/date.
OCFlier@reddit
The only reason to overhaul is if it’s making metal. Anything else is just parts to be replaced
unisonic2025@reddit (OP)
Just curious because I’ve started to read the book series by Mike Busch and that is one of the things to look for every oil change and cut the filter open.
TheAvidCollector@reddit
While I am a huge Mike Busch fan there's more to the notion of the engine isn't making metal it doesn't need to be overhauled. There are components on every engine that need to be replaced even if the engine isn't overhauled. Fuel lines, engine mounts, hoses. Worn baffling is a huge one that can cause temp issues.
My engine had 2300 hours on it and was a Lycoming remanufactured engine from 2013 and there was PLENTY of things that needed to be replaced after we pulled everything off and started inspecting things. Crank case needed some TLC. It wasn't making metal but oil was leaking from multiple places and just making a mess. It wasn't leaking an unsafe amount but with prop wash entering the cowling blew it everywhere and it was impossible to find.
kytulu@reddit
After working on various flight school airplanes for the last few years, I've come to terms with the fact that the "L" in Lycoming stands for "leak."
CSGOTRICK@reddit
Really depends on the engine. Our Citabria is at almost 2500 but still makes 79/80 on every annual
0621Hertz@reddit
In your position if you trust the guy and plan to take it out occasionally as a hobby plane then I don’t see why you need to overhaul immediately.
However I would strongly advise to do one either within 3 years or before you sell it. Whatever comes first.
usmcmech@reddit
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
8 years ago I lost a friend who had an engine fire 13 hours after installing a freshly overhauled engine.
YepYep123@reddit
Even if it doesn’t need an overhaul right this minute, it is coming some time very soon. Only consider purchase if you factor in overhaul cost and may be worthwhile looking at how long it will take to get the full overhaul done. I’ve heard it can take months
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
How many people have taken there small piston certified airplane over TBO. Was wondering specifically the Continental O-200 on a C150M model. I was looking at this plane engine time is 3,100 hrs with 900 since top overhaul. I know the owner and he takes really good care of it.
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