Lycoming O-360 DIY Overhaul Part 1

Part 1 - A video series about the procedures for rebuilding a Lycoming O-360. Part 1 covers engine evaluation and basic disassembly procedures.

[@reyesben]

This is mesmerizing to watch, and I really appreciate your effort to capture different angles. You have great lighting and editing. You are very brave. I am the nervous guy that won’t take apart anything for fear I won’t get it back together again. My Lycoming 0360 has an oil leak, so I’m watching this. to help me understand the different parts of the engine.

[@michaelbradford2816]

I'm glad my video could be of help and that you feel you gained from it. To me the oil leak is very serious and I'd suggest you stay put until it's dealt with. Unfortunately, it's probably a tear down at high cost. Lately, one person had a camshaft that was the culprit as it didn't fit the bearing the way the old one did, very costly. You could have a leak in the gasket that may still require a tear down. Hopefully, it's the rear seal. That's fairly easy, but you'll have to see. I'm glad you liked the video and the more you know the better off you are. Someone who simply "owns" is more of a victim from my standpoint. Check around on work first. See if you can develop several estimates first. Thanks for your interest in this video.

[@loganjames4607]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm a car enthusiast. Not generally into aviation. Took a picture of an American Champion plane a long time ago. Looked up the tail num and flight aware pointed me to this engine. Immediately wanted to see how it was assembled. This answered those questions. :)

[@maryhausler8900]

Each piston should be at TDC of the compression stroke before removing rocker arms. Then when removing the cylinder you have more room to get the piston pin out.

[@michaelbradford2816]

Yes, I tried that, but the clearance was small. As I said in the video, I had a "goal" and achieved that in part. This was my first disassembly. Thanks for being interactive today and for watching.

[@demitriustorres3587]

There is a lot of information out there concerning engine inspections after a "sudden stoppage" or "prop strike". Some good info, some bad info, some questionable info. DIY is not inherently bad...but A&P techs have training and experience for a reason. Certified engines/aircraft REQUIRE a certified tech to do the work (or supervise). As a 20 year A&P, aircraft owner, pilot, and part 147 instructor, I can very directly say this: Only a fool puts faith in an engine that had a prop strike, based only on a dial indicator check of the output flange. Period. It should be torn down and inspected/repaired EVERY TIME. COULD you gamble your (and others') lives on jamming a prop strike engine back into service? Sure. Should you? NEVER. Thanks to Mr. Bradford for documenting his teardown, and sharing his experience for others to learn from!

[@michaelbradford2816]

You like some others also missed the major point and didn't go to the other videos. My checks were preliminary in place of the lies I was told by an A&P who told me the crankshaft was damaged beyond repair. He only looked at it and threw his hands up to it. So, I sent it in myself documenting it. The results are in another video and the crank came back as an M03. Of course, you didn't see that part. I did the best I could to get it to the point of shipping. A crank easily rejects on any damage up front too like the oil slinger or any cranks anywhere. I couldn't check for all that. The crank certification cost $1500. The engine will be rebuilt by a specialty company, not by a money grabbing self appointed character. I have a lot of criticism for A&P's now, mainly I'd like to see federal regulation on the fees and time estimates as for vehicles in any given state. I'm burned up with the pedants who think they know what they are talking about, FAR this and FAR that, and merely charge hours of labor. I hope you are better than that? I agree with you that only a fool would fly with a damaged engine. I'm no fool. I'm just tired of the overruns and failures of others to perform routine tests, even the most bare bone, and truthfully report the results in a timely manner. It's really about just "pull it and pallet it" isn't it? That crankshaft is about $9k by itself. Who was going to inform me about that? All the other parts in that engine were still new too. The engine as it sat should be worth at least $20k. Go look for one. I'm talking about a "core" not a ready-to-install engine. A core engine with a good crank should run at least $25k. Go check on that too anyone. See what it adds up to. That's for an engine that needs everything else. Simply throwing money at something to satisfy a prattled FAR isn't my way of understanding anything. If one is an owner, one has to be involved actively or must go back merely to renting and taking whatever comes. I chose to take action no matter the outcome and it paid off.

[@fdfnfgnjfdjfjfk1436]

Thank u so much for sharing

[@michaelbradford2816]

Glad you liked it. Thank you.

[@eugeneoreilly9356]

For the layman,what does the orange cyl barrels mean?

[@michaelbradford2816]

Orange indicates chrome plating. Other colors designate other things.

[@David-if2jz]

You really need to get the crank magnafluxed too. Just because the run out is doesnt mean the crank is good.

[@michaelbradford2816]

You didn't bother seeing the crankshaft returned from Oklahoma in excellent condition. Have a look. It came out beautifully.

[@David-if2jz]

You do good work, you just didnt mension that the crank was magnafluxed.@@michaelbradford2816

[@dornier2828]

Before do anything you should find a correct clean room and place the engine in good position engine stand, bench or bank for the disassembly?? . then began to remove the components and place all the parts in order and tag it and not mix the parts . cylinder # #2 #3 #4 if you are an FAA CERTIFIED A&P

[@michaelbradford2816]

Thanks. Cyls 1,2,3 and 4 were not mixed. Not FAA certified. Not required. No stand was available. First time DIY on an engine that was supposed to be worth little. Turns out to be worth a lot. Crankshaft sent out came back M03, worth approximately $8.5k now. Not a bad day for something that was supposed to be junk. Each cyl worth $2k. Not a bad day for junk. Case when tested worth $6k. Not a bad day for junk. Engine when reassembled by FAA certified shop worth $50k. Not a bad day for DIY when all was supposed to be lost. Point of exercise is DON'T ALLOW SOMEONE TO TELL YOU YOUR ENGINE IS WORTHLESS OR THE PARTS IN IT ARE NO GOOD. Not a bad day for DIY. Some people want a quick fortune off your so-called core. Junk is the highest paying business in the world. There's no such thing as junk in aviation. Thank you.

[@dabneyoffermein595]

@@michaelbradford2816 how can I get into that business?

[@bigc1903]

Life would be easier if you had the service manual for the engine. You would see all the right ways to disassemble the engine. You've done it incorrectly more than once.

[@michaelbradford2816]

I have the service manual. So far, so good despite being an amateur. I didn't get any A&P. However, I'm still on course and nothing was damaged so far. I'm willing to try anything. You?

[@112_adventures]

Dialing the cranks (runout inspection) has nothing to do with determining whether or not to tear down after a prop strike. SB533 does.

[@michaelbradford2816]

I was told that the crank was no good based on their "test" and it would have to be replaced. You missed that point. The SB533 wasn't presented to me at all. Great shop support, uh? I took the engine with me and ran. Everything in it is checking out. What they had in mind was to take the plane away from me for peanuts. It's DIY for a good reason so minimalists won't get swindled. A lot of people seem to run around with various parts of information that never comes together very well here. What I do know about SB533 seems to indicate plenty of rejections too. You should check into that before offering it as a wise old observation. Please do so for your own sake. If a dial out is greater than .005 I guarantee the crankshaft is a reject no matter what labels get put on it. They wanted me to accept that without having done anything. The more you actually know from first hand experience the better. I wish you well in getting serviced along correct mechanical guide lines and that you always experience ethical shop conduct from any FBO too. Another shop owner told me that regardless of any other guideline he always tore down engines completely after any prop strike. Another rule of thumb is whether the engine continued to run after the strike. That's a lot of opinions and conditions right there.

[@112_adventures]

@@michaelbradford2816 no offense but I don’t really follow half of what you tried to say. I do know, that as an A/P mechanic, some of the information out there can be hard to worthless through and digest. SB533 is pretty straight forward though, if the prop had any damage, whether prop strike running or not, or blade separation or sudden stoppage, Lycoming says to tear down and inspect, in a very specific manner. I’m going through it now with my IO-390 that lost blade shortly after takeoff. Crank dials .001, but that’s irrelevant as it mentions runout nowhere in the service bulletin, and for good reason. They don’t want people using that as a metric towards whether or not to tear down, as it doesn’t indication the condition of the engine internally.

[@michaelbradford2816]

And yet, dialing is a "standard" by which all core engines are sold or considered for rebuilding. So, to simplify, the mechanic I mentioned said he ALWAYS tears down after any prop strike. You had a different situation. To sum up from all the sources, there's no way to know if the engine is damaged until it is enough to cause an emergency. So, fly it with caution and the idea you'd want the best lowest time engine you could afford. The other part is "afford." Then again, it's your life so what can you afford? A crank is at least $8k when passed inspection. As I said, it was a no-go/go for me. I was not told it was good. I have a pile of expensive parts now. I started a series of videos to give people some exposure to this situation. I'd say you're lucky to be alive after a prop separation like that. No offense taken.

[@capthawk57]

Just pull the damn piston out! Then you clean them up and double check ring gaps before reinstalling.

[@michaelbradford2816]

This will be going to a rebuilder and I wanted it as close as possible to how disassembled WITH the pistons matching the cylinders because I don't want them sent out again necessarily. That's a point you overlooked in the video? How much did you see? Got the point of only 12 hours on the whole engine after a top overhaul? Everything was as new or recently sent out.

[@schnabel69]

This is painful watching the non mechanic do this. You should get someone who knows what they are doing with aircraft engines.

[@michaelbradford2816]

I didn't notice any of your qualifications to make such a statement, but I assume you have none. You didn't bother with most of the other videos produced for this either. You couldn't have. You're alone in your outlook too. Since it bothered you so much, please stay away from anything mechanical as you have no hope to deal with that and you have nothing useful to contribute to anyone.

[@avdltd]

These things scare the daylights out of me. They look like agricultural implements from the 19th century. When is the GA going to j oin the 21st century? Carburators (really?), magnetos ( a la law nmowers!) Manual wastegates (really!), And manual leaning? These engines would have been obsolete half a century ago if it weren't for antiquated certification regulations, which makes it possible for the manufacturers to sell these prehistoric designs for 10 times what they are worth!

[@michaelbradford2816]

To that I'll add just one thing, they are as reliable as it gets and will log thousands of trouble free hours very routinely. Considering that gas ranges soon will be made illegal you have a point, but where does it stop? By that standard all things are wasteful and need to be made illegal asap.

[@avdltd]

@@michaelbradford2816 well, everything is relative, and I disagree with you about reliability. One of my friends had her meticulously maintained Cessna ingest a valve! If you treated a modern car engine as carefully as GA engines are treated, they would run forever. GA engines are obsolete 50s technology, and the cost of them is10x what it should be.

[@michaelbradford2816]

So, what would you replace them with? @@avdltd

[@avdltd]

I would implement the items that have evolved in the car industry such as: Quad valve, VVT, hemi heads, (The low RPMs of GA engines makes overhead cams, unnecessary) fuel injection, turbo with knock sensors, and automatic waste gates. Or, preferable, a lightweight diesel (The power/RPM characteristics of a diesel are far more suitable , than a gas engine, and safer). Also, it looks to me like the engine in the video only has three main bearings? Really? Mopeds had magnetos five decades ago. Now they don't, and that's for a reason. We don't have magnetos, manual waste gates, etc on cars, because they are less efficient and LESS RELIABLE than modern, microprocessor, managed engines. Porsche did manufacture a 911 based aero engine, which was, from all I've read, far superior to the Lycoming and Continental engines in every way, including reliability. I would love to see a Honda Gold Wing derived (derived, not converted) engine for GA applications. As it is, to have to pay attention to engine management, shock cooling, etc, etc, is inexcusable IMHO. And to charge tens of thousands for this antediluvian technology is almost comical.@@michaelbradford2816​.

[@Second.Nature.Lawn.Michigan]

They've tried to join the 21st century. And fail every time. Dozens of times. People don't want to admit how smart the engineers at Lycoming and Continental were. Rotax is your modern engine. They fail at a higher rate than the "relics" every year. Diamond diesel engines? Failing completely with zero warning because of a warm wire. I've seen these old engines run missing complete cylinder assemblies. I'll trust my life to that.