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TIO-540-AF1B Reman, Rebuild, or Factory New?


WorldWiseTrade

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I had to do a mini-overhaul on my engine due the crankshaft recall.  Engine went to Lycoming and came back with a bunch of new parts besides those "included" in the discounted crankshaft kit. (i had to pay for those new parts...new cam, some rockers and lifters, oil gear, two connecting rods, etc.)  Basically the factory won't put together an engine they take apart with any parts that are out of spec.  All I do know is that the engine ran great before the mini-O/H and even better afterwards (a bit smoother I think).

 

The only downside to this is time...it took about five months from engine out to engine in....although two months were waiting for Lycoming to just look at the engine. But that could have been due to the influx of engines needing work on the cranks.  But was extremely pleased with the results. 

 

I would go with factory overhaul even if it takes many months.  My two cents...

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The factory overhaul on TIO540AF1B is a giant rip off, especially if your cylinders are in decent shape. This is a parallel valve engine, about as simple as it gets. The cylinders tend to stay in good shape due to oil cooling. This is a $36K overhaul to new limits with overhauled turbo, controller and waste gate included with new valves, pistons and rings and overhauled mags as well as new camshaft. What does Lycoming want? $58K and a useless warranty. I had Central Cylinder do mine and 300 hours later the engine is running just fine. My cylinders looked brand new when we yanked them off, but I decided on new valves, springs and pistons anyway. Find a small reputable repair station like Central Cylinder that charges based on labor and parts involved not on what Lycoming's list price is.

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The factory overhaul on TIO540AF1B is a giant rip off, especially if your cylinders are in decent shape. This is a parallel valve engine, about as simple as it gets. The cylinders tend to stay in good shape due to oil cooling. This is a $36K overhaul to new limits with overhauled turbo, controller and waste gate included with new valves, pistons and rings and overhauled mags as well as new camshaft. What does Lycoming want? $58K and a useless warranty. I had Central Cylinder do mine and 300 hours later the engine is running just fine. My cylinders looked brand new when we yanked them off, but I decided on new valves, springs and pistons anyway. Find a small reputable repair station like Central Cylinder that charges based on labor and parts involved not on what Lycoming's list price is.

 

From the pricing I got on rebuilding my engine before I bought my plane, almost every shop was referencing the Lycoming pricelist for pricing. I'm at 1660 hours with 660 hours since the wet-head upgrage on new cylinders. I'll definitely be looking for a good shop that prices on labor and parts instead of the factory published pricing.

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From the pricing I got on rebuilding my engine before I bought my plane, almost every shop was referencing the Lycoming pricelist for pricing. I'm at 1660 hours with 660 hours since the wet-head upgrage on new cylinders. I'll definitely be looking for a good shop that prices on labor and parts instead of the factory published pricing.

 

http://www.centralcylinder.com

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  • 4 years later...
48 minutes ago, Tx_Aggie said:

So after almost 5 years are you still pleased with your decision from central cylinder? $36k for an overhaul sounds great with what I’ve seen lately. Potential new bravo owner and trying to do my homework. Thanks!

Andy hasn’t stopped by in a while... I believe he may have gone turbine for business flying?

WorldWise also...

:)

Best regards,

-a-

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You might keep in mind that Lycoming took back cylinder work which was previously subcontracted out.  They set up shop in Williamsport about a year ago.  Since that time production has been spotty.  I ordered new cylinders for my Bravo early in August and have not gotten them yet.  The distributor that I ordered from says they have about 500 cylinders back ordered.  No one seems to know what the problem is but several overhaul shops I talked to are having problems getting parts from Lycoming.  I would suggest waiting until the logjam is broken and parts are flowing before ordering.

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20 hours ago, Tx_Aggie said:
On 1/31/2015 at 8:47 AM, AndyFromCB said:

 

So after almost 5 years are you still pleased with your decision from central cylinder? $36k for an overhaul sounds great with what I’ve seen lately. Potential new bravo owner and trying to do my homework. Thanks!

The quote I received from Central Cylinder was $58,000 a few weeks ago. But, I rarely seem to come close to a lot of the better deals that others sometimes report on forums when it comes to aviation costs. Western skyways was $56,000- others were $58-66,000 for a major overhaul. I’m going with a Factory Remanufactured ( $66,000 ) for my Bravo in a few months.  

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3 hours ago, HXG said:

The quote I received from Central Cylinder was $58,000 a few weeks ago. But, I rarely seem to come close to a lot of the better deals that others sometimes report on forums when it comes to aviation costs. Western skyways was $56,000- others were $58-66,000 for a major overhaul. I’m going with a Factory Remanufactured ( $66,000 ) for my Bravo in a few months.  

Is that price installed or just for the reman’d engine?

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