O-290-D2 LongEz

[Bugstrider]

Morning everyone,

 

Been looking at a Long that has a O-290-D2 that has been sitting for a long time.  Back in the day, it was dissembled, inspected and reassembled with updates and then parked.  I have called around to some well known overhaul shops and was lectured about the parts issues and that these shops do not even offer overhaul services. I understand that the O-320 is a main staple for the Long but I was wondering how many of you run the O-290 and what, if any issues you have experienced.

 

Would this deter you from this to another one, solely on the fact of an O-290?

 

Thanks in advance

Bugs

 

PS: Merry Christmas!!!

 

[Marc Zeitlin]

1 hour ago, Bugstrider said:

Been looking at a Long that has a O-290-D2 that has been sitting for a long time.  Back in the day, it was dissembled, inspected and reassembled with updates and then parked.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with an O-290-D2. I've had a few customers with O-290 powered LE's. Obviously, the performance will be in between the O-235 and O-320 LE's.

The operative words here are "has been sitting for a long time". ANY engine that's been sitting, unused, for a long time, particularly if it was not pickled or preserved correctly, is almost certain to have corrosion issues unless it's been sitting in the Gobi desert. Which then implies that at least an IRAN is required, if not an actual overhaul/rebuild. The engine would require a VERY extensive inspection to determine its actual state.

One of my customers with an O-290 had Lycon upgrade it to an O-320, so that's a possibility as well, if the engine's in good shape.

[Sean James]

I am Marc's customer who had Lycon modify my Lycoming O-290-D2 to an O-320. When I purchased the plane (a very good plane from a construction standpoint - Per Marc) it hadn't been flown much and within about 100 hours had some engine issues. During the inspection of the cylinders it was determined they couldn't be repaired and must be replaced. 

In consultation with Lycon it was determined the cost to rebuild the O-290 or convert it to an O-320 was not much different. At that point I decided to convert it to an O-320. It wasn't cheep. The engine was put in service in June of 2016 and now has 550 hours on it. Since installation I have had one bent pushrod caused by a hung exhaust valve.  Lycon replaced the pushrod at no cost and it was done in one day. Other than that the engine has run very well and burns about 1 qt every 15 hours. Oil analysis has been very good.

The performance of the O-320 is significantly better that the O-290 but I did need to replace the prop (now a silver bullet).

If you need more information feel free to contact me.

[Bugstrider]

16 minutes ago, Sean James said:

I am Marc's customer who had Lycon modify my Lycoming O-290-D2 to an O-320. When I purchased the plane (a very good plane from a construction standpoint - Per Marc) it hadn't been flown much and within about 100 hours had some engine issues. During the inspection of the cylinders it was determined they couldn't be repaired and must be replaced. 

In consultation with Lycon it was determined the cost to rebuild the O-290 or convert it to an O-320 was not much different. At that point I decided to convert it to an O-320. It wasn't cheep. The engine was put in service in June of 2016 and now has 550 hours on it. Since installation I have had one bent pushrod caused by a hung exhaust valve.  Lycon replaced the pushrod at no cost and it was done in one day. Other than that the engine has run very well and burns about 1 qt every 15 hours. Oil analysis has been very good.

The performance of the O-320 is significantly better that the O-290 but I did need to replace the prop (now a silver bullet).

If you need more information feel free to contact me.

Thank you very much for the info. I called Lycon in Visalia today to ask about the cost of an overhaul of the O-290 and the rep talked in depth about its issues of availability.  We talked about the O-320 overhaul costs compared to the O-290. This is the info I need to make an informed decision since I so not have the bottomless resources to throw at this and have to make smart choices.

 

Thanks again,

[Kent Ashton]

I know very little about them but see the last post in this thread

https://southernairboat.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=22217

[Bugstrider]

21 hours ago, Sean James said:

I am Marc's customer who had Lycon modify my Lycoming O-290-D2 to an O-320. When I purchased the plane (a very good plane from a construction standpoint - Per Marc) it hadn't been flown much and within about 100 hours had some engine issues. During the inspection of the cylinders it was determined they couldn't be repaired and must be replaced. 

In consultation with Lycon it was determined the cost to rebuild the O-290 or convert it to an O-320 was not much different. At that point I decided to convert it to an O-320. It wasn't cheep. The engine was put in service in June of 2016 and now has 550 hours on it. Since installation I have had one bent pushrod caused by a hung exhaust valve.  Lycon replaced the pushrod at no cost and it was done in one day. Other than that the engine has run very well and burns about 1 qt every 15 hours. Oil analysis has been very good.

The performance of the O-320 is significantly better that the O-290 but I did need to replace the prop (now a silver bullet).

If you need more information feel free to contact me.

I realized that I forgot to ask you a question regarding this option.  Hindsight being 20/20 and you knowing what you do now, would you have done this same modification today if faced with the same challenges?

 

Thanks and Merry Christmas

Trevor 

[Sean James]

Absolutely, but let me expand the answer based on my situation.

1. I did not make a decision to go to the 320 just to convert to a 320. The O-290 provided very good performance and if there weren't other concerns I would have stayed with the O-290.

2, The O-290 was having oil leaks around the cylinders which turned out to be unrepairable

3. Based on the inspection I was concerned there might be other problems with the engine and the cost to tear down for a complete inspection  and replace the cylinders as an O-290 was more that 1/2 the cost of a complete overhaul.

4. At that point the cost difference between doing a complete overhaul as an O-290 or boring out the block and making the engine an O-320 wasn't much so I made the decision to convert it to the 320.

 

  

[Bugstrider]

On 12/24/2020 at 1:17 PM, Sean James said:

Absolutely, but let me expand the answer based on my situation.

1. I did not make a decision to go to the 320 just to convert to a 320. The O-290 provided very good performance and if there weren't other concerns I would have stayed with the O-290.

2, The O-290 was having oil leaks around the cylinders which turned out to be unrepairable

3. Based on the inspection I was concerned there might be other problems with the engine and the cost to tear down for a complete inspection  and replace the cylinders as an O-290 was more that 1/2 the cost of a complete overhaul.

4. At that point the cost difference between doing a complete overhaul as an O-290 or boring out the block and making the engine an O-320 wasn't much so I made the decision to convert it to the 320.

 

  

Thanks Sean,

That info helps if I move forward.

Cheers,

Trevor