O-300Continental O-300

Parts most often named Cylinder (19) · Retainer (3) · Valve (3) · Piston (3)

DURING ANNUAL INSPECTION COMPRESSION TEST, NONE FOUND IN #3 CYLINDER. DISASSEMBLED, DETERMINED EXHAUST VALVE STUCK IN GUIDE DUE CARBON BUILD UP. CLEANED VALVE AND GUIDE, RE-ASSEMBLED, RE-INSTALLED, OPERATION SATISFACTORY

CYLINDER FAILURE, #5 CYLINDER COMPLETE BARREL SEPARATION AT THE THREADS INTO THE HEAD IN FLIGHT. AIRCRAFT WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO THE FIELD AND LAND SAFELY. SUBSEQUENT REMOVAL FOUND THE BAFFLING HAD KEPT THE HEAD FROM FALLING OFF THE AIRPLANE, ONLY 1/3 OF THE WRIST PIN WAS STILL HELD WITHIN THE BARREL, IF IT HAD FAILED ANY LOWER, IT COULD HAVE CAME OUT. PICTURES SUBMITTED TO FSDO.

PILOT REPORTED A LOUD POP/BANG. THEN RPM DROPPED TO 1200 AND LOSS OF POWER. APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS, RPM DROPPED TO 400, THEN ENGINE STOPPED, ACFT LANDED SAFELY IN FIELD. INSPECTION, ONCE COWLING WAS REMOVED (DAMAGE NEAR NR 3 CYLINDER). CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED CENTER OF CYLINDEDR BASE AREA.

Parts most often named Magneto (4) · Cam (2) · Spring (2) · Coil (1)

THE CAM FOR THE MAGNETO WAS FOUND TO BE NON UNIFORM IN SHAPE. AFTER INSTALLATION OF THIS PART THE POINT GAP WAS DIFFERENT ON EACH CAM LOBE.

LT MAGNETO SEVERE MISS AND INTERMITTENT, INOPERATIVE IN FLIGHT. SB'S 02-08A AND 03-08A C/W THROUGH INSP. LT MAGNETO, SLICK MODEL 6364, [S/N removed] WITH 356 TOTAL HOURS. FUNCTIONAL CHECK ON GROUND CHECK GOOD BEFORE AND AFTER FLIGHT. INSP REVEALED CAPACITOR, CAP AND ROTOR DEFECTIVE. CAPACITOR PN K3984 FAILED AT REAR LEAD, DISTRIBUTOR BLOCK AND ROTOR ASSY PN K3823. ROTOR END BURNED, CAP/BLOCK ASSY HAS DEEP GOUGES AND UNEVEN SPARK PATTERN AROUND CONTACTS CREATING PITTING AND FANNING OF THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT.

BRONZE BUSHING, VERY LOOSE IN DISTRIBUTOR BLOCK AND DISTRIBUTOR ARM WAS CONTACTING PINS IN BLOCK. MAG WOULD NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY. (K)

Parts most often named Carburetor (6) · Venturi (3) · Filter (1) · Screen (1)

100 HR INSPECTION. SCREEN IS SEPARATED FROM THE FITTING. THE BONDING JOINT FAILED. NEW PN 95-509F, LOT NR 11161106 ASSY INSTALLED. CARBURETOR WAS O/H 9/23/2005 IAW FORM 8130-3.

(CAN) ENGINE REPORTED RUNNING INTERMITTENTLY. MIXTURE OPERATES ONLY THROUGH LIMITED RANGE. INSPECTION REVEALS LARGE MOUSE NEST IN AIR BOX AND CARBURETOR AS FAR AS VENTURI. SEVEN DEAD INFANT MICE FOUND IN NEST. ENTRY TO CARB THROUGH CABIN HEATER DUCTING. AIRCRAFT LAST FLOWN APRIL 3, 2004. SOLUTION: ENSURE CABIN HEAT CONTROL IN CLOSED POSITION.

(CAN) DURING CRUISE THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SUFFER POWER LOSS WITHOUT WARNING. EMERGENCY LANDING WAS CARRIED OUT. POST FLIGHT INSPECTION FOUND FUEL POURING FROM THE CARBURETOR. THE CARBURETOR WAS REPLACED WITH AN OVERHAULED UNIT AND THE ENGINE WAS GROUND RUN [S/N removed].

Parts most often named Crankshaft (4) · Piston (2) · Crankcase (2) · Piston Pin (1)

(CAN) TOP LAND OF PISTON ERODED AWAY AND HOLE BURNED THROUGH PISTON BELOW 3RD RING FROM HEAD OR TOP OF PISTON. PISTON EXPANDED FROM EXCESSIVE HEAT AND SCUFFED AGAINST CYLINDER BARREL, SMEARING SKIRT AND SCORING BARREL. CAUSE APPEARS TO BE DETONATION. PARTS CORRECT FOR APPLICATION, TIMING SET CORRECT, MAGNETOS INSPECTED. NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES FOUND. FUEL WAS 100CC BUT SAMPLE TAKEN FROM CARB HAS A

(CAN) ENGINE RAN WELL NO VISIBLE PROBLEM. PIECE OF PISTON SKIRT BROKEN LOOSE HELD IN BY OIL RING AND CYLINDER CURVE ONLY.

NUMBER THREE CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD AND CAP FAILED AT CRANKSHAFT. THE CONNECTING ROD THEN FELL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CYLINDER BORE AND WAS STRUCK REPEATEDLY BY THE CRANKSHAFT UNTIL ENGINE WAS SHUTDOWN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AFTER FINAL POWER REDUCTION DURING A ROUTINE LANDING. THE PILOT DESCRIBED HEARING A LOUD BANG FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF POWER. CAUSE OF FAILURE UNDETERMINABLE.

Parts most often named Engine (7) · Piston (1) · Mount (1)

INSTALLED NEW CYLINDER KIT WITH VALVES AND PISTON. PISTON MELTED AT UPPER RING, SCORED THE CYLINDER WALL, AND BLEW A HOLE THROUGH ONE SIDE. CYLINDER LOST ALL COMPRESSION AND OVERHEATED. METAL DEBRIS ENTERED THE ENGINE CASE AND ATTACHED TO THE HYDRAULIC LIFTERS. CRANKSHAFT LOBES SHOW SOME METAL IMBEDDED AND PITTING IN LESS THAN 1-HOUR RUNNING TIME. PISTON PIN WILL NOT COME OUT OF THE PISTON OR CONNECTING ROD.

AC WAS BEING FLOWN ON RT FUEL TANK. AFTER RUNNING TANK DRY, PILOT SELECTED RT FUEL TANK AND MOMENTS LATER THE ENG STOPPED PRODUCING POWER AND MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. AC FUEL SYS WAS INSPECTED FOR CONTAMINATES AND FAILURES, NONE WERE FOUND. POSSIBLE CAUSE IS VAPOR LOCK IN FUEL SYS FROM RUNNING FUEL TANK TRY. TO PREVENT THIS FROM RECURRING, WOULD BE TO SELECT ANOTHER FUEL TANK PRIOR TO RUNNING THE SELECT FUEL TANK DRY. (K)

(AUS) DURING CRUISE, A DROP IN INDICATED OIL PRESSURE AND A RISE IN OIL TEMPERATURE WAS OBSERVED. A POST INSPECTION FOUND THE OIL FILTER CLOGGED WITH ALUMINIUM AND WHITE BEARING METAL CONTAMINATION.

Parts most often named Oil Pump (1) · Piston (1) · Oil Pan (1) · Line (1)

AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED IN-FLIGHT EMERGENCY WITH SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. LANDED UNDER TOTAL ENGINE POWER LOSS. INITIAL INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE LINE THAT SUPPLIES THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE FRACTURED INSIDE THE FLARE FITTING ON THE ENGINE CONNECTION CAUSING THE ENGINE TO ESSENTIALLY PUMP ITSELF DRY WHILE IT WAS RUNNING.

ON 11/26/2008, APPROXIMATELY 1 MINUTE AFTER START-UP THE OIL FILTER RUPTURED RESULTING IN MASSIVE LOSS OF ENGINE OIL. THE OIL FILTER WAS THE LAST OF FOUR THAT WERE PURCHASED ON 10/05/2006. THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN UPON NOTICE OF LOW OIL PRESSURE AND HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE UNHARMED BY THE LOCAL AP MECHANIC.

OIL FILTER ADAPTER LONGITUDINAL HOLE IN PISTON DOES NOT INTERSECT HOLES DRILLED THROUGH THE CIRCUMFERENCE. NO OIL IS ALLOWED TO THE FILTER ELEMENT. REPLACED PISTON, OPERATION RETURNED TO NORMAL. SUBMITTER STATED PART WAS NOT MADE ACCORDING TO PRINT.

Parts most often named Bulkhead (2) · Support (1) · Spinner (1)

PROP SPINNER FWD, BULKHEAD CRACKED NEAR MOUNT BOLTS. PART PROBABLY NOT STURDY. RECOMMEND PART BE MADE OF THICKER METAL DOUBLER INSTALLED. ALSO, IT APPEARED THAT MOUNT BOLT HOLES MAY BE TOO LARGE. (K)

DURING ROUTINE SCHEDULED INSPECTION, FOUND FWD PROP SPINNER BULKHEAD CRACKED NEAR THE BOLT HOLES. NO APPARENT REASON COULD BE DETERMINED. THE PROP BOLTS WERE CORRECTLY TORQUED. THE PROP WAS CORRECTLY CLOCKED. GROUND AND FLIGHT CHECKS SHOWED NO ABNORMAL VIBRATION. (K)

(AUS) PROPELLER SPINNER FORWARD SUPPORT CRACKED AROUND PROPELLER BOLT ATTACHMENT HOLES. SUPPORT HAD BEEN FITTED 30 HOURS AGO DUE TO THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE PREVIOUS SUPPORT.

Parts most often named Blade (4)

(CAN) DURING THE GRINDING PROCESS CORROSION APPEARED. EXTRA GRINDING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MCCAULEY MAINTENANCE MANUAL WAS REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE CORROSION PITS FROM THE BLADE(S) CAMBER AND FACES.

(CAN) PROPELLER RECEIVED FOR CORROSION INSPECTION. STONE DAMAGE WAS FOUND ON THE LEADING EDGES AND FACES OF THE BLADES.

Parts most often named Heater (1) · Muffler (1)

(CAN) LT MUFFLER CRACKING, BURNING THROUGH. RT MUFFLER CRACKED. STACK CRACKED. NOTE: CRACKS NOT VISIBLE WITH ATTACHMENTS (SCROUNDS) ON. MUFFLER HEATER - LT P/N 0550157-9, RT P/N 0550157-32 (TC NR 20060717002)

Parts most often named Pulley (1) · Alternator (1)

PILOT REPORTED NO ALTERNATOR OUTPUT. INSPECTION FOUND PULLEY LYING INSIDE COWLING FROM ALTERNATOR. ALTERNATOR STILL ON MOUNTS, BUT LOOSE.