Ben,
I am not an A&P, but during a conversation with a local small
Continental demi-guru, he mentioned that he found a document that says
that the compressions on an A-65 arn't considered out-of-spec until they
hits 8lbs. Count 'em. 8. That sounds unbelievable to me, so check
with your local A&P or drop Harry Fenton a line - he *is* Mr. Small
Continental engine guru, and is generally pretty responsive to such
questions. Looks like he's got a full section on compressions in his FAQ:
http://bowersflybaby.com/tech/fenton.htm#compression_limits
Cheers,
Dan
Ben Charvet wrote:
>
> I had installed a used Continental A-65 on my recently finished
> project. In the process of getting ready for my airworthiness
> inspection with the FAA we did a compression test and found one cylinder
> to be low(35/80). The engine ran great but did have a lot of blow-by.
> Oil pressure was appx 25 at idle and mid 30's above 1200 rpm. I pulled
> the weak cylinder and found that the #1 rod bearing has excessive wear.
> I mean like you can do the push pull thing and feel slop. The engine
> came with log books, was 1500 SMOH, but I was hoping to get through
> phase 1 flight testing, since the logbook compressions were all good.
> Basically I understand now the engine needs a total rebuild.
>
> So here is my question.. I am no an A&P, but have lots of experience
> rebuilding engines of both air cooled and water cooled all in
> automobiles. I'm confident I can do this myself. I already had started
> overhauling parts prior to finding this engine and have a rebuilt case,
> crank, and cam. I've been told that to call my engine a Continental
> A-65 and leave the data plate on, that all this work would need to be
> signed off by an A&P. I have a certified Sensenich wood prop installed
> and was hoping for a 25 hr Phase 1. All the paperwork is already sent
> in the the FAA and the inspection is scheduled for Dec 4. So if I do
> this work myself , do I call it a Ben Charvet 65 HP? Bet that would
> drive the insurance folks nuts.
>
> I also have one other option. I have my trusty old Baby Ace that is in
> bad need of a restoration, but has a 350 SMOH A-75 with a McCaulley
> metal prop (would help my W&B). I was really hoping to keep flying the
> Baby Ace right up till my first flight in the Piet, but I could just
> swap that engine on, change the paperwork with the FAA, and rebuild the
> A-65 at my convenience while restoring the Baby Ace at some later date.
> I was really hoping to sell the Baby Ace, but its not worth more than
> its engine/prop anyway.
>
> This is without a doubt the longest post I've ever made, but this is a
> tough choice.
>
> My main question is: If a non-certified mechanic rebuilds a certified
> engine, can you legally leave the data plate on? Is it still a
> Continental A-65 legally as far as the FAA/Insurance companies are
> concerned?
>
> Thanks
>
> Ben Charvet
>
>
>
>
>
>
--
Dan Yocum
Fermilab 630.840.6509
yocum@fnal.gov, http://fermigrid.fnal.gov
Fermilab. Just zeros and ones.
