- Joined
- Dec 27, 2017
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Stroke of bad luck...my annual revealed my crank case has a crack in it. What are the chances on a low HP O320? Should I buy a lottery ticket now??
I’ll post some pics when I get a chance, but from here, it seems that the next steps are to remove the engine and get it ready to move to a shop to tear down. Feels strange to type those words when the biggest attraction point of buying this airplane was the engine. Overhauled in 2009, 980 hours SMOH now after 200+ hours since I bought it. Religious about oil analysis, always run it weekly, I do everything right...yet my number still came up on the bad luck wheel.
I try to maintain a positive attitude in life and I love my airplane, but I think this will put me over the 100k mark spent on a Cherokee 140 (granted this includes some avionics and some interior work). In all the airplane buying stories, mine has got to be one of the worst stories there is, financially.
But, the only way forward is forward or else this is an 80k paper weight.
I’m looking at anywhere from 8k to 28k depending on whether we can weld repair the existing case or do a full on overhaul. The lower end of the range is manageable, the upper end will cause a bit of hardship as most people get the luxury of planning for their overhauls instead of getting blindsided..I thought mine was still 1,000 hours ahead of me.
Oh well. Life throws lemons. I’ve learned that in my years. Let’s see where this path leads from here....
I’ll post some pics when I get a chance, but from here, it seems that the next steps are to remove the engine and get it ready to move to a shop to tear down. Feels strange to type those words when the biggest attraction point of buying this airplane was the engine. Overhauled in 2009, 980 hours SMOH now after 200+ hours since I bought it. Religious about oil analysis, always run it weekly, I do everything right...yet my number still came up on the bad luck wheel.
I try to maintain a positive attitude in life and I love my airplane, but I think this will put me over the 100k mark spent on a Cherokee 140 (granted this includes some avionics and some interior work). In all the airplane buying stories, mine has got to be one of the worst stories there is, financially.
But, the only way forward is forward or else this is an 80k paper weight.
I’m looking at anywhere from 8k to 28k depending on whether we can weld repair the existing case or do a full on overhaul. The lower end of the range is manageable, the upper end will cause a bit of hardship as most people get the luxury of planning for their overhauls instead of getting blindsided..I thought mine was still 1,000 hours ahead of me.
Oh well. Life throws lemons. I’ve learned that in my years. Let’s see where this path leads from here....
