Big Problem With Our Cheap Cirrus SR20... Needs NEW ENGINE :(

Today we run into a major problem with our 2003 Cirrus SR20 G1. We bought the plane earlier this year, and flew it home 1000 miles to AZ. It was by far the cheapest Cirrus for sale in the world! Unfortunately Fish found some internal damage which will lead us to needing a full engine rebuild, or new engine. Was this unlucky or a blessing in disguise? We have removed the engine, and it is currently having a major full overhaul completed.

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[martinnjenga]

In Aviation Safety is everything, so nice you noticed that early enough.

[elrobo]

As a pilot and acft mechanic you did the right thing in bringing in an expert to look over the aircraft. Very smart!

[toppops]

I think you’re in a great position now because you have control over how you get the engine overhauled. Buying a plane someone else overhauled is risky. I bought my 182 with under 500 hrs since overhaul and still in calendar time. I didn’t know they had used AEC pistons instead of Continental pistons and lost the skirt off one. So it just sat in the engine getting ground into particles which eventually jammed the oil pressure relief valve open hence no oil pressure for 20-30mins (still had oil pumping) had two friends with me. Moral of the story is don’t skimp on parts in your engine USE GENUINE PARTS ONLY. Anyway safe flying and enjoy yourselves with your flying.

[JustSayNO]

This experience proves the adage: It is better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than to be in the air wishing you were on the ground.

Give Mike Busch a call ("Savvy Aviation"). All this is his specialty.

Your mechanic is stellar.

[TheRealSasquatch]

Your engineer may have saved your lives. He is evidently worth every penny and then some.

[FlyingAroundOz]

A friend of mine had a saying:
"There's nothing as expensive as a bargain."
In my experience, I've seen it again and again. There's a reason the seller was prepared to let it go for the price you paid.

[formulajunkie]

These guys are on a steep learning curve

[djs]

Fish is going to get even busier! He does a great job explaining.

I love the comment that he made about why he fixes them instead of owning. 😉👍

[gordonfeliciano]

Aviation is a whole new game. Reminds me of when my son and I bought our 77 Grumman Tiger back on November 6th, 2016. We purchased it for $40K. Less than a month later, we had to replace an old worn out flap motor after the flaps wouldn't retract on a flight. Another month later, some yahoo ran into our port side elevator while moving his aircraft on the ramp. Then our landing light burnt out and we replaced it with an LED version which ran us a couple hundred bucks, but no longer needs replacement until at least 10K hours. We also upgraded all of our NAV lights, strobes and tail beacon. Then our Garmin 430W had a bad flip flop switch, which required sending the unit into the factory for an overhaul which ran us $950 and change.

Since owning our Grumman, we've sunk over $20K in maintenance and improvements, the latest being a cockpit upgrade to replace old, broken instruments with new, digital glass instruments and the removal of our antiquated vacuum system. Our justification for spending the money is that we plan on owning the aircraft for many more years. My son got his private, instrument, commercial and, just recently, his CFI ratings all in the Tiger. It's been well worth the investment.

Good luck with your new engine overhaul and installation and also your flight training. Fly safe and fly often!

[pmhnic]

Sorry about the setback and appreciate you sharing the experience. Like you said, the money so put into the engine isn't money tossed but will increase the value of the plane accordingly.

[papalilburn]

Fish is obviously a very thorough, competent mechanic! Very wise choice!

[patrickmontie]

That’s an unfortunate lesson but it does highlight the importance of regular maintenance. If you have any vehicle with a motor the most important thing you can do is oil and filter changes!

[rotaryboots]

Just went through this on my Mooney M20J. Luckily we boroscoped the cylinders and up through the drain plug to see the cam. Saw the pitting and began the removal process.
Nothing more expensive to fly than a cheap airplane, but at least you'll know it's fresh and reliable when it's all repaired.

[mr.h.]

Start changing your own oil at 25 hours.
It’s that simple.
P.S. and save the money on fancy oils. Every 25 your fine with what I use.
Aero shell 100 in the summer and 80 in the winter. Also invest in a Tanis preheat system for cold mornings. Yes even in the hanger. An engine blanket too when you go somewhere. These little things will make a big difference. Not only in safety but your wallet as well.
Happy flying.
Aircraft owner for over 25 years. FYI

[moseskelly]

I am very thankful Jeffrey and Christian that you both were able to notice that something was wrong with the engine. That is most definitely a very important thing to get fixed and make sure that everything is done correctly. I'm glad that you both were able to get help and also get the information that you both needed. I know it's a lot of money however it's going towards great reasons.

[mrhkf]

I think you guys did great. Bought a good plane with a weak link (engine). Get the engine re-built and now you have peace of mind. You could have bought a newer plane but who knows what issues that engine carried.

[royhi]

The seller was honest.
At the price you bought it AND the new engine, prop and accessories, you are still way ahead.
Great buy!

[utahgflyer]

While it can be difficult to determine the condition of the cam and lifters you should consider what part of the country the plane has been living and how many hours it has been flown per year. A florida plane flown 20 hours a year will almost certainly have cam/lifter corrosion, a plane from Arizona being flown 400 hours a year almost certainly won't.

[rossrichardson]

When my O-360 A1A needed to be overhauled I chose to get a factory zero time engine. My AP/IA removed and replaced the engine. At the same time I had the wet vacuum pump overhauled and the C/S prop. Lot of firewall forward was cleaned up at the same time. Good luck.

[trilomann]

Something tells me the guy that sold this plane to you knew about this issue and here is why: When you do an oil change you have to remove and replace the oil filter but at the same time open the old oil filter and inspect the pleats for metal debris, the kind of pitting you see on the lifters aren't microscopic particles breaking off in normal wear and tear but nice big pieces. I doubt that a good mechanic would have missed seeing the metal debris on the oil filter pleats and not report it to the owner, most mechanics out there know what they are doing. Having said that, I am glad you found someone with a trained eye helping you with the pains of aircraft ownership. Obviously there are a ton more factors involved but this is just one thing I thought of right away when I saw the pitting.