Pietenpol-List: Continentals
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 2:26 pm
Original Posted By: TGSTONE236(at)aol.com
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Continentals I don't know about other's experiences but in my 13 years of flying behind my zero-timed A-65 Continental I have had to do MANY thingsto keep it healthy but it has never skipped a beat or even coughed once.....thank God BUT the bottom line is that over the years I have hadto replaced warped exhaust valves, grind out of round exhaust gas valve seats, replace worn piston rings, and just last year had to hone allfour cylinders and replace all of my rings with new Chromoly rings to the tune of $600. (I originally had Chromolly rings during my MOH too).I've had to keep up with making sure the timing is correct and do normal maintenance like oil and screen changes/ cleanings, replace the foam/oilair filters, repair a cracked exhaust pipe with a new weld, re-torqe the prop as recommended with the manufacturers recommendations.I have had to remove the prop hub assembly and bead blast it, zinc chromate it, apply Continental Gold to it then clear coat it because it was startingto rust.All this to say that I only have 500 HOURS on that engine too so unless everyone else just has better luck with Continentals that I do, there's no wayI could ever imagine any of these little jewels running to 1500 hours without needing some care and attention. That's just my personal experience-your mileage may vary.Mike C.PS-but dollar for dollar I would much rather put my money on a Continental than into a Corvair which from what I'm hearing doesn't save you any realmoney over a Continental and in some cases costs more to do a top-notch overhaul with in the end.________________________________________________________________________________
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Continentals I don't know about other's experiences but in my 13 years of flying behind my zero-timed A-65 Continental I have had to do MANY thingsto keep it healthy but it has never skipped a beat or even coughed once.....thank God BUT the bottom line is that over the years I have hadto replaced warped exhaust valves, grind out of round exhaust gas valve seats, replace worn piston rings, and just last year had to hone allfour cylinders and replace all of my rings with new Chromoly rings to the tune of $600. (I originally had Chromolly rings during my MOH too).I've had to keep up with making sure the timing is correct and do normal maintenance like oil and screen changes/ cleanings, replace the foam/oilair filters, repair a cracked exhaust pipe with a new weld, re-torqe the prop as recommended with the manufacturers recommendations.I have had to remove the prop hub assembly and bead blast it, zinc chromate it, apply Continental Gold to it then clear coat it because it was startingto rust.All this to say that I only have 500 HOURS on that engine too so unless everyone else just has better luck with Continentals that I do, there's no wayI could ever imagine any of these little jewels running to 1500 hours without needing some care and attention. That's just my personal experience-your mileage may vary.Mike C.PS-but dollar for dollar I would much rather put my money on a Continental than into a Corvair which from what I'm hearing doesn't save you any realmoney over a Continental and in some cases costs more to do a top-notch overhaul with in the end.________________________________________________________________________________