Maintenance & Avionics - Breaking in Continental O-200A - (2024)

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Zorg

04-Nov-18 15:14

01

I finally got the top overhaul (1) of my Continental O-200A done (new cylinders, pistons, valves, …) and am now breaking in the engine.

I did two test flights of 1 hour each. I didn’t get any instructions by the engine or repair shop, and unfortunately I don’t have the operator’s or maintenance manual for the O-200.

Did I do this right?

  • Using mineral oil
  • Prolonged cruise flight at 2500-2600 rpm; with some leaning even below 3000 ft altitude
  • Some leaning on ground
  • Short descend and taxiing
  • Let run for a minute to cool down before shutting down

Also, unfortunately, I leaned a little on take-off and the brief climb (2-3 minutes) — that shouldn’t be a problem for the break-in, right?

Thanks,

Michael

(1) See this thread for background info.

Last Edited by Zorg at 04 Nov 15:16

Zorg

LFHN, LSGP, LFHM

Maoraigh

04-Nov-18 19:25

02

After a recondition, and again after a top overhaul with 2 new piston-cylinder kits, from memory, I was told to take-off, climb at a shallow angle at high cruise revs, and fly at 3000’ for as long as I could, watching the oil temperature – the only temp gauge on our O200.
Straight oil. There was a little ground running to test, but for the first flight it was as little time on ground as possible.

Peter

04-Nov-18 21:30

03

The current Lyco break-in instructions are here.

These should be followed, because if you glaze a cylinder (even just one) you will be looking at a high oil consumption for perhaps well past 100hrs; in some reported cases indefinitely until the cylinders are removed and re-honed. Here is a thread on a possible solution to glazing, but it is really for the brave Maintenance & Avionics - Breaking in Continental O-200A - (4)

Peter

Administrator

Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Zorg

05-Nov-18 11:45

04

And how important are the first 1-2 hours vs. the following 10-15 hours for the break-in?

In hindsight, I probably didn’t follow the instructions perfectly during these first two flight hours (climbed pretty steeply for about 5-10 minutes with some leaning / used 2500-2550 rpm in cruise, which might be a little too low / needed to taxi 10 minutes longer than ideal for get fuel).

Could this already affect break-in?

Zorg

LFHN, LSGP, LFHM

Peter

05-Nov-18 11:52

05

It is critical that the first 1-2hrs are flown at a high power, as specified.

If you fly it at say 50-60% then you will glaze cylinders. Don’t ask me how I know Maintenance & Avionics - Breaking in Continental O-200A - (7) For a non-turbo engine, it means no Eurocontrol IFR flights because FL080+ means too-low power.

Peter

Administrator

Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

terbang

05-Nov-18 11:59

06

The relevant Continental SB is here: M89-7R1
It only requires 1h at 75% and 24h more at the 65/75% mix just as the Lyco version does. Otherwise they are very similar.

terbang

EDFM (Mannheim), Germany

Zorg

05-Nov-18 12:27

07

Any idea how much power is 2550 rpm corresponds to for the O-200A at 2500 ft and 10 degrees C? (I have a climb prop, so speed is only 185 km/h at that rpm with my Jodel.)

Zorg

LFHN, LSGP, LFHM

Mooney_Driver

05-Nov-18 14:00

08

looks pretty much ok what you did. The important bit is not to baby the engine but to fly high cruise, which in the case of a O200 mostly means full throttle. Thereafter 75% for the first hours till the 1st oil change.

Mooney_Driver

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Zorg

05-Nov-18 15:55

09

Honestly I don’t know whether it was that good.

In the first operating hour:

  • The mechanic told me that he did a short (15 minute or so) test flight after finishing his work.
  • Then we did another flight for 20 minutes together, but we spent probably 10 minutes testing / taxiing.
  • Then I did another 10-minute flight.

So in the first operating hour, about half an hour was probably spent taxiing or in low-rpm descent. :(

Sorry if I sound like I’m going a bit crazy on these datails, but I’m honestly quite traumatized from all the trouble I had with this airplane since the day I bought it. (And I spent about the purchase price just in fixing it up.)

I would hate to have a failed break-in out of ignorance / lack of instructions / stupidity.

I’m also very surprised that the first 1-2 hours are crucial for the break-in. Why is that the case? I thought it was a 25-50 hour process …

Last Edited by Zorg at 05 Nov 16:00

Zorg

LFHN, LSGP, LFHM

Airborne_Again

05-Nov-18 16:59

10

Zorg wrote:

I’m also very surprised that the first 1-2 hours are crucial for the break-in. Why is that the case? I thought it was a 25-50 hour process

As far as I understand the first few hours are the really critical ones. My club did the break-in of two Lycoming engines this year. Lycoming’s Service Instructions call for high and alternating power settings the first 2-3 hours, including 30 minutes at full throttle. After that, the engine should be run at 65-75% power “until oil consumption has stabilised”. There is no mention of 25 or 50 hours, but it is not so easy to determine exactly when “oil consumption has stabilised”. I guess the recommendation of operating at 65-75% for 25 or even 50 hours is to make absolutely certain that oil consumption has become stable. On the advise of the CAMO, we ended the break-in period on one of the engines after about 30 hours with no ill effect.

Airborne_Again

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

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Maintenance & Avionics - Breaking in Continental O-200A - (2024)

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