New TCM Service Bulletin

Now Continental wants you to borescope the cylinders at annual. I can here the prosecuting attorney asking "Mr. Pierce why didn't you borescope the cylinders?" Oh boy. Can you say liability?

AFFECTED: All Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) engine models.
F.A.A. Advisory Circular (AC) 43.13-1. Chapter 8, Section 1, paragraph 8-1 states; ? Consult the
manufacturer?s manuals, service bulletins and instruction books regarding the repair and overhaul, inspection,
installation, and maintenance of aircraft engines, for that particular make, model and type of engine. This
section lists acceptable inspection and repair procedures that may be used in the absence of an engine
manufacturer?s maintenance information.? The following procedures are to be used as the standard for
performing a cylinder differential pressure test on all TCM engines. Reference 14 CFR Part 43.13.
A. CYLINDER CONDITION DISCUSSION
The cylinder differential pressure test has become a widely used method of assisting in determining the
internal condition of cylinders and cylinder components. As with any test or inspection the cylinder
differential pressure test has certain limitations that necessitate its use in conjunction with other non-invasive
inspections. TCM requires a cylinder borescope inspection be accomplished in conjunction with the
differential pressure test.

It will probably get worse as Lycoming is sure to follow. To paraphrase you, they can ill afford to have an attourney say: "Continental requires borescope inspections of their engines as mandatory for return to service, in light of your recent engine failure resulting in fatalaties, don't you think it wise now to have prescribed the same?"

Get out your wallet to buy a borescope machine, and everyone else will have to get out their wallets to pay for higher annual costs and meanwhile flying becomes more and more the boutique hobby of the super rich . . .

Gone are the days when a kid (me) could save lawn-mower money for lessons. Very troubling.

Matt

C'mon, guys. You don't already look in the cylinder when the plugs are pulled? It's not that big a of deal. Besides, ECI and Superior want the cylinder busness anyway. OEM cylinders must not be as good as the adds say.
SB

bummer

I just spent an hour writing a post...and when I tried to submit it...I got the message "invalid session"
Anybody else having this trouble?
Randy

Randy,

I've had the problem numerous times in the past. I don't know what the problem is. Gets kind of discouraging when you have something to say and spend some time getting it "right". Then you get the invalid session message.

Steve can you give us some idea what we are doing wrong?

Also this needs to move to the Website Q&A section

John Scott

I look in the cylinder with a bend-a-light at inspection time. I also do regular oil analysis, cut open filters, check suction screens and other preventive maintenance to ensure the health of the engine. I think the manufacture is putting the monkey on the mechanics back. It is the manufacturers responsibility to manufacture a quality reliable product and to support it. It is the mechanics responsibility to maintain the engine in an airworthy condition and the pilots to operate it accordingly and to see that maintenance is done when needed.

I resent TCM telling me I must borescope an engine. I can spend the money of a good borescope on an English Wheel, planishing hammer some concrete for in front of the hanger, a lathe and on and on.

I was involved in a lawsuit involving a Cessna 180. I hope never to have to go thru that again. It doesn't matter what the truth is it matters who can manipulate a jury the best. Said airplane was awarded back to my customer after sitting for 3 years in a wet enviroment. We flew the aircraft cautiously, did oil analysis and checked the screen. After two worsening oil analysis I removed a cylinder and found gaulded lifters and cam lobes. I guess with a borescope I could have seen it before pulling the cylinder but the final results were the same. I guess it is time to get out of maintenance all together or go to work at a big shop with a large insurance policy.

I forgot to add in my post above: "in light of your recent engine failure which resulted in fatalities . . ." -- that the engine failure was the result of Peter Pilot hitting a mountain, running into a ditch, etc. But the former statement is exactly the way a lawyer will present it in court -- Lycoming's put a faulty product on the plane which failed . . . no mention of tangled powerlines, flying while drunk, illegal IFR, etc. etc. etc.

Steve,
What is the definition of "cylinder borescope inspection?" My guess is this is TCM covering their butts with the cylinder hone/compression issue. For those that don't fly big Continentals, the factory cylinders were wearing out from (TCM's words) the rings not allowing sufficient oil to stay on the bores. They changed their hone pattern, and now the compression numbers are all over the board. A friend of mine had a 206 cylinder on a factory reman drop to 46/80. When he called for warranty he was told 46 lbs. was acceptable, that compression numbers were misunderstood and were not the only indication of a cylinder's capacity to make power. Tell enough 135 operators that story and THEY call lawyers. TCM has been wishy-washy on the cylinder issue for years.
SB

By the way, before ECI and Superior got into the cylinder business, TCM's performance was mediocre and the warranty was awful. Aftermarket mfgrs. raised the bar on quality, performance, and warranty. TCM is having a hard time keeping up. Life was so much easier for them when they had a monopoly.

flagold said:

I forgot to add in my post above: "in light of your recent engine failure which resulted in fatalities . . ." -- that the engine failure was the result of Peter Pilot hitting a mountain, running into a ditch, etc. But the former statement is exactly the way a lawyer will present it in court -- Lycoming's put a faulty product on the plane which failed . . . no mention of tangled powerlines, flying while drunk, illegal IFR, etc. etc. etc.

Click to expand...

Matt,

Any good lawyer knows that if you borescope the cylinders (or do whatever the mechanic, manufacturer, or whoever is being sued) the pilot would never have continued VFR into IMC, stalled on takeoff after not deicing his plane properly, etc... and they present their case so eloquently that the jury (who obviously knows nothing about aircraft, aviation, etc) will surely do their "civic duty" and award a few million dollars, and bring the cost of flying up for the rest of us. As a side note MAYBE PLANES THAT HAVE THEIR CYLINDERS BORESCOPED AT ANNUAL POSE LESS OF A SECURITY RISK TO CHICAGO good thing daly isn't taking any chances

Bill

SB, They go so far as to call out which borescope to use and everything. They give pictures of what the cylinders should and shouldn't look like. I agree with you. I have changed many a big bore TCM cylinder that was showing compression in the 40s and below that had worn the choke clean out. They didn't meet spec when the bores were mic'd but sure looked good. If I had gone by their criteria the cylinder would still be on the plane worn out or not.

Steve,
Remember when TCM added the "best warranty in the business?" It required so much of the owners nobody really participated. Baffle inspections, oil analysis, visual inspection, etc. Seems to me they've found a way to force the issue, via mechanics. The bottom line is that they published so many policy statements that they look stupid. Now, it's the owner and mechanics that have to deal with their crap, again! Like I've said before, I wouldn't buy another factory engine unless I absolutely had to. I don't envy the expense TCM endured for the crank fiasco, which I was subjected to TWICE. But, if the quality was there, they wouldn't have had to pony up. Same goes for their cylinders. I could go on about my experiences with IO-360's (TCM) as well. My lawyer had to fix that one. Factory engines aren't expensive because of lawyers. It's all the postage they have to buy to send AD notices and Manditory Service Bulletins.
SB

I know what you mean. I remember the Top Care Program. I had to pull a jug off of one to tell them what crank it had in it because their records didn't tell. My Dad is retired from Diseal Recon a devision of Cummins Engine Co. They rebuild Cummins, Dodge and several other engines direct for the manufacturer. He said they had better records than it appears TCM does. I'm glad I own 4 cylinder Lycomings. At least there are enough aftermarket parts you can find just about anything you need. TCM can put you over a barrel. Only thing I have to do with TCM is a couple of PA18-95s (L18C) thank God.

As a side note MAYBE PLANES THAT HAVE THEIR CYLINDERS BORESCOPED AT ANNUAL POSE LESS OF A SECURITY RISK TO CHICAGO good thing daly isn't taking any chances

Bill -- I do like your style! Ever think of going into politics?

Funny all the politicians are busy banning small planes from this or that, and a small plane has yet to kill anybody . . . The one kid that did fly a small plane into a buiding (Tampa) took out (count em') ONE pane of glass! And while the feds continue to take the rights of us Husky and Cub drivers away, I can assure you the terrorist pilots are right now flying in and out of the country and scoping out the next targets in private business jets as large as 727 and 737 (worked on many of them converted to arab biz jets). At the right moment, I fully expect one of those whoppers, or a GII-IV slamming into something. The result -- they'll probably ground our Huskies, SuperCubs, and the like completely . . . We'll all FEEL safe then.
Matt

flagold said:

Bill -- I do like your style! Ever think of going into politics?

Click to expand...

THought about it...I think I will stick to mining and flying. (Although, political science is an easy major hmmmm....) Rocks don't make me mad the way so many politicians do. Besides with those two professions I get to play with politics all the time...What fun!!! Besides with politics you actually have to talk to people, as it is right now...everyone thinks I am just a crazy grizzled "old" (21 year old) miner. and that is the way it should be

Bill

A miner eh? Check this out: http://www.golddredger.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi

Matt

Steve:
I looked for the new TCM Bulletins, can't find it. Whats the number?
Thanks.

Service Bulletin SB03-3 dated 3-28-03. Supercedes M84-15.

Register at this link with a TCM model and serial number and get all TCM stuff online.

http://www.tcmlink.com/aviator/aboutaviator.html