Thanks: 
Likes: When was this? Had LyCon do a prop strike inspection which we turned into an overhaul and some enhancements and was delivered on time. I do have a good repor with them.Originally Posted by supercub
When was this? Had LyCon do a prop strike inspection which we turned into an overhaul and some enhancements and was delivered on time. I do have a good repor with them.
Mostly in the last year or so. My personal experience was last fall and winter. A very well known shop in the area that has been in business for 40 plus years, and has dealt with Lycon for years with very good results has had the same experience. In fact the owner told me he was switching to another shop to send his engine work to. Not because of qulaity so much but because of lack of communication and extreme times.
Last edited by supercub; 08-05-2018 at 05:24 PM.
sounds like they are just good busy....
That they are. Ken works 7 days a week.
I think that is part of the problem, but with over 27 documented times I was told they would call me back either that day or the next day with information and no phone calls, and then waiting at least 2 days to call, and still not having answer and this going on for months, and then work being performed that was not authorized. This goes well beyond just "being busy" and like I said, I've talked to at least 6 different individuals that have had similar problems recently, plus one very well know shop in my area. I was warned, but brushed it off, because of previous reputation and experiences I was aware of. Never again. I hope you have better experience then I and others that I've talked to recently have had.
I’ve been known to block calls from my customers, so I can get their work done. And if that don’t work throw their project out and let them go annoy someone else
Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
BlueFox thanked for this post
Maybe it's because they became a "name brand" shop.
That tends to make some folks prima donnas.
Cessna Skywagon-- accept no substitute!
Have never felt like LyCon was a name brand shop.
In 2012 we put a factory new IO-550 in a A36 banana that I fly. 447 hrs later not a single cylinder would hold 50psi and 2 we’re close to 0 and 2 we’re low 30s. We pulled them all and exhaust and intake valves had .010 stem wear and at least that much guide wear. 3 different shops told me I was lucky getting that much time as they had lots of them in for repairs with less than 300 hrs TTSN.
Continental wouldn’t cop to any issues and the warranty was out by calendar so we sent them to Greeley Co. and Joe put superior parts in the heads and it has been great ever since.
Dave
Just an update: took about six months from deposit to engine arrival w/Ly-Con
BlueFox liked this post
PPonk by LyCon is running great thus far (170 hours). Dyno’d over 300 and very smooth.
It’s been five months waiting on them to inspect my core and release the $2,000 advance build charge if all is well. Great engine; subpar customer service. Perils of high demand?
Last edited by JohnnyR; 10-17-2019 at 06:46 PM. Reason: Spellcheck went crazy on me
Just an update on this PPonk build- we had to pull all six cylinders in July 2022 and rebore/replace the valve guides to straighten them, as they were deemed to be off-axis and causing hyper-accelerated wear. Rocker arms and valves had to be replaced as well due to wear. Manifested in leaking valves of two cyl at 200 hrs, then same two LyCon-“repaired” cylinders plus others started leaking 200 hrs later.
It was a real fight to get any relief from LyCon and formal threat of legal action was what finally tipped the scale. We ended up having the work done by an independent specialist, who had to do some fancy machining to get the cylinders back into spec.
My recommendation for ANY engine build would be to get in writing that guides, etc are all installed within manufacturer spec’d tolerances. It is likely that many builders rely on manufacturers or parts overhaulers/suppliers to do their confirmation checks for them and neglect to do things like measure insert angles, etc. Complacency can rear its head in a busy environment.
Prices have continued to go way, way up. It's now time for my Northpoint 470-50 with high compression pistons to go on my '55 180. I elected to start with a Continental factory reman tsio-520. MT prop is delivered and sitting on the shop floor. Sorting out engine mount, exhaust, cowling, airbox, and cabin vent inlet issues. Big bucks, praying for no whammies. I don't want to jynx myself too much. This has been a hell of a year for me and my plane. When it's in and done, I'll maybe tell the story (stories). Maybe... if I'm not too busy out flying.
Johnny, the worn valve guides are likely the symptom, not the problem. Big bore Continentals are famous for poor rocker arm geometry and that leads to early valve guide wear. If the plane is in AK? Take it to AK Aircraft Engines at Merrill Field. They know how to fix the problem. Send me an email if you’d like to discuss.
SB
Speaking of geometry, I have always wondered why there was not an STC for the Lyc 540 in the 180/185's. It's a great engine. I assume it just would not fit or require too much change to the engine mount / cowling, but really don't know!
sj
"Often Mistaken, but Never in Doubt"
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Turbo Tech had an STC for a 350hp TSIO-540 in Skywagons. Step on up.
that would be a big step! Especially $$$$ wise I suspect.
sj
"Often Mistaken, but Never in Doubt"
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Build a Cyclone. Put a Navajo engine on it. Simple. All but the math.
A local attorney has a Lyc in his C-185. MTV may know more about that modded plane?
Gary
Thanks, Stewart.
Yes, you’re right - geometry was the factor. Once we corrected the valve guide angle by reboring and resleeving guides on proper X/Y axes, all the rest lined up and the faces are now hitting properly. Essentially the guides were off center.
Joe’s plane has the Turbo Tech conversion. I’m not sure that STC is still available. But as noted, bring money…..
MTV
Had a handful of conti's with bad geometry come through this year. One of them a 150 hour top with slap worn out rockers and another made it to 400. You can physically see it side loading when it's not right.
My airport partner had that conversion in his 185 on amphibs. Lot's of power however........ it was very nose heavy, unstable and very thirsty. Also when taking off using the manually controlled turbo...the turbo wouldn't come up to speed until the plane was up to take off speed. We altered the turbo control to be automatic which automatically got the turbo up to speed prior to pushing the throttle. Even if that STC is still available and you can have someone give you an engine for free I do not recommend anyone use it. Last I checked, that engine was over $100g.
I think Turbo Tech also had a naturally aspirated 0-540 conversion, but I never saw one.
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