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Are the engine overhaul rules that much different in Canada? Here in the US, any A&P can overhaul an engine. The engine manufacturer specifies what must be done to call it an overhaul, not the FAA. Just like anything else, some overhaulers do the bare minumum (service limits on everything with a wear limit, rebuilt/reconditioned cylinders, accessories, etc) while others do a more comprehensive (i.e. expensive) overhaul to new limits with new cylinders and accessories--the sky's the limit. I've seen some shadetree mechanics do fantastic work and I've seen some "approved facilities" do less than fantastic work. It really pays to do research and get it down in writing what was done in an overhaul to determine what was done beyond the minimums specified by the manufacturer.

No worries Carl - gimme bad news now rather than bad news when I own one. [color:"blue"]Re: title search -- I've gone to the "Hangar" part of the club site...I didn't see anything - should I request a CD from the FAA?[/color]

[color:"blue"]Lionel - Can you expand on what "details on engine overhaul" is?[/color] My first guess is the detailed invoice on what exactly was done to the engine and by whom...but I'll leave the guessing for game shows.

If you want to pursue it, yes, get the FAA CD. It will show previous registered owners, liens, any form 337's filed, and other information that you may find useful. For only us$10, it's good insurance.

Check the engine logs for "yellow tags", the FAA form 8100's that come with new and reconditioned parts. These aren't required to be included, as just a sign-off will suffice, but most mechanics will leave them in the logs, or include them in other aircraft records. The more detailed the records, the more confident you can be, but anything "missing" can be missing for a reason.

If all you find is a rubber stamped sign-off, it doesn't mean there are problems, but you can't eliminate them, either.

Complete logs since new is a plus, but complete logs since overhaul are mandatory. There should be some way to verify total times and events, and of course, any serial numbers listed must match what's installed in the plane.

Rob, perhaps Matt would send you a copy of the Overhaul records for inspection by your A/P to make sure it works within the Canadian guidelines. You should ask him. If he is reluctant to share that information then its time to move on to the next aircraft.

Tim,, in quite a few cases, they will not accept a field overhaul by a AME.. The best bet,, is to consult an inspector from transport Canada,, let's just say if they don't accept it,, it would be rather surprissing when someone does an import and they don't accept it.. Another example,, In the US, my Garmin 300 was approved for IFR, It has everything connected to it that it should,, but here in Canada,, not approved. Unless I applied for a 1 of approval,, and that's expensive, so guess what,, it's now VFR only.

Matt was very quick with his response. He sent me photos of the engine & AF logbooks that pertain to the O/H.

The file is too big now...I'll see if I can resize it and post it later.

The engine was done in June 1, 1997. There is a stamp that the AME signed to verify the engine was now at zero time. here's some of the entry

[color:"blue"](1) Overhauled engine this date (2) New parts used were crankshaft p/n #, main bearings p/n #, front bearings, oil pump gear, oil pump cover, oil pump bolt and washers, oil pressure releif valve, superior cylinders and rings, overhaul gasket kit, connecting rod bolts (3) overhauld parts were connecting rods rebushed, camshaft reground & nitrited, rocker arm assys rebushed & faced, tappet assemblies refaced (4) Case overhauled by Durco Inc (5) Overhauled IAW Continental O/H manual (6) Installed 6 qts mineral oil[/color]

There's nothing there on what company actually did the O/H. How the heck do I know this has been done "well"?

My thoughts, Rob? By the specifications previously given, the engine has flown 440 hours. If there was anything wrong with the engine solely due to the overhaul, it would have shown up long before now!

Lionel,
That's interesting. Here in the States, an overhaul is not mandated/required for Part 91 operators so the FAA really doesn't care--one can fly an engine forever and just repair as necessary as time goes on without ever doing a complete overhaul. As for the IFR GPS approval, what does Canada require that goes beyond what the FAA requires? Is it just the cost of the paperwork? I can't imagine anything more needing to be done.

Rob,, on mine, when the engine was torn down and parts sent out, I've got these little pink tabs or yellow tags indicating who did what, and what was done was done. He may have those,, given the info you have, get friendly with a someone at Civil aviation in Ontario and discuss this with him,, If he can't answer the questions he'll pass you on to someone that can, Right now, it sort looks like the way my engine was overhauled,, and mine did meet the criteria,, follow it up though,,

I'm inclined to agree with Bill! While the company name was a red flag for me, the sign-off looks good, and if anything was done wrong during the overhaul, the engine wouldn't have made it this long.

Google the mechanics name, and see what pops up aviation related!