Cracked Engine Mount

Flocker

Flocker

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Flocker
Has anyone experienced this? We found one this morning on 1TA while doing some routine maintenance. Sounds like the engine will have to be pulled. What am I in for? Is there a repair for this or do we need a new mount. How many AMUs?
 
Flocker said:
Has anyone experienced this? We found one this morning on 1TA while doing some routine maintenance. Sounds like the engine will have to be pulled. What am I in for? Is there a repair for this or do we need a new mount. How many AMUs?
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It would be better if we know what aircraft?
 
It's a LSA. Have you experienced or heard of this? PS - We're still waiting to hear if it can be welded...
 
Flocker said:
It's a LSA. Have you experienced or heard of this? PS - We're still waiting to hear if it can be welded...
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There are dozens of different LSAs! Make, model, and type of engine? And many things can be welded, but if the unit is a few hundred bucks, get a new one.
 
Flocker said:
Have you experienced or heard of this?
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It's not uncommon. Since an LSA should,t be an issue to get repaired. Just be sure they maintain the alignment of the mount pads as they weld.
 
If you have an SLSA you will need the permission of the manufacturer to do this ... and depending on who that is your options might be limited to the $3400.00 range. :yikes:

Welding the mount can actually make the cracked area weaker as the heat stresses the metal at the edge of the weld. If welding is an option take the time to locate the best and most knowledgeable welder you can find. One thing I'd be curious about is why it cracked. It is rusted inside, was something rubbing against it to cause a wear spot, are you flying aerobatic routines in it regularly, is the crack at a joint, & can you replace the entire tube that's cracked?
 
Daleandee said:
If you have an SLSA you will need the permission of the manufacturer to do this ...
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Curious. It's my understanding if the OEM mx manual covers the repair no further authorization is required? Know of one similar SLSA repair that didn't need extra authorization.
 
Bell206 said:
Curious. It's my understanding if the OEM mx manual covers the repair no further authorization is required? Know of one similar SLSA repair that didn't need extra authorization.
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Maybe not. From what I understand it's the manufacturer's call as to what they will allow ... and how badly they may want to sell that $3400 part. If something should happen they are liable and they have no control over who does the repair and how well it's done.

Edit ... perhaps I should have said, "may need the manufacturer's permission."

ASTM standards require that all S-LSA have maintenance manuals. The maintenance manual must lay out what level of maintenance technician certification is required to do a particular task and provide detailed instruction to complete the task. If a task is not in the manual, you cannot complete it without special manufacturer authorization.
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From the article: http://www.aviatorshotline.com/content/slsa-major-repairs-alterations
 
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Daleandee said:
If you have an SLSA you will need the permission of the manufacturer to do this ... and depending on who that is your options might be limited to the $3400.00 range. :yikes:

Welding the mount can actually make the cracked area weaker as the heat stresses the metal at the edge of the weld. If welding is an option take the time to locate the best and most knowledgeable welder you can find. One thing I'd be curious about is why it cracked. It is rusted inside, was something rubbing against it to cause a wear spot, are you flying aerobatic routines in it regularly, is the crack at a joint, & can you replace the entire tube that's cracked?
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Good call on they why. How many hours on engine and airframe??? Any previous repairs or otherwise small crashes???
 
Daleandee said:
From what I understand it's the manufacturer's call as to what they will allow
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I believe it boils down to how the OEM determines what is a major or minor repair. In the TC world an engine mount repair is considered a major repair per Part 43. However in my limited LSA experience the consensus standard is not as defining and it falls to the OEM to determine that difference?
 
I believe I'd send the unit for repair, and rectified, too many times the job gets half done.

many times a new one is cheaper.
 
Bell206 said:
I believe it boils down to how the OEM determines what is a major or minor repair. In the TC world an engine mount repair is considered a major repair per Part 43. However in my limited LSA experience the consensus standard is not as defining and it falls to the OEM to determine that difference?
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It's the ASTM consensus standards thingy ...
 
Bell206 said:
However in my limited LSA experience the consensus standard is not as defining and it falls to the OEM to determine that difference?
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You got me as I don't really know the answer but there are reports of some pilots that own SLSA aircraft running into a wall with stuff like this. That's another reason that if I had an SLSA I would be greatly tempted to convert it to ELSA so I could bypass those kind of headaches. But doing that has it's own set of concerns.
 
Daleandee said:
You got me as I don't really know the answer but there are reports of some pilots that own SLSA aircraft running into a wall with stuff like this. That's another reason that if I had an SLSA I would be greatly tempted to convert it to ELSA so I could bypass those kind of headaches. But doing that has it's own set of concerns.
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I don't care what aircraft it is, It should be repaired correctly. and welding is only half the job.
 
Tom-D said:
I don't care what aircraft it is, It should be repaired correctly. and welding is only half the job.
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Please don't misconstrue what my reasoning is. If it were my plane I'd likely eat the $3400 and order a new mount as that's a real critical part of the airframe IMHO. But some guys are reporting that any change is really tough to get approved depending on what SLSA aircraft it is on. If it's an overseas model it can really get nightmarish.

But earlier I questioned welding it as a repair as a weld over a crack can be tough to execute correctly and I can almost understand a manufacturer not allowing it.
 
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