Up Creek Without a Paddle??

[EngineProblems]

So the engine on my old PA-28 has run its course and is starting to make major metal. My new mechanic, switched shops, recommended a rebuilt engine and I started the process.

Well....

He discovered the Data Plate was defaced by a mechanic 25 years ago who did an engine swap. The Model ID had been removed but everything else is present including the serial number. Apparently, the engine was pulled from a crashed aircraft, overhauled, variant changed, and placed on my aircraft. The mechanic is worried Lycoming will reject the core exchange as well as getting the FAA involved for a tampered Data Plate.

This started the mechanic on a hunt and he found that the last several annuals were competed by a non IA as a 100hr and pencil whipped by a IA as a separate sign off entry. Which explains why we found several items lose in the cowling or not fixed.

What’s my options and should I be worried?

 

[Juliet Hotel]

Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like your options are to fix the discrepancies and get the airplane in annual.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Personally, I wouldn’t worry about the annuals...you’ve got an IA signature in the logs stating that the annuals were completed.

I also wouldn’t worry about the manufacturer calling the FAA on the data plate.

Your primary concern, in my mind, is core value. I can’t imagine that being based purely on a data plate, but I’ve never dealt with that.

 

[Doc Holliday]

The only annual signoff that counts is the current one. You're not required to keep outdated inspection signoffs as part of the record.

 

[EngineProblems]

Personally, I wouldn’t worry about the annuals...you’ve got an IA signature in the logs stating that the annuals were completed.

I also wouldn’t worry about the manufacturer calling the FAA on the data plate.

Your primary concern, in my mind, is core value. I can’t imagine that being based purely on a data plate, but I’ve never dealt with that.

The annual issues are getting taking care of as that’s the easy part

The worry is the engine. It’s will Lycoming balk at not accepting the core back and now we’re paying an extra 17k and is the Data Plate a big deal with the FAA.

The mechanic back off the engine as soon as he saw the issue and said it needed to get rectified with Lycoming before he’d touch it. He said it should have been caught every year for the last 25 years.

 

[Bell206]

He discovered the Data Plate was defaced by a mechanic 25 years ago who did an engine swap.

FYI: While I don't know if the word "defaced" is correct, but when a serialized component like an engine is legally altered/modified in the field there usually is a requirement to modify the data plate as well. Have remarked/modified dozens of data plates in the course of mx over the years, all in accordance to the OEMs documents. And since it appears you have a solid understanding of the the aircraft history, I would verify that the engine variant was not changed per an OEM bulletin before reading too much into this. Some variant changes are minimal and easily performed in the field per the proper paperwork.

 

[Morgan3820]

Swap out the wrong engine for an appropriate variant. Sell the wrong engine and get what you can. Find an engine of the correct variant. Install/ overhaul the new engine. I don’t see any other way.

 

[Hang 4]

Why not just ask Lycoming? They will either take it or not. They're not going to talk to the FAA based on a phone call. If you want to "ask for a friend", just use your junk mail email address and don't use the serial #.
I thought Lycoming just used cores for parts for their zero time engines, which I would assume get a new serial #/Data plate.

 

[MauleSkinner]

The worry is the engine. It’s will Lycoming balk at not accepting the core back and now we’re paying an extra 17k and is the Data Plate a big deal with the FAA.

The mechanic back off the engine as soon as he saw the issue and said it needed to get rectified with Lycoming before he’d touch it. He said it should have been caught every year for the last 25 years.

Per @Bell206 post and your OP, it sounds like the engine was taken from another airplane, legally modified to the variant required for your airplane, the data plate altered accordingly (and correctly), and the engine properly installed.

 

[frfly172]

Go to the source and ask lycoming what their policy is.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Go to the source and ask lycoming what their policy is.

If, in fact, this is all on the up-and-up, I’d question the mechanic’s ability to communicate the situation to Lycoming.

 

[MarkH]

How long have you owned the plane, and how many hours have you flown on it?

How much do you fly every year?

Where is the metal coming from in the failed engine?

 

[PiperW]

If the data plate is not the original plate, you could have issues but it does Sound like the history of the core is known so you should be okay. That is worth thousands of dollars in savings for an exchange.

...big items outside the engine is normally ADs. Your mechanic will verify if they were done properly and if not signed off by a Certified AI mechanic may have issues but they were signed off by an IA.

find another mechanic.

 

[GRG55]

So the engine on my old PA-28 has run its course and is starting to make major metal. My new mechanic, switched shops, recommended a rebuilt engine and I started the process.

Well....

He discovered the Data Plate was defaced by a mechanic 25 years ago who did an engine swap. The Model ID had been removed but everything else is present including the serial number. Apparently, the engine was pulled from a crashed aircraft, overhauled, variant changed, and placed on my aircraft. The mechanic is worried Lycoming will reject the core exchange as well as getting the FAA involved for a tampered Data Plate.

This started the mechanic on a hunt and he found that the last several annuals were competed by a non IA as a 100hr and pencil whipped by a IA as a separate sign off entry. Which explains why we found several items lose in the cowling or not fixed.

What’s my options and should I be worried?

Lots of 150 hp Cherokees out there that have had the engines upgraded to 160 hp on overhaul.
Wouldn't all of these have had to have the model variant re-stamped on the data plate?

 

[schmookeeg]

We have had lycoming replace a missing data plate after raising hell with them. They realllllly don't want to do it, but they will.

Since you have the old data plate and it's clearly for that engine, you could call and ask about swapping it. Then this concern disappears?

 

[Zeldman]

 

[DFH65]

What is the concern with the data plate? Is it unreadable? Was it altered? If the issue is that it is unreadable I am sure there are places you can send the data plate to get it acid etched. I know they do that with goose leg bands that are worn out to find out the number.

I would start by calling Lycoming to start.

 

[guzziguy]

Aren't data plates replaced when the OH shop OH's the engine? If this is the case, I can't see this being an issue with Lyc.

 

[Bell206]

Aren't data plates replaced when the OH shop OH's the engine?

No. Only the OEM or in some cases the FAA can replace/alter or authorize the replacement/alteration of a data plate. An overhaul doesn't reach that level in most cases.

 

[guzziguy]

AH. TY