Going past 2000 hour TBO - what to look for

This conversation will definitely have people for or against TBO. Bottom line and depending where you live and what type of aircraft makes the choice either up to you or by your regulatory authority. 

I have friends and seen many over the years with 3K - 4K hours. There are engines all around the world that have more than 2K hours. If you do the normal prescribed maintenance and don't do bad things to it then it should last.

If things start to go bad and you're doing your duty as a mechanic then there are signs when things are't going well or starting to fail. Even all the "O" rings. They have symptoms i.e. leaking whether it's oil, fuel or air you should see these things if you're doing a good and proper inspection.

So every Rotax engine I have ever worked on I ALWAYS use the checklist out of the Line Maint. manual. This checklist and an airframe checklist goes to the customer. I fill it out and sign everything off. If I touch, tweak, torque or change something (i.e. plugs or oil, ect..) I annotate it in the margins. Plus some of the things they say only need to be done at 200 hours I do them anyway because I want to see trends or issues someone else missed which unfortunately happens way too often because people don't use checklist or they try and change something on the engine and think their smarter than Rotax. I do this for the engine and fuselage. I do an oil sample at each annual. Change the oil on a good regular interval. This is like the blood in your body. Disease it and you won't have a good life or die early. The electronics on the engine is like your nervous system in your body. Damage that and life isn't good.

So do the prescribed things and don't take shortcuts. Don't use aftermarket parts.

So an "on condition" inspection  as any inspection in the engine's life should follow the maint. checklist. If everything is good, you kept the carbs synced, did oil analysis and everything always looks good at each annual then I have no issues with on condition.

Bottom line is always be thorough. It's your life and your money. 

There’s a great webinar on this subject on the EAA website: 

https://www.eaa.org/videos/webinars/maintenance-and-inspection/6238916595001

You'll need an EAA membership to watch the video. Worth joining if you’re not already a member 

HI Mike

The FAA uses Advisory Circular (AC) 120-113, "Best Practices for Engine Time In Service Interval Extension," to provide guidance on extending Time Between Overhaul (TBO) intervals based on engine condition, including best practices for monitoring and determining engine health"

This is a must read if you are considering going beyond recommended TBO.  If you are already at TBO it is too late.  Planning and progressive monitoring should be started well before you hit that mark.  The AC is very detailed and shows best practice.  A lot depends on what your aircraft is flying under, certified or experimental, perhaps part 91?  This is covered in the AC as well.  The download from the FAA site is free.

Cheers

Mike...seems the copy paste jammed a few lines together...

The FAA uses Advisoruy Circular (AC) 120-113 "Best Practices for Engine Time n Servce Interval Extension" to provide guidance on extending Time Between Overhaul (TBO) intervalse based on engine conditon.  

Cheers

Sorry, but I am not sure have understood what is the topic we are discussing in this string. 

Are we discussing whether we can efficently and legally operate our engines behoynd the time limit of 15 years or else?

Best regards

Franco Ralli aerodrome of Belluno Italy