Hello: Considering SR22 but hearing concerning info about lifter shaffing or whatever is happening. More information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Joey Gainer
AngelsAviation
704.902.6255
If you are seriously considering a Cirrus, join COPA for $50 dollars and do a search on lifters. There has been a lot of discussion regarding lifter spalling on that forum.
More directly to the point, are you considering a new or used Cirrus? SR20 or 22?
The lifter spalling issue, at least to my knowledge, does not seem to affect 20s, only 22s.
If you are buying a new SR22, add some language to the purchase agreement that puts Cirrus on the hook if this problem occurs on your plane in a reasonable time frame, say 5 years or so. Buy as much engine warranty as you can get.
If you are considering a used SR22, make a lifter inspection part of your pre-buy inspection (which should be the same as an annual inspection).
Either way do the following. Follow the TCM TopCare procedures to extend your engine warranty. Do the lifter inspection (should be about $490) at every annual. Perform detailed oil filter analysis at every oil change. Details are in the member forum.
If you consider buying any other plane based on the Continental IO550, I would follow the same recommendations.
All of the above is just my opinion. My wife and I own an SR22, we did the inspection, we found problems. Our oil analysis was normal. There were no problem symptoms. Our engine had to be removed and sent back to TCM for repair. I am damn glad that I did the inspection while the plane was still under warranty as the cost out of warranty would have been close to that of a new engine.
My COPA membership has paid for itself many times over. In this one instance alone, the recommendations on this forum saved me from an engine out landing and a minimum $26,000 repair bill.
Despite all of this we still love our SR22.
Join COPA (or the owners organization for whatever plane you buy).
–Galvin
In reply to:
If you are seriously considering a Cirrus, join COPA for $50 dollars and do a search on lifters…
My COPA membership has paid for itself many times over…
Join COPA (or the owners organization for whatever plane you buy)…
John,
Of course, I agree that COPA membership makes sense, but… Joey is a COPA member.
Joey, John’s advice to search the Member Discussion forum is good; there’s a lot of information there. If you’d to discuss the issue, email me at mike@radomsky.org.
- Mike.
It did not even occur to me that a member would ask that question in the public section. Of course I did not even bother to look for the member icon. Oh well. Of course, I didn’t consider the audience for my reply to be limited to just the person who posed the original question either.
–Galvin