Quote:
Originally posted by rouxroux
The BIG problem with the Porsche engine was weight. 200# heavier than a similar Lycoming.
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Most of what I read says that the big problem was reliability and maintenance. Few of your
regular mechanics wanted to work on it.
IIRC, Porsche made an effort to buy back all of the PFMs in an effort to eliminate their liability.
EDIT: One AD, issued in 1999, covering all 3 variants of the PFM3200.
The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt Authority (LBA), which is the German airworthiness authority, recently notified the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that an unsafe condition may exist on certain Dr.Ing.h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft (Porsche) PFM3200N01, N02, and N03 reciprocating engines. The LBA advises that they have received reports of six cases of undetected fatigue failures of valve springs with one valve spring failure causing an in-flight engine failure that ended in an emergency landing. A metallurgical analysis determined that the relative motion between the valve spring and valve spring retainer will result in fatigue cracking of the valve spring and eventual failure of the spring. This condition, if not corrected, could result in an in-flight engine shutdown.