Posted for "Bill Harrelson" <n5zq@verizon.net>:

I gotta agree with Fred on this one. Here’s an oil pump housing taken from my
never-even-started Performance Engine IO-550. Several knowledgeable mechanics
who have looked at this estimated that the oil pump would likely have frozen
up. I have this, and several thousand dollars worth of other problems that
Monson won’t even answer the phone to discuss. Avoid Performance Engines.

Bill Harrelson
N5ZQ 320 2,150 hrs
N6ZQ  IV 0 hrs





      I know that everyone likes to jump on "Performance engines" but to be
fair,
      I have 280 hours on the Performance Engines TSIO-550 in my Super Legacy.
I
      have flown 7 race seasons at Reno with it and this year I was timed at
over
      370MPH. I have to give credit where credit is due.

      Lynn Farnsworth





      Performance Engines built their reputation preparing engines for Reno,
and I have no doubt that race engines were Ron Munson's great love.  Based on
that reputation, a lot of Lancair owners bought engines, but not for racing.
Munson shipped them junk.  

      At least a dozen engines have now ended up  with premature teardowns and
major assembly and machining errors, lots of premature crankcase cracks (where
do you suppose the crankcases came from?) and out of limits and ancient parts
like rocker arms with part numbers superceded in 1968.  Call the folks at
Barrett Precision Engines and listen to what they have  found.  I can tell you
what my engine shop found, and  it was beyond imagining.  

      It is lucky nobody has been killed so far, at least so far as we know.
And it can not be prosecuted because of the rules for "Experimental."  Trust
was given.  Trust was abused.  People were put at risk.

      You got a good one, Lynn, because you are a racer.   The rest of us were
defrauded and endangered.

      Fred Moreno