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Thread: Lycoming GO-435 Engines

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2018
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    1

    Angry Lycoming GO-435 Engines

    There was an article in the recent "Vintage Airplane" magazine that featured the Twin Bonanzas and discussed the engines that were in those aircraft. Specifically, the Lycoming GO-435 and GO-480 engines. I have a GO-435 B and desperately need to find a source of parts for it. My engine powers the Langhurst "Stuka". When I have contacted Lycoming to ask about work on this engine, they act like I have leprosy. The comments in this article were quite positive about this engine so I do not quite understand that attitude. Anyway...if anyone out there knows who I could contact to discuss what I need to support this engine, I would greatly appreciate it. Or...details about the GO-480 and what I would need to do to swap out.
    Thanks.

  2. #2
    FlyingRon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    NC26 (Catawba, NC)
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    El Reno Air Parts in El Reno, OK, was the biggest supplier of parts for the Gopher engines back when I still had one. I pretty much dumped all the accessories from mine on a fellow navion owner when I removed mine. The engines themselves aren't too bad but some of the accessories are real problematic. Ask El Reno about mags some time. I finally put "unapproved" mags on mine. The heavyweight Bendixes are impossible to find parts for, even the NOS coils tested bad half the time. The starter can also be a problem. There are modern alternator conversions however.

    Lycoming disavows all knowledge of the 435. They will barely acknowledge the 480. I've got a few Navion buddies that are still dealing with the 435 and 480 (some even like them).

    The advantage of the GOs is that the prop turns slower (77:120 in the case of my GO-435-C2), that bad news is that the increase in efficiency accounted for that is lost in the extra weight of the gearbox. Of course, you need to follow the general advice and be careful not to slam the gears and don't let the prop drive the engine on descents. In the end what killed mine was heat damage from crappy baffling design in my particular Navion (symmons downdraft box).

    G&N up in Gary, IN will inspect/overhaul the things (at least they did). They were the ones who tore mine down after the thing lunched a valve.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Mar 2018
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    1
    There are many GO-435 parts on Ebay, including exhaust valves and etc.

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