Originally Posted by
CarlOrton
I don't recall ever hearing about someone wanting to know if the cam is corroded. That said, a pre-buy is an attempt for a qualified person to find something fairly obvious. You *could* theoretically pay 'way more than usual to pull off a jug and take a look inside. If the engine has sat for awhile (like years), I can see where you might do that before starting it just to make sure you don't scuff something valuable. Even if you find nothing, that doesn't mean you're in the clear. As an example, an alternator or starter motor could be perfect right now, and this afternoon short out. No way of knowing that off the cuff.
Then again, a seller may object to having a cylinder pulled. That just opens-up opportunities to drop something in the crankcase, scratch something, etc.
Since it flies fairly regularly, if it ran OK (obviously no misfire, stuck valve, etc) and developed the power it should (full static RPM on ground, normal performance in the air, no odd temps), you're probably good to go.