Lycoming O-360

The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 210 horsepower (109 to 158 kW). cite web|url = http://www.lycoming.com/engines/series/pdfs/360ci%20Engine%20Insert.pdf|title = 360 Series|accessdate = 2008-09-16|last = Lycoming |authorlink = |year = 2004]

Description

Displacement is 361 cubic inches (5.9 liters). Bore and stroke are 5.125 and 4.375 inches (130 and 111 mm) respectively. Many minor variations exist, but perhaps the most common is the "high-compression" versions O-360-A series. They have an 8.5:1 compression ratio and are nominally rated at 180 horsepower at 2700 rpm at sea-level. They were originally type certificated on a short-lived 91/96 octane aviation fuel, but now are generally required to burn 100LL aviation fuel. Some installations allow for the substitution of automotive gasoline of 91 or higher anti-knock-index (R+M)/2 rating.

A low-compression (7:1) version exists that nominally produces 168 horsepower at sea-level, but was installed in very few production aircraft. The O-360 is the slightly larger (identical bore, .5" stroked) version of the Lycoming O-320.

Nominal maximum continuous cruising power for the 180 hp version is 75%, which consumes approximately 9.5-10 gallons of fuel per hour, or approximately 34 to 36 Litres, depending on a number of circumstances.

The O-360 is generally considered to be quite reliable, with a typical TBO (Time Between Overhaul) of 2000 hours, though many have safely exceeded this number. They have been installed in thousands of aircraft including Cessna 172s, Piper Cherokees/Archers, Grumman Tigers, and many home-built aircraft.

IO-360

A fuel injected version known as IO-360 which produces 160 hp/180 hp is currently used in the Cessna 172R/172S and the Diamond DA40, although several other aircraft, including most Piper Arrows and some Mooney M20s, use 200 hp variants. The fuel injection system eliminates the risk of carburetor ice and requires a slightly different starting procedure than the carbureted version.

Variants

All engines will have an additional number following the "360" to indicate the specific configuration, based on the aircraft the engine is used on.
*O-360 - standard, direct-drive, normally aspirated engine, equipped with a carburetor
*IO-360 - Fuel injected version
*TIO-360 - Turbocharged, fuel injected version
*AEIO-360 - Injected version with an inverted oil system for use in aerobatic aircraft
*J2A - Thinner cylinder walls for weight and derated to 124 BHP for the Robinson R22 Beta II

pecifications (O-360-A)

pistonspecs

type=4-cylinder air-cooled horizontally opposed aircraft piston engine
bore=5.125 in (130 mm)
stroke=4.375 in (111 mm)
displacement=361 in³ (5.9 L)
length=
diameter=
width=
height=
weight=280 - 301 lb (127 - 137 kg)
valvetrain=
supercharger=
turbocharger=
fuelsystem=
fueltype=100LL avgas
oilsystem=
coolingsystem=Air-cooled
power=180 hp (135 kW) at 2,700 rpm at sea level
specpower=0.50 hp/in³ (22.9 kW/L)
compression=8.5:1
fuelcon=10 US gal (37.9 L/h) at 65% power, 10.5 USG (39.8L/h) at 75% power
specfuelcon=
oilcon=
power/weight=0.60 - 0.64 hp/lb (0.98 - 1.1 kW/kg)

References

External links

* [http://www.lycoming.textron.com/ Lycoming Homepage]