I have a new O.S. .46 LA Engine I am going to put on my GP-40 MKII Trainer. I was just wondering what the average life expectancy is for an engine of this type?

Thanks,
Denny

Im sorry to be the one to tell you but the LA serie is not the longest lasting engines out there. But a well cared engine will last hondreds of hours of use.

especially considering that the backplate is made of plastic!! [&:][:'(]

a well kept engine though will last you many good seasons of flying

i have a Super tigre .34 which is a good 4 years old, shes still revving like a wild beast although she has had to have 2 new needle valves, reason for first was previous owner left fuel remnents in it and the the castor went off and screwed it up

reason for 2nd was due to bad crash

Back in the bad old days with the liner peeling problems George Aldrich found out that they didn't peel if about 22% oil was used. It's supposed to be fixed now but it tends to indicate that nickel needs a bit more oil than chrome. Likewise, a bushed crankshaft needs more oil than ball races. Even more so, the bush will last far longer if the oil is castor. So if you feed it a fuel that's got the right amount and type of oil that it needs then it's going to last a very long time. There are at least 2 manufacturers I know of that have suitable fuels, Powermaster and Sig come to mind.