Seeking information on an O-320 powered Cessna 150  QUESTION:
I’m thinking of purchasing a C150 with an 0-320 engine, serial
number 4800-027. It may be a D2J.  Do you have any knowledge of
the history of this engine and its serviceability? Or, could you
direct me to another source of information?  Arthur Dodd
Jacksonville, Fla.  ANSWER: From the engine serial number you
provided, I’d say this is a very old 0-320 engine that probably
was built before Lycoming started to put a suffix behind the
series model. This is not a bad thing — it just means it’s an
older engine. If this is the case, I can assure you it was not
produced as an O-320-D2J, which is a 160 hp engine. The engine
you mentioned was probably a 150 hp@2,700 rpm engine.  Regarding
the history of this engine and its serviceability, I’d suggest
you contact Lycoming and request they do a search of the engine
history. This may only provide who the engine was originally
shipped to, but it will give you that date and possibly some
additional information.