Doing a prebuy on a 182 RG tomorrow and was looking for some advise from experienced (with C182 ) people on the prebuy and what to look for , I am not new to this , but have little to no Cessna experience , It is a 79 182 RG II , 1950 TTAE .... Thanks in advance..

Alan,

Look closely at the firewall for signs of wrinkling. C172 drivers who transition to the big sister have been known to land these nose heavy planes nose first and thus wrinkling the firewalls.

Good Luck.

Doug

End play on the main gear pivots, indicates cracking. It can't be seen visually. Also spongy brakes is another sign of a cracked gear pivot. Although a fairly rare occurrence, a new main gear pivot can run $17,000. ea. Cessna doesn't normally stock them. They compile orders, then have them made. That can be months of AOG. O-540J has a cronic cam and lifter corrosion problem. The remedy is fly fly fly. If it's been sitting, it likely has corrosion. Pulling a cylinder will reveal this. Most sellers won't allow you to. Therefore, you'll find out in about a hundred hours with a gradual degradation of performance. Beneficial to join Cessna Pilots Assn.

I had a TR182, also low time TTAE. You will likely be looking at a new engine soon IMO. Though the 540 at 235HP is strong and a sure 2000TBO it is likely timed out. Borescope a couple of cylinders for sure.

There was a crank AD but likely doesn't apply to the original engine.

Look closely at the brake lines at the wheels. You don't want to see ANY wear there, because the gear leg has to be removed to replace a brake line. This can be difficult...no...it is difficult.

Look closely at the pivots. Any signs of leaking is bad. I think they are going for $7k now but could be more.

Check the logs for nose gear maint. If nothing has been done (this is common) it may not be a big deal, but I would budget for new seals etc. Nose wheel shimmy is common so on a test flight see how it does. Always be light on the nose wheel and light on braking (those tiny main wheels lock up easily) so look for flat side on the mains. it will tell you a lot about the current piloting.

See if the seat rail AD has been done to verify that the current owner is up on maint. It is an obvious one.

Good planes. I had mine for 8 years and kept up on maint. Really didn't need to spend much more than a fixed gear model.

Echo the above. I looked at 182RGs (T & NA) long and hard before I got my V.

All in all, a stout airframe and good systems, but a complete & thorough inspection of the gear system (including tolerances) is a must....not because it's unreliable, it's not, but because any issue there is likely to be a considerable sum to correct. Gear parts are priced like they are made of paladium plated unobtainium. Even something as simple as brake line swivel is $$.

A good look at the firewall is also a good idea. Lot's of 182s have pranged nose first.

Best,
Rich

The landing gear pivots are also called saddles. Make sure they are secure and bolts torqued properly. Any part of the gear retraction system is expensive to repair. Check the hoses on the gear retraction system carefully. Look for signs of a gear up landing because gear up repairs don't always get in the mx records.

Many Cessna single engine models have been on their bellies. Poorly designed system in my opinion and high maintenance. I owned a 210 for many years and put out a lot of money on the gear.

As others have said you have a run out engine. Damaged firewalls are common.

The fixed gear 182 is one of the best airplanes ever made. I would not buy the retract version.

The RG with it's derated Lycoming engine, unless internal corrosion from not running it neglect, will almost always go the full 2000 TBO. The legacy 182 fixed gear aircraft with Continental power will almost always have had two top end overhauls by then. Do the cost per hour math.

The 182 RG gear is manageable, and is improved over the pre 1978 Cessna retractable gear versions found in the earlier Cardinals and Centurions. It calls for about 2 additional hours on the annual inspection over the fixed gear 182. Change the short nose gear hoses about every 7 years whether they need it or not, and make sure there is NO end play with the main gear. End play will result in cracked "saddle" housings and leaking brake line pivots.

Spot on. I had a 182RG for 10 year and 800 hours. It was a great airplane. Solid 150 knot cruise on 13 GPH and able to haul just about any load you could stuff in it. The landing gear system is actually pretty easy to understand and maintain. There are two hoses going to the nose gear that need to be replace every 5 years. I replaced the o-rings in the actuators once and would recommend doing so every 10 years.
Many people don't like the Cessna gear because it looks funny retracting, but if you understand the system you realize it's actually pretty good.
The Main Landing Gear Pivots were cast steel in the '78 (first year) planes and Cessna switched to aluminum in later production planes. It's the aluminum main gear pivots that have issues with wear and cracking and it's worth having those looked at. There is an SB that may be worthwhile including in your prebuy inspection. SEB90-1 Rev3.
The engine is probably towards the end of it's time and corrosion can be an issue (or not). It does have issues with valves sticking and it is worthwhile performing the "rope trick" every 500 hours or so.

I have owned one ('82 NA) since 2001 and 1300 hrs, I bought a run out also. It's a great x-country/IFR range hauler that's incredibly reliable. I would just add that the '78 has bladders so check those. Get the gear actuator bolts safety wired, mine were loose but caught before they cracked. The efficiency of the retract over the fixed gear more than makes up for the slight increase in maintenance.

Go to the systems and procedures course put on by the CPA and enjoy one of the best single engine plane ever built!

Love love love my R182. All as said above. There are no gear doors for the mains like a 210 which is probably good. Cessna will pay for parts and labor for seat rail inertia belt on pilot side. If its not there just ask your mechanic. Fixed182 is good too but if you do any cross country the RG definitely will offset any extra maintenance costs. I've done the math. The only thing I've found that makes me a little uncomfortable is the single case dual mag setup. And its a PIA to get to. Maybe its a non issue but something tells me two separate housings would be better. Overall it doesn't seem to have the maintenance costs associated with higher HP engines and airframes. I've had 3 straight low cost annuals and I'm going in for the forth this month.

I'm 6'-7" tall so comfort is an issue. Plane feels like an SUV. Two doors and easy access. Two opening windows. Leg room and headroom to spare. Did I mention I love my 182RG?

I co owned one. Great planes. Though I suspect your interest in this bird is for business/resale. Your Bonanza pics last year were pretty sweet!

Alan, watch out for the landing gear. Even a simple bolt can have a $1500 propriety cessna price tag. An acquaintance recently spent 35K on some catastrophic gear malfunction. The whole thing sounded painful.

Easy to fly and understand birds. 150kts on 13gph every time

Mark

I have to admit , before I took it down for the radio work , I LOVE flying this plane ,