[Ernie Martin]

My rear cowl flap motor recently failed and I've spent the past few days researching the matter, so let me update some of the information you just posted.

A new Cessna motor now lists for $6095 and Yingling will give you a bit of a discount and sell it for $5409. Although the price seems high, it's not out of line with other aerospace itmes when you consider the size and complexity of the elements (especially the planetary gears) inside the motor and the small production number.

I have all the parts catalogs dating back to 1965 and a) the rear motor part number hasn't changed, and b) it's different from the front part number for all years. That suggests that early models did not use the same motor in the front and the rear. Perhaps the cases you have seen using the smaller motor in the rear are the result of erroneous replacement. Or perhaps the same motor was indeed used for a short while and the catalogs were later changed to reflect that they should be different.

Don Nieser at Commodore (405-503-4686) had as of this afternoon a new Cessna rear motor that he will sell for considerably less than $6000 -- in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.

Owen Bell at Aviation Enterprises (615-865-1802) has a new PMA rear motor for around $1,500 to $2,000 exchange, and an STC that replaces the motor and actuates the cowl flaps mechanically with a cable system.

Both of these gentlemen sometimes have rebuilt used motors.

Ernie