Both Contenal and Lycoming have had crank shaft breakage problems a
few years ago on some engines when they outsourced production.
You might want to look into the AD's and service letters on this. Some
engines were grounded for a long time since there was a shortage of
crankshafts.
John

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 16:47:06 -0500, "O. Sami Saydjari"
wrote:

Update: The crank shaft broke! That means I was operating on just a
couple of cylinders. The overhaul folks said that have only seen this
happen one other time; apparently it is quite rare.

I am going to visit my engine tomorrow to see the damage for myself, see
if we can conclude what caused it, and learn as much as I can from
seeing my engine splayed out on a workbench.

Seems like a great learning opportunity. Any suggestions on good
questions to ask, or something special I should try to learn from seeing
my engine in this state?

-Sami
N2057M, Piper Turbo Arrow III (in surgery)