I saw comments on a facebook group called "Friends of the Jabiru Gen 1-3 Engine" to the extent that there are Jabiru engine owners in the US who have needed replacement cylinder heads for their engines and have not been able to obtain them for a year. So I posed a direct question to Nick Otterback, who is the US import/distribution/sales rep for Jabiru in the USA. He confirmed that Jabiru has ceased production of the Gen 1-3 heads. He says that they have reconditioned heads available in Shelbyville, but there is no way for you to get a new head.
Consider that the Jabiru engine has a supposed life of 1000hr before top overhaul. In practice this may only be 700 hours and you will find examples that have only gone as low as 350 hours. The top overhaul at Jabiru USA in TN cost $7500 last I had it quoted. This is assuming of course that you didnt need a replacement cylinder or head. Overheating heads is one of the most common issues to have and it doesnt take much before the head is scrapped. There is not even a gasket between the head and the cylinder.. While Nick did not explicitly say that cylinders are not available, he mentions reboring them and using oversize pistons as though this is the default. If for any reason you had a cylinder that was too badly scored or had a crack, I guess you are SOL too.
Consider that the Jabiru engine has a supposed life of 1000hr before top overhaul. In practice this may only be 700 hours and you will find examples that have only gone as low as 350 hours. The top overhaul at Jabiru USA in TN cost $7500 last I had it quoted. This is assuming of course that you didnt need a replacement cylinder or head. Overheating heads is one of the most common issues to have and it doesnt take much before the head is scrapped. There is not even a gasket between the head and the cylinder.. While Nick did not explicitly say that cylinders are not available, he mentions reboring them and using oversize pistons as though this is the default. If for any reason you had a cylinder that was too badly scored or had a crack, I guess you are SOL too.
