Steve Finkelman wrote: > The biggest problem I have noticed in recent weeks is a pesky > oil leak. It does not seem to be serious in terms of oil loss, > in fact I cannnot determine any indication of loss. > > Any suggestions, on how to find , or what it may be. > (repair suggestions appreciated as well)
Oil leaks are a pain to find. I am trying to fix one on my
C90 myself. My Alon goes 20 hours per quart, but what a mess
on the cowling, windshield, and the rest of the plane. My
first step was to totally remove the cowling, prop, and
nosebowl. I then completely solvent cleaned everything (but
not the generator, starter, mags, and vacuum pump) and dried
it all with compressed air. Then, after re-assembly of the
prop, I ground-ran it for ten minutes. After shutdown, two
of the engine through-bolts were wet with oil, as was the
oil sump. The sump was easy - even though the torque putty
was still in place, the torques on the retaining nuts were
too low (proper torques are listed in AC43-13). I'm still
working on the through bolts with my I/A.
It requires very careful cleaning and inspection and
possibly complete reassembly, a flight, and disassembly to
see what starts getting wet. If this is not successful,
there are further measures and each mechanic has his/her
favorites - dyes, talcum powder, etc.
Don't forget that after the solvent cleaning and repairing
the leak, you must re-lube all the cables and linkages.
> p.s. It does not appear to be coming from the
> oil breather line, although I have been running the
> engine--c90--with five quarts oil.
IMHO - That's way too much oil. Regardless of the source of
the leak, 3 1/2 to 4 quarts is all that is needed. I can't
quote from the Continental manual now, but somewhere around
2 qts is the minimum last time I read it.
David Smoler | __ | San Jose, CA
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Alon A-2 | \____/ | N6359V
s/n A35 () () () based at RHV
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