![]() |
Quote:
When changing from straight mineral oil to ashless dispersant oil. |
Real world case study
I wonder what Vlad uses? Can't argue with 3,000 hr run time. :rolleyes:
|
Quote:
Which oil should I use? "Single-grade oil is especially good at protecting engines against internal corrosion, because it is very thick at ordinary room temperature and sticks to engine parts without stripping off as readily as multi-grade oils."Skylor RV-8 |
Hey Skylor,
Not thread drift at all. Multi grade oils are funky things. They are thin and thick almost at the same time. Our motors are glorified pumping/generator engines. Designed to operate for thousands of hours without too much maintenance when they were originally designed. That gives them superb robustness - true - they have very large capacity for low horsepower but that is because they have to put out a lot of horsepower at low rpm. My background prior to airlines was flying skydivers. Really hard on motors. We ran 2 Lycomings and 1 Continental on short oil changes and multigrades and when I stopped, the Lycomings were over 3,000hours. The IO-520 in the Cessna 206 died because of a cranckase crack at 2900 hours. As technology moves forward, we need to look at what we can benefit from and what is smoke and mirrors. I have many friends in the airplane engineering business and as multi grade oils came on the scene, they were very, very sceptical. Now - I don't know of any of them not running their customers on multigrade. Synthetic...... Nope, that cost thousands and thousands a while ago. Mike writes a good column, he says many things that are good sense, but he wasn't an Engineer originally, he put his business together running stats and collating information. For a lot of operators, his service saves thousands of dollars and is wonderful. The guys who have worked on Lycoming and Continental engines for years and years - guys like Mahlon, speak wise words and I have no reason to doubt them. Whatever oil you run - change it regularly and inspect it for crud and debris. Then, you will have a motor that runs and runs and runs. |
Keep in mind that there is a difference between a commercially operated engine (one that is run a lot.... such as in a jump plane), and one in a privately owned aircraft (one that flys between 50 and 100 hrs each year).
The commercially operated one might reach TBO in only 4-5 years. The privately operated one might take 20-30. This can have a huge influence on what the overall result is based on a specific oil usage. In the past I have operated our company aircraft on muti-weight during the colder time of the year because even though we don't get supper cold here, often time the airplanes go off on a trip that has them over nighted at a location that does get very cold. But after multiple discussions with different people over the years, who have way more knowledge and experience overhauling and maintaining Lyc. engines than I do, we have changed back to using just single weight oil in all of our aircraft. The best thing you can do for any engine is run it regularly (Vlad is a perfect example). Doing this is probably more beneficial than having concern for what oil you use. I try and fly my airplane every other week for at least 1/2 hr (I shoot for every week when I am able). Based on the experience we have had with the company airplanes, I think this helps a lot to get the max run time out of an engine. |
Great info. here so far.
So yesterday I'm down at Airparts (FLX) getting oil and filters and ask the nice salesman what does he recommend, what blend of Phillips does he sell the most of? On my strip everyone is Gaga over Phillips. Have to start somewhere. I decided Shell 100 Mineral 50w for the break in, 5, 20, then 25 hours. Then what. He informs me 20/50, or the Victory 100AW 50w with the anti cam wear additive reco in a Lycoming Bulletin (?). The 20/50 I would have to add the additive. I've decided flying in S Fla a single grade for now, thinking mult during the Dec- Mar period when I'll go N of the border. Phillips Victory 100AW 50w and the Tempest O Filter. |
Quote:
![]() Per recommendation ( don't remember by whom-rocketbob?) I switched to Phillips 66 and became even happier. Now I change oil filter every 100 hours or so and just keep filling it with oil. That's how much oil I need between the changes. I always babied my engine and still do. :D ![]() Happy New Year! |
Quote:
|
Since this thread is about oil, filters, and protecting the engine....I've read on VAF the procedure of pulling a prop thru a couple of times to "pre-oil" the cams and other components prior to starting.
Reads good and we have all seen the WWll movies of maintenance crews pulling those big radials engine props thru prior to starting. Good idea or simply a warm fuzzy? Good, then how many times? Sloooowwwww or fast? |
Quote:
Oh - gunk? Either hot (very hot) water rich with Wisk, or something with methylene chloride, like paint remover or carb cleaner. The latter is ok for aluminum, the Wisk is not. |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:51 PM. |