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  #1  
Old 10-24-2014, 10:05 AM
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Titan-Xpert Titan-Xpert is offline
 
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Default Oil on windshield

I have a friend with a new RV-8; he has been having small droplets of oil deposited on his windshield. At first we thought the front seal was leaking and we replaced several of them. The droplets continued, then we put dye in the oil and checked for leaks and it looks like the front lower case seam is leaking. So now we are disassembling and resealing the engine.
Over the years we have installed many different kinds of engines on our company test mule RV-8, to test performance. I have experienced a lot of different types and amounts of oil leaks or seeps. They almost always wind up on the belly if they are large enough. But never have I seen oil deposited on the windshield. I was wondering if any body else has seen small oil droplets on their windshields?
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  #2  
Old 10-24-2014, 10:39 AM
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My front crankshaft seal is spitting out a tiny bit of oil and I plan on putting a new one on soon. I get some oil on the canopy from this. Very tiny micro sized streaks, but mostly on the right side of the windscreen (RV-9A).
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  #3  
Old 10-24-2014, 10:49 AM
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If you have a constant speed prop, you might check it as well. They often will spit oil droplets.
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  #4  
Old 10-24-2014, 10:51 AM
N427EF N427EF is offline
 
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Default Propeller hub?

I have seen it coming from the propeller hub.
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  #5  
Old 10-24-2014, 11:10 AM
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erich weaver erich weaver is offline
 
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bruceh View Post
My front crankshaft seal is spitting out a tiny bit of oil and I plan on putting a new one on soon.
I think I have a small leak here too. Whats involved in changing the seal? I built the plane but I dont have any real experience in engine assembly

thanks
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  #6  
Old 10-24-2014, 11:38 AM
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ijustwannafly ijustwannafly is offline
 
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Location: Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mel View Post
If you have a constant speed prop, you might check it as well. They often will spit oil droplets.
Yes, the windshield of the skylane i fly regularly does this.

Check the prop.
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  #7  
Old 10-24-2014, 12:37 PM
tjo tjo is offline
 
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Location: La Center,wa
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Yeah, on a Cessna 150, Continental O-200, small droplets of oil on the windscreen. Could not find any oil path on the outside of the engine, but there was oil on the lip of the cowl and the windscreen. We pulled the spinner and the base plate for the spinner and about a cup of oil drained on the floor, so the oil was coming from, basically, the base of the prop with virtually no evidence other than a very thin film on the back side of the prop and the oil on the cowl lip. And of coarse the oil on the windscreen.

Tim
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  #8  
Old 10-24-2014, 01:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erich weaver View Post
I think I have a small leak here too. Whats involved in changing the seal? I built the plane but I dont have any real experience in engine assembly

thanks
Lycoming has a document here.
I bought a new seal at Aircraft Spruce for about $15.
I'm going to have my engine builder help with the installation.
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  #9  
Old 10-24-2014, 02:19 PM
jbDC9 jbDC9 is offline
 
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I had one of these pesky leaks on my RV-8 as well, an annoying oil mist/small droplets on the windshield, a bit heavier on the right side. I thought it was the front crank seal and replaced it twice to no avail... I tried U/V dye in the oil with a black light but it didn't seem to pinpoint it. Finally I tried the technique of dry spray foot powder; I sprayed some on the upper nose case at the CS prop governor oil line elbow. A-ha! The powder was wet! I put a wrench to the elbow and it was barely tight; methinks the engine assembly shop didn't tighten it and I didn't catch it. I put in a new elbow snugged in tight, that seemed to fix it.
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  #10  
Old 10-24-2014, 02:42 PM
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beav beav is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 164
Default Installation Tool

EAA Experimenter has a article on how to make an installation tool (since the Lycoming tool is nearly $1,000!):

http://spirit.eaa.org/experimenter/a...2_sealtool.asp

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