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Damaged oil tube in crankshaft.

It happened: My mechanic and I were going through a fixed to CS conversion on my Lycoming IO-360 clone. The previous owner/builder saw fit to seal the aft crankshaft plug in place. During the turmoil of trying to remove it, the oil tube cracked in two. What's it going to take to replace it? I can't seem to find another thread where someone has had my misfortune.
 
Oil transfer tube

Oh boy, not good. I can tell you a few things but maybe others will chime in with better news. The oil transfer tube is not made/sold as a separate part. A new one can be machined but it must be swedged in place which means the crank has to be out of the engine. I’m not sure if the repair could be done in the certified world but should be OK on an Experimental. I have seen this repair done before at an engine shop but it’s not common. Call Greg at AEA in Dallas and see if he has any insights.
Hindsight: The aft plug stays in pace for CS conversion and can simply be pierced for conversion back to fixed pitch. To convert pierced plug back to CS use a self tapping sheet metal screw with a dab of pro seal. No reason to remove it that I can see.
What a bummer.
 
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I’d give Aircraft Specialties in Tulsa a call - they are the ones that service, machine, and inspect cranks all day long - if there is a repair, they’d know how to do it!

Paul
 
Crank work

Highly Recommend Aircraft Specialties Service in Tulsa. Unfortunately the crank needs to come out. Consider other things that may make sense to do with the engine apart.

Don Broussard
RV9 Rebuild in Progress
57 Pacer
 
I've seen this a couple of times. Bart (formerly at Aerosport Power) shared the easy peasy fix with me. NO NEED to remove the engine....10 minutes to fix depending on your sludge tube.
Slip me an email: [email protected]
 
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