Preserving non-running engine

I am about to pick up a new-to-me O-320 that is fresh out of the shop with 4 new cylinders (they were in the recall batch from ECI, engine was running fine). From what I have heard, nothing special was done to preserve the engine - it was flying regularly before going to the shop. As it will probably be 6 months or so in the gulf coast heat and humidity before first engine start, I want to keep it well protected.

The Lycoming service bulletin on the topic recommends running the engine with some of the pickling oil and then shutting down. Obviously, I can't run this engine, so am wondering the best way to make sure I thoroughly coat all of the internals. Is it enough to fill the sump and then rotate the engine around a bit? I will then add desiccant plugs, and can also fog the cylinders. I did look at the Tanis kit at ACS, http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/tanis1.php, wonder if it would be a good starting point.

Thanks!

Chris

Hi Chris,

The Lycoming method is expensive and not ideal. I would go to the auto store and buy the cheapest mineral oil you can get. Plug all the holes and fill it up. It takes about 36 qts on a four cylinder.

If you want to go all out, remove the rocker arms so the valves stay closed and then fill the cylinders through the plug hole as well. Just make sure you keep track of where the parts came from so you can put them back in the right order. It may not be worth it on ECI cylinders as they don't rust too easily.

Another option is to mount it upside down then fill it up through the sump plug. You don't need as much oil that way as the expensive bits will be at the bottom. I know at least one engine shop that ships engines upside down for this reason.

How long is the engine going to sit? Long time? Go to an oil distributor, buy oil, and fill it until everything is full of oil including the cylinders.

Short term? Fog the cylinders, add dessicant plugs, then seal the engine in a plastic bag that you have vacuumed or squeezed most of the air from.

Thanks guys. I am planning on mounting the engine in the next few weeks, probably won't run until this fall / winter. Living on the gulf coast I want to take all precautions with the investment.

Has anybody used or know anything about systems such as this system http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/tempestAA1000.php?clickkey=664212 that continuously pumps dry air through the engine? For $200 might be a good investment that I could use once the plane is flyable, as well.

Chris

I've always wondered if there is enough capacity in one of those desiccant dryers to operate for any length of time before the desiccant is saturated, particularly in a humid environment.

Might be better to hook a nitrogen tank to the oil filler and release the nitrogen at a very low rate.

You can make one with a fish tank pump and an ammo can that will work as well
http://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=66525&postcount=25

Once the engine is dry, i only run it a few hours a day. The dessicant will last for weeks, then dry it and reuse. You still need dessicant plugs and seal off the openings or relax the valve springs.

Kent Ashton said:

You can make one with a fish tank pump and an ammo can that will work as well
http://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=66525&postcount=25

Once the engine is dry, i only run it a few hours a day. The dessicant will last for weeks, then dry it and reuse. You still need dessicant plugs and seal off the openings or relax the valve springs.

Click to expand...

Yea I had been thinking I could make my own. Thanks,

Chris

I can certainly understand the desire to safeguard an engine if it's going to sit idle for a while, but just as a point of reference...

I picked up my O-360-A1A from the shop today, in boxes. I'll have it put together when i get closer to needing it. It was remanufactured by Lycoming in 1972, and the plane it was on had its last annual in '96. As far as I can tell it was not preserved in any way -- it looked like just what it was, an old engine pulled off of an old plane that had not flown in many years. According to the logs it had 877 hours on it at its last annual in 1996, and there it sat. For 18-plus years. On the plane? On a shelf? In a cave? Who knows?

Anyway, I had it pulled apart by the engine shop and checked out. The cylinders are toast, too much exhaust port erosion to try to use them again. As for the rest... Zero rust. Cam, followers, crankshaft, rods, gears, no rust anywhere.

On an unrelated note, I have a Vespa scooter that sat, unprotected, outside a Kansas garage from 1967 to 2004. The piston was seized in the bore and the seals were shot, but the inside of that little air-cooled 150cc engine and gearbox was as clean and rust-free as the day it left Italy in '55. New rings, honed the cylinder, new seals and crank bearings and it runs like a top.

Somehow a nitrogen tank seems like maybe a little overkill.

I bought a couple of mattress storage bags at Sears Hardware and bagged the engine with an aluminum pan full of dessicant. Changed the dessicant out every thee or four months when it began to lose its color. My research indicated that relative humidity of less than 20% will prevent corrosion. It came from the builder with long term storage prep.

If it's only sitting for 6 months and it is mounted in the plane, I would either plug everything and fill it up with cheap oil or I would mist some oil into the cylinders and crank, by hand if necessary, until you get oil pressure, then not touch it until you are close to beings ready to run it. Turning it periodically just scrapes the oil off the cylinder walls which is worse than not touching it. Desicant plugs in the top holes and you're good to go.

Edit: Crank to get oil pressure, then mist some oil into the cylinders, not in the reverse order as I first mentioned.