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View Poll Results: You find a puddle of oil 3" X 5" under your aircraft after you land. What do you do?
Get back in the aircraft and fly 17.5 NM home? 8 4.30%
Make a post to VAF asking what to do? 3 1.61%
Phone your A&P Mechanic? 0 0%
Pull cowl and investigate? 170 91.40%
Find an A&P to investigate? 1 0.54%
Other? 4 2.15%
Voters: 186. You may not vote on this poll

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  #21  
Old 09-03-2015, 05:41 PM
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Andrew M Andrew M is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Secluded Lake,Alaska (AK49)
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Default Cause

Oil leaks MAY be cause to ground it. Definitely cause to investigate. Find out, then decide. Anyone can inspect, making determinations on the other hand....
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  #22  
Old 09-03-2015, 06:33 PM
lowandslo lowandslo is offline
 
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Location: So. Cal & AZ
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African or European Swallow? is there a treadmill involved?
Synthetic oil? Maybe it's marvel mystery oil.
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  #23  
Old 09-03-2015, 07:48 PM
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KatieB KatieB is offline
 
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I wouldn't assume a small leak is going to stay small, until I see where it's coming from. What could have started as a small leak under low power could blow out altogether under high power when you take off. I don't fly anywhere without enough tools to remove the cowl... So investigation is my vote.
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  #24  
Old 09-03-2015, 07:57 PM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Location: Chesterfield, Missouri
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RV6_flyer View Post
You?re out flying meeting your buddies for lunch. After lunch on your way home, there is a rainstorm at your home airport. You divert to a nearby airport to visit friends so that there is time for the storm to pass. When you get out of your aircraft, you find a puddle about 3? X 5? of oil under the airplane and it is coming from cowl exit. Oil is noticed by the air inlet in front of the #2 cylinder. Pulling the dipstick, the oil is down ? of a quart from what it was when you took off 1.1 hours earlier. What do you do?
Gary,

An oil leak of this magnitude with a Lycoming engine has to be repaired before flight.

What is the point of doing a poll on it?
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  #25  
Old 09-03-2015, 08:13 PM
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RV8Squaz RV8Squaz is offline
 
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Location: Senoia, Georgia
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I once found a "small" oil leak. Heck, it didn't even drip on the ground. I found it while doing a preflight with a flash light in a dark hangar. It was a small amount, maybe half a teaspoon, on the right cowl inlet lip. Small, but unusual. I pulled the top cowl and and found the problem immediately... A broken crankcase thru-bolt! The nut and the remaining piece of the bolt were still sitting on top of the inter-cylinder baffle.

You must pull the cowl and inspect before further flight. She's talking to you and you need to listen.

Jerry Esquenazi
RV-8 N84JE
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  #26  
Old 09-03-2015, 08:54 PM
Chkaharyer99 Chkaharyer99 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Pilot Hill, CA
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"Pull cowl and investigate"

I'm a very curious person, investigator by trade.
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  #27  
Old 09-03-2015, 09:10 PM
David Paule David Paule is offline
 
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Location: Boulder, CO
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ijustwannafly View Post
I see most folks would pull the cowl to investigate.
One thing to consider, you are not at your home airport. You have no tools and no proper place to do a genuine inspection.....
My plane ALWAYS has the basic tools to do some things: change a spark plug, add brake fluid, change an inner tube, and obtain access to do these things. I regard that kit as part of the minimum required equipment.

The OP wouldn't have bothered mentioning this if it wasn't an unusual experience for him; his engine doesn't normally leak oil. Therefore, there's an anomaly. Better see what's going on. Might be easy, might be hard, might be safe to fly home, might not be. Better to know on the ground, and if it's my plane, I'd sure find out.

Wouldn't be the first time I'd pulled a cowling away from home.

Certainly, if you need more capability or expertise than you have with you, get that A&P. If there's one available at that airport.

Dave
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  #28  
Old 09-03-2015, 11:06 PM
PCHunt PCHunt is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,670
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I might move the plane a few feet away, and see if it is still leaking. Maybe I parked right on top of an existing puddle.

Scared myself with my car once on that one.
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  #29  
Old 09-04-2015, 08:22 AM
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Chino Tom Chino Tom is offline
 
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Other.... call my friend Gary and ask him what he would do
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  #30  
Old 09-04-2015, 12:54 PM
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N64GH N64GH is offline
 
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Location: KCCB
Posts: 195
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@ Scard - Yea some do not realize who Condor is. I know the answer but it is a trick question ... well sort of. It happened to him.
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