Curiosity question

[Robert Anglin]

Originally Posted by Walt

I almost always agree with Dan but in this case with an average of 100 hrs/yr being flown doing it every annual seems prudent.

From the Lycoming operating manual:

b. Oil Suction and Oil Pressure Screens ? At each 100-hour inspection remove suction screen. Inspect for metal particles;clean and reinstall.

I agree with Walt on this one. The sump screen Is a hold over from the days when these engines did not have oil filters as we know them today and yes it does catch those big bits so you don't let them get up into the oil pump. On this side of the pump that's what you want so the pump does not get stopped while in action. Dirty oil flowing to lube the engine is better than no oil flowing if the oil pump gets stopped by a peace of something from inside the engine or sometimes something the owner dropped in the oil filler hole, ( yes it does happen ). With the addition of the good oil filters we have now days on the pressure side of the systems in these engines you can go for 2-3 times longer than we used to with out them between oil changes. So if you are flying a lot of hours per year it stands to reason that you may wish to check that screen at an annual. If you are only flying a few hours it would be reasonable to check it every oil change. There are a number of different oil filtering set ups out there on these engines. Even knowing this we like to check our screen at each oil change. It may take in some cases an extra 30 minutes on that job, but we feel it is worth the extra effort while the cowl is off and we are looking at every thing in the hamster wheel area anyway.
Just 2 cents from the peanut gallery here. Yours, R.E.A. III #80888

[Toobuilder]

The suction screen is there to detect instantanious failure - the kind that can change in a single flight - not wear trends. I check mine at every oil change. It only takes an extra 5 minutes, so why not?

[Walt]

Originally Posted by Toobuilder

The suction screen is there to detect instantanious failure - the kind that can change in a single flight - not wear trends. I check mine at every oil change. It only takes an extra 5 minutes, so why not?

Maybe you should be checkng it after every flight then!

But realy it depends on what sump you have, A model vs TD, inverted systems installed, etc.. Yours may take 5 minutes but most take quite a bit more effort than that. Some are a real bear.