Use It or Lose It (fly your plane)

tinkertoy · #1 03-20-2009, 10:12 AM

I would like to thank Bart and Sue of Aerosport Engines for their help and support in what could have been a nightmare of an annual inspection and with their help it turned out to be just a bad dream.
I purchased a built RV-8A in February 2008. It was started in 2001 and completed in 2004 when it got its airworthy certificate. When I purchased it, it had 104 hours on it and an extensive prebuy inspection was performed with a RV 6 Owner that was an A & P Mechanic. Assuming that the first 40 hours was flown soon after completion the remaining hours (64) were flown over the next 4 years. This February I performed the Annual with an A & P Mechanic. Hours were 169 total. I had flown the aircraft every 7 to 14 days for the entire year that I had it. Oil Changes every 25 hours. Upon inspection of the Aircraft screen, a piece of metal the size of a fingernail was found. Upon closer inspection of the oil filter which was rinsed in 100 LL and a magnate was inserted into the liquid came our looking like a paint brush. The engine was removed and sent off to Zephyr Aircraft Engines for a rebuild. The photos below tell the story. One of the lifters lost some metal due to corrosion. The Oil Cooler was sent for a rebuild and the Prop Governor was damaged beyond repair so a new one was purchased from Vans. Aerosport Engines supplied most of the parts damaged.
The 2 morals of this story are a prebuy cannot see all of the rust and don?t let the engine sit more than 14 days.
I hope that this helps Owners and Prospective Owners and again thanks to Aerosport Engines. They really stand behind their product.

Ron Lee · #2 03-20-2009, 11:09 AM

Another moral: Low time engine over many years means possible corrosion. On what do you base the 14 day interval?

I recently added a dry air pump system to inject super dry air between flights.

I also let vapor escape from the engine via the oil filler after each flight (when I remember).

frankh · #3 03-20-2009, 11:19 AM

Can one spot this kind of damage by removing a jug or two say at an annual inspection?

Mine has 350 hours in 2 years and is flown every week with a 100W block heater all the time...Would be curious as to what it looks like in there.

Frank

tinkertoy · #4 03-20-2009, 11:59 AM

The 14 day interval comes from the A&P machanics as well as the engine overhaul folks.
Yes, pulling a couple of cylinders in a prebuy or annual would certainlly give you a heads up on whats going on.

osxuser · #5 03-20-2009, 11:28 PM

14 days is pretty extreme unless you are right on the coast, in a high moisture environment. I have the opposite type story, but most of you have already heard about the 35 year old Lyc so...

mannanj · #6 03-20-2009, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinkertoy

The 2 morals of this story are a prebuy cannot see all of the rust and don?t let the engine sit more than 14 days.

This happened to the engine that I bought to rebuild for my RV-8. It was from a Mooney 201 and had just over 1300 hours total time in 25+ years. You cannot let a Lycoming engine set for long periods of time without running or some sort of dessicant dryer system to keep moisture out.

Some of the newer oils and oil additives help slow this process and helps prevent this rusting process.

If buying, and the engine has a history of long periods of inactivity, I would recommend pulling a couple of jugs

Randy · #7 03-20-2009, 11:38 PM

I have heard that the corrosion will usually begin near the breather, which makes sense to me. When I did a pre buy on a Lake Amphibian years ago I insisted the owner allow me to pull the cylinder closest to the breather and discovered the cam and lifters were in fine shape. The engine only had 210 hours on it over about a 5 year period.

Not sure if this is a normal method of ruling out corrosion but I did get about another 300 hours on the engine without any problems, before I sold the airplane.

That is my experience...

Randy C

glenn654 · #8 03-21-2009, 06:37 PM

Does anyone think it may be possible get a look inside an engine by using a bore scope through the crankcase breather vent?

Glenn Wilkinson

az_gila · #9 03-21-2009, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glenn654

Does anyone think it may be possible get a look inside an engine by using a bore scope through the crankcase breather vent?

Glenn Wilkinson

....the oil dipstick tube for a borescope might be easier and a better angle...

Any mechanics want to comment. This would be a much less invasive inspection than removing a cylinder for airplane you do not yet own...