F

frghtdg

Active Member
In a few weeks we'll be ready to break in a new 390 and although the break in informational sheet with the engine stipulates using a 50 weight mineral oil, others that have been in the business a while believe not necessary.
Hmmmm, we plan on following the Lycoming protocol.
What about after the break in?
What oil have you settled on?
Phillips with the wear additive?
Without?
Summer vs. winter. North vs. South. Obama vs. Putin.
I search the site for info with no luck.
Found some on Filters.
Plan on using Tempest , it has a magnet. "Imagine that, saids Forest".
 
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Mahlon at Mattatuck once told me to use Phillips from start to finish with no need to add anything.

Of course, he also said to change it at 10 hours, which I did. I then changed it at 50 hours TT before moving to 50 hour intervals.
 
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I've had 5 Mattituck engines since 1983. Jay Wickham and Mahlon had a slight bias for Phillips oil; Phil Haponic preferred Shell. Mattituck performed some informal tests with old camshafts left outside after dipping them in oil; and although unscientific, the straight grade Shell seemed to offer slightly more corrosion resistance.

If it were my 390, I'd break-in with straight mineral oil and then switch in 25-50 hours to either Philips X/C or AS100W+
 
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Per Lycoming rep. Straight mineral oil for first 50 hours. 1st change at 10 hours, 2nd at 35 hrs, finally change to your preferred oil from then on. Filters are changed and inspected at each oil change. Don't forget the oil screen at the rear of the engine by at least the 50 hour mark. We will be using Exxon Elite as I have in the last 3 RV6'S. We have had great success with this product. Cheers and have a great new year.
 
Oil

50 hour oil change interval with filter, 25 hours with screen only. Don't forget the sump screen.
 
I prefer to follow engine manufacturer's recommendations regarding oil.

Lycoming Lubricating Oil Recommendations can be found in latest copy Service Instruction 1014.

I believe your engine would be covered under recommendations found in Part II D. That would be to use Mineral Oil the first 50-hours.

Many old timers recommend straight mineral oil. I like using multi-weight mineral oil. The last sentence in Part I B approves multiviscosity 20W50 oil.

I have broken in almost every aircraft engine that I have done cylinder replacement or new engines on Phillips 20W50M and it meets Lycoming requirements called out in SI1014M for most normally aspirated engines that Lycoming presently has in production.

I also like to run Phillips X/C 20W50 after break-in until there are 100 hours on the new cylinders. After 100-hours, I tend to prefer multi-viscosity oils that has the Lycoming additive that is required for the Lycoming Series 76 engines that require extra corrosion protection.
 
RV6_flyer said:
I prefer to follow engine manufacturer's recommendations regarding oil.

Lycoming Lubricating Oil Recommendations can be found in latest copy Service Instruction 1014.

......
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Interesting variation on the timing for the first oil change from the Lycoming SI wrt the other times mentioned earlier -

2. Do not operate the engine longer than five hours before the first oil change.
 
Spoke with Mahlon prior to our start on our ECI motor and followed his recommend but we used Shell as Phillips not readily available here in the UK.

Changed oil at 5, 20 and from then on we always change at 25 hours or every 4 months whichever comes sooner. Please do not forget the calendar suggestion as many of us do not fly the hours off. If you were a sole pilot, doing maybe 20 - 50 hours a year, I would be changing the oil each 6 months when you inspect the airplane. Oil changes represent the cheapest and best maintenance for any motor.

Multigrade offer many benefits and evidence shows that it gives better lay up retention on the cam.

Brand - whatever is your preference, I doubt any of them have the miracle ingredient that is unobtainable elsewhere.
 
az_gila said:
Interesting variation on the timing for the first oil change from the Lycoming SI wrt the other times mentioned earlier -

2. Do not operate the engine longer than five hours before the first oil change.
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When changing from straight mineral oil to ashless dispersant oil.
 
mike newall said:
Multigrade offer many benefits and evidence shows that it gives better lay up retention on the cam.
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This is drifting off topic a bit from the original question, but it's worth noting that the statement above is exactly opposite of what Mike Busch wrote for AvWeb many years ago:

Which oil should I use?

"Single-grade oil is especially good at protecting engines against internal corrosion, because it is very thick at ordinary room temperature and sticks to engine parts without stripping off as readily as multi-grade oils."​

Skylor
RV-8
 
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Hey Skylor,

Not thread drift at all.

Multi grade oils are funky things. They are thin and thick almost at the same time.

Our motors are glorified pumping/generator engines. Designed to operate for thousands of hours without too much maintenance when they were originally designed.

That gives them superb robustness - true - they have very large capacity for low horsepower but that is because they have to put out a lot of horsepower at low rpm.

My background prior to airlines was flying skydivers. Really hard on motors. We ran 2 Lycomings and 1 Continental on short oil changes and multigrades and when I stopped, the Lycomings were over 3,000hours. The IO-520 in the Cessna 206 died because of a cranckase crack at 2900 hours.

As technology moves forward, we need to look at what we can benefit from and what is smoke and mirrors. I have many friends in the airplane engineering business and as multi grade oils came on the scene, they were very, very sceptical. Now - I don't know of any of them not running their customers on multigrade.

Synthetic...... Nope, that cost thousands and thousands a while ago.

Mike writes a good column, he says many things that are good sense, but he wasn't an Engineer originally, he put his business together running stats and collating information. For a lot of operators, his service saves thousands of dollars and is wonderful.

The guys who have worked on Lycoming and Continental engines for years and years - guys like Mahlon, speak wise words and I have no reason to doubt them.

Whatever oil you run - change it regularly and inspect it for crud and debris. Then, you will have a motor that runs and runs and runs.
 
Keep in mind that there is a difference between a commercially operated engine (one that is run a lot.... such as in a jump plane), and one in a privately owned aircraft (one that flys between 50 and 100 hrs each year).
The commercially operated one might reach TBO in only 4-5 years.
The privately operated one might take 20-30.
This can have a huge influence on what the overall result is based on a specific oil usage.
In the past I have operated our company aircraft on muti-weight during the colder time of the year because even though we don't get supper cold here, often time the airplanes go off on a trip that has them over nighted at a location that does get very cold.
But after multiple discussions with different people over the years, who have way more knowledge and experience overhauling and maintaining Lyc. engines than I do, we have changed back to using just single weight oil in all of our aircraft.

The best thing you can do for any engine is run it regularly (Vlad is a perfect example).
Doing this is probably more beneficial than having concern for what oil you use.
I try and fly my airplane every other week for at least 1/2 hr (I shoot for every week when I am able). Based on the experience we have had with the company airplanes, I think this helps a lot to get the max run time out of an engine.
 
Great info. here so far.
So yesterday I'm down at Airparts (FLX) getting oil and filters and ask the nice salesman what does he recommend, what blend of Phillips does he sell the most of? On my strip everyone is Gaga over Phillips. Have to start somewhere.
I decided Shell 100 Mineral 50w for the break in, 5, 20, then 25 hours.
Then what.
He informs me 20/50, or the Victory 100AW 50w with the anti cam wear additive reco in a Lycoming Bulletin (?). The 20/50 I would have to add the additive.
I've decided flying in S Fla a single grade for now, thinking mult during the Dec- Mar period when I'll go N of the border.
Phillips Victory 100AW 50w and the Tempest O Filter.
 
ShortSnorter said:
I wonder what Vlad uses? Can't argue with 3,000 hr run time. :rolleyes:
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Ryan for first 1,300 hours I used AeroShell and was happy. Then I changed cork gaskets for silicone and noticed some brown residue. I asked here and there was a qualified opinion it was caused by the oil I use.


shell%20-%201.jpg



Per recommendation ( don't remember by whom-rocketbob?) I switched to Phillips 66 and became even happier. Now I change oil filter every 100 hours or so and just keep filling it with oil. That's how much oil I need between the changes. I always babied my engine and still do. :D


oil%20-%201_1.jpg


Happy New Year!
 
Vlad said:
Ryan for first 1,300 hours I used AeroShell and was happy. Then I changed cork gaskets for silicone and noticed some brown residue. I asked here and there was a qualified opinion it was caused by the oil I use.


shell%20-%201.jpg
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A bit off-topic, but...how'd you get that brown gunk off? I started to change mine to silicone gaskets, but the first one was such a pain in the butt to get rid of the brown gook, I stopped with just one done. Would like to change them all, but need a better method to clean the flange and covers.
 
Since this thread is about oil, filters, and protecting the engine....I've read on VAF the procedure of pulling a prop thru a couple of times to "pre-oil" the cams and other components prior to starting.
Reads good and we have all seen the WWll movies of maintenance crews pulling those big radials engine props thru prior to starting.
Good idea or simply a warm fuzzy?
Good, then how many times?
Sloooowwwww or fast?
 
frghtdg said:
Since this thread is about oil, filters, and protecting the engine....I've read on VAF the procedure of pulling a prop thru a couple of times to "pre-oil" the cams and other components prior to starting.
Reads good and we have all seen the WWll movies of maintenance crews pulling those big radials engine props thru prior to starting.
Good idea or simply a warm fuzzy?
Good, then how many times?
Sloooowwwww or fast?
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Remember they were doing this on radials that could leak many gallons of oil into a cylinder and create a hydraulic lock. That is the reason for the pull through. Just start the Lycoming opposed designs.

Oh - gunk? Either hot (very hot) water rich with Wisk, or something with methylene chloride, like paint remover or carb cleaner. The latter is ok for aluminum, the Wisk is not.
 
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RV7A Flyer said:
A bit off-topic, but...how'd you get that brown gunk off? I started to change mine to silicone gaskets, but the first one was such a pain in the butt to get rid of the brown gook, I stopped with just one done. Would like to change them all, but need a better method to clean the flange and covers.
Click to expand...

It was a PITA indeed. I started scrubbing with avgas soaked rags and finished with acetone. Also tried a steelwool-like something don't remember now.
 
Vlad said:
Per recommendation ( don't remember by whom-rocketbob?) I switched to Phillips 66 and became even happier. Now I change oil filter every 100 hours or so and just keep filling it with oil. That's how much oil I need between the changes. I always babied my engine and still do. :D


oil%20-%201_1.jpg


Happy New Year!
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Are you saying you use 2 cases (24 quarts) of oil every 100hrs? :confused:
 
My recommendation would be Aeroshell 50 weight Mineral Oil until the engine is broke in. My engine change intervals on Lycomings are first oil change at 5 hours and then 25 hours thereafter. After the engine is broke in I switch to Aeroshell W100.
 
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