Mark33
Well Known Member
The purpose of digging up this older thread is to possibly get an update on oil usage on the IO-390 A3B6. Now with users obtaining more hours or new users data. Also wanted to add my observation going from AEROSHELL W100 PLUS to PHILLIPS 66 VICTORY AVIATION OIL 20W-50. I'd been hanging in with the Aeroshell product as it was a little cheaper but more important Mike Busch was recommending especially for warmer climate conditions. My oil usage almost from the very beginning was a steady 5 to 6 hours per qt. I never saw the 20 to 30 degrees drop in CHT even actively monitoring the SD card data via Savoy. Around 100 hours switched from W100 to W100 plus. Ran that till 400 hours and saw oil usage slow reduce to 8 to 9 hours a qt. At 25 hours the oil would appear very dark, and I would change it with a new filter every other oil change. At 400 hours switched to the Phillips product. What was almost immediately noticeable was the color of the oil even at 30 hours was considerably lighter than the Aeroshell product and now the oil usage has popped up to a qt every 11 to 12 hours. I fly a very similar flight profile almost every week and don't believe that is the difference. There have been comments about less oil usage with the Phillips product, but I've not read anything on the color difference. Any input?
Are you burning AvGas or auto fuel? I also run the Phillips 20/50 along with burning auto fuel and I find that my oil stays pretty clean until my scheduled oil changes. I think the fuel makes a big difference in how fast the oil get dirty.