N8RV
Well Known Member
I always prided myself on my amateur luck of having zero oil leaks in all of Smokey's tubing, even with the Raven inverted oil system. None. Well, except for mounting the oil separator too low initially and dumping most of the oil out the breather ... but that's another story.
However, after that issue was resolved, I had months of an oil-free belly.
One day, I went into the hangar to see a small puddle of oil about the size of a quarter under the right exhaust pipe. Hmmm ...
Long story short, I tracked the leak to a swivel fitting on the back of the sump for the inverted oil system. I removed the exhaust system to get a wrench on the fitting (to remove it would literally involve removing the engine from the plane because of its proximity to the engine mount!) and cranked it down as tightly as I could without cracking the sump. That worked.
However, after a year or two of more flying, I've noticed that the fitting still weeps a drop of oil or two, which naturally get swept away along the belly of the plane. No more drops on the hangar floor, but it's annoying to have to clean the belly of the plane a couple times a year.
Other airplane owners laugh at my concern. They enjoy oily bellies all the time. Their hangar floors have oil stains all over. "It's UNNATURAL for an airplane engine to NOT leak some oil," they all say.
I still don't like it. I want a tight engine again.
Am I being too anal?
However, after that issue was resolved, I had months of an oil-free belly.
One day, I went into the hangar to see a small puddle of oil about the size of a quarter under the right exhaust pipe. Hmmm ...
Long story short, I tracked the leak to a swivel fitting on the back of the sump for the inverted oil system. I removed the exhaust system to get a wrench on the fitting (to remove it would literally involve removing the engine from the plane because of its proximity to the engine mount!) and cranked it down as tightly as I could without cracking the sump. That worked.
However, after a year or two of more flying, I've noticed that the fitting still weeps a drop of oil or two, which naturally get swept away along the belly of the plane. No more drops on the hangar floor, but it's annoying to have to clean the belly of the plane a couple times a year.
Other airplane owners laugh at my concern. They enjoy oily bellies all the time. Their hangar floors have oil stains all over. "It's UNNATURAL for an airplane engine to NOT leak some oil," they all say.
I still don't like it. I want a tight engine again.
Am I being too anal?