Tankerpilot75
Well Known Member
Last Friday I was climbing out of ADM flying back to RQO and noticed a light film developing on my canopy. I quickly realized the film was oil and immediately check my gages. CHT, EGT, Oil Pressure and Oil Temp were all okay. I throttled back and the spay seemed to slow down. Being the dummy that I am, I continued on to my home base while monitoring everything and keeping the engine powered back while always looking for a place to land enroute. Landing was interesting because of the oil blocking my center canopy view but was basically uneventful.
After putting the plane in the hangar and pulling the top engine cowling and propeller spinner we noticed the only oil was outside the engine compartment and none on the prop. Engine compartment was completely dry. After checking oil level it was discovered to be down by only 1&1/2 quarts and it was all sprayed around the two engine air inlets, canopy and vertical stabilizer. None was on the prop or inside the cowling and engine compartment. Obviously it was a high pressure, very fine leak.
Two A&Ps I've talked to but haven't looked at the engine say it's probably the forward oil seal. It seems to me that if it was a forward seal then oil would also be all over the inside of the cowling and the prop.
The engine is a Superior XP IO-360 with only 285 hours. It was torn down at 160 hours, inspected and professionally rebuilt by G&N Aircraft Engines at 160 hours in 2014 due to the previous owner having a prop strike. It runs smoothly but took quite a while to reseat the new rings that were put in at time of tear down.
Does anyone else have any ideas before I have an A&P look at it?
After putting the plane in the hangar and pulling the top engine cowling and propeller spinner we noticed the only oil was outside the engine compartment and none on the prop. Engine compartment was completely dry. After checking oil level it was discovered to be down by only 1&1/2 quarts and it was all sprayed around the two engine air inlets, canopy and vertical stabilizer. None was on the prop or inside the cowling and engine compartment. Obviously it was a high pressure, very fine leak.
Two A&Ps I've talked to but haven't looked at the engine say it's probably the forward oil seal. It seems to me that if it was a forward seal then oil would also be all over the inside of the cowling and the prop.
The engine is a Superior XP IO-360 with only 285 hours. It was torn down at 160 hours, inspected and professionally rebuilt by G&N Aircraft Engines at 160 hours in 2014 due to the previous owner having a prop strike. It runs smoothly but took quite a while to reseat the new rings that were put in at time of tear down.
Does anyone else have any ideas before I have an A&P look at it?