Desert Rat
Well Known Member
Wow, as I look at my punch list getting shorter and shorter, it seems like this project might actually be a flying airplane soon. I pre-oiled the engine this afternoon!
My oil cooler fittings are on the bottom (yeah, I know, air lock. Pacific Aero says it's not a thing) so I couldn't just remove a line and pour oil into the cooler. Instead, I accomplished this with a $10 fluid transfer pump from harbor freight plumbed into the oil line from the cooler at the engine end. The pickup on the el/cheapo pump didn't reach quite to the bottom of a quart oil bottle so I pumped about 7/8 quart in there. Pacific aero says the 13 row cooler holds about 1/2 quart so I reasoned that the overage would be forced back up the other line toward the oil pump & vernatherm area.
Once I buttoned that back up, I removed the line from the oil pressure transducer and turned the prop over by hand until oil started coming out there. It took about 30 revolutions.
I put that back together and gave the engine and surrounding area a good inspection with flashlight and mirror in hand to make sure I hadn't forgotten to hook something back up or left something laying on it, then, following Lycoming's instructions, cranked the engine with the starter for about 10 seconds.
I had an oil pressure indication almost immediately when I hit the starter and it was up to about 40 psi at the 10 second mark. I let the starter cool for a few minutes and hit it again and the pressure was up to about 55 psi after another 10 second session. The picture below shows in the 40's, but that was catching it on the way back down after I quit cranking.
Getting close now!
My oil cooler fittings are on the bottom (yeah, I know, air lock. Pacific Aero says it's not a thing) so I couldn't just remove a line and pour oil into the cooler. Instead, I accomplished this with a $10 fluid transfer pump from harbor freight plumbed into the oil line from the cooler at the engine end. The pickup on the el/cheapo pump didn't reach quite to the bottom of a quart oil bottle so I pumped about 7/8 quart in there. Pacific aero says the 13 row cooler holds about 1/2 quart so I reasoned that the overage would be forced back up the other line toward the oil pump & vernatherm area.
Once I buttoned that back up, I removed the line from the oil pressure transducer and turned the prop over by hand until oil started coming out there. It took about 30 revolutions.
I put that back together and gave the engine and surrounding area a good inspection with flashlight and mirror in hand to make sure I hadn't forgotten to hook something back up or left something laying on it, then, following Lycoming's instructions, cranked the engine with the starter for about 10 seconds.
I had an oil pressure indication almost immediately when I hit the starter and it was up to about 40 psi at the 10 second mark. I let the starter cool for a few minutes and hit it again and the pressure was up to about 55 psi after another 10 second session. The picture below shows in the 40's, but that was catching it on the way back down after I quit cranking.
Getting close now!
