I scared the c rap out of my girlfriend yesterday. We were getting ready to taxi to the runway, and the cockpit suddenly had an amount of smoke that was pretty noticeable. I thought it might be electrical, but wasn't sure. This was the first time this has happened since I bought the plane several weeks ago. I probably have about 10 hours of flying time in it. I shut down and put the airplane away pending investigation.
Today, I removed the cowl, and checked the engine compartment for any sign of fire. I also thoroughly checked under the panel for any evidence of fire. Nothing appeared burnt or charred. I got under the airplane, and I noticed that the exhaust pipe directly beneath the breather was coated with a significant amount of oil. The oil was not dripping onto the hangar floor, but the whole pipe was wet. I thought that the smoke probably came from oil burning off the exhaust pipe when the pipes started to heat up and finding it's way into the cockpit somehow, maybe through the cabin heat or the open canopy.
Should the oil breather be depositing oil after the engine stops running? This is the only way I can imagine it is got there. Any other ideas or thoughts?
Thanks in advance,
Jim
Today, I removed the cowl, and checked the engine compartment for any sign of fire. I also thoroughly checked under the panel for any evidence of fire. Nothing appeared burnt or charred. I got under the airplane, and I noticed that the exhaust pipe directly beneath the breather was coated with a significant amount of oil. The oil was not dripping onto the hangar floor, but the whole pipe was wet. I thought that the smoke probably came from oil burning off the exhaust pipe when the pipes started to heat up and finding it's way into the cockpit somehow, maybe through the cabin heat or the open canopy.
Should the oil breather be depositing oil after the engine stops running? This is the only way I can imagine it is got there. Any other ideas or thoughts?
Thanks in advance,
Jim