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It's hard to figure out an oil source because of the airflow inside the cowling blows it everywhere. To verify it's coming from the vent tube I temporarily attached a coke can with the end of the tube inside it. The only way to get oil inside the can is if it comes out of that line. We had what we thought was a crank case vent blowing oil that ended up being the wet vacuum pump failing and coming out of a different line.
The vent line with the rubber hose attached to it next to the one plain aluminum line centered in the picture is the one coming from this canister:
There is nothing between the top of the rear of the engine line and the plain aluminum tubing in the previous picture. I'll see if I can get a better over all picture of the set up next time to the airport.
Yes it has a wet vac.
I'm not really losing much oil, but it is making a mess of the lower and rear engine cowling areas, and embarrassing with oil streaking down the side of the plane, no matter how minute.
The vent line with the rubber hose attached to it next to the one plain aluminum line centered in the picture is the one coming from this canister:
There is nothing between the top of the rear of the engine line and the plain aluminum tubing in the previous picture. I'll see if I can get a better over all picture of the set up next time to the airport.
Yes it has a wet vac.
I'm not really losing much oil, but it is making a mess of the lower and rear engine cowling areas, and embarrassing with oil streaking down the side of the plane, no matter how minute.
I have a PA22 with the O320 and a wet pump. On mine, the wet pump has an air/oil separator on the outlet side. In the past, I’ve had to clean the separator because the hole in the bottom of the separator that returns the captured oil back to the engine was plugged with sludge. I just removed the separator and cleaned it in mineral spirits. That separator captures most of the oil mist in the wet pump outlet but not all. The other line on mine is the crankcase breather and it does not have a separator on it. That one also has some oil drips from it but very little. Perhaps you air/oil separator needs a cleaning like mine did?
I have a PA22 with the O320 and a wet pump. On mine, the wet pump has an air/oil separator on the outlet side. In the past, I’ve had to clean the separator because the hole in the bottom of the separator that returns the captured oil back to the engine was plugged with sludge. I just removed the separator and cleaned it in mineral spirits. That separator captures most of the oil mist in the wet pump outlet but not all. The other line on mine is the crankcase breather and it does not have a separator on it. That one also has some oil drips from it but very little. Perhaps you air/oil separator needs a cleaning like mine did?
Sounds like the exact setup I'm trying to describe. Does your crank case breather then stop short of the bottom of the cowling?
I'll pull the oil separator and clean it, just to rule that out.
Sounds like the exact setup I'm trying to describe. Does your crank case breather then stop short of the bottom of the cowling?
I'll pull the oil separator and clean it, just to rule that out.
Yes, and both aluminum tubes stop just short of the bottom of the cowling. They are connected together for mutual support on mine.
Sounds like the exact setup I'm trying to describe. Does your crank case breather then stop short of the bottom of the cowling?
I'll pull the oil separator and clean it, just to rule that out.
One more thing...be careful with that air/oil separator - they’re expensive!
So is it OK to just kind of hose everything down with mineral spirits?
I'd like to try and find any other leaks before spending money with the mechanic.
(sorry for the ignorant question, if this is. First time plane owner, only one month into it!)
To find oil leaks, the best method I’ve found is to clean the engine as well as you can and let it dry. Then use baby powder to cover the entire engine with a light coat of powder. Start and run for about 5 minutes and look for traces of oil in the baby powder. If there are no traces, repeat the 5 minute runs until the oil shows up. You just found at least one of the leaks! Once found, now figure out how to fix it.
As for using solvent on the engine, if you have a dry vacuum pump, avoid getting solvent on the drive. They are plastic drives and the solvent could deteriorate the drive. Only applies to dry pumps.
So is it OK to just kind of hose everything down with mineral spirits?
I'd like to try and find any other leaks before spending money with the mechanic.
(sorry for the ignorant question, if this is. First time plane owner, only one month into it!)
Yes, I do it after looking the engine over real good to get an idea what is leaking.
Normal areas are the rocker cover drain back lines at the rubber hoses where it drains back into the sump. Usually a little tightening of the hose clamp fixes this.
Oil filler neck gasket. I quit using the paper ones several years ago and use the Real Gaskets one. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...basegasket.php I safety wire it both ways since people like to over tighten the dip stick and then it is a bear to get off.
Base of the magneto from a sticky gasket at a timing change.
The case halves forward of the sump above the starter and generator/alternator. Limited success in this area unless it is coming out from around the bolts and then some Aviation Permatex in the hole and on the bolt after a thorough cleaning.
Re: slight oil leak
Originally Posted by 01Delta
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