Forum

Notifications
Clear all

This Forum is a place for Piper Comanche pilots to communicate and discuss technical issues

If you join or reset a password, please check your Spam Email box for emails from Admin at ComancheTechTalk.com

Please put your questions on the forum as well so everyone can read and respond. Someone else might be having similar questions.

All questions or topics on the Forums automatically get sent to the Tech team as well.

Oil leak

1 Posts
1 Users
0 Reactions
101 Views
Admin
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1162
Topic starter  

Oil leak

Postby Clyde J Davis Jr » Sat Mar 19, 2016 4:46 am

I've owned my 260B since 1989. I had my 3rd engine overhaul performed in 12/14. 20 minutes into the first test flight oil appeared on the windshield. Subsequent tests pointed to the prop governor. It was removed, overhauled and reinstalled with a new gasket. Still oil on the windshield after 20-30 minutes of a flight. During subsequent months prop governor seals were changed and prop seals were changed, all to no avail. Finally I took the plane to an A&P who had worked on the plane previously. He tightened the nuts securing the governor and the problem went away, for all of 6 months. In 10/15 the problem reappeared. Since that time gaskets have been replaced, mounting surfaces have been resurfaced and sealants have been applied. I picked up the plane today after the latest attempt and during the 40 minute flight home oil again appeared om the windshield and oil was on the bottom of the governor.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Clyde J Davis Jr
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2016 4:22 am

Re: Oil leak

Postby N3322G » Sat Mar 19, 2016 2:04 pm

Your information in Pathfinder is marker private or I'd suggest the closest Comanche experienced shop.

If you are stuck with the existing mechanics, you might consider working to identify the true source of the leak with additive and black light or wash the engine and baby powder it. If it happened after O/H, shop doing the re-mount needs to check its work.

Others may contribute add'l ideas.

Pat

Patricia Jayne (Pat) Keefer ICS 08899
PA-39 #10 Texas

User avatar
N3322G
ICS member
ICS member
 
Posts: 1911
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 1:58 pm
Location: Fort Worth, Texas area

Re: Oil leak

Postby Clyde J Davis Jr » Sat Mar 19, 2016 5:02 pm

Thanks for the response. We've tried the baby powder route before overhauling the governor and it pointed to the governor.
Clyde J Davis Jr
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2016 4:22 am

Re: Oil leak

Postby William Hughes » Tue Mar 22, 2016 4:38 pm

I had a similar issue with my aircraft (250) over the course of about a year. Oil would leak out over the front of the cowling and dribble back toward the windshield, and occasionally spatter on the windscreen, over time. Got it solved eventually and it was a combination of:
1) front crank seal was spinning loose in its housing
2) loose crank-case through bolts (I could spin two of them easily with my fingers!)
3) loose oil hose clamps

Item two probably had some sort of causal relationship with item one. Although we checked it last after doing a bunch of other work. Just didn't think to check the crank case bolts as it never occurred to anyone that those could be loose. Might be worth a check...

User avatar
William Hughes
 
Posts: 97
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 9:23 pm
Location: Saskatoon, SK
  •  

Re: Oil leak

Postby Clarence Beintema » Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:29 pm

I've seen a similar situation with a prop governor before, it was a case of the installer used internal star lock washers which had a larger outside diameter which was catching on the counter bored holes in the governor. Adding a smaller diameter split lock washer and torquing to 205 inch pounds cure the problem.

Clarence

Clarence Beintema
ICS member
ICS member
 
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue May 11, 2010 11:41 pm

   
Quote
Share: