X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from mail-iw0-f180.google.com ([209.85.214.180] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.3.9) with ESMTP id 4472320 for flyrotary@lancaironline.net; Sun, 19 Sep 2010 05:48:19 -0400 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=209.85.214.180; envelope-from=msteitle@gmail.com Received: by iwn8 with SMTP id 8so4387760iwn.25 for ; Sun, 19 Sep 2010 02:47:43 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:received:in-reply-to :references:date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type; bh=6NFpaU6Hlmev70K3cHjWjzosB9ojjX0S8G/ynDChEdo=; b=DVYxBoCjv3gIooUckcbYECuT1rgJLLK5t5JeS8vGc5VkNyaR8J5wpS8r4K3aC2d4it h21u0kqbkk3VBY4JAEE8HNRYipi72O9tq40Ou7YjrXeItjW3LWRXu3F6vgTBG9kKt3D/ kqjozqPOJ9a8j2p77t94w+Vy795FiXqkRnRKo= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type; b=lwKIhcWtwPgu8v3TgOHK8Mf6E4CwLiKA4RyehMih+fHUuPtDQccUlVbpKzeY4rkHmL fnCYjBiitkW9Jd4e7YCJ3Wi2prAaI4+fLp9TfyOn1mCFGkOR3tmEHAaX0zoct4+lGZ62 e/tIa67UiDaZdgfZwBpGLQ1CvJLACxT4oAl1Q= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.231.155.206 with SMTP id t14mr8161314ibw.34.1284889663840; Sun, 19 Sep 2010 02:47:43 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.231.173.137 with HTTP; Sun, 19 Sep 2010 02:47:43 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: References: Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2010 04:47:43 -0500 Message-ID: Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: Watch that psru oil seal From: Mark Steitle To: Rotary motors in aircraft Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=005045015678fd22fb049099af48 --005045015678fd22fb049099af48 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Ed, Good advice. Spoken like a person that has "been there, done that". Now, dust it off and hang it back on your wall. Mark On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 11:25 PM, Ed Anderson wrote: > You don't know how relieved I am that you're not after the plaque, Mark > {:>) > > Seriously, good timely decision - so very important when things are not > right. > > First thing when something untoward happens is (as Mark did) turn > toward a suitable landing spot - that way you are headed toward safety > WHILE you are doing your diagnostic trouble shooting. Waiting to turn until > you have CONFIRMED you have a problem may well be just that much > time/distance lost that you needed to reach safety. With only 15 psi > remaining, Mark clearly did not have a lot of margin left. Even 10 seconds > can make a difference. If it turns out not to be a problem then - you've > burnt a couple gallons of fuel unnecessarily. > > Good decision making and good flying, Mark. > > Ed > > *From:* Mark Steitle > *Sent:* Saturday, September 18, 2010 10:40 PM > *To:* Rotary motors in aircraft > *Subject:* [FlyRotary] Watch that psru oil seal > > First, let me make it perfectly clear that I'm not going for the Ed > Anderson "Deadstick" plaque. Ed has earned it and as far as I'm > concerned he can just as well keep it. > > A little background: I'm running a N/A p-ported 20B powered Lancair ES. > I recently changed back to the old style CAS from the Renesis style CAS due > to inability to get the engine to run smoothly. This turns out to have been > a good decision because the engine is running much better with the old style > CAS. With the switch completed, I was ready for some ground running and > some fast taxi runs. This was accomplished on Friday, 9/17. It ran very > good, 100% improvement over the other (Renesis) CAS, reaching 6800 rpm > during the fast taxi. After doing a fast taxi, it felt good and everything > was in the green, so I decided to take a lap around the pattern. > It accelerated and climbed like you would expect from a p-port 3-rotor. As > I was turning downwind, I thought I saw a faint bit of smoke in the cabin. > I tried to detect if it was electrical in nature or oil. I thought it > smelled more like oil. I throttled back and watched the EM-2 for a sign of > what could be wrong. About 3/4 ways down the downwind leg the oil pressure > had dropped and was reading 53 psi. (The oil pressure normally runs around > 80psi.) I throttled back, announced my intentions, and headed for the > numbers. I was the only a/c in the pattern at the time. I had to slip it a > bit, but got on the ground without delay and taxied off the runway and > parked. The oil pressure had dropped to 14 psi bythe time I got it > shut down. The whole episode maybe lasted 2 minutes. > > Upon climbing out I could see that there was oil blown out of the side cowl > seams all down both sides of the fuse (I'm fortunate it didn't coat the > windscreen). Oil was dripping out the nose gear fairing and was forming a > puddle on the asphalt. I tried to imagine what could possibly have > failed... oil line, oil cooler, oil filter, etc. I towed it back to the > hangar and pulled the upper cowl. A quick look and it was evident that the > rear psru seal was the cause. It had come out of position and had rubbed on > the damper hub until it abraded through the rubber. This allowed oil to > flow out around the input shaft at the rear of the gearbox and be sprayed > all over the inner cowl. Yes, I'm very lucky there was no fire! > > I would like to point out that while I'm running an RD-2C gearbox, I'm > using a custom adapter plate which relocates the starter to the plugs side > of the engine. The seal is strictly a press fit into a counter-bore in the > 1/2" aluminum plate with no mechanical locking device. > > I have since removed the gearbox and plan to install a new seal with > two flathead screws which will be positioned so as to mechanically > retain the seal in the counterbore, preventing a recurrence. > > I post this only to make others aware of a potential failure mode that they > may otherwise not recognized as such. > > Mark > --005045015678fd22fb049099af48 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Ed,=A0

Good advice. =A0Spoken like a person that has &qu= ot;been there, done that". =A0

Now, dust it o= ff and hang it back on your wall. =A0

Mark

=
On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 11:25 PM, Ed Anderson <eanderson@carolina.rr.com> wrote:
You don't know how relieved I am that you'= ;re not after the=20 plaque,=A0Mark {:>)
=A0
Seriously, good timely decision - so very importa= nt when=20 things are not right.
=A0
=A0 First thing when something untoward happens i= s (as=20 Mark did) =A0turn toward=A0 a suitable landing spot - that way you are=20 headed toward safety WHILE you are doing your diagnostic trouble shooting.= =A0=20 Waiting to turn until you have CONFIRMED you have a problem may well be jus= t=20 that much=A0 time/distance lost that you needed to reach safety.=A0 With=20 only 15 psi remaining, Mark clearly did not have a lot of margin left.=A0= =20 Even=A010 =A0seconds can make a difference.=A0 If it turns out not to=20 be a problem then -=A0you've burnt a couple gallons of fuel=20 unnecessarily.
=A0
Good decision making and good flying, Mark.
=A0
Ed

Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 10:40 PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Watch that psru oil seal
=

First, let me=A0make it perfectly clear that I'm not going for the= Ed=20 Anderson "Deadstick" plaque.=A0 Ed has earned it and as far as I&= #39;m=20 concerned=A0he can just as well keep it.
=A0
A=A0little background:=A0 I'm running a N/A=A0p-ported 20B powered= =20 Lancair ES.=A0 I=A0recently changed back to the old style CAS from=20 the=A0Renesis style CAS due to=A0inability to get the=A0engine=20 to=A0run smoothly.=A0 This turns out to have been a good decision=20 because=A0the engine is running much better with the old style CAS.=A0=20 With the switch completed, I was ready for some ground running and some fas= t=20 taxi runs.=A0 This was accomplished on Friday, 9/17.=A0 It ran very good,= =20 100% improvement over the other (Renesis) CAS, reaching 6800 rpm during the= fast=20 taxi.=A0=A0After=A0doing=A0a fast taxi, it felt good and everything=20 was in the green, so I decided to take a lap around the pattern.=A0=20 It=A0accelerated and climbed=A0like you would expect from a p-port=20 3-rotor.=A0 As I was turning downwind, I thought I saw=A0a faint bit of=20 smoke in the cabin.=A0 I=A0tried to detect if it was electrical in nature= =20 or oil.=A0 I thought it smelled more like oil.=A0 I throttled back and=20 watched the EM-2 for=A0a sign of what could be wrong.=A0 About 3/4=20 ways=A0down the downwind leg=A0the oil pressure had dropped and was=20 reading 53 psi.=A0 (The oil pressure=A0normally runs around 80psi.)=A0=20 I throttled back, announced my intentions,=A0and headed for the=20 numbers.=A0=A0I was the only a/c in the pattern at the time.=A0=20 I=A0had to slip it a bit, but got on the ground without delay and=A0taxied= =20 off the runway and parked.=A0=A0The oil pressure had dropped to 14=20 psi=A0bythe time=A0I got it shut=A0down.=A0 The whole episode=20 maybe=A0lasted 2 minutes.=A0=A0
=A0
Upon=A0climbing out I could see that there was oil blown out of the si= de=20 cowl seams all down both sides of the fuse (I'm fortunate it didn't= coat the=20 windscreen).=A0 Oil was dripping out the=A0nose gear fairing and=A0was=20 forming a puddle on the asphalt.=A0 I tried to imagine what could possibly= =20 have failed... oil line, oil cooler, oil filter, etc.=A0 I towed it back to= =20 the hangar and pulled the upper cowl.=A0=A0A quick look and=A0it was=20 evident that the rear psru seal was the cause.=A0 It had=A0come out=20 of=A0position and=A0had rubbed on the damper hub until it=A0abraded=20 through the rubber.=A0 This allowed oil to flow out around the input shaft = at=20 the rear of the gearbox and be sprayed all over the inner cowl.=A0 Yes, I&#= 39;m=20 very lucky there was no fire!=A0
=A0
I would like to point out that while I'm running an RD-2C gearbox,= =A0I'm=20 using=A0a custom adapter plate=A0which relocates the starter to the plugs= =20 side of the engine.=A0 The seal is strictly a press fit into a counter-bore= =20 in the 1/2" aluminum plate=A0with no mechanical locking=20 device.=A0=A0
=A0
I have since removed the gearbox and=A0plan to install a new seal with= =20 two=A0flathead screws which will=A0be positioned so as=20 to=A0mechanically retain=A0the seal in the counterbore, preventing=A0a=20 recurrence.=A0=A0
=A0
I post this=A0only to=A0make=A0others aware=A0of a potential=20 failure mode that=A0they may=A0otherwise not=A0recognized as=20 such.
=A0
Mark =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=20

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