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Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2005 22:28:44 -0600
From: Jim Sower <canarder@frontiernet.net>
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To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: Oil leak
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I use Dr Scholls spray foot powder.  Goes on uniform and sticks pretty 
good.  Shows the stains nicely.  Comes off easily when you want it to.
And it's easy to come by ... Jim S.

Steve Brooks wrote:

> John,
> Don't laugh, but I've heard that you can use flour to help locate the 
> source of a leak.  You put flour on the suspect area, run it a little 
> bit, and see where the flour has fresh oil on it.  I guess that the 
> theory is that the flour soaks it up, and keeps it from spreading around.
>  
> The only down side would be that be fan in the back, blowing the flour 
> away.
>  
> Just a thought.
>  
> Steve Brooks
>  
>  
>
>     -----Original Message-----
>     *From:* Rotary motors in aircraft
>     [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net]*On Behalf Of *John Slade
>     *Sent:* Wednesday, February 09, 2005 1:20 PM
>     *To:* Rotary motors in aircraft
>     *Subject:* [FlyRotary] Oil leak
>
>     Hi Guys,
>     I've been chasing an oil leak for a while now. It only happens
>     when the engine is running. When I get back from a 20 minute
>     flight the cowl has oil streaks down the outside, everything under
>     the cowl has an oil film on it, and the turbo is seriously
>     smokin'. I could probably make a similar mess by spraying about
>     1/2 cup of oil at the cowl and engine.
>      
>     Today I took the plane up and down the runway a couple of times
>     and did a couple of runups with the cowl off. I seem to be a
>     little down on power - (3950 instead of 4050 on static). When I
>     got back the mount plate below the turbo had fresh oil on it and I
>     could see air bubbling through this oil at the joint of the mount
>     plate and the engine, just by the turbo. See attached picture with
>     arrow. In fact the entire join between the engine and the plate on
>     the right (turbo) side seems wet with oil and there's another pool
>     at the front which I don't think migrated from the back.
>      
>     I get the feeling that this "bubbling" might become a fine jet of
>     oil which points directly at the turbo when the engine's running,
>     otherwise I don't see how oil could get up into the turbo housing
>     and smoke like it does.  I'm trying to understand why there might
>     be pressure here. The breather is definitely not blocked, and in
>     fact, on this particular run, I'd even left the dipstick out.
>     Could the bubbling air be a compression leak from the join between
>     the rotor hosing and the backplate?  My oil level is maybe 1/4 -
>     1/2 inch below the level of the mount plate and the plane was on a
>     slight grade making the back lower. The bubbling stopped after a
>     few minutes and did not return when we turned the prop.
>      
>     I'm resigned to pulling the lower cowl, sump and sump plate and
>     redoing the RTV join (again), but I'm wondering - should there be
>     pressure here? Is there some other problem causing this. Am I
>     overfull with oil?  Could the turbo oil return be "landing" on the
>     mount plate, then running back along the join? I'm planning a
>     compression test next time I go down to the hangar.
>      
>     Any other thoughts or suggestions?
>      
>     Regards,
>     John (13.9 hrs and holding)
>