A64Pilot

Lycoming recommends between 165 and 200 Indicated oil temp and says the oil in the engine is 50F warmer non turbo and 75F warmer for turbo. How often is it that cold? I would myself if I can’t get inside and properly pre heat just not fly that day. It’s not just the engine, the plastics in the interior may crack when you bend them at that temp, rubber landing gear biscuits would be rocks I think and may crack etc.

An airframer or engine manufacturer has zero to gain from testing any non ASTM or other product manufactured under other means, all they have is something to lose, nothing to gain. Now if the Government had approved it under existing protocols, Then Lycoming etc would likely test it to ensure their engine was OK with it just as I’m sure they have tested every possible combination of scenarios just like they have 100LL. An STC is allowable, not required, but apparently California or parts of it maybe?, has made it required. Your beef I think is with California.

I think in truth that in a year or so we will know if in fact there is nothing to see here, or it may go the way the Mobil-1 oil did. But we just won’t know until then at earliest. It could be fine or not.

Most O-rings are available by size in Viton, but you may have to get them from non Aviation sources, while I agree that it’s unlikely in truth that there is a quality difference, but non aviation sources don’t maintain traceability. Aviation sources are supposed to separate by batch etc, while non aviation sources just have a box by part number, they aren’t traceable That may all seem unnecessary but it’s one of those things that are required to have, or at least the suppliers do, if there is an accident caused by something failing and you bought it from AC Spruce for example AC Spruce can supply the birth certificate for that item to the FAA / NTSB etc. Then as has been stated it’s tough to go against the part manual, but if the STC states that you should I think that’s justification to do so. (my opinion) But the work to do so as in finding the exact correct size may not be easy, unless there is a cross reference chart somewhere, if there is then that makes things easier. While not common there are a few special O-rings etc, and how do you determine if what you need is one of these “special” ones as opposed to a common part? But, here’s one rub, I’m pretty sure that at least the Viton I have experience with has a different Durometer, as in it’s stiffer or harder if you will, does that matter? Would it require a higher torque to completely seat? Above my pay grade, I don’t know, then it’s tough to get Stat-O-Seals as it is, are they available from an aviation source in Viton? Its easy to say replace with Viton, but I believe there are many special items that it’s just not possible.

Yes, because everything forward of the firewall has to be replaced then include instrumentation, fuel system etc and I bet the cost to modify an aircraft is likely to exceed the value of the average general aviation aircraft. The “Damn” things can run on pump gas, have always been able to, just We haven’t wanted to burn pump gas. It really is that simple. ADI works, it’s not snake oil, has been around longer than any of us, but for some reason the industry keeps chasing Diesels and now apparently blends of chemicals to make a fuel. Maybe that will change. or maybe it won’t. A LOT has to do with marketing and who is a social influencer etc and what they have to sell. This GAMI fuel has for instance almost spurred a religious furor, some think it’s the anti christ, some think it’s the best thing going and we need it now. Neither side has much if any real experience with the stuff, especially those that decry it, it’s always been that way, the biggest haters of anything usually have no experience with it, never have understood why so many Rednecks in pickup truck hate the Toyota Prius for example. I’m just a risk adverse person, it’s just my nature, what I did for a living for nearly 40 years made me that way.

Ref no slop in controls, I’ve seen as the engine develops power the mounts being rubber allow a little movement, and that pulls the control slightly off of the stops

It appears to be fine, one end of it is held by one of the bolts that was loose though, but it didn’t seem bad. Engine has about 600 since overhaul and all accessories were replaced in overhaul.

No, I know the IA who cared for it, the owner never touched it, that’s what had me wondering if for some silly reason Mooney wrote it to be kept loose, just thought I’d ask before I tightened it.

If it’s that, then it’s K&N oil It’s easy to over oil a filter and it does run out, but it doesn’t hurt anything. Attached pic is of a new K&N filter used on a Thrush turbine, maybe 3 ft square, it came from the factory a little over oiled. The issue with a cotton gauge oiled filter isn’t that they drain oil, it’s that the do flow air very well, they do that by not being a very good filter, the paper filter, filters much finer particles, and I think a Brackett does to, but the bracket is very sticky oil, like glue. I’ve always wondered how well a paper filter does in soaking rain though.

From a paint perspective, when we restarted production of the Thrush, we had many paint issues. I found that the paint we were using was cheap junk, so I started looking for a good paint in the belief that frankly you get what you pay for. In my research I found out that at least back then that Air Force One, The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels all were painted with the same paint, Sherwin Williams Jet-Glo. Under the belief that it’s likely that those aircraft most likely used the best paint available I went with Jet-Glo, and almost overnight our paint problems went away, and yes it was expensive, but our rework went down so much it more than made up the difference. I believe the C-182 panels tested in that Video were painted with Jet-Glo and Jet-Glo was the paint that held up best to agricultural chemicals that we found, it’s good stuff. I don’t think paint is a safety issue, but I do think it may be the Canary in the coal mine, anything that dissolves Jet-Glo is something that’s pretty aggressive I think. If it were a failure of the primer the paint would peel off but the paint look otherwise unaffected, but that video showed it wrinkled, which to means it’s being dissolved

Very many mixtures behave like that, for instance many if the new refrigerants are mixtures of different gasses, some have smaller molecules and are very prone to leak out while others don’t, so over time you end up with a mixture of gasses very unlike what you started with.

I wouldn’t say anything like that, just from my experience with working with them, the primary motivating factor was the question “could this reflect bad on me” If the answer was no, then you got approval, if the answer was possibly then they passed the buck, and if yes, then the answer was no.

My guess is that there are a few in the FAA that are saying Uh-Oh, can this get me in trouble?

Who knows? I had assumed not because surely that was tested, but I thought the same for O-rings too. Anything in my opinion that swells fuel resistant O-rings literally almost overnight is questionable to be put kindly. I don’t what the diaphragms are made of I had assumed Nitrile as it’s sort of been the go to for a long time, but assumptions are just guesses under another name.

Back to two pumps, on different busses, but losing a Mag could also, or a clogged fuel injector or strainer or any number of a great many other issues. I would tell you that the likelyhood of a fuel that causes O-rings to swell is far more likely to cause an engine failure as there are a great many “rubber” and plastic components in an aircraft fuel system. My C-140 would likely be OK as the only plastic or rubber in it is the fuel level indicator floats and maybe a cork gasket where they go into the tank, but my Mooney is full of the stuff from the servo, fuel divider, fuel flow transducer, both fuel pumps, strainer, fuel selector to say nothing of my bladders or everyone else’s sealer. O-rings are I think the least of the possible problems Unless the guy who did the video snuck in MEK or something into his tests those simple backyard tests are enough to keep me away. If I lived where it was the only option I’d pull my fuel trailer to where I could buy 100 LL, sell the Mooney or quit flying Certified aircraft I guess or buy something Certified to burn car gas. I think Rotax are allowed?