Oil analysis results needed for Lycoming IO-360

[fantom]

You can retest the oil anytime, but oil analysis only highlights microscopic ingredients and slow wear events. Filter cutting picks up bigger 'stuff' and is MUCH more telling of problems. I'd be doing it every ten hours IF the plane is even flying...is it? Inspecting the oil suction (finger) screen picks up the bigger stuff that never even gets to the oil filter and if ferrous is indicative of an immediate issue. So what's happening Byron???

[jetdriven]

It's a battle of theory versus reality. After all the oil analysis reports and comparing to our reports, our silicon number is 9-13 in 25 hours which directly tracks with hours, so 18-26 in 50. Lets control all numbers for 50 hours which is a good standard.

The iron value is troubling in our 200 SMOH lycoming engine. 205 Ppm and its trending up. The folks at lycoming say its due to excessive dust ingestion and sitting 5-10 days between flights. They claim rust on the cylinder walls forms and gets scraped off. So it's our fault. However, no oil analysis shows numbers these high including one pilot who bought a plane that had sat 12 years. Many mooneys have ram air which is used often and many also don't close fully. Unfiltered air is not optimal, and I did fix a 1cm square crack in the airbox prior to the last oil sample, but they are adamant silicon is responsible for 205 ppm iron in 50 hours.

But there's more. We have a silicone breather hose and now a fresh silicone valve cover gasket. They claim that this is insignificant but I think it is. The elevated silicon number is from the hose and gasket, not dirt. I think something is wearing abnormally and they agree, but its from dirt and disuse. I think it's something improperly assembled.

[N601RX]

How close are you to the coast? Is there someone else at your airport who does regular oil samples that you could compare data with?

[jetdriven]

One pilot has a 1500 SMOH M20E based a couple miles from here. The ram air doesn't close fully and it's sits 2-3 weeks sometimes between flights. Silicon is 7 and iron is 20.

[OR75]

I am not sure 9-13ppm of Silicon is a high number 

most analysis I have seen have Si around that range.

I suggest you measure Si on a sample of fresh oil to know what your Si baseline is. (include camguard if you are using that)

[DXB]

On 10/22/2013 at 5:36 PM, jetdriven said:

Thanks to all of your for the data. No fewer than 12 pilots responded with information, about 5 or 6 within couple hours.  Thats the power of Mooneyspace. Its amazing.

 

Silicon is on the high end of average to average, however, the wear metals, to me at least, are shockingly high. About 5 times average, after reviewing others' information. 

 

We think there is something going on inside the engine, Lycoming is resolute that the silicon levels are commensurate with wear values such as this, and sitting 3-4 days causes cylinder rust which flags for iron.

 

Take a look and compare.

 

Keep sending in info if you wish, I will organize it all to determine real baseline values we can all compare it to.  I'll keep your personal data private, of course.

 

More later.

 

N201EQ-090313clean.pdf

Byron,  how long did it take for these wear metals to come down on your engine?  I am experiencing a very similar pattern of sustained elevation (iron, chromium, aluminum together) after the plane sat 2.5 months during a panel upgrade.  Oil was then quickly changed and it was flown regularly about 20 hrs with high metals appearing, then sat another 3 wks during annual unfortunately, then was flown regularly again for 27 hours with the subsequent oil analysis showing similar results as your last one here, with Fe 85, Cr 24, Al 10. Compressions at annual were good, oil consumption is stable, and no metal in filter.  Borescope at annual was fine reportedly, but I'm thinking that I want to take a look myself...