Engine preservation during storage

[isaacpr7]

Hey guys,

I will be deploying again in a few months and I am starting to think about aircraft storage. At first I thought about pickling the engine but after some research I realized it would do me no good because the preservatives would have to be replaced every so often. I found a system that seems promising. The link is below. Can anyone give me their two cents?

http://generalaviationnews.com/2014/09/25/innovators-keeping-engines-healthy/

[Danb]

I contacted Mike Busch prior to having an operation and my plane was inactive for a while, I used Camguard and purchased an engine dehumiidfier air preservation system,it keeps the moisture out of the engine thereby keeping if from corrosion..

[Danb]

BTW. It is a Tempest Engine Preservation System....they are often back ordered..

[philipneeper]

I got lucky on my plane. It say 14 yrs when I bought her and then off and on for long periods of time... There are high metals in the last oil sample due to my deployments and try trips. I agree with  danb, cam guard and dehumidifier. If you have someone close or trust they could start it up for you. 

[philipneeper]

If you were close to me, I would help you out. 

[WardHolbrook]

I got lucky on my plane. It say 14 yrs when I bought her and then off and on for long periods of time... There are high metals in the last oil sample due to my deployments and try trips. I agree with  danb, cam guard and dehumidifier. If you have someone close or trust they could start it up for you. 

Just starting it up and doing a ground run won't do any good and could do harm. It's got to flown. If you can't fly it then you're going to want to go the other route. 

[philipneeper]

Why would it not help? IT would cycle the oils; I know it will have to be more than 10 minutes....

[DAVIDWH]

In my opinion, you just got to run em.

 

When I was a bit waylayed with surgery, I hired a local CFI to run the rust off  one hour a week.

 

He flew her weekly for $50.00 per hour plus fuel cost.

 

Oil change, oil filter cut up and oil analysis when I returned.

 

All clean as a whistle.

 

Cheap, cheap insurance....

 

Good luck.

[N601RX]

I've been taking care of and flying a plane for a friend while he is deployed. I fly it for 45 minutes twice a month. It's a plane I used to own so I was already familiar with it. Is there someone local who you could count on to look after it?

I've always heard ground runs wouldn't do any good and would just generate more moisture but had to do them a couple of times earlier this year. It is possible to get the oil up to temp at around 1200 rpms and the cylinder temps will be normal. I let it run for about 40 minutes after the oil temp reached 200. I posted the engine monitor data in another thread back in January.

[isaacpr7]

From what I have read during research running the engine one the ground is not enough to burn all the moisture in the oil; moreover, said moisture would rapidly spread corrosion over all internal components. I have a friend who is willing to fly it for me but he doesn't have much retract experience and I would hate for that to become an insurance claim. As some of you have suggested, I think the best option is to find a local CFI who is willing to fly it for me if I cannot find the dehumidifier system.

[philipneeper]

Where are you based?

[WardHolbrook]

From what I have read during research running the engine one the ground is not enough to burn all the moisture in the oil; moreover, said moisture would rapidly spread corrosion over all internal components.

^^^ This ^^^

[isaacpr7]

I'm based out of KCKV.

[philipneeper]

Oh, Campbell. May I ask who you are with there?

[isaacpr7]

I'm a 47 driver

[N201MKTurbo]

Just bring it down to Arizona. We don't have corrosion. Our air is dryer then what the dehumidifies produce.

[isaacpr7]

I should have accepted moving to Fort Bliss when they offered it to me

[N601RX]

I don't believe that a long ground run is bad as long as you have a way to monitor it. On the ground with 55 deg OAT it takes my engine around 10-12 minutes to get the oil to 200 deg F. When flying it hardly ever gets to 200. With a 1100 to 1200 RPM idle leaned on the ground will give me 200 deg oil temps with cylinder temps of around 350. Once the temps get up it's just a matter of sitting there for whatever amount of time you feel is necessary. I used 35-45 minutes. I've done this a few times when I've been unable to fly due to mechanical work being done and didn't want it to sit. I attached the engine monitor output in the picture below. This graph was the 1st time I did it, but later found that it would heat up quicker at lower rpms. The sweet spot seems to be around 1200-1400. Above there seems to be more of a cooling affect from the prop. This is with a relocated oil cooler.

A short ground run is very bad. I've saw a plane that was cranked and taxied for 3 or 4 minutes over to another hanger and a rocker cover gasket replaced. There was drops of water inside.

[M20F]

Moisture in the engine is mostly a by product of using it. If you change the oil, ground run it every so often to sling the oil around, and change the oil every couple of months that is going to be effective. There are other considerations though such as lubing the prop, gear, etc. when planes sit for awhile tends to be things other than the engine that suffer the most.

[philipneeper]

I'm a 47 driver

Oh I'm sorry! Lol j/k

[isaacpr7]

You must be a gun guy phillip. Lol! I love driving the hooker. I was a Huey guy before that

[philipneeper]

I used to be a ground guy back in the day, now I'm a engine guy. Looking to being a driver here soon, hopefully nov will yield FQ-S status for me

[isaacpr7]

Well you already talk smack about other airframes. In my opinion you already have the personality of an army aviator

Hopefully you're not trying to fly the 58. They will be gone out of the inventory in two years so all that is left for guns is the Apache who always begs the 47s to slow down for them. As for the 60 goes, have fun being a taxi in Afghanistan because at 6400 MSL on the ground..... enough said

[FloridaMan]

What would it cost to have someone fly it for an hour a week vs. pickling? There are other things that need exercise and engine corrosion isn't the only thing -- you have all sorts of diaphragms and seals that can dry out and need to be worked, control surfaces need to move, electrical connections can corrode as well. 

 

I think you'd be better off if you could find someone to fly your airplane an hour every week or two and change your oil every three months. 

[philipneeper]

I really wanted the 58 but like you said, they are done. My dream list is 60's, c12's (king air), 47, 64. And I would love to come back to this unit as well. But Nov is the game changer.

 

BTW, im pretty sure you can be classified as a limo driver.... just saying.