Cruiser Posted October 2, 2014 Report Posted October 2, 2014 Changed the oil last week and flew a couple of hours after. Put the plane away waiting for the call when our new grandson was being delivered. We got the call and off to the airport to fly to my sons place in time for delivery. Nope, scrubbed the flight and drove because the nose wheel was covered in oil all the way to the floor. Got back to check the plane this morning, all along thinking it was probably just a piece of grit under the drain plug. Nope, all clean there. On the bottom of the oil pan in a flat area near the drain plug but forward and off to the side, the oil is just seeping out of the pan itself. A crack or hole Has anyone every heard of this happening before? Continental IO-550 G Any suggestions on how to get the pan off without completely pulling the engine out of the mount? The oil pan is flat in the front but has about a 3" sump behind the front engine mount cross tubes. Quote
Piloto Posted October 3, 2014 Report Posted October 3, 2014 I had the same problem with my IO-360. The hole was just above the 6 qts level on the side, so it only leaked when above this level. The hole was invisible to plain sight, so it could only be located by the oil stain. The oil sump or pan are not subject to stress in these areas so I doubt it would be a crack. Most likely is due to an imperfection during the material casting process. I plugged the hole by covering the area with Marine Tex on the outside, no need to remove the oil sump. Problem solved and no leaks after five years. In your case you will need to empty all the oil before sealing it. Marine Tex can be found at marine stores. It is used on boats to plug holes on engines and hull. Fuel tank sealant such as PRC1422-B also works very well too. José Quote
N201MKTurbo Posted October 3, 2014 Report Posted October 3, 2014 I have found that if you spray it with red brake parts cleaner the crack will stand out. The TCE will evaporate off the surface but not from the crack. I'm sorry I know this..... Quote
The-sky-captain Posted October 3, 2014 Report Posted October 3, 2014 Tom, Congrats on the new grandson! Quote
N601RX Posted October 3, 2014 Report Posted October 3, 2014 Its more than likely porosity. We have a large foundry where I work and it seems to be a problem that pops up from time to time. We pressure test everything we make to catch this, but occasionally we get stuff back that started to leak later on. Sometimes its obvious from just looking at it, but other times the surface is fine while there are numerous pores just under the surface waiting to pop through. Quote
Cruiser Posted October 16, 2014 Author Report Posted October 16, 2014 got the pan pulled today. The tip of the dipstick was cutting a groove in the bottom of the pan and it finally worked all the way through. Quote
KSMooniac Posted October 16, 2014 Report Posted October 16, 2014 Wow! Can you just do a simple weld repair and trim the dipstick a bit? Quote
Marauder Posted October 16, 2014 Report Posted October 16, 2014 That is something you don't hear about. Wrong dipstick? Quote
carusoam Posted October 17, 2014 Report Posted October 17, 2014 Tom, The dipsticks that have been in my IO550s have both been cables swaged with the typical dipstick ends. The cable part has some flex in it, it may have to wear out a large spot. Is your dipstick the kind with a cable? Does your dipstick show signs of wear at the tip? The chrome stick is harder than the aluminum pan and weld. Wear might not show... Did you notice the dipstick bumping into the funky weld line in your photo? It seems to deflect into a couple different spots on different sides of the ugly weld. Since they welded the case once, I see another weld in the same place in it's future... These are things I would like to check to make sure I am not suffering the same issue. I see the ability to send a camera in there may be helpful if this was the standard... Thanks for sharing, -a- Quote
Piloto Posted October 17, 2014 Report Posted October 17, 2014 Wow that is a first for me. It looks that maybe the dipstick had no O-ring or the wrong one (too thin). This would allow the dipstick to go deeper. When in doubt always use rubber. Thanks for exposing the problem. José Quote
Cruiser Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Posted October 17, 2014 my dipstick looks like this http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mRp-hTmynH0ea5D9zVue_QA.jpg It is the twist lock cap with the flat steel blade. it is steel and the tip does not really show any wear. It does extend below the bottom of the dipstick tube about 3/8" the shop is checking for the proper part number. If anyone knows which dipstick is suppose to be in the Mooney Ovation engine IO-550 please post the picture/part number Quote
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