Oil Leak? Ideas

[Skates97]

I was doing my first oil change today and when I was up on the step stool to remove the filter I could see some oil pooled up in the low spot on the filter adapter between the filter and the engine. It can't be losing much wherever it is coming from because I only add about a 1/2 quart every 5-6 hours. If I'm a little below 6qt when doing pre-flight I'll add 1/2 to bring it back to 6 qts, anything over that and it just spits it out...

It looks like maybe that is a weep hole on the end of the cable in the picture? Is it possible that it is coming from there? 

[kpaul]

Left over from the last time the filter was replaced?

[Skates97]

5 minutes ago, kpaul said:

Left over from the last time the filter was replaced?

I suppose that is a possibility. It was done at annual right before I purchased it and this is the first time I have even looked there. If I hadn't been up on the step stool to be able to reach the filter better I wouldn't have seen it this time.

[Hank]

Clean it up, and watch to see how long it takes to reappear. Then you'll know if it's a real problem and how hard to chase it down.

[Guest]

I looks like the oil temperature probe is leaking, it's pretty common.

Remove the safety wire, remove the Cannon plug, remove the probe.  Install a new AN900-10 or a new MS35769-11 copper gasket, split side toward the engine,  reassemble everything and safety wire.

Clarence

[N6758N]

59 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

I looks like the oil temperature probe is leaking, it's pretty common.

Remove the safety wire, remove the Cannon plug, remove the probe.  Install a new AN900-10 or a new MS35769-11 copper gasket, split side toward the engine,  reassemble everything and safety wire.

Clarence

Yup,

Same thing happened to me after i removed my tach cable and installed the cap for it. I would get a puddle in the same exact place for about a year and I could never find out why until I chased it down to that. As Clarence said, check you oil temp probe, and make sure the tach cable is tight while you're in there as well.

[Dale Logsdon]

The weep hole on your tach cable should be turned to the bottom.

It's there to let the oil out of your tach cable if the seal starts to leak.

It will fill your tach with oil if its turned up and make your tach inaccurate.

[Skates97]

Thanks guys. Always a wealth of knowledge here.

[carusoam]

Wait there is more...

Had to check my C's spare tach.  It in fact has an oiling cup on the back of the instrument right where the cable connector attaches.

I has the volume of about one drop...  

I didn't know these things were supposed to get lubricated.  It was probably done every year at annual, or not...?

Best regards,

-a-

Edited May 23, 2017 by carusoam

[Skates97]

18 hours ago, N6758N said:

Yup,

Same thing happened to me after i removed my tach cable and installed the cap for it. I would get a puddle in the same exact place for about a year and I could never find out why until I chased it down to that. As Clarence said, check you oil temp probe, and make sure the tach cable is tight while you're in there as well.

I am wondering if it was the tach cable. I went out to finish the oil change tonight and checked the tach cable, it was loose enough I could turn it with my fingers. I tightened it up and will keep an eye on it.

17 hours ago, Dale Logsdon said:

The weep hole on your tach cable should be turned to the bottom.

It's there to let the oil out of your tach cable if the seal starts to leak.

It will fill your tach with oil if its turned up and make your tach inaccurate.

I tried to see if I could turn it so that the weep hole would be on the bottom, but without turning the whole cable I am not able to. I am guessing that it would need to be adjusted inside at the tach a half turn so that it would be facing down at the engine end?