Oil Leak Nose Wheel

[BDPetersen]

Quick drain is ok. Maybe a hint of oil sheen on front of sump. I can see where it goes but so far not source. Always accumulates at bottom of firewall on bottom cowl.  I agree that much oil should not be hard to track. I would be grateful to be humiliated by an obvious problem than to wig out over a mystery issue. As I said, the seeming rapid onset has my attention.

[BDPetersen]

So unbelievably the mystery remains. The dye shows where the oil goes (down lower firewall into a pool at base, some drips on the mixture control cable) but the source remains unknown. Repeated wash downs and wiping and 2 ground runs. Seems to have a static component to the leak meaning there is more oil the next day than the night before. At one point the AI thought maybe the suction screen was dripping. That didn’t prove to be it. Saw some drips hanging from a couple of sump bolt heads. Those dried up, wouldn’t tighten and no apparent seepage from sump gasket. Nor from any other parting surface we can think of or hose fitting. Nothing apparent from the front or bottom of the engine. Giving some thought to removing mags and oil filter for better access to back of engine. Or the whole damn engine.

60 years of dealing with oily aircraft engines . . . At least the dye is real purty

[Marauder]

39 minutes ago, BDPetersen said:

So unbelievably the mystery remains. The dye shows where the oil goes (down lower firewall into a pool at base, some drips on the mixture control cable) but the source remains unknown. Repeated wash downs and wiping and 2 ground runs. Seems to have a static component to the leak meaning there is more oil the next day than the night before. At one point the AI thought maybe the suction screen was dripping. That didn’t prove to be it. Saw some drips hanging from a couple of sump bolt heads. Those dried up, wouldn’t tighten and no apparent seepage from sump gasket. Nor from any other parting surface we can think of or hose fitting. Nothing apparent from the front or bottom of the engine. Giving some thought to removing mags and oil filter for better access to back of engine. Or the whole damn engine.

60 years of dealing with oily aircraft engines . . . At least the dye is real purty

Time to call an Exorcist! 

Have you checked over the oil pressure line if you still have it? I remember flying with a guy once. His interior smelled of fuel and he said that it was a leaky sender that he hadn't got to. When I felt cold drops on my leg, I knew something was not right in Dodge. Turned out his fuel pressure line was leaking. Maybe it is time to look at the more bizarre causes.

[Hank]

18 minutes ago, Marauder said:

Time to call an Exorcist! 

Have you checked over the oil pressure line if you still have it? I remember flying with a guy once. His interior smelled of fuel and he said that it was a leaky sender that he hadn't got to. When I felt cold drops on my leg, I knew something was not right in Dodge. Turned out his fuel pressure line was leaking. Maybe it is time to look at the more bizarre causes.

Could be wicking through old oil lines in the engine bay, too. How old are they compared to 2300+ SMOH?

[BDPetersen]

I’m all about bizarre causes. Then Occam’s razor comes back to mind.

[EricJ]

4 hours ago, BDPetersen said:

I’m all about bizarre causes. Then Occam’s razor comes back to mind.

My weird one a while back turned out to be the input control shaft seal on the prop governor.   It would apparently only leak in certain positions and then evidently spray around a bit.   It was only figured out when the governor failed and the prop shop said that's what it was doing after we took it to them.

After that I was leak free for quite a while until yesterday I got another mystery leak, like yours, that I can't tell where it's coming from.   Cleaned everything up and will check again after next flight.

 

 

[Navy79]

My 67 F is in annual now.  The prop governor was the source of my mystery puddle on the nose wheel. It's out for overhaul now.