airbiker
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
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Hey guys,
I've got an S-1E with a stock Lyc IO-360-B4A. Per the plans, there is a "T" shaped fitting on the back of the oil screen cover that serves double duty as a mount for the oil temp probe and a connection to the oil cooler.
After landing Friday, the firewall, belly and sides of the plane were covered in oil. I checked the level and it had blown half a quart out. I never saw a drop in oil pressure, but it could have easily gone worse.
Today, I cleaned up the engine and got everything dry. It was run up for a few minutes at a time until I could spot the source of the oil. It was leaking where the "T" fitting screws into the screen cover. This was shimmed out a bit with copper crush washers. Look like an attempt to get it to tighten up in the right position. I'm not sure how that could stay tight, since I believe it is also a pipe thread. It was also safety wired, but that still allowed enough movement to let oil blow out.
I thought this was the setup used even in the certified S-1S, but it seems like a flawed design. Can anyone who has dealt with this, let me know the best way to make a dependable repair? It seems that replacing the "T" with a 90 degree fitting that connects to the oil cooler line would solve a lot, but then I would lose the place to mount the oil temp probe. Not quite a complete solution.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ian
I've got an S-1E with a stock Lyc IO-360-B4A. Per the plans, there is a "T" shaped fitting on the back of the oil screen cover that serves double duty as a mount for the oil temp probe and a connection to the oil cooler.
After landing Friday, the firewall, belly and sides of the plane were covered in oil. I checked the level and it had blown half a quart out. I never saw a drop in oil pressure, but it could have easily gone worse.
Today, I cleaned up the engine and got everything dry. It was run up for a few minutes at a time until I could spot the source of the oil. It was leaking where the "T" fitting screws into the screen cover. This was shimmed out a bit with copper crush washers. Look like an attempt to get it to tighten up in the right position. I'm not sure how that could stay tight, since I believe it is also a pipe thread. It was also safety wired, but that still allowed enough movement to let oil blow out.
I thought this was the setup used even in the certified S-1S, but it seems like a flawed design. Can anyone who has dealt with this, let me know the best way to make a dependable repair? It seems that replacing the "T" with a 90 degree fitting that connects to the oil cooler line would solve a lot, but then I would lose the place to mount the oil temp probe. Not quite a complete solution.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ian
