I've been alarmed at how many in my circles are stretching their filter interval to 100 hours. I want to know about part numbers sloshing around in my sump far sooner than that.
I traded my stash of mixed filters for 108 tempests for continental. But I find myself loaning those out with expectation that they mail me one when their replacements finally arrive. Took about 10 weeks for the 6-pack to arrive from Spruce. Sadly I am part of the hoarder problem.
I think it comes down to how long is it taking you to fly off those hours, how well do you know your engine, and if it makes you feel better and you do the 50 hour oil change, checking the sump screen and send a sample off. So people it takes a year to fly that 100 hours off, weeks for others. My truck is fairly new so I just happened to see today that I’m just shy of 1000 miles, and I have 43 hours of engine time, and we don’t think twice about it. Granted it’s on the ground, a differently designed etc, etc…. I’m fully aware of the variables, but at the end of the day, it’s still an engine. Off topic but I’ve often wondered why there isn’t a good source for adding chip detectors like helicopters and turbines use. Seems like it would be a no brainer, I’m sure there’s a valid reason why they aren’t the norm for our small piston engine but I’d install them if it was.
Do piston helicopters use chip detectors in the engine? I thought they were only in the transmission. Chip detectors are a magnetic plug with two contacts in the oil that fire a light if they get bridged with a chip or enough small bits of metal. In aircraft engine filters it's normal to find enough iron powder to make a ball the size of a BB, at least, and that much would easily set off the detector for no good reason. The cylinder walls, rings, cam and lifters and gears and other stuff are constantly shedding tiny bits. It's why engines wear out, and it's why we use good filters, to trap that stuff and keep it from reaching the machinery that the oil keeps separated, where it would cause scoring and accelerated wear. The old screens allowed that stuff through.
IIRC there were some MIL aircraft that made emergency landings and were totaled because of the warning. When an alarm goes off you really don’t know how significant the problem is. Or is it a false alarm?
Very true, you never know the urgency but that’s up to the pilot to not freak out. You’re correct though, I haven’t seen a piston helicopter engine with one. I know years ago I remember seeing spruce had one available that you could put on an engine. I’ve personally never seen enough metal to make a BB outside of the first 25 hours during a break-in, but that’s just personal experience.
I've washed out a lot of filters that gave me that much. Lycoming says this: Page 9 of this: https://www.lycoming.com/sites/defa...ervicing and Associated Corrective Action.pdf Elsewhere, they say this: From https://www.lycoming.com/content/suggestions-if-metal-found-screens-or-filter A quarter of a teaspoon would make quite a few BBs.
This. Chip plugs are not wear indicators, they're failure indicators. Piston engines wear out where turbines and gearboxes do not. They tried with a "fuzz burner" type chip plug but you were always zapping the plug.
Just like paper towels and toilet paper a couple of years ago. People would buy a pack when they were about to run out. But then they couldn't get any, so when they found some, they bought twice as much as normal. And bought more earlier. So shortages. So when they saw some for sale, they bought more.
Are you actually washing out the filter media or just looking in the pleats? There's a big difference. I've never cut a filter, washed the media, and had a magnet come back clean. The old pressure screens would just let that stuff pass through and sometimes you'd find it embedded in the bearing shells at overhaul time.
Just now, Aircraft spruce is listing a delivery date of 12/8, not February for Tempest AA48110-2 filters, I assume this year.
Exactly. It's amazing how much stuff washes out of that media when you cut it out and rinse it in clean solvent. Let it settle, slowly pour off most of the solvent, and use the magnet. And that's just the stuff willing to wash out of the media's thickness. The stuff that penetrates farther in might not wash out.
My order from Spruce on 7/14/22 for #4 CH48110-1 Champion Oil Filters have still not been fulfilled, and there is no date they are giving me for delivery.
Maybe there is hope. The case of Tempest AA48110-2's I ordered from Spruce in September was just charged to my card, so they should ship soon.
sheesh I have a few CH48109's sitting on the shelf for a long time. I should get rid of them. I probably bought them when I still had the straight-36. And never used them. come and get them. They are making dust and in the way in my garage.
Just order them on spruce. They will come in a reasonable time frame. That's what I did otherwise you'll never get one if you keep waiting for them to become available.
I just got notified that my Spruce order is on its way. My order of 4 CH48110-1 CHAMPION OIL FILTERS only took just under 6 months. I should be happy.
I got my order of 6 48103-2’s in about 4 weeks. No real issues if you order when you use one of your last two.
Wow, I had forgotten I ordered one June 26,2022. Just got notice that it shipped!? Lol. I thought it was a scam until I went thru my order history.
I ordered a 6-pk on Oct 5 and they shipped on 12/22. Maybe the gap between order and shipment is slowly closing....
Ordered four 48108-2 from Spruce on Jan 23rd. They shipped on the 24th. Perhaps things are starting to get back to normal.
Be aware that if you buy on eBay or order on Amazon you stand a good chance of getting a counterfeit filter.
China is counterfeiting everything and eBay/Amazon are the reason they are so successful. My last order of sparkplugs for my aircraft from Amazon were clearly counterfeits.
