O-200 Spin-On Oil Filter Adapter - Airframe Question

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GroundLoopArtiste
Hi all,

I recently purchased a 1965 Champion Citabria. Great little airplane with a Continental O-200 up front. Right now it has the standard oil screen on it and I'd like to install an adapter so that I can use a spin-on filter. The Tempest adapter (TAF-L) is STC'd for the engine but apparently NOT for the airframe (listed on Spruce as "Cessna 120, Cessna 140, Cessna 150, Luscombes, Taylorcrafts, Cubs".

I have two questions:

Has anyone had any experience with putting one of these adapters into an airframe NOT listed above?

Do you guys think that I could install this part under the VARMA rules, even though it's not technically STC'd for a Citabria?

Any insight or thoughts much appreciated!
 
The STC (SE7559SW) is an engine STC, not an airframe STC. There is no airframe limitation tied to that STC, Tempest just says "typically installed on". There is no need to do VARMA or anything else, the STC can be applied to your engine. If you read the STC you'll notice this caveat "Compatibility of this modification with airframe equipment and structural clearances must be determined by the installer." as well as "Due to the nature of the modification, no further FAA approval is required for the airplane." As long as you don't have a clearance/interference issue with it installed on the engine, you are good to go (after proper paperwork, leak checks, etc of course).
 
Make sure of the clearance of motor mounts. There were two different ones for c-150's depending on year. Some early Cessnas had a motor mount with 5 attachments to firewall and the later models only 4. There is not enough clearance on the 5 point mount to install the filter.
 
I just encountered my first Tempest TAF-L. How are the screens being removed so they don’t have to be inspected and cleaned?
 
Jeff J said:
I just encountered my first Tempest TAF-L. How are the screens being removed so they don’t have to be inspected and cleaned?
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The screens are soldered on the cap. A torch makes short work of their removal.
 
Thanks. I haven’t pulled it yet but, according to the owner, the logbook contains overlapping “inspected screen” and “replaced oil filter” entries. The owner doesn’t know anything about airplanes other than his 17 year old son wants to be an airline pilot.
 
The installation of the Stc for ours says to remove the screen.
 
Mikey52 said:
The installation of the Stc for ours says to remove the screen.
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yeah, as an aircraft mechanic of nearly 40 years, I can’t count high enough to count the number of things I have had to correct done by previous owners and mechanics. STCs only partially completed or not documented at all, no 337s for STCs and major repairs… people prefer to do what they want instead of what is correct.

I haven’t looked at this one yet but, based on the logbook, the screen is coming out at least one more time unless I find something in the logs the owner missed. I have seen screens and filters together on a Lycoming though.
 
I’ve seen Lycomings with 2000 hrs on them that must have had

very meticulous Techs maintaining it.

The safety wire was even painted with the exact matching color

of the factory paint!

Unbelieveable!
 
The Lycoming that had both was using a firewall mounted filter connected to the oil cooler. I threw the filter assembly in the trash. Not much point in waiting for the oil to warm up before running it through a filter. Naturally, the person who installed it thought he could ignore the screen because he installed the filter.
 
I finally got my hands on the log books for the C150.

Oil screen removed cleaned and/or inspected and reinstalled almost every annual but I can’t find any documentation for the Tempest oil filter adapter or that the filter has ever been changed. The filter is marked as having been changed in February.

The intake spider is hard mounted with plain nuts and lock washers. No sign of the lock-o-seals that are required.

Just once I would like to see an airplane that doesn’t have these kinds of issues the first time I look at it. 3 different IAs have looked at it this century. It would have been nice if just one did what he was required to do. Of course, that doesn’t let the previous owners off the hook either. Airworthiness was their responsibility.
 
The lock o seals are like washers, unless you take the spider off, it will be hard to tell.
 
Mikey52 said:
The lock o seals are like washers, unless you take the spider off, it will be hard to tell.
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WRONG! Extremely easy to tell because the castle nuts are only finger tight. Fingers cannot crush the rubber on the seals to eliminate the gaps. Not to mention the so called mechanic used plain hex nuts and lock washers to secure the spider.
 
Jeff I understand, and if a mechanic didn't use them that's on him. I've looked at mine and from the side they just look like thick washers. Until I unscrewed the nut it was hard to tell.
28da0a13d99dc2500d46e9ea20a71bd4.jpg
 
There is quite a difference between right and wrong in this case. I was testing fuel flow when I noticed it.
IMG_5117.jpegIMG_5116.jpeg
 
I would suggest a deviation from the TCM use of cotter pins.

After several cases of finding stud for mounting the manifold loose in the

crankcase my policy is to use safety wire.
 
Safety wire is not a bad suggestion. I never gave it any thought before but there isn’t anything securing any stud to the case as far as I know.
 
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