Which way does the oil flow - Lycoming IO540

gkainz

gkainz

Final Approach
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Feb 23, 2005
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Greg Kainz
New engine in our Saratoga is making metal - found in the filter on the first oil change.

From our club A&P ...
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SARATOGA ENGINE: How does the oil flow in OUR engine. (IO 540 K1G5)?

I found a Lycoming article declaring that many A&P’s “don’t understand”. No wonder. They don’t even address engines with oil filters until the end, and then it is pretty muddy,
Van’s Air Force publishes a simple diagram. If the Vernatherm is open, warm sump oil is picked up, goes directly to the filter, then thru the cooler.

<another A&P> had convinced me that it is cooler FIRST, then filter, which would mean if anything was in the coolers it would be caught by the filter immediately on start up, and couldn’t hurt our engine.

If Van’s is right, the opposite. The filter would see the bad stuff AFTER the oil circulates. <the other A&P> is sure he is right.

<After flushing,> oil that came out of the coolers today during removal was OIL ONLY. NO GRIT that I could feel (tactile sensors), NO GRIT in the drain pan I used.
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and prior communication says:
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Our filter has trapped shiny particles (non ferrous) and grains of steel sand (not very attracted to a magnet)

I’ve shown <other A&P) our filter. He agrees this is serious. He defended the solvent flush procedure we used before re-installing the oil coolers, and provided details of situations when all he did was flush the coolers. The flow is from oil pump to filter to coolers and back through the engine.
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Thoughts?
 
Just curious, was the last engine removed for making metal? If so, did anyone flush the prop prior to installing the new engine?

How old is the new engine?
 
How much metal is it making? Every new engine I've had has made a little metal at first. I'd be surprised to not find any.
 
Original situation which necessitated engine replacement...
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This Saratoga was purchased last year and had a lot inactivity prior to purchase.

A/C has been in service with our club for 6 months after purchase. Pilot experienced loss of power and low (no?) oil pressure on a flight immediately after takeoff and airplane returned to the field for an uneventful landing.

Notes from numerous emails on this from club A&P

Oil Leaks: The excessive ‘oil puddles’ evident in the hangar this morning

Logical First Step: Look at the oil filter, even though time in use was only 12 hours. There are follow-on steps. No need for any of them.

Not pretty. Lots of steel ‘sand’.

Given what we know, my first suspicion is the oil pump itself. Pressure is created by squeezing the oil through
a pair of steel gears with tight fitting teeth. If not that, the whole accessory section uses multiple steel gears. One of them could be the culprit.

Speculation: This could be the consequence of buying an engine with a record of inactivity. This one had very little use
in the three year period before our purchase. There was a very recent top-overhaul (good) and the crankshaft remained submerged
in oil (good) but the accessory gears would have been dry between uses, although quickly oiled after an engine start. That might mean
dry ops for 3 or 4 hundred turns. It seems like the pressure pump would be almost instantly oiled.

Even with that, we made it to TBO, plus 27 hours (tach time).

As always, it could be much worse. Low to zero pressure guarantees an engine failure.

And I’m very grateful to <pilot> for his commendable awareness and good decisions process in turning back to BJC before there was a serious power problem. Loss of power was in the “very near future”.
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Engine changed to factory overhauled engine

Tom - the Oil Cooler was flushed prior to engine change, but I don't know if the prop was. I'll find out.

This new engine now has 8 hours on it. The metal was discovered in the mineral oil change after cutting open the filter and inspecting.

As to "how much metal" question, I don't have specifics, but our club A&P has been monitoring/inspecting filters and oil changes for many years with our airplanes, and numerous new engine break-ins, and to him, it was "too much".
 
The prop was sent out to our prop shop and overhauled prior to installation.

me - wondering about "flushing" as it was explained to me that engine oil pushes a piston left or right for prop adjustment. Is it possible to get engine oil/prop oil cross-contamination?

The oil lines were all new prior to installation.

 
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