Airplane Owner Maintenance

A Maintenance Oriented Podcast For Airplane Owners, Pilots, and Mechanics

Tag: oilleak

218 – Engine Oil was Seeping Out of the Top Cowling

March 17, 2023 /

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Not long ago, there was an oil leak on the right engine of a Cessna 414. The leak was significant enough to come out the louvers on the top cowling in flight. There was oil all over the rear inboard area of the engine, so the big question was, “Where is the oil leak coming from,” or “Where is the source?”

With so many possibilities, it was difficult to find the leak.

After multiple cleanings and ground runs, it was becoming more clear.

It was still however, hard to be certain. It seemed to be coming from the inboard forward base of the oil cooler. A flashlight and small mirror were somewhat helpful to see the area:

The borescope was also helpful to take a closer look:

Finally, after making the best evaluation I could without disassembling anything, I told the owner I was fairly certain the oil cooler was leaking… it seemed there might be a small crack in the oil cooler.

The annual inspection was already scheduled for this airplane, so it made a good time to verify the oil leak. The owner is an A&P, and he removed the oil cooler himself. I was hoping I had not steered him down the wrong path on this one!

He discovered it’s not an easy task to remove the oil cooler from his engine, but he persisted and got it done.

He sent me a text message and told me he had removed the oil cooler and when they first looked at it, he was not sure it was cracked. But after pressurizing it with 5 pounds of air pressure, the leak was obvious.

About the oil cooler, he told me “I tell you it was a job getting that off.”

The black circled area is where the crack was:

And here’s the really fun part… watch this video to see the bubbles confirming the source of the oil leak:

Here’s the engine after the oil cooler was removed… definitely “major surgery!”

This was the main maintenance topic in this week’s podcast, and we also talked about these items as well:

  • Aerostar voltage regulator adjustment.
  • Alternator charging system troubleshooting.
  • Our upcoming trip to Maui!

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you in the next episode!

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200 – My Recent Flight Review and Other Adventures

April 9, 2022 /

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You guys know I love out-of-the-ordinary things, and my recent flight review definitely qualifies as one of those!

First, my good friend and excellent flight instructor worked me over in the ground portion of the flight review. Here are some things we covered:

  • VFR sectional chart information and interpretation.
  • Briefing an IFR approach plate.
  • Working a weight and balance for a Bonanza.
  • Other useful information.

Then, we flew that amazing tail dragger above… we did steep turns, stalls, slips, landed on 2 grass runways, and returned back to KSHD.

It was such a great flight review and opportunity for continued learning.

Flight reviews are NOT a nuisance… they are a good opportunity to become an even safer and more proficient pilot. So, if YOUR flight review has become just a check mark in the requirement box, maybe it’s time to shake things up a bit for your next one, and find a new flight instructor or do something a little different. I think you’ll be glad you did!

Another recent highlight was an email I received from Craig, a podcast listener… I read his email in this episode, so be sure to listen to the audio. I’m calling Craig and his wife the “Airplane owners of the week!” Here they are:

These two have a really inspiring aviation story… listen to the audio to hear a portion of it. Craig likes to say his wife is the “Chief Pilot” and he’s the “Copilot and Director of Maintenance!”

Another surprise adventure was an opportunity to fly in my friend Bob’s B55 Baron last Saturday… totally unexpected, but it made my day! Thanks Bob!

And back in the shop on a different airplane, I recently cleaned a fuel strainer that looked like this inside:

It made me wonder when this one was last cleaned!

I also got to help the owner of a Zenith 750 who was stranded at our airport the other day with a bad oil leak… check it out:

I helped him install some serviceable oil cooler hoses and he was able to get home to Pennsylvania before the weather hit!

And here’s a puzzler to finish this episode:

I saw this device on an A-35 Bonanza out on the ramp, and I was trying to figure out what it is… if you know, please leave me a voice message over there on the side of the page, or send me and email to dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com and let me know what it is. I have a guess, but I’m not totally sure.

Thanks everyone, and have a great week!

Dean Showalter

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185 – Standby Alternator System and Other Fun Stuff

August 20, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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I’ve just completed the installation for a B&C Specialties standby alternator system on an E33A Bonanza. It’s a fantastic system, and I talked about it in today’s podcast episode. Be sure to listen for a caution about the right magneto when installing a new oil seal in the drive adapter for the standby alternator.

Here are some other items mentioned in this episode:

Jim Lanning (92 years old!) and David McCain, stopped at KSHD yesterday in a beautiful Great Lakes aircraft. Jim is in the front seat. Check it out:

A weird oil leak on a Diamond DA-40 I’m hoping we can fix and tell the rest of the story in a future episode.

Now back to the Bonanza with the standby alternator system. We also installed new nose gear rod ends and some other parts on the airplane as well. The old rod ends are hollow and have a grease fitting on the side, which has been seen as a factor in these old rod ends breaking and causing prop strikes and other damage. Check out the difference between the old hollow type rod ends and the new solid type:

The standby alternator system turned out very well… I installed the switch and the 2 circuit breakers in the pilot’s instrument panel:

There was an ideal location for the indicator light just to the left of the already existing warning light for the main alternator system:

The final product is going to work very well:

Be sure to check out all the resources on the “Store” page at AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com

Here are the ways I can help you:

All the information is on the store page at the website.

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165 – A Shop Towel in the Engine! Don’t Do What I Did!

January 22, 2021 / / 2 Comments

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Hi Friends!

I have a story for you today that I wish I didn’t have. But it’s true, so we might as well learn from it. Thankfully, everything turned out well on this one.

At Moody Aviation where I went to school years ago, we had a concept called “SYE.” It stood for “Share Your Experience.”

It was a concept to encourage us to take our mistakes and make a learning opportunity from them.

Listen to today’s podcast for the story of how I accidentally left a red shop towel inside an airplane engine… I hope I never do that again! Definitely an opportunity to learn “what not to do!”

Ok… it’s time to ‘fess up 🙂 I know I’m not the only one out here who’s done a dumb thing or two in airplane maintenance… so, if you’re willing to share your story, leave me a message here on the website, or shoot me an email dean{at}airplaneownermaintenance{dot}com

I’ll assume it’s ok to share the stories, without names (unless you ask me to share your name.) Thanks!

Another item we discussed in this episode is a Cessna 172 that would not start. It turned out to be a problem with the left magneto, but in the process of troubleshooting, we discovered the spark plugs had gone far too long without being cleaned.

Take a look:

And here’s the loose distributor electrode inside the magneto:

Other items we discussed in this episode:

  • An oil leak on a Twin Cessna (you might have seen the email I sent out about this.)
  • The items we used to fix that oil leak: Aviation Permatex, Continental silk thread P/N 641543 (If you only need a small amount, check with Fresno Airparts… they sell it for 20 cents per foot) and the third item used was Loctite 515. These 3 components, used properly, make an excellent seal for the oil pump cover.
  • Some interesting electrical information about a Cirrus SR22 – here’s the YouTube video I mentioned with some excellent visuals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeHxk-fJvE

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146 – Fixing an Obscure Oil Leak

June 27, 2020 / / 0 Comments

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The part in the yellow circle is an oil scavenge pump that returns oil back to the engine oil sump after it lubricates the turbocharger center bearings. The right side of the assembly is the adapter that fits into the engine accessory case. The left side of the assembly is the hydraulic pump that is used for the landing gear system, the flap system, and the nosegear steering system in this Aerostar 601.

Inside the oil scavenge pump, there are two oil seals, (sometimes called garlock seals,) and two o-rings.

In today’s episode, we discuss this type of pump that reminded me of A&P school from years ago… it’s called a “gerotor pump.” It has a gear within a gear.

Listen to the audio for the details on fixing this oil leak.

We also talk about a Mooney M20K engine in this episode… we lapped the exhaust valve in cylinder #5. We might end up checking the exhaust valve in cylinder #2 as well to make sure it’s not sticking, after the owner had some classic “morning sickness” symptoms as described in Mike Busch’s recent article about sticking exhaust valves. The article is well worth reading.

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/july/pilot/savvy-maintance-valves

And while we’re on the subject of exhaust valves, I wanted to remind everyone this resource is available for free… for now. If you want to learn about what to look for when you’re borescoping exhaust valves, this is a great resource. I’m considering moving the guide into the paid section of resources, so grab a copy while you can.

Click here and sign up with your email, and you’ll receive a free copy of the guide, for at least another two weeks.

Click here to get the Exhaust Valve Borescoping Guide.

And if you have a friend, or a few friends who might benefit from this resource, please share this link with them: AirplaneOwnerMaintenance.com/exhaustvalves

Post it on Facebook or Instagram, or wherever you like, so people can take advantage of it while it’s free.

Also in this episode:

  • A big “thank you” to Jeff Claridge who contacted me and did a conference call with me to demonstrate the smoke tester he has to detect leaks in engines. He suggested this would be a great tool for checking exhaust and intake systems for leaks on airplane engines… after seeing it in action, I totally agree! Thanks Jeff!
  • The tester Jeff has is an Autool SDT202. (If you make a purchase with the following link, I’ll get a small percentage… thanks so much!)
  • Thanks also, to Joe Godfrey for talking with us in episode 144, about engine monitoring and data, and how to use SavvyAnalysis.com to analyze that data. Joe used the data from the Cessna 172 Hawk XP that was discussed in episode 142, in the recent “puzzler” in the Savvy Aviation newsletter. Check it out: https://resources.savvyaviation.com/grok-savvy-analysis-puzzler-june-2020/. Thank you Joe!
  • I recorded a conversation yesterday with my friend, Aram Basmadjian, that will appear in a future episode. Be looking for that one. Aram owns and flies a V-tail Bonanza.
  • I also recorded a second conversation yesterday with Jim Weir, a gentleman I only recently became aware of. He has a very unique and strategic way of doing “owner assisted” annual inspecions. That one will also be in a future episode.

Thanks everyone, and have a great week!

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135 – Carl Valeri: Airline Pilot, Piper Pilot, and Aviation Careers Coach

February 9, 2020 / / 0 Comments

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After a successful career in computers early in life, Carl Valeri decided years ago it was time to pursue his passion for aviation. Since that time, he’s been an airline pilot, flight instructor, aviation careers coach, mentor, Piper Cherokee pilot, and many other things.

Carl is well known as the host of two podcasts, the Aviation Careers Podcast, and the Stuck Mic AvCast. You can find him in both of those places:

AviationCareersPodcast.com

StuckMicAvCast.com

Be sure to check out the Scholarships Guide that Carl produces… there are more than $50 MILLION dollars worth of scholarships represented in the guide. Click here to check out the Aerospace Scholarships Guide.

Also, check out Carl’s training courses: Click here to see the options.

And for Instagram, just look for “carlvaleri”

In today’s episode, we talked about all kinds of fascinating things, including:

  • Carl’s background and how he got into aviation.
  • How he was hired years ago as an airline pilot, and furlowed the same year, in 2011.
  • How his struggle served to prepare him for what has become one of his greatest passions… “Helping people move forward with their aviation career.”
  • What the acronym “CAMEL” means to an airline pilot… I had never heard this before, and I thought it was really cool.
  • Carl’s current opportunity to lease and fly a Piper Cherokee… the 12th Cherokee to come off the line years ago.
  • The maintenance issues he’s encountered recently with the Cherokee.

And since this is the Airplane Owner Maintenance podcast, it’s only appropriate that we document this part with some pictures.

ISSUE #1: Smoke in the cockpit! Apparently somebody forgot to tighten an oil line!

The oil made a mess on the cowling. And upon closer examination, the source was identified – the rocker oil return line B-nut had come loose. When the oil dripped down on the hot exhaust, it produced smoke that made its way into the cockpit.

Solution and reminder: Always double check engine fluid lines and hoses, and apply torque putty to the B-nuts.

ISSUE #2: Fuel leak. Carl told us about a leak that showed up under the airplane on the left side. Listen to the episode to hear his advice about how to communicate with your A&P about issues like this.

It turned out the leak was from his “gascolator” or fuel strainer. Here are the parts from this ancient piece of technology… just like you might have seen on your grandpa’s tractor!

In this situation, Carl made the wise decision to upgrade to a “Steve’s Aircraft” gascolator, a much better design with increased reliability and ease of maintenance. Take a look:

ISSUE #3: Exhaust leak. Carl noticed some abnormal discoloration at the cowling seam.

It turned out there was a significant leak at one of the exhaust sleeve transitions in the engine compartment.

This situation is a little different than many Cherokees, since this particular engine was installed with an STC.

ISSUE #4: Electrical problem. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, Carl was able to recognize how the airplane had been showing some warning signs of this issue… be sure to listen to the audio to get the details.

What seemed like a complex problem in the beginning, turned out to be a blown fuse.

Sometimes the little things can make a big difference!

In spite of the maintenance challenges, Carl still loves to fly the Cherokee. I think one reason why is because he shares his love for aviation with others:

In telling about his aviation adventures in life, Carl is quick to acknowledge that, “I could never have done any of that without the help of others.” Now, he’s “paying it forward” in so many ways to help those who are coming behind him.

And finally, to finish up with a little humor: “Even an airline pilot who flies jets, recognizes there’s something missing in the following picture!

Carl, thank you very much for pushing all of us to keep moving forward and appropriately pursue our aviation dreams! We appreciate you, and I sure am glad flying still puts a smile on your face!

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