slightly high aluminum in an IO-360

"Robert M. Gary" wrote:

I'm sure the shop is doing it but I do most of the oil changes myself
(except the one at annual). I'm not checking the screen.

I check mine every other oil change, whether I've run up 50 hours or not. My engine
is an O-320. On that, the screen looks like a horizontal drain plug on the sump.
Safety-wired, of course.

George Patterson
None of us is as dumb as all of us.

(Robert M. Gary) writes:

(PaulaJay1) wrote in message ...
In article ,
(Robert M. Gary) writes:

IO-360-A3B6
SFNEW 682
At each 50 hours change I've had...
7, 10, 25, 13 (short sample), 24, 23 ppm

I don't think I have an alumimum dip stick (at least my A&P says I
don't). I'm not finding anything in the filter.

I'm in California so everything is pretty pricey. Should I spend a
grand or so having the cylinders boroscoped?


Robert,
The IO360 in my Archer has about the same hours and the last three readings
have been 14, 10, 12 for the Al. Cleve Tech Center ( and my A&P) say that is
OK. Yours is a little higher but if the "experts" say OK the watchfull waiting
seems to be in order. The Troubleshooting Guide from Cleve Tech suggests less
than 10 and the sources can be from "Bushings, Some Bearings, Pistons, Turbo
Charger, Compressor Wheels". Seems to me (no expert) that the borscope would
not answer your question anyway.

I just called Lycoming. To my surprise, they were very helpful to me
considering I bought the engine from them 8 years ago. They said to
check the oil screen. I didn't even know the IO-360 had a screen. They
said that if I found any metal in the filter or the screen that I
could send it to them. They said they could tell EXACTELY what part of
the engine was making it. Apparently different parts of the engine's
aluminum have different alloys. So the piston pins have a different
aluminum than the dip stick, etc. He also said there was no charge for
this.
I've checked the filter beofre and not found anything. However, I've
never checked the screen. I'm not sure if my IA is doing that during
annual or not.

What screen are they and you talking about, exactly? Are they under
the assumption that your engine does NOT have a spin-on oil filter?
Your last paragraph above suggests that your engine has a spin-on oil
filter.

There's also a screen inside the oil sump, but that's quite coarse.
If that screen is catching metal chunks, then your engine is self
destructing very rapidly.

-jav

On 26 May 2004 09:50:15 -0700, (Robert M. Gary)
wrote:

I just called Lycoming. To my surprise, they were very helpful to me
considering I bought the engine from them 8 years ago. They said to
check the oil screen. I didn't even know the IO-360 had a screen. They
said that if I found any metal in the filter or the screen that I
could send it to them. They said they could tell EXACTELY what part of
the engine was making it. Apparently different parts of the engine's
aluminum have different alloys. So the piston pins have a different
aluminum than the dip stick, etc. He also said there was no charge for
this.

FWIW, they've been doing this for a long time. Filter analysis useta
be required prior to any work during a "piston pin" warranty claim.
Don't ask me how I know this.

Also, in most cases, piston pin plug material is plainly visible in
the oil filter, and sometimes evident on the suction strainer (the
screeny-lookin' thing in the sump). It looks like aluminum "hair" in
random lengths.

TC