Bluey Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Did an oil change this morning after 90hrs in about 4 months. Had a look at the magnetic plug and it seemed a little furrier than the last time I did an oil change. Will be cutting open the oil filter and inspecting that too very soon.
Bluey Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 Not sure what happened to the images attached to this post. I'll have to have another go at attaching them when I get home.
Bluey Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 Images of magnetic plug Looks like I'll have to shrink the images before I can post them.
Bluey Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 images of magnetic plug Here they are...
facthunter Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 This is out of the motor is it? ( Not the gearbox.) Nev
Guest Maj Millard Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Bluey, What is the TT on the engine, and what oil and fuel do you use ?.....................................................Maj
Bluey Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 I'm using shell vsx 4 and always use premium unleaded (95 octane). The motor has 486hrs and the images look a little worse than it did in the flesh.
Bluey Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 it is out of the motor just in front of the gearbox (912 UL). Looking at the totax manual, it states that an accumulation of less than 3mm is ok. The largest clumps and it was very patchy with all that dark oil around the plug were no more than 1mm in height. Certainly not like the unacceptable levels depicted in the rotax maintenance manual. Either way, my next oil change will be closer to the 50hr mark than at 90hrs like this one.
Guest Maj Millard Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Do you use a Rotax filter Bluey, or some other brand ??.....................................................maj...
Bluey Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 It is always a rotax filter and I change it at every oil change.
Guest Maj Millard Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Mmmm ok, most magnetic plugs I see tend to be a bit cleaner than yours, but it looks more like sludge than actual metal fileings. At those hours you could be starting to make a bit of sludge I suppose. Sludge is ok, lots of metal isn't !.............Maj...
Bluey Posted January 30, 2011 Author Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks Maj, I was thinking the same thing. It was mostly sludge with some metal filings. I did work the engine harder since the last service and I think an oil change more regularly is warranted in the future. From memory, the previous change which was also at about 90hrs showed quite a clean plug.
Kev Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Bluey, Debris on the magnetic plug is mainly an indication of wear & tear in the gearbox, and as per Rotax limits, yours is not excessive. Your choice of oil and fuel are all good. See what you find when you inspect the filter. Any metallic debris other than trace amounts of ferrous can indicate a problem, depending on size and quantity. Hope this helps. Fly Safely Kev
facthunter Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 If the Debris is fine and no little chips are in it, ( feel it with your fingers or spread it on a cotton sheet) it is probably "normal" wear and from the gear section. Very high hours units can shed a fair bit of metal from the gear teeth themselves. This is due to surface fatigue and will happen to any gear if you run it long enough. It's not common unless you have thousands of hours or perhaps use an oil that is not up to it. The oil used in the engine has to be suitable for the gears as well. Nev
Bluey Posted February 4, 2011 Author Posted February 4, 2011 Thanks for all the advice, it is very reassuring to read about all your experiences. I am yet to cut open the filter. Do you need a special tool to open up the filter as some have suggested? I am waiting for someone to do it for me for this reason. I would much prefer to do it myself.
Mc Guyver Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Thanks for all the advice, it is very reassuring to read about all your experiences. I am yet to cut open the filter. Do you need a special tool to open up the filter as some have suggested? I am waiting for someone to do it for me for this reason. I would much prefer to do it myself. Hi Bluey, I have a cutter which is always available
Bluey Posted February 4, 2011 Author Posted February 4, 2011 Thanks Mcguyver, I might have to take you up on that offer. :-)
facthunter Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 It's standard practice in aviation, to open filters and check. Gives a good indication of things going wrong. I do it on all the early services on new road vehicles also. The magnet only picks up the steel and iron particles. In one case I had a new diesel that showed aluminium particles on the first filter change. I informed the dealer who did not show any concern. Later the engine showed some vibration that was load sensitive. Eventually at 23,000 kms total failure of rear main bearing. It took it that time to go, but the engine was junked and a total replacement.( new) fitted Nev
Blueadventures Posted February 5, 2011 Posted February 5, 2011 Hi Bluey I expect you have cleaned it and completed the oil change by now. Next time you do the oil change and undo the magnetic plug you could clean it in a cleaner solution like chain cleaner to remove the oil and then only the metal will remain on the magnet, alowing a better look at things. Cheers Mike
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