----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any
advice in this forum.]----

At 01:42 PM 6/13/01 +0000, bill  brown wrote:
>----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any

>advice in this forum.]----
>
>Thanks Greg, you  make a good point. I'm aware of the issue but my
>concern relates to the balance between acceptable oil pressure and an
>oil temperature that is high enough to vaporize the moisture in the oil.
>I'd rather change oil more frequently than damage the engine with
>marginal lubrication at the bearings. My temp stabilizes at about 190 in
>acceptable ambients for flying but then my pressure is on the low side.

What's 'the low side' mean to you? These old engines don't run the kind
of pressures that newer engines do. Around 30 PSI nominal is often
just about it. There is also an adjustment for that up on the top of
the engine. A spring-loaded device limits the amount of pressure.
The spring can get soft. And, the oil pump can get worn as well.

What oil are you running in the summer? I get a bit more oil pressure
with Aeroshell 100 than I do with multi-vis 20/50. However I tend to
stick with the 20/50 except during the real heat of summer, because
I still fly on cool late Spring and early Fall mornings and am concerned
about the impact of starting with thick oil. I also like that the 20/50
drains out in a more spirited and complete fashion when I change
oil. Deep down, I believe that its doing so carries more gunk with
it. Of course, that also means that slight leaks are more apparent.

>I haven't got the results from my pressure gauge calibration check so I
>can confirm that the pressure reading is correct.

That's the other thing... ...many Ercoupes have had the oil pressure
gauge replaced with one with a larger range. That's because our friends
at Stewart-Warner stopped making TSO'd gauges that stop at 60 PSI or so,
and now make them around 100PSI (I forget which). Since gauges are
really not that accurate at their lower ranges, they're about as useful
as an idiot-light.

However, Aircraft Spruce and Skyport both sell non-TSO'd Scott gauges
that are of lower range and also dirt-cheap. Here in the US-of-A you
need a field-approval to use them, but not any more in Canada. For
less than you pay for the calibration, you can have a new, nice-looking
gauge in the proper range. Alternatively, you can have electronic gauges
for very little more. They have the advantage of not having a capillary
tube that is vulnerable to breakage (especially the temp gauge when
you clean the screen). Basically, every time you disturb any of that
stuff you risk messing up and killing either a bulb or capillary tube,
and then you're grounded. It's not always your fault... ...eventually
vibration WILL kill the capillary tube, and an over-zealous predecessor
can toast the bulb on the temp gauge pretty easily.

When that happened to me, I was lucky and the local A&P had a
10-year-old-new-in-the-box oil SW temp gauge in a nice low range.
I think I got the last one in existence :-)

Greg

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