Ed and all, My A/P had me use baby powder....Coupe still smells pretty after two years of flight and two annuals. LOL.
The plane gets wiped down after every flight. Even at each fuel stop on a cross country. My A/P is one that believes a Continental that doesn't leak is out of oil... :) Actually we have given up looking for leaks (unless it gets suddenly worse). He found that someone in the distant past has prosealled the entire seam of the crankcase. Oil is seeping thru the proseal. We will make the leaks go away at overhaul time. In the mean time, I am reading everything that is written on this subject. So far, everything that has been mentioned has been done to Honey. Bob D. N3047H "Honey" --- In [email protected], "Ed Burkhead" <e...@...> wrote: > > > > Linda, > > > > My knowledge of oil leaks is mostly related to paying for my A&P to work > on it. > > The silicon gaskets greatly reduced my oil leaks. But I can't remember > now what they were gaskets for. (Rocker box covers? (whatever they > are!) maybe?) Later, John and John Wright told me that the silicon > gaskets break down after several years (?5, ?7) and the Wrights had > shifted to something else. > > An old thing I'd heard recommended was to clean the engine like Bill > Biggs said, then dust it lightly with talcum powder. Then run the > engine for a short time then look for leak traces. That old > recommendation said, if needed, to take off and fly once around the > patch and land, then check for leak traces. I never tried this because > I had concerns about that powder around the engine and my leaks weren't > that bad after putting on the silicon gaskets. > > Be sure that the hose from your oil breather goes up and over the right > side cylinders before exiting the bottom of the cowl. That short up > hill section reduces oil blow out by a lot. > > Be sure the gasket on the oil dip stick / oil filler cap is good and > doesn't leak. I've heard it said a bad gasket on this this is a major > cause of the first half quart or more blowing out quickly. > > Ed >
