Page 18 - April24

MAINTENANCE TIP
Oil Migration
by Dean Benedict
Imagine you are pre-flighting your King Air, checking the oil and on one engine the oil is off the stick! What do you do? For many, the first instinct is to dump a couple quarts in that side and check the stick again. Just make sure you have plenty of rags in the aircraft because there’s a good chance the oil you just dumped in will be all over your flaps and gear doors at the end of your trip. It’s what happens when you over-service the oil.
Oil is the lifeblood of any engine, so when it’s suddenly off the stick, it gets your attention and rightly so. But before you add oil, I suggest to try motoring that engine for about 30 seconds and check the stick again. Chances are you’ll find the oil back on the stick, at the level you typically expect for that engine. If so, you’re good to go.
What you have is a minor oil migration problem on that engine which can be easily remedied at the next Phase inspection. Until then, whenever you check the oil on
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that side (when the engine is cold, as in before a flight), you’ll want to motor that engine briefly before checking the stick. Then put it on your squawk list for your next maintenance visit.
Checking Cool or Checking Hot?
Pratt & Whitney says you should check the oil level on each engine within 20 minutes after shutdown, but in
APRIL 2024