Page 20 - Volume 15 Number 5

Further, at the end of a flight, there’s plenty of chaos with line service instructions, passengers, baggage and ground transportation. Let’s face it, at the end of a trip checking the oil on a hot engine isn’t everyone’s favorite thing to do.
Far more important in my book, is just checking the oil regularly. Whichever way you choose to do it, whether it’s post-shutdown or before the first flight of the day, just do it that way consistently.
Funny thing about Pratt’s recom- mendation, if you only check your oil levels within 20 minutes after shutdown, while the engines are hot, you would never know whether or not you had an oil migration problem. It could go undetected for years.
More on migration
Imagine you are preflighting your King Air and checking the oil, which is off the stick on one side. That’s
a red flag! But if your first instinct is to dump a couple quarts in and check the stick again. you could be over-servicing that engine and wiping up the mess at the end of your trip. Why? Migration. The oil is still in the engine, it’s just hiding below and appears to be off the stick.
Instead of adding oil, try motoring that engine for about 30 seconds and check the stick again. Chances are, the oil will be back on the stick at the level you were expecting and you are good to go. You have a minor oil migration problem that can be easily remedied at the next phase inspection. Until you get the problem addressed, keep motoring that engine each time you check the oil on that side. Motoring gets the scavenge pump to move the oil back into the oil tank where it shows up on the stick.
Oil migration is an oil leak in- side the engine. A common cul- prit is the o-rings between the oil filter housing and the engine case.
During every phase inspection the oil filters and chip detectors are pulled, inspected and reinstalled. Maintenance technicians make ev- ery effort to be careful, but some oil filters are a pain to get out and get back in. The process of remov- ing and reinstalling a stubborn oil filter can jostle the filter housing just enough that the o-rings lose some of their seal.
Keeping it clean
When it comes to lubrication in general, I would say you can’t have too much of it. The one exception seems to be the oil in a PT6. If you continually have oil on your gear doors, struts or flaps, then most likely you are over-servicing your engines. Be aware that oil migration makes an engine appear to have lost oil when it has not. Above all, ascertain the preferred oil level for each engine and stick with it. This gives you an accurate picture of the oil consumption rate. As an added bonus, you will have a cleaner aircraft. KA
Dean Benedict is a certified A&P, AI with over 45 years of maintaining King Airs. He’s the founder and former owner of Honest Air Inc., a maintenance shop that specialized in Beech aircraft with an emphasis on King Airs. In his new venture, BeechMedic LLC, Dean consults with King Air owners and operators on maintenance management and supervision, troubleshooting, pre-buys, etc. He can be reached at dr.dean@beechmedic.com or (702) 773-1800.
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18 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JUNE 2021