Page 11 - August 2015 Volume 9, Number 8
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so slightly; and if that happens, the O-rings between the filter housing and the engine case could lose a tad bit of their seal. If you have an oil migration problem, these O- rings are the likely culprits. That 30 seconds of motoring gets the scavenge pump to move the oil back into the oil tank.
Funny thing about Pratt’s recommendation, 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.
Mass Migration
Oil migration is an oil leak inside the engine. The good news is that the engine is still full of oil and will operate properly.
If you opened your engine cowl and saw oil dripping out of the compressor inlet, you should have reason for more concern. This indicates a larger amount of oil is leaking out of the tank and accumulating inside the engine where the bearings are. When the oil reaches the level of the shaft, it leaks out. You want to get that addressed.
If you read this magazine regularly and think I’m repeating myself, you are partially correct. I wrote about engine oil levels in a 2011 issue, but I barely touched on oil migration. Over the past 40 years of working on King Airs and working with their pilots and owners, I find the topic of engine oil levels, although basic, comes up repeatedly. KA
If there is a particular main tenance issue you would like Dean to address in a future issue, please email Editor Kim Blonigen at kblonigen@cox.net.
OCTOBER 2015
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 9
Prop Sync Squawk?
TROUBLESHOOTING TEST INSTRUMENTS
• Confirm proper system operation • Quickly identify faulty LRU’s
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Phone: 815-230-0300 Fax: 815-230-0332 Mobile: 815-298-7017
www.propsyncsolutions.com
About the Author: Dean Benedict is a certified A&P, AI, and has 40 years of experience in King Air maintenance. He is president of Honest Air, Inc., which specializes in Beechcraft King Air maintenance and repair.
