I’ve always thought the term “breaking in a new engine” was a strange expression. What are you breaking? Why not call it wear-in? Well, we can’t change tradition.
The main part of break-in is to wear in the cylinder walls to provide a better sealing surface for the piston rings. [Read more…]
In a recent column, “For oils, it’s all about the chemistry,” I wrote about the difference between automotive and aircraft engine oils and why you should not use automotive oil in a certified aircraft engine.
I’ve since received two similar questions about adding anti-wear additive zinc dithio phosphorus (ZDP) supplement in experimental aircraft engines. [Read more…]
In my last column I talked about the use of the preservative oil, Aeroshell 2F, to prevent rust in idle engines. I have since learned that Shell is phasing 2F out and in the future will only offer Aeroshell 2XN.
Before you panic, let me explain. 2XN is just the additive system out of 2F. To make the exact 2F, you would blend three parts Aeroshell 100 mineral oil and one part 2XN.
So if you want to have the same protection for winter storage and would normally just add a quart of preservative oil to the oil change, now you would just add one quarter of a quart of 2XN to the change. [Read more…]
Just about every month I get several questions concerning the difference between aviation and automotive engine oils. This month I received a question about using Aeroshell 2F in a vintage automobile and the ever popular question about why one should not use automotive or heavy duty engine oil in their aircraft engine.
The answers always go back to the chemistry of the oils. Automotive and heavy duty oils all contain ash or metallic additives and aviation piston engine oils are all ash less. [Read more…]
From my Feb. 23 column “Fuels: What to expect in 2017,” I received a number of responses, both positive and negative. I appreciate readers taking time to write back, even if they disagree with what I wrote.
The two areas I would like to address are the belief that all 100 lean rating fuels are equal and that exhaust valve recession is a myth. [Read more…]
I recently received an email from Mark Peterson concerning the use of preservative oils. I have addressed this before, but preventing rust in low usage aircraft is still the number one lubricant area of concern for GA pilots.
A number of years ago, Phillips started to recommend that pilots add a quart or two of a Mil-C-6529C oil to an oil change just before putting an aircraft away for an extended period of storage. This product is available from Phillips as Aviation Anti-Rust oil and from Shell as Aeroshell Fluid 2F. [Read more…]
We are now well into 2017, so I thought I would review all of the significant advancements in the world of general aviation future fuels, especially the development of an unleaded 100 octane avgas.
But there were none. [Read more…]
I recently received a question on octane ratings similar to the questions I typically receive. The reader wanted to know what the rich and lean rating would be for 100, 110, 112, 114 and 118 octane racing gasolines. And what would be the R+M/2 of 80/87, 100/130, 100LL, and 115/145 avgas?
The problem here is that the octane rating of a fuel is not a physical property of a fuel, it is a performance property. It is like someone asking “What is the horsepower rating on a Lycoming 540 engine?” [Read more…]
Well, we made it through another year. It was not a great year for general aviation, but not a real bad one either — it was just OK.
On the down side, we continue to lose many of our great aviators and heroes.
For example, the loss of Bob Hoover was sad for the whole country, but especially for the aviation community. [Read more…]
In my last column, Ethanol and aircraft: Just say no, I answered some questions about ethanol and its effect on aircraft.
In this column, I would like to address some follow-up questions about ethanol. Specifically, if ethanol causes so many problems with engines, why is it added to fuel and why is fuel with ethanol cheaper than conventional auto gas? [Read more…]
