Just wondering what you guys would say is acceptable oil burn on am O-320. I burn a quart every 4-5 hrs. Is this acceptable or to much?

David

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depends on how much you are filling it. Every single 0320 I have flown would burn, leak or puke out the oil if you put more than 5.5 quarts in it. if you are trying to keep the oil level above 5.5 quarts you may not have an issue at all other than they dont like more than 5.5 in them. I have checked the dip sticks over and over at 5.5 and that is where they will stay at till damn near oil change time every time. If I put in 6 then it was topping it off before every flight.

That's exactly it. Been trying to keep it at 6 or 6.5. Mostly for the simple fact that the manual says minimum of 6 for aerobatics. But I think I'll only top it up if I'm doing them, otherwise keep it at 5-5.5...

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If you let it sling it out till you only have 5.5 in there I bet it will steady out right there. It took me a couple years to convince my brother of that, and it was not until he has his zero timed and they shop that did it told him the same thing that he actually tried it. amazing how much oil he has not had to wipe off the belly in the last 500 hrs!

Thanks! I'll give it a try.
David

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I do find that if you are doing a lot of takeoffs and rpm changes all of the above are true, but if you set off on a long cross country, that you will sling a lot less oil even if you put in a qt or so more than the 5.5. also when in the extreme summer temps of the kansas, neb , dakotas, having more oil in the sump helps maintain oil temps at a resonable temp. but mostly i maintain at 5.5 or less. thanks RLM

We run our engines (four of them) at 6 to 7 quarts. At lower than 6, we add a quart. They'll go ten hours or so till they need another quart. Same goes for every Lycoming I've run.

I would NOT run one of these engines at 5.5 quarts at the START of a flight. Point is, the minimum for FLIGHT is 4.5 quarts. IF you start at 5.5, you're mighty close to the minimum approved for flight.

Every Lycoming I've ever owned or run for a living (and that's upwards of twenty five or more) has been very happy at seven quarts, with another quart added when it gets to 6. That is also the procedure recommended by Lycoming in their Piston Engine Service School, which I've attended.

The oil consumption you describe is certainly within the limits prescribed by Lycoming for their engines. You can search the Lycoming website and look for their publication "Key Reprints", here: http://www.lycoming.textron.com/support ... index.html

There is a tremendous amount of information in that online publication.

Keep putting oil in it, and fly it.

MTV

I've got a spin-on filter on my 320-E2A, I put in 8 qts at oil change time & it reads 7 on the dipstick. Takes 15 hours or so to get down to 6 when I add another qt.

Avid is rite over 6 both our cubs will blow out a quart in 4 hrs under 6 they will go 20hrs easy