There seems to be a lot of disparate information on this. I'm parking my husky with o360 in a heated (50F) hangar for 4-5 weeks at a time without the ability to fly it in between. I've been using camguard, and last changed the oil in October, maybe 15 flight hours ago (damn winter weather). I'm leaving in a few days - should I change the oil again?

Assume you’re somewhere cold and dry if you say heated hangar. If that’s the case I wouldn’t worry about it.

YES! Change the oil. Lycoming recommends a tach time as well as a calendar time interval. Xx hours or 4 months, which ever comes first. These engines in most cases never wear out, they usually rust out, change the oil.

Kurt

G44 wrote:YES! Change the oil. Lycoming recommends a tach time as well as a calendar time interval. Xx hours or 4 months, which ever comes first. These engines in most cases never wear out, they usually rust out, change the oil.

Kurt

Hey Kurt! Would you change the filter as well?

I'd pickle it. IAW Lycoming procedures.

Probably so. Get all the old oil out. Pickling would be a good thing to do but going thru that every month or so would be a hassle for sure, but it would help. If not pickling at least make sure it has clean oil in it.

My 9 year old Husky has had about 35 oil changes. I don't mess around with dirty or acidic oil.

Kurt.

This is a timely topic for me so hoping to take advantage of the info. I will need to store an IO-540 for at least 8 months. It will be off the airplane but I can run the preservative oil through it before removing from airframe. I see Tanis sells a pickling kit for $270 with everything you need including dehydrator plugs and such and it meets the Lycoming SB instructions. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... tanis1.php

I also see electric "Engine Savers" being recommended as an alternative.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... gsaver.php

It's $325 vs $270. Engine Saver could theoretically be used well into the future, so a little added value there?

Kurt, what are your thoughts? Baseline would be pickling I suppose. Engine will be indoors with 110VAC so power for engine saver is not an issue.

Never change oil without changing the filter as well. Five quarts of clean oil mixed with one quart of dirty oil makes six quarts of dirty oil.

asa wrote:This is a timely topic for me so hoping to take advantage of the info. I will need to store an IO-540 for at least 8 months. It will be off the airplane but I can run the preservative oil through it before removing from airframe. I see Tanis sells a pickling kit for $270 with everything you need including dehydrator plugs and such and it meets the Lycoming SB instructions. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... tanis1.php

I also see electric "Engine Savers" being recommended as an alternative.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... gsaver.php

It's $325 vs $270. Engine Saver could theoretically be used well into the future, so a little added value there?

Kurt, what are your thoughts? Baseline would be pickling I suppose. Engine will be indoors with 110VAC so power for engine saver is not an issue.

There is absolutely no question: PICKLE IT!

Seriously, those “air circulators only reack a small part.

Double post

MTV

I would guess that a large majority of all GA aircraft often go 4 weeks or more without a thought or consideration on this matter. Four weeks can sneak up on the best of us. If I had to pickle my engine every time there’s a chance I may not fly for a few weeks I’d go broke just in preservation oil. I’d think if this is gonna occur on a common frequency one of the air dryers is your best bet. I do agree pickling is the safest bet but.....

FARMAULE wrote:I would guess that a large majority of all GA aircraft often go 4 weeks or more without a thought or consideration on this matter. Four weeks can sneak up on the best of us. If I had to pickle my engine every time there’s a chance I may not fly for a few weeks I’d go broke just in preservation oil. I’d think if this is gonna occur on a common frequency one of the air dryers is your best bet. I do agree pickling is the safest bet but.....

Yup, four weeks of not flying can easily sneak up on us without intending it to be non-flying. This is why we should use Camguard.

Ross

asa wrote:This is a timely topic for me so hoping to take advantage of the info. I will need to store an IO-540 for at least 8 months. It will be off the airplane but I can run the preservative oil through it before removing from airframe. I see Tanis sells a pickling kit for $270 with everything you need including dehydrator plugs and such and it meets the Lycoming SB instructions. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... tanis1.php

I also see electric "Engine Savers" being recommended as an alternative.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... gsaver.php

It's $325 vs $270. Engine Saver could theoretically be used well into the future, so a little added value there?

Kurt, what are your thoughts? Baseline would be pickling I suppose. Engine will be indoors with 110VAC so power for engine saver is not an issue.

First off, like I mentioned before clean oil. In your case, Phillips storage oil is what I would use. The cam is what I would be worried about most. Since its off the airplane, can you some how rotate the engine after you put the oil in? You could coat more of the internals. This oil will eventually run off but it will provide some protection for a time. If you could rotate it from time to time that would great. I would coat the inside of the cylinders too but keep in mind you have to get this oil out, going to be a messy start up kinda like some radials can be. As far as the dehydrator plugs and venting, I am not well versed on that so I am hesitant to provide much of an opinion except that it doesn't seem like it would hurt any thing, its all probably a help.

Hope that helps.

Kurt

I have a hard time believing that a month is long enough to be a problem. While the longest I have gone without flying my 180 is 7 weeks, while it was in paint, I can't imagine pickling an engine every time it might not get flown for 4 weeks. 3 weeks of no flying has happened a few times, between work, bad weather, and other airplanes to fly, 3 weeks can sneak up on you pretty quick.

If you are going to change the oil before you leave, I’d fly it for an hour or so after. If you just change the oil, you’re only changing the oil in the sump, not the oil film on the cam, lifters, and cylinder walls, which are the parts that rust.

Running an airplane on the ground just introduces moisture to the oil, and doesn’t get hot enough to cook it off.

Lot’s of people up here let their float planes freeze all winter without pickling the engine, with no il effects. Corrosion slows almost to a halt in cold and dry.

In a place like South Florida, things rust out fast. I’m kinda worried about my engine rusting in two weeks on our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Thinking of flying for the day somewhere mid trip.

pipeliner wrote:[This is why we should use Camguard.

Ross

Or if you can't get genuine Mike Busch endorsed camguard, a quart or two of decent quality snake oil from a reputable merchant will achieve the same thing

If you're not doing big hours, using a litre of Phillips Anti-Rust oil with your normal oil works well. But in reality, the vast majority of GA engines sit around idle for extended periods, and I would think the vast majority of these make TBO and beyond just fine. Just my opinion

StillLearning wrote:I have a hard time believing that a month is long enough to be a problem. While the longest I have gone without flying my 180 is 7 weeks, while it was in paint, I can't imagine pickling an engine every time it might not get flown for 4 weeks. 3 weeks of no flying has happened a few times, between work, bad weather, and other airplanes to fly, 3 weeks can sneak up on you pretty quick.

Shouldn’t be a problem with clean oil.

I've been waiting on a new Concorde battery for 3 weeks (supply chain ) so I went to the hangar and swung the prop through about a dozen times. Helpful or not?

PsychedelicWatermelon wrote:I've been waiting on a new Concorde battery for 3 weeks (supply chain ) so I went to the hangar and swung the prop through about a dozen times. Helpful or not?

I think not helpful. Scrapes the oil residue off of surfaces without enough engine speed or oil pressure to re-apply said oil residue.

My plane has had a few unforecast stagnant periods (in a long one right now). I don’t touch the prop unless it’s with the starter with the intent to come to full operating temp.

CamTom12 wrote:

PsychedelicWatermelon wrote:I've been waiting on a new Concorde battery for 3 weeks (supply chain ) so I went to the hangar and swung the prop through about a dozen times. Helpful or not?

I think not helpful. Scrapes the oil residue off of surfaces without enough engine speed or oil pressure to re-apply said oil residue.

My plane has had a few unforecast stagnant periods (in a long one right now). I don’t touch the prop unless it’s with the starter with the intent to come to full operating temp.

What Cam said. Definitely not helpful to turn the prop over.