---------------------------------------------------------- RV-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 01/18/11: 3 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 06:11 AM - oil filter cutter and oil analysis (Frazier, Vincent A) 2. 08:05 AM - Re: Oil filters (Mike Robertson) 3. 08:27 PM - Re: Oil filters (Ed Holyoke) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 06:11:33 AM PST US From: "Frazier, Vincent A" Subject: RV-List: oil filter cutter and oil analysis SNIP Fellow Listers: My RV-6A has been flying for a couple years now and since I have the repairman's certificate I've been doing the annuals and maintenance. My question is on cutting open the oil filter after an oil change. Since I've never owned an airplane before much less maintained one this exercise has me wondering: After the first few oil changes on a new/overhauled engine, do you keep cutting open the filters and inspecting the element? Or is inspecting the element not as important as in the first hours after break in? Those of you that do cut open the oil filter at every oil change, do you ever see fine particles in the filter element? If yes, how often do you see these particles? What color are the particles? How large would the particles have to be to be of concern? Did you notice more of these particles after switching from 50 weight break in mineral oil to say... 20W-50 ashless dispersant? How many folks do oil analysis in addition to cutting open the filter? If the oil analysis says no problem but there are a small amount of fine particles in the filter do you continue to fly? If you have fine particles in the filter would you take them to your local mechanic and have him/her look them over? Or??? I've done lots of work on cars but never cut open the automotive filters so I don't know if fine particles would be present at every change. I don't want to be paranoid about this but if a problem can be caught early by cutting open the filter EVERY TIME then I want to be sure to continue doing that. Otherwise I'll dispense with that messy exercise. Thanks. Dean Psiropoulos Flying fun for 2+ years now SNIP Dean, You should open them at every oil change. You'll quickly get a feel for what should and should not be inside! It's no different than checking the sumps after a fill up, you'll quickly get the idea of what's normal. We have an inexpensive and easy to use filter cutter. Makes it a snap to open the filter can. Comes with detailed instructions with color photos. http://www.flyboyaccessories.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=70&products_id=223 I know of no better, easier can opener at this price. $49.95 I'll send you the instruction sheet so you can see it. If anyone else wants a copy, simply email me directly at vincefrazier@gmail.com Vince Frazier Flyboy Accessories 3963 Caborn Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 812-464-1839 1-888-8FLYBOY 1-888-835-9269 www.flyboyaccessories.com ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 08:05:51 AM PST US From: Mike Robertson Subject: RE: RV-List: Oil filters Dean=2C You definitely want to cut open the filter every time you replace it. If e verything is OK then you will find a few black particles that are carbon an d easily break up wth your fingers. If you see anything shiny try to pick it up with a magnet. If it doesn't pick up then it aluminum and not to wor ry about unless it is large particles. If it does pick up thn it is steel. if they are very small particles and there is not large quantities of the m then make note ad carry on. If there are are quantities of fine particl es or a few large chucks then you need to investigate. Oil analysis is also a ver cheap good thing to do. It finds wear that can' t be caught by the oil filter or the eye (i.e=2C chromium). What is import ant is that it sets up a trend that is important to find wear before it bec omes a major problem. For example=2C on Joe's plane=2C the analysis has sh own that he is getting a cylinder wear that is corresponding with one cylin der just starting to lose a little compression. Right now it is not someth ing we need to deal with but it is showing that the cylinder probably will not make TBO times. I hope you are enjoying the Florida weather and some good flying. Mike Robertson > From: dean.psiropoulos@verizon.net > To: rv-list@matronics.com > Subject: RV-List: Oil filters > Date: Mon=2C 17 Jan 2011 23:31:39 -0500 > on.net> > > Fellow Listers: > > My RV-6A has been flying for a couple years now and since I have the > repairman's certificate I've been doing the annuals and maintenance. My > question is on cutting open the oil filter after an oil change. Since I'v e > never owned an airplane before much less maintained one this exercise has me > wondering: > > After the first few oil changes on a new/overhauled engine=2C do you keep > cutting open the filters and inspecting the element? > > Or is inspecting the element not as important as in the first hours after > break in? > > Those of you that do cut open the oil filter at every oil change=2C do yo u > ever see fine particles in the filter element? > > If yes=2C how often do you see these particles? > > What color are the particles? > > How large would the particles have to be to be of concern? > > Did you notice more of these particles after switching from 50 weight bre ak > in mineral oil to say... 20W-50 ashless dispersant? > > How many folks do oil analysis in addition to cutting open the filter? > > If the oil analysis says no problem but there are a small amount of fine > particles in the filter do you continue to fly? > > If you have fine particles in the filter would you take them to your loca l > mechanic and have him/her look them over? Or??? > > I've done lots of work on cars but never cut open the automotive filters so > I don't know if fine particles would be present at every change. I don't > want to be paranoid about this but if a problem can be caught early by > cutting open the filter EVERY TIME then I want to be sure to continue doi ng > that. Otherwise I'll dispense with that messy exercise. Thanks. > > Dean Psiropoulos > Flying fun for 2+ years now > > =========== =========== =========== =========== > > > ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 08:27:11 PM PST US From: Ed Holyoke Subject: Re: RV-List: Oil filters One more thing - check the pickup screen. Big chunks won't show up in the oil filter because the pickup screen got them first. If there's chunks in the pickup screen, you may have a right now kind of problem that looking in the filter and oil analysis might not show up. Pax, Ed Holyoke On 1/18/2011 8:01 AM, Mike Robertson wrote: > Dean, > > You definitely want to cut open the filter every time you replace it. > If everything is OK then you will find a few black particles that are > carbon and easily break up wth your fingers. If you see anything > shiny try to pick it up with a magnet. If it doesn't pick up then it > aluminum and not to worry about unless it is large particles. If it > does pick up thn it is steel. if they are very small particles and > there is not large quantities of them then make note ad carry on. If > there are are quantities of fine particles or a few large chucks then > you need to investigate. > > Oil analysis is also a ver cheap good thing to do. It finds wear that > can't be caught by the oil filter or the eye (i.e, chromium). What is > important is that it sets up a trend that is important to find wear > before it becomes a major problem. For example, on Joe's plane, the > analysis has shown that he is getting a cylinder wear that is > corresponding with one cylinder just starting to lose a little > compression. Right now it is not something we need to deal with but > it is showing that the cylinder probably will not make TBO times. > > I hope you are enjoying the Florida weather and some good flying. > > Mike Robertson > > > From: dean.psiropoulos@verizon.net > > To: rv-list@matronics.com > > Subject: RV-List: Oil filters > > Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:31:39 -0500 > > > > > > > Fellow Listers: > > > > My RV-6A has been flying for a couple years now and since I have the > > repairman's certificate I've been doing the annuals and maintenance. My > > question is on cutting open the oil filter after an oil change. > Since I've > > never owned an airplane before much less maintained one this > exercise has me > > wondering: > > > > After the first few oil changes on a new/overhauled engine, do you keep > > cutting open the filters and inspecting the element? > > > > Or is inspecting the element not as important as in the first hours > after > > break in? > > > > Those of you that do cut open the oil filter at every oil change, do you > > ever see fine particles in the filter element? > > > > If yes, how often do you see these particles? > > > > What color are the particles? > > > > How large would the particles have to be to be of concern? > > > > Did you notice more of these particles after switching from 50 > weight break > > in mineral oil to say... 20W-50 ashless dispersant? > > > > How many folks do oil analysis in addition to cutting open the filter? > > > > If the oil analysis says no problem but there are a small amount of fine > > particles in the filter do you continue to fly? > > > > If you have fine particles in the filter would you take them to your > local > > mechanic and have him/her look them over? Or??? > > > > I've done lots of work on cars but never cut open the automotive > filters so > > I don't know if fine particles would be present at every change. I don't > > want to be paranoid about this but if a problem can be caught early by > > cutting open the filter EVERY TIME then I want to be sure to > continue doing > > that. Otherwise I'll dispense with that messy exercise. Thanks. > > > > Dean Psiropoulos > > Flying fun for 2+ years now > > > > > >==================== > > _==== > > > > > > > * > > > * ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message rv-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/RV-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/rv-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/rv-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.