Scary High Oil Temps - Lycoming 540

An engine monitor is a good move. The full Monty certified primary might be killing an ant with a sledgehammer, but hey, it's only money.
But it's disappointing not to get this ciphered out.

I love a good "whatdunnit".
 
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Personally, I would not install an engine monitor that wasn't a primary replacement. You can get rid of so much heavy, inaccurate garbage for just a little bit more money.

I agree with not throwing money at a problem, but I also think an engine monitor is a good investment even if he didn't have the problem.
 
Sometimes it is wise to punt. There is a problem. It needs to be fixed. Having a professional avionics installer do the work is a good move. This should fix it.
 
IMO if your gonna buy one, buy it from the installer.
Don't bring me your oil and filter if you want me to do a oil change. Or bring your steak to my restaurant for me to cook for you.
Shop for one while at Oshkosh but buy it from the installer.
 
guest user said:
Dan, I must respectfully disagree with you on the resistor value. 6PC is holding the resistor backwards in the picture. The bands start at the edge of a resistor, not the middle. This makes it a 520 ohm resistor +- 10% (468 - 572).
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I have restored old radios, I used to fix TVs and radios when I was in high school. I know how to read resistors. Their colors do not change unless they have literally burned out. That is a gray. This is a list of 10% resistor values, and each value is the root of decadal multiples:

1721239033354.png

So, we can get 82-ohm resistors, 820-ohms, 8,200 ohms, 82,000 ohms, 820,000, 8.2 megohms, and so on.

Now note that the chart does not have a 520-ohm resistor. Only 56/560/5600/56000 and so on. A 560-ohm 10% resistor is green-blue-brown-silver.

1721239464512.png

Fromhttps://eepower.com/resistor-guide/resistor-standards-and-codes/resistor-values/

SixPapaCharlie said:
So I'm going to buy a primary engine monitor at Oshkosh and let a professional wire it.
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Unless every probe in the new system is a two-wire affair, not relying on engine grounding for one side of the circuit, the new stuff will have the same sort of errors as you have now.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I am still nowhere.
Replaced the gauge and the probe.
Replaced the wire running from the probe to the gauge.
Ran the plane until it was pegged today. Shot the IR thermometer at the probe, oil filter, etc nothing above 190
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Just saw this Brian, so sorry.

I had this EXACT problem with my old Tiger and oil temp gauge would read in red zone 19 minutes after starting flight. Story was my on field mechanic replaced the probe with a Tiger original. The GAUGE was not the original as the previous owner put a TON of upgrade into the panel.

After weeks of tracking things and on field mechanics giving up, I flew it to the main Class C and did the infrared temperature check like yours with a mechanic there. He figured it out in about 10 minutes .... bought the probe that matches the gauge manufacture and all corrected. I was down 2 months and the original mechanics could never figure it out.

Edit: went through all, vernatherm, oil cooler flush, etc.
 
Resistor color is moot - he is getting a new gauge, a new matching probe, and having it professionally installed by an avionics shop who will make sure ground is good.
 
WDD said:
Resistor color is moot - he is getting a new gauge, a new matching probe, and having it professionally installed by an avionics shop who will make sure ground is good.
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The resistor wasn't even part of the gauge in question. Totally irrelevant. But hopefully the rest of what you said will become true.
 
Double moot. In that case how did the resister conversation enter the room? We are really good at tangents here!
 
danhagan said:
Just saw this Brian, so sorry.

I had this EXACT problem with my old Tiger and oil temp gauge would read in red zone 19 minutes after starting flight. Story was my on field mechanic replaced the probe with a Tiger original. The GAUGE was not the original as the previous owner put a TON of upgrade into the panel.

After weeks of tracking things and on field mechanics giving up, I flew it to the main Class C and did the infrared temperature check like yours with a mechanic there. He figured it out in about 10 minutes .... bought the probe that matches the gauge manufacture and all corrected. I was down 2 months and the original mechanics could never figure it out.

Edit: went through all, vernatherm, oil cooler flush, etc.
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Was suggested. Bryan located a salvage tested OE sensor and guage. No joy.
 
bnt83 said:
A new Aerospace Log oil temp & pressure kit $1180 + Labor.

www.aircraftspruce.com

Aerospace Logic - Oil Pressure & Temperature Gauge Kit 2-1/4 | Aircraft Spruce

Aerospace Logic - Oil Pressure & Temperature Gauge Kit 2-1/4 The OPT200 is an advanced, next generation oil pressure and temperature combinational instrument.
www.aircraftspruce.com www.aircraftspruce.com
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This is the wiring diagram for that instrument. It doesn't use engine ground as a return path, so would eliminate any ground current leakage into the probe as a cause of overreading.

1721327245024.png

The Aircraft Spruce site says there is no STC for it, since it is TSO'd. But on Aerologic's site I see this:

1721327380764.png
 
GoFly said:
I realize that
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Certification means quality design, quality components, extensive testing, and much paperwork. None of it is free, and the small market for it means that the costs are spread among few buyers.

Automotive aftermarket stuff faces no such costs, and there are thousands of times as many buyers for it.
 
Just pulled the trigger on this , from electronics international. The deal they have at the show is pretty good.

I got the combo that monitors everything and comes with two screens. $1,400 rebate.

It comes with everything needed to install and I'm out the door for $4K

Screenshot_20240723_125843_Gallery.jpg
 
Salty said:
That's what I put in my Lance and it worked well.
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I'm glad to hear that. I was kind of getting pressured into Garmin so I went and talked to them and they said first you need to go over to Midwest panels because you're going to need to get a quick kit. So I went over to Midwest panels and started talking to them and their prices were double for the same level of monitoring.
 
I did the install on the EI myself as well. My only complaint about it is the stupid connectors they use for the probes are the worst design for anything ever. I lost a probe every flight for the first 10 flights until I fixed every one a couple times. It's a goldilocks connector. If it's too loose it jiggles out. If it's too tight it breaks the thin brittle wires. Gotta be "just right".
 
Salty said:
I did the install on the EI myself as well. My only complaint about it is the stupid connectors they use for the probes are the worst design for anything ever. I lost a probe every flight for the first 10 flights until I fixed every one a couple times. It's a goldilocks connector. If it's too loose it jiggles out. If it's too tight it breaks the thin brittle wires. Gotta be "just right".
Click to expand...
I agree, those OLC connectors are the worst. I haven't installed an EI monitor in a bit, but I recall seeing a post by @Dave Arata on a forum somewhere (possibly this one) that they are changing things a bit and using crimp ferrules on the wires now (in combination with the OLC connectors) to improve things. I haven't seen how that works in practice yet.
 
You’re gonna enjoy that. Once you get it dialed in, you’ll no longer have to guess what your engine is doing.
 
1721769379358.png

Yeah. What's with that? Oil temp usually redlines at 245°F, but the blue needle here is past redline with the temp at only 190°F.
 
Salty said:
I did the install on the EI myself as well. My only complaint about it is the stupid connectors they use for the probes are the worst design for anything ever. I lost a probe every flight for the first 10 flights until I fixed every one a couple times. It's a goldilocks connector. If it's too loose it jiggles out. If it's too tight it breaks the thin brittle wires. Gotta be "just right".
Click to expand...

Ryan Klems said:
I agree, those OLC connectors are the worst. I haven't installed an EI monitor in a bit, but I recall seeing a post by @Dave Arata on a forum somewhere (possibly this one) that they are changing things a bit and using crimp ferrules on the wires now (in combination with the OLC connectors) to improve things. I haven't seen how that works in practice yet.
Click to expand...
What I ended up doing and haven't had any issues since year one is I staggered the connectors and wrapped the connection in high temp electrical tape. Then wrapped them into a bundle with more tape and zip tied them so they don't flutter due to the air movement in the cowl. I've had them in since 17 or 18.
 
Salty said:
I did the install on the EI myself as well. My only complaint about it is the stupid connectors they use for the probes are the worst design for anything ever. I lost a probe every flight for the first 10 flights until I fixed every one a couple times. It's a goldilocks connector. If it's too loose it jiggles out. If it's too tight it breaks the thin brittle wires. Gotta be "just right".
Click to expand...

I agree those could be a lot better design, I usually get them dialed in on one or two flights.

Installation
Dan Thomas said:
View attachment 131689

Yeah. What's with that? Oil temp usually redlines at 245°F, but the blue needle here is past redline with the temp at only 190°F.
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you have to fill out a form with limits of each parameter and they program it to that worksheet. This is just some stock photo… also the numbers change to the colors of the bands each arrow is pointing to. Oil temp numbers in that pic should be red based on the arrow being in the red.
 
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EdFred said:
What I ended up doing and haven't had any issues since year one is I staggered the connectors and wrapped the connection in high temp electrical tape. Then wrapped them into a bundle with more tape and zip tied them so they don't flutter due to the air movement in the cowl. I've had them in since 17 or 18.
Click to expand...

I installed myself as well and really like the instrument and ease of installation. I removed all of my old analog gauges in the process. Accurate fuel level metering and fuel calculation add immeasurably to safety.

But I had the same connection failures on a couple of probes. One EGT probe was giving me a particularly bad time, only lasting a few hours after each of my numerous attempts to address it. I even had staggered the connectors as you mention, and tried adhesive heat shrink on the individual wires as well as around the bundle, but I still suffered failures. After contacting EI for a solution, they sent me a kit with ferrules and a crimp tool to try (mentioned in another thread), and I haven’t had a failure since.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Mike Gagnon said:
I installed myself as well and really like the instrument and ease of installation. I removed all of my old analog gauges in the process. Accurate fuel level metering and fuel calculation add immeasurably to safety.

But I had the same connection failures on a couple of probes. One EGT probe was giving me a particularly bad time, only lasting a few hours after each of my numerous attempts to address it. I even had staggered the connectors as you mention, and tried adhesive heat shrink on the individual wires as well as around the bundle, but I still suffered failures. After contacting EI for a solution, they sent me a kit with ferrules and a crimp tool to try (mentioned in another thread), and I haven’t had a failure since.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I didn't even know those Ferrules existed! I need to try one of those kits.
 
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