What would you do? Balancing preventive maintenance and maintenance induced failure

Choose one

  • Change the oil now

    Votes: 15 44.1%

  • Do it after the trip

    Votes: 19 55.9%
  • Total voters
    34
Salty

Salty

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Salty
Engine has 26 hours since last oil and filter change. Planning a long trip that is expected to end with a couple hours shy of 50, but could easily go a few hours over with unplanned detours. No time during the trip to have oil changed on the road.
 
No harm done either way. I tended to do it more frequently, rather than less, but going a few hours over shouldn't be a problem.
 
What happens after the trip? If it's going to sit for a while, I'd do the oil change when I got back.
 
I’m not too worried about it. Mine has 1900 total time and we have been taking care of it for 14 years including multiple headliner removals, cleanup and corrosion inhibitor application. It’s gonna be a simple inspection to accomplish and no fasteners need removed. A local CRS will be contacted to perform the eddy current, after I prepare the airplane.

I’m positive some aircraft will eddy current fine on the areas defined in the AD proposal but reveal concerning corrosion on other areas.
 
How often do you usually change the oil?
How much oil does it burn?
How dirty is the oil at your usual OCI?
Does it burn more as it nears the oil change?

My plane, I wouldn't sweat it. It burns very little oil, oil still looks decent at 50 hours, and oil burn doesn't increase.

The Archer's previous engine was burning a quart every 4-5 hours, the oil was darker than Satan's soul by 50 hours, and the oil burn would increase noticeably.

If i had a turbo or otherwise more highly stressed engine id change my vote, but for a regular old NA Lyco.....meh.
 
I voted for “change now” because that’s what I would do...but do I think it matters to your engine? Nope.
 
It can wait....it ain't all that critical. I'd prolly just fly it and let the oil burn down...cause you're gonna change it soon.
 
While I believe that maintenance induced failures are a very real and legitimate concern, I'm not sure that they extend all of the way to oil changes. Just double check the oil level and safety wire and you are good to go.

The ONLY arguments I see as legitimate for not doing it is to save a few dollars, +/- environmental.

Oil is one of the cheapest parts you will put in an airplane. I prefer to be more liberal with my changes.
 
I would say it depends on the engine condition and history. Are you trying to eek it out to overhaul with high consumption and low compression? Has there been any wear signs in the last three filter changes (assuming the OP opens the filter and checks for metal)? Has the engine been running well or has it had a cylinder replaced in the last 6 months/year?

As was mentioned, oil is one of the cheapest preventative maintenance items to perform. That said, if the oil looks good now and the engine is/has been running well, I would see no problem letting it go.
 
samiamPA said:
While I believe that maintenance induced failures are a very real and legitimate concern, I'm not sure that they extend all of the way to oil changes. Just double check the oil level and safety wire and you are good to go.

The ONLY arguments I see as legitimate for not doing it is to save a few dollars, +/- environmental.

Oil is one of the cheapest parts you will put in an airplane. I prefer to be more liberal with my changes.
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Triple check safety wire...not just that it’s on, but also in the correct direction.
 
samiamPA said:
While I believe that maintenance induced failures are a very real and legitimate concern, I'm not sure that they extend all of the way to oil changes. Just double check the oil level and safety wire and you are good to go.
Click to expand...
I'd agree with that, UNLESS you're one of us that has an F&M/Tempest/Stratus oil filter adapter. If that was the case I'd not touch the oil filter before a trip and continue watching it like a hawk. All while carrying new gaskets as called out in the service bulletin/ICA revisions, a new filter, and all other supplies and tools needed for maintenance on said oil filter adapter.
 
On my Cherokee I would have changed the oil before the trip. Changing the oil on the Cherokee was easy. On the Mooney I'd leave it be. Changing the oil on the Mooney is a pain.
 
If it is going to be more than 4 months since the last oil change by the time you get back, I’d err on the side of changing it sooner rather than later.
 
How long does not take to change the oil? I’ll admit that my C150 does not have an oil filter, so it can be as easy as sticking a tube on the quick drain, draining oil into a jug, and pouring 5 qts back in the the filler tube. No tools necessary unless you want to check the screen, which is nice but not required. And at 25 hours between changes, it would be mandatory on that trip.

If the oil is hot from just parking after a flight, it would take all of 10 minutes.
 
I would wait. Why set yourself up for something to go wrong on a long trip as a result of forgetting or not doing something right on the oil change. I know, oil changes are simple, but if it ain't broke (before the long trip) don't fix it. Getting stranded because an oil filter came lose and bad things happened would suck on many levels of course made worse by being a billion miles from home. Most of the time it isnt just an oil change...I rotate and clean plugs at oil changes so there is all of that as well.

I always like to space out any long trips i take after a flight or two locally after any oil change or maintenance so that way i am closer to home and know pretty quickly if something isn't right. Wife has agreed in writing that she will drive up to an hour to pick me up if things go wrong...after that, I am hitchhiking!:)

Worst part of an oil change IMHO is getting the lower cowling back on by myself.
 
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Matthew Rogers said:
How long does not take to change the oil?
Click to expand...
In my aircraft the cheek cowlings, which must be removed prior to changing the oil and the filter, are held on by hundreds (seems more like thousands most days) of screws. I can get them off by myself, but putting them back on by myself is a very difficult chore. Moreover, half the screws usually don't want to go back where they went in. It can take a pretty easy 45 minutes just to deal with those before thinking about the oil change, and by the way the oil filter is not the easiest thing to get to either. Not all aircraft are as joyfully simple as a Cessna 150. Thankfully not all are as slow, either.
 
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I don’t think you have a problem either way. But I change my oil every 25hrs and the filter every 50hrs, unless it’s annual time when I do both. Since it is a long trip, I’d change both now, and be ready for another change when I got back. I’ve been on trips longer than 50 hrs. I started with a fresh oil and filter change, and brought replacement oil with me(was traveling to Alaska) and used the quick drain to change the oil myself at around 25hrs. Very easy in an Archer. That way, I did not lose any significant time doing it quickly on my schedule. Finding a waste bucket for the oil disposal was the only issue as I carried a hose to go over the quick drain. The local FBO in Canada was happy to lend me one and take the old oil.
 
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