- Joined
- Jun 10, 2020
- Messages
- 76
- Reaction score
- 19
I was suffering from high oil temps for a few hours, which I thought was just ambient temperature related. During a stop in which I had a bit of extra time, I checked it out and found the root cause (see photos). This is in a PA-28R-201. The FBO guy saw me throwing straw all over the tarmac and came over to ask me if I needed maintenance. During the conversation, at some point he made the comment, "Oh, I understand, you didn't do a pre-flight".
Well, now I've gotten over the emotional reaction to that accusation. So what's the guidance/suggestion here? What's the appropriate pre-flight item for this?
Not to be a whiner, but the issue is that there is no way to take a good look at the engine compartment on top of the cylinders, let alone the ducting into the oil cooler, through the oil fill cover on the cowl. You have to get the screwdriver out and open the cowl (LoPresti cowl). Then you really have to disconnect the ducting to be completely sure there isn't a nest inside there, eg. sitting on the oil cooler itself. I suppose if I took one of those endoscopes, I could try to snake through the oil fill cover into the ducting, but that sounds like about the same amount of fun as opening the cowl. And to have to do either thing every flight??? I had been just looking carefully through the air inlets in the nose to make sure there was no evidence of birds, but apparently that wasn't good enough by a long shot.
Well, now I've gotten over the emotional reaction to that accusation. So what's the guidance/suggestion here? What's the appropriate pre-flight item for this?
Not to be a whiner, but the issue is that there is no way to take a good look at the engine compartment on top of the cylinders, let alone the ducting into the oil cooler, through the oil fill cover on the cowl. You have to get the screwdriver out and open the cowl (LoPresti cowl). Then you really have to disconnect the ducting to be completely sure there isn't a nest inside there, eg. sitting on the oil cooler itself. I suppose if I took one of those endoscopes, I could try to snake through the oil fill cover into the ducting, but that sounds like about the same amount of fun as opening the cowl. And to have to do either thing every flight??? I had been just looking carefully through the air inlets in the nose to make sure there was no evidence of birds, but apparently that wasn't good enough by a long shot.
