Short Term Storage

[aviationinfo]

Am going away for two months and have thought about pickling the engine at least to some degree. I live in the Pacific Northwest and it will certainly be good and rainy while I'm gone, with temps usually varying quite a bit by the end of February.

Lycoming has it's recommendations, but I see that CamGuard claims you can add it to your regular oil at higher than normal concentration (8%) and use that as a storage oil.

Opinions?

They also say to spray the preservative mixture into the cylinders, keeping it at a temperature of at least 200 - 220 degrees. I'd like to do something simpler than that, like using a spray can of LPS-3. Is that a bad idea? In addition they even suggest spraying exposed surfaces like the starter ring gear.

Guess I'd just like to know what folks are doing and try to determine the minimum I can do without feeling too guilty. I did do a search on the topic but it's not conclusive and has been quite a few years since it was discussed, certainly since before CamGuard.

Thanks--

[Steve Pierce]

Here is what I do. http://www.supercub.org/phpbb2/viewt...t=preservative

[mvivion]

I'm a big believer in Cam Guard as a "use all the time" additive, and in that realm I think it's the best thing since sliced bread for Lycoming engines.

BUT, if I were going to park one for a couple months, I'd pickle it with pickling oil. Follow the instructions carefully, and you should be in good shape.

It's not that big a deal to pickle and un-pickle an engine with this stuff. I wouldn't even change the filter, just the oil. And, you can still fly it a bit.

MTV

[gregory]

I am in the same boat. Just found out Im off to work until mid may and my 170 will be sitting starting the day after xmas. Beside the oil, how about the gas in the tanks? If I had known I was getting closer to going to work I wouldnt have just filled the plane up 2 days ago, now it has about 3/4 full tanks in both wings. Anyone add gas additives to keep the fuel fresh? Thanks, Greg

[aviationinfo]

Thanks for the replies. I started using Camguard at my last oil change.

I wonder, since it's a tailwheel plane and the nose pokes up in the air, would there be any benefit to parking it with the tail up in the flying attitude? Not sure if this would help more of the cam stay immersed in oil, or not.

So would you use the anti-rust oil as well as Camguard? And what do you think about LPS-3 sprayed into the cylinders?

[Darrel Starr]

Last winter when the economy tanked, we decided to park our Super Cub for about 6 months (in a heated hangar). While making the decision, I talked to Darrell Bolduc at Bolduc Aviation Specialized Services, Inc., KANE. He is a very well known engine builder in the upper midwest.
Darrell's advice was to use Camguard in the oil, Exxon Elite being the best oil for storage, and put no additives in the full gas tanks. He said that aviation gas unlike auto gas, is very stable and is good for a year or two. He treats his Cessna 185 this way and stores it at times for over a year without internal corrosion -- he borescopes it as part of the return-to-service process and it always is corrosion free. Our SC survived being mothballed just fine.
Darrel

[aviationinfo]

Thx Darrel.

I have been using Exxon Elite 20-50 all along, with the Camguard, so I like to hear that's good for storage.

Did you go the full route with the dehydrator spark plugs/ bags of dessicant / seal up the oil breather and exhaust / etc. as well, and spray some oil inside the cylinders?

Mine shouldn't be inactive for more than two months but the hangar is going to have a lot of temperature changes.

[mvivion]

It's important to remember that storing a Lycoming engine and storing a Continental engine may have different consequences.

Lycoming engines have the camshaft near the top of the engine, the opposite is true of Continentals.

The biggest risk with Lycoming engines in storage is the cam dripping all its oil off, and corroding, followed by spalling, and cam replacement.

For that reason alone, I would go with full pickling of a Lycoming if it's going to be inactive for a couple of months. Especially if the temperatures will vary a lot.

Do you really need to fog the cylinders, plug the openings, etc??

What will that cost you? What will a camshaft or a new cylinder cost you?

To me, it's a no brainer. As I said, I'm a believer in Cam Guard, and I too use Exxon Elite oil.

I'd pickle it. That's CHEAP and easy compared to a new cam.

Price a cam.

MTV

[aviationinfo]

Mike---point well taken, thanks.