Airplane not flown for 3 months

[DGuy]

I have been unable to fly my airplane for the last 2 months and it seems unlikely that I will be able flying it for another month. Just before my last flight the oil/fllter has been changed . I use Aeroshell 15w50 with camguard added in a midtime Lycoming IO-360. Any experience with leaving the airplane for a few months without flying ?
Another question I have is what brings on crankcase cracks, and is one engine more prone to it than another?

[blockheater]

Sounds like you'll have better luck posting this in the MAINTENANCE section.

[iflyforpie]

It's not as bad as you think. I've flown planes that haven't flown in three years or more.

The obvious things that can give you problems are things like tires, struts, batteries, birds nests, water in the fuel, etc etc

For engine damage, it is more of a cumulative thing. If a plane didn't fly for three months once in its TBO.... it would be ahead of most of the private fleet. Try and keep periods between flying to a minimum and if you plan on leaving it for months, even just putting fresh oil in the engine will work wonders.

Crankcase cracks are AFAIK as a result of either metal defects (casting is the weakest and most inconsistent method of metal fabrication) or vibration or both. The primary loads of the engine are carried by the cylinder through studs.... the crankcase is just to keep the oil in and the studs aligned. I've only seen a couple cracked cases and each gave ample warning before replacement was required (yes, there are tolerances for acceptable cracks).

[PilotDAR]

Yeah Dguy, I would not sweat this too much, both my planes are in the same situation. Happily, the one is spending a bit of time in a heated hangar. For the other, it has fresh oil. I removed the top plugs and sprayed engine preserving oil into each cylinder, and misted it into the sump (hopefully into the crankcase airspace). Then I pulled the prop through many times to circulate the preserving oil. Now it will sit - probably 'till April, the way this winter has gone!. The battery is out and warm, and it does sit in an enclosed hangar.

I sure like to run all of my machines once a week, but sometimes, you just cannot. It'll survive....

[1000 HP]

Many of the floatplanes sit for 6 or 7 months during the winter. No big deal. I have a Mooney that flys one month on, one month off all the time. Same engine. It has 1050 hrs and just had a great annual. No metal, no compressions under 74. All good.

[Colonel Sanders]

Internal corrosion, not time run, is generally
what kills privately-owned aircraft engines.

This is especially true of Lycomings - not so
much of Continentals.

Lycomings generally corrode out on the cam
and lifters and cylinder walls. Lycoming has
actually gone to roller lifters on new engines
to try to deal with the spalling problem.

I would recommend that as a bare minimum
you change the oil to get rid of the acids in it
before you stop flying, and put Camguard in
the fresh oil. Not sure it makes sense to use
expensive multi-viscosity oil for storage, which
flows well when it's cold.

Read the Lycoming SL180B. It also talks about
dessicant spark plugs, fogging the cylinders,
silicon dessicant on the intake and exhaust.

http://tinyurl.com/mnklzvy

How much you need to do, is dependent
upon the environment it's stored in.

If it's warm, humid and salty, you have a MUCH
bigger problem than a cold, dry salt-free place.

PS I hope you removed the battery, and are
bringing it up to 14.5V a couple times a month.

[DGuy]

Thank You for all the responses, it feel already a lot better. I did not plan to have my plane , which I mainly use as an occasional mode of transportation , inactive for such a time-period. Not so much the winter-season, but work, and now an expired "aviation data booklet" which is being renewed prevented me from flying my plane which is kept always ready to go.. Coincidentally an oil change(every 25hrs) with added camguard has been done before the last flight. The plane is hangared.

[Colonel Sanders]

an oil change(every 25hrs)

That's good, but I should point out that the less
you fly your aircraft, the more often you need
to change the oil.

I know this doesn't make any sense, but I'm
tired of being attacked, so figure it out for yourself.

[Shiny Side Up]

Lycoming has
actually gone to roller lifters on new engines
to try to deal with the spalling problem.

You mean this problem?

[Colonel Sanders]

Never happens to the AvCan experts.

[Shiny Side Up]

Well that one is a bit extreme, its out of an O-320-H2AD, one of its issues of course being that it doesn't get enough oil to these lifters and makes the issue with any corrosion there worse.

[iflyforpie]

its out of an O-320-H2AD

I would never have guessed....

[Big Pistons Forever]

Lycoming has
actually gone to roller lifters on new engines
to try to deal with the spalling problem.

You mean this problem?

Is that the before or after picture ?

[1000 HP]

Lycoming has
actually gone to roller lifters on new engines
to try to deal with the spalling problem.

You mean this problem?

Yikes! I put my bird up for sale mostly because I don't use it enough and am developing paranoia in my old age. So far so good but your picture is really SCARY. I hope the IO-360-A1A's are better than that

Anybody with a nice boat want to trade for a nice Mooney?