oil diptsick comes loose

[ifdale]

After I landed and shut down today I noticed engine oil plastered all over the cowl. When I looked in the engine compartment the oil dipstick had come loose and was just sitting on the neck of the oil sump. So it looks like engine oil had blown out of the filler neck and gone everywhere. The dipstick twists on ok..There is friction to hold it in place but maybe not enough, I don't know. Any ideas?

[Pearson]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

The question in my mind is, did the dip stick get "blown" out. Or did someone just not get it all the way back down after checking the oil. If it were blown out, it could indicate a cracked ring, or something allowing compression gasses into the crankcase. The simple fix might be the need for a new gasket under the cap of the dipstick tube. A close inspection of the crank case vent tube might discover a plugged tube. Or if that checks out OK, you might take the time to pull one plug from each cylinder to see if one might be suddenly oil fouled. If so, I would then do a compression check. Hopefully, it was just a case of the dipstick not being put back in all the way.

[ifdale]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

Thanks Richard those are all good ideas I appreciate it. Yesterday I flew again after making sure the stick was secure and no problems yet. I am the only person who would have had my hands on the dipstick so I guess it's possible I didn't twist it on tight, I just can't remember. The breather tube was not clogged, I did check that and the engine makes good power. This is the first time it's happened since I put the motor on 2 years ago.

Where do I go about getting a new gasket? Anyone have the part number handy?

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

I seem to remember seeing a bin full of them at Aviation Tractor Supply. Same thickness, and inside and outside diameter.

Hank

Of course I would never use on on a flying plane.

[Robert Lees]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

At my flying club we have a friendly "Dipstick of the Year" award.

This is awarded in a friendly manner to those who have, through a minor or Senior moment, covered the cowl with oil.

I was awarded thus when after maintenance I neglected to fully seat the oil temperature probe correctly, lost all the oil and had to shut the engine down for a precautionary landing. Fortunately, because I am cautious on first flights after maintenance, I was 3000 feet above one of the longest runways in the UK.

I still get ribbed about it 10 years on! A friend had to drive many miles with rags and a fresh supply of oil.

(Other recipients names blurred in the attached photo to save any embarrassment).

[All of the above has no reflection upon ifdale's experience]

[Robert Lees]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

It gets worse at my flying club.

We have a Ploughing Trophy (for those who run off the end of the runway)...longest & straightest furrow wins.

A Spud-picking Trophy (for the most adventurous groundloop...extra marks for going off-piste)

A Skidmark Award (for those who make the most mess of their underwear; after all everyone knows that adrenaline is brown)

And a SBTWF* Trophy for maintenance SNAFUs.


All in the best possible taste, I assure you.!



* They're all swear words; I'm sure you can work out which ones!

[Edwin Otha]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

Sometimes the detent for the spring tab needs to be "defined". Also there are two different cap gaskets, thick and thin. One for a coil spring cap and the other for the torsion set-up. There is a Contintal SB that cover this.
EO

[TimHicks]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

I had a real similar thing happen in my Cessna 120 many years ago,
After a seemingly normal, short flight, I got out to find oil all over the side of the airplane.
It turns out that one of the spring tabs broke off of the oil filler cap, allowing the cap to come off.

[Randy]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

I had a real similar thing happen in my Cessna 120 many years ago,
After a seemingly normal, short flight, I got out to find oil all over the side of the airplane.
It turns out that one of the spring tabs broke off of the oil filler cap, allowing the cap to come off.

Ditto in my C140. I was on a long flight at 12,500 over some big rocks when I started getting a lot of oil coming up through the cowling hinge and onto my windshield. My oil pressure was dropping but held long enough for me to clear the mountains. As soon as I was clear I killed the engine and ended up doing a engine out landing on a ridgeline in a farmers wheat field. Got some 30w motor oil from a P/U going down a gravel road not far from where I landed, filled it up, cleaned it up a little, tied the cap down with a shoe string to the heater vent and finished my flight.

[senior]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

This is awarded in a friendly manner to those who have, through a minor or Senior moment, covered the cowl with oil.

HEY THERE...I resemble that remark

[Robert Lees]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

This is awarded in a friendly manner to those who have, through a minor or Senior moment, covered the cowl with oil.

HEY THERE...I resemble that remark

OK, apart from your username, what's your story about losing oil? Don't be shy!

[ifdale]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

Hey guys, want to followup, I'm still having trouble with the dang dipstick. It still wants to twist loose and leak oil. I have the coil-spring type. Anyone have that continental sb or gasket #? Condition wise the parts seem in ok shape. Kind of a strange deal.
I'm not gonna say tightening the dipstick hasn't "slipped my mind". Yea I'm guilty of that on occassion.
BUT I've been paying close attn and there is something fishy going on..

[Edwin Otha]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

The document is SIL 00-7A, the part numbers are in the footnotes. You may need to re-define the oil neck and the "V" on the lock tab. There should be a defined click into the correct location. All of this stuff is getting old and needs a little work.
EO

[Robert Lees]

Re: oil diptsick comes loose

Upon another thread, we talked about fuel cap gaskets.

To the best of my recollection (and whether by design or coincidence), the Continental oil gasket is the same size.



I'm willing to be be stood corrected on this; I think I made my last oil filler cap gasket out of an old car tyre inner tube. I have to work hard to unlock mine.

But if your oil filler wants to twist loose easily, there is something mechanically wrong with the locking tabs, as Edwin refers.