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Re: Round engine question

Posted by Blake on Tue Mar 02, 2004 09:50:38 PM

In reply top Round engine question posted by Rob Mears on Tue Mar 02, 2004 07:57:48 PM

: I often wonder about the various warbirds that have been a
: cquired by museums in airworthy condition, but that over t
: ime have become static displays. You rarely if ever see t
: he museum staff pushing the props through on these planes
: wich makes me wonder what precautions are prescibed for en
: gine care when it comes to static planes.
:
: Is there no ill effect that comes as a result of simply le
: tting engines sit idle for a decade or more at a time? Pl
: anes like the F4U-4 at the War Eagles Air Museum in Texas,
: or the Bf-109 with Evergreen come to mind. What's the si
: tch with engines that sit?

The engines of airplanes on static display are normally "pickled" by removing the spark plugs and injecting a corrosion preventative, such as LPS-3. It coats the cylinder walls with waxy oil that will stay in place, rather than ooze to the bottom. They may also have plugs replaced with dessicant canisters to absorb moisture in the engine. The props are normally intentionally NOT moved to avoid scraping the preservative off the cylinder walls. The engines may be periodically turned over and relubed.

Prior to being started up after sitting for any significant length, a "pre-oil" pump, either on-board or external, is used to circulate oil through the system to lubricate bearings thoroughly before starting the engine. Sitting static is indeed very hard on engines.

Blake
Volunteer - Lone Star Flight Museum

http://www.lsfm.org

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