Subject: Oil Feed System
From: Paul
Date: 5/8/1999, 10:28 PM
To: zz

Bill Freeman wrote:

JMLBlues@aol.com wrote:

I think it may be a bit of a stretch to extrapolate passenger car experience
with no oil metering to higher duty cycle uses. In high load applications
(such as marine, with which I am very familiar), a loss of oil metering can
lead to a phenomenon where the apex seals suddenly begin to leak badly.

     ** SNIP ***

Jon - Thanks for the info;  but the key question for aircraft applications is
 "How long after loss of lubrication does the engine become unable to
   support sustained flight?"

I agree that marine applications are more like aviation than automotive.

So, in the cases you have seen, how long before this 'sudden loss of power'
occured?

WIth Paul Y's 3 month automotive experience, it would appear that if
an oil metering system failure was (somehow) known to have occurred
in flight, a power reduction and precautionary landing might involve
very little risk to plane and pilot, and perhaps even to the engine.

Thanks again.

Bill


 
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