Airborne_Again wrote:
we are using engine preheat anyway whenever the average temperature is below +10°C
And off-base, when club members travel with the aircraft?
lionel wrote:
And off-base, when club members travel with the aircraft?
Then we try to find an electric outlet for the oil heater… But unless it is really cold, we don’t bother. Lycoming does approve the use of SAE40 single grade ashless dispersant oils down to -18°C. Most of our aircraft uses a Lycoming 360 series engine for which Lycoming only specifies that during “extreme cold weather” it “may be necessary” to preheat the oil. E.g. our C172S POH states that below -6°C, preheat is “recommended”.
But AA wouldn’t a multigrade simply be better with the temperatures that you operate?
All you want to know is there :
Bathman wrote:
But AA wouldn’t a multigrade simply be better with the temperatures that you operate?
Maybe, but we’ve been using the W80+/XPD80 oil “forever” and as I said, we’ve never had any problems that could be traced to the oil.
(Note, I incorrectly wrote W80 in my posts above when I should have written W80+. We run all aircraft on unleaded fuel — Hjelmco 91/96UL — so we need an oil with additive.)
We did the “why bother with multigrade” here.
I think most people were surprised at just how cold it must be before 15W50 is recommended. I certainly was. About the only scenario I have encountered (where I fly i.e. Europe) where it would be a good idea is when going skiing and being parked overnight outdoors at say Sion in -25C. But to be honest almost nobody will be starting their engine in such conditions anyway. Plus I have not seen -25C at any airport elevation (saw it at Cervinia in January but that was at > 10000ft). Plus you aren’t supposed to start the engine anyway at -25C AFAIK due to reduced clearances, regardless of what oil you have in there.
