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Anybody using Camguard? (merged)

I have just started using it.

The US engine shop which rebuilt my engine says that it really works; they did the original certification testing for it, measuring up engine parts before/after.

I have just had new oil analysis results and, while it is too early to claim a trend, I am seeing a 2/3 reduction in chromium and a roughly 1/3 drop in iron and copper.

It's not easy to get in Europe. I got it from LAS. It ups the cost of an oil change by about £20.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Which oil do you use it with? An additive free oil?

The members of Cessna Pilots Assocation are crazy about it. However, we know that Americans tend to be enthusiastic about new things.

Aeroshell 15W/50.

I did use Exxon Elite and used to alternate the two to see if the oil analysis showed any preference, and it didn't. Less than a "random" variation.

I change oil every 25-35hrs normally. I have found that if one takes it to 50, the metal figures start to go way up.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I use Aeroshell 15W/50, too and replace it every 25 hours. That oil already contains most of the additives found in Camguard. The consensus appears to be that you should use an additive free oil when using Camguard.

The lubrication aspects of aircraft oil are not to worry about, they last hundreds of hours. The debris transport is also good for more than 50h. What is much better on a 25h interval and supposedly when using Camguard is neutralizing acids. Those acids accelerate corrosion which is the biggest threat to aircraft engines. Camguard seems to focus on corrosion prevention.

The "inventor" of Camguard is a regular poster on the Cessna Pilot Association's forums. What he says appears to be sensible and well founded. Some years ago, Mobil offered an oil with similar additives as Camguard but there were some problems and they had to withdraw it from the market. The Camguard guy worked for Exxon on a competitor to Mobil AV1 but was stopped after the Mobil desaster if I remember correctly.

ASL research revealed that on average most aircraft are used less than 100 hours per year compared to more than 8660 hours sitting idle. Therefore it is imperative that the engine oil adequately protects the engine during this idle time.

Do I read from this that utilisation >100 hours pa obviates the need? We do about 140 hours pa using Total 100 with oil changes every 50 hours.

EHLE / Lelystad, Netherlands, Netherlands

Do I read from this that utilisation >100 hours pa obviates the need? We do about 140 hours pa using Total 100 with oil changes every 50 hours.

If you ask ASL, they will recommend to also put it in your lawnmower They are just trying to express that aircraft engines sit mostly idle and thus rust is the biggest danger to their health.

I've read all that stuff too, and lots of Americans use Camguard with cheap oil, but I have never seen such a drop in engine wear as this, and I have 7 years of data.

The saving in using "cheap" oil is so small it's not worth worrying about.

Also I don't believe the result is due to suppression of corrosion at all, because (with extremely rare exceptions) I fly once a week, hangared, never for less than 1hr, this sample was just 33hrs old, and it includes a trip to Greece which was ~20hrs in the air, with two legs of nearly 7hrs.

The next sample will be interesting

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

The question is what happens if you combine the additives in Aeroshell 15W/50 with the ones in Camguard. Will it be better than just Camguard and an oil without additives? Will it make no difference? Will it limit the effectiveness of Camguard? Will it actually be harmful to your engine?

because (with extremely rare exceptions) I fly once a week

I wish I could claim the same...

does the amount of downtime have an impact. I use aeroshell 80 at 50 hour checks then top up with the cheapest oil i can find total 80 in winter and 100 in summer. the aircraft fly between 250 and 500 hours a year. so far no major prob bar a sticking valve.

i know many other who have had cam probs. but they. don't do many hours

does the amount of downtime have an impact.

I doubt anybody has data on that - apart from the obvious i.e. internal engine corrosion, etc.

I use aeroshell 80 at 50 hour checks then top up with the cheapest oil i can find total 80 in winter and 100 in summer. the aircraft fly between 250 and 500 hours a year.

IMHO, there is no issue with topping off with straight 80 or 100. Even if you go all the way to 50hrs, an engine which burns 1qt every say 10hrs will need only say 4 topoffs.

Personally I don't (usually) do that because my IO540-C4 takes about 9.5qts to the "9" mark, assuming the oil filter has been changed (and its contents dumped), which leaves me with 2.5 qts for topups, out of the 12-bottle carton which is the best way to buy the stuff.

no major prob bar a sticking valve.

That's quite significant though. It isn't supposed to happen!

know many other who have had cam probs. but they. don't do many hours

That's a particular Lyco weakness - lack of lube to the camshaft, resulting in camshaft and cam follower surface disintegration on engines infrequently run (and some not so infrequently run...). Camguard claims to help with this.

However my original point was that - irrespective of any anticorrosion benefits - the stuff seems to dramatically reduce wear, especially on steel (iron+chromium) parts.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
187 Posts
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