Thanks for the "cold" clarification. I forgot to mention that after running the engine up to temperature, let it cool before proceeding
About not being installed at a slant: I'm not 100% sure in the case of the Skymaster, and am willing to accept that there is no tail-high or tail-low orientation whatsoever if that is what you are telling me. On many airplanes (the obvious examples being tail-draggers), the on-the-ground angle is non-zero. And of course, even in the air in level flight, there is usually some angle of incidence of the wing, if not the engines.
The main point is that engine installations in different types of aircraft result in some front-to-back tilt relative to level-ground. Can you confirm that the front and back installations in the 337 are at zero degrees relative to level ground? If so, the dipsticks may be accurate from the factory. If not, there will for-sure be some calibration needed before accurate readings can be obtained.
Good point about not forgetting about the quart in the filter (and that running the engine up to temperature ensures that the filter is full before letting the engine cool and reading the oil level).
I also like your point that the owner often compensates mentally to find the level that the engine likes to maintain.
Dan
Quote:
Originally Posted by hharney
The engines on the 337 are not on a slant or angle. Yes, the dipsticks should be verified for calibration but do it when the oil is cold. Who checks the oil when it's hot? 99% of the time you are pulling the dipsticks before the flight not after the flight. Most engine systems will tend to stabilize to a level and stay there unless there is some kind of problem that consumes oil. Once you allow the level to stabilize after a couple hours of operation then that is a good indication of where you should allow the oil level to remain to avoid any blow by that make a mess on the airframe. My normally aspirated engines stabilize at about 6 to 6.5 quarts. That's where I operate them, remember there is one quart in the filter that is not indicated on the dipstick.
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