Oil Leak

[William Mattson]

I purchased a PA-250 a few months back. I have been fixing a couple of small problems as they have become known. I have noticed a small amount of oil leaking onto the front tire. I believe this to happen only after flight. I having been trying to locate the exact source, which is proving difficult. I do notice a small amount around a couple of cylinders.

My plane is not going through much oil, maybe a quart every 20 hours.

[N3322G]

Welcome to the Comanche Forum.

There's a lot of places to look for oil leaks. The most recent oil seep turned out to be a gasket that had worm out at the base of the oil filler neck. Found it by cleaning off all the oil in the engine compartment - including the inside of the cowl and then traced it back the next time we saw it. Perhaps this might help you find the source.

Glad you track the oil usage as if it was using more, that would be the first place to look.

[JIMICS2452]

Are you sure it is engine oil? It could be hydraulic fluid from the strut. 5606 is stickier than oil.

Jim Hiatt

[William Mattson]

Thanks,

It could be from the strut. I'll take a closer look as that is the part that I'm cleaning off after every flight.

[9089P]

Don't know where your breather is located but, it could simply be an oil drip out of the breather, mine does that on occasion.

Don

[William Mattson]

OK

I believe it to be from the strut. The oil is much more sticky than the motor oil and that is the area where the oil is coming from.

Do I need to rebuild the strut or what?

Bill

[JIMICS2452]

Yes, a rebuild is required. The kit is about $25, labor 2-3 hours max, 1 quart of 5606.

Jim Hiatt

[Gene Ridder]

I'm a new Comanche owner (PA-24-250, 1961). What is a good strut cleaner that won't harm the seals?

[JIMICS2452]

I use 5606 Hydraulic FLuid on a clean rag. This is the fluid that is used in the struts.

Jim Hiatt

[9089P]

I agree with Jim's approach, you want to leave the strut with an oily film on it so you don't damage the O rings. The bride wipes the struts clean on preflight with a rag and then sprays a little oil on them.

Don

[jeffrey aryan]

I also use 5606 HYD Fluid with a clean rag or paper shop towel on the struts. That is what my A&P said to do. I have been doing it for over 15 years now and have not had any problems with leaks. Oh yea, if jack the plane up you can get full extension of the struts. FWIW.

Jeff Aryan

[DAVEG24]

A lot of people use 5606 fluid to wipe the struts clean. I take a different approach. I use naptha. Naptha does not attack rubber, and leaves the strut clean and dry. My reasoning is that I don't want to leave anything on the strut that attracts and holds dirt or other abrasive material. That way, the seals should last a lot longer. It's your choice. I can't say with any certainty that my approach is any better than using 5606, but I can say that my struts look clean the majority of the time. Some fluid does get onto the surface as they move in and out of the housing anyway. Eventually they will get dirty if left unattended. That's the dirt that sticks to the strut, which I believe is accelerated by wiping it with fluid after cleaning. Either way, it's better for the seals to keep the struts clean. It also visually looks better.

Dave Gitelman

[William Mattson]

Small oil leaks are a real pain to find, but I finally got mine. It was either the oil filter attachment gasket or a pipe fitting in the same area. After 6 hours of flying today I had no oil mess to clean up.

Taking off at 7700' DA is another matter all together, one I will wait to repeat, but the 250 works at altitude very well.

[N3322G]

Glad to hear you got it fixed - thanks for sharing