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Thread: Oil

  1. #1
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    Default Oil

    Ok Iv'e messed up again.
    When I hit 60 hours and my oil use had stabilized I changed oil and switched from straight mineral oil to Aero Shell semi synthetic 15-50W.
    I have used Aero Shell semi in all my piston airplanes for years.
    It gets cold here in Indiana in the winter and engines are hard to start - espically the CC340 with it's small starter and small battery. I thought a 15-50 W oil would help cold weather starts.

    Then I read the new manual on line and discovered that I am supposed to use Phillips multi grade mineral oil!
    I am curious about the advisability of using semi synthetic in the CC340 and if it may cause problems.

    I switched to Aero Shell because I do not fly regularly in the winter here in Indiana. I also switched because the oil cooler is over large on the CC340 so that it is very difficult to get oil temperatures high enough to remove the water from the oil.
    Two days ago my oil temperature peaked at 130dF in cruse with an outside air temperature of 30dF.
    I have 1/2 of my oil cooler taped over.
    Shell claims that their Aero Shell semi synthetic 15-50W oil helps with both of these problems.
    http://www.shell.com/home/content/av..._30071235.html

    I would think that multi grade mineral oil would be fine for those of you in the south where the temprratures remain relativey high in the winter.

    What about those of us who are flying here in the cold???
    What say you?
    Bill
    Last edited by seastar; 12-05-2010 at 06:33 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oil

    Quote Originally Posted by seastar View Post
    Ok Iv'e messed up again.

    What about those of us who are flying here in the cold???
    What say you?
    Bill
    Can't help with the oil question. I have been running Phillips 15/50 since 10 hours.

    Given your winter conditions you might want to consider a vernatherm as discussed in this thread.
    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

  3. #3
    Senior Member randylervold's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oil

    Quote Originally Posted by seastar View Post
    It gets cold here in Indiana in the winter and engines are hard to start - espically the CC340 with it's small starter and small battery. I thought a 15-50 W oil would help cold weather starts.

    Then I read the new manual on line and discovered that I am supposed to use Phillips multi grade mineral oil!
    I am curious about the advisability of using semi synthetic in the CC340 and if it may cause problems.

    I switched to Aero Shell because I do not fly regularly in the winter here in Indiana. I also switched because the oil cooler is over large on the CC340 so that it is very difficult to get oil temperatures high enough to remove the water from the oil.
    Two days ago my oil temperature peaked at 130dF in cruse with an outside air temperature of 30dF.
    I have 1/2 of my oil cooler taped over.
    Shell claims that their Aero Shell semi synthetic 15-50W oil helps with both of these problems.
    http://www.shell.com/home/content/av..._30071235.html

    I would think that multi grade mineral oil would be fine for those of you in the south where the temprratures remain relativey high in the winter.

    What about those of us who are flying here in the cold???
    What say you?
    Bill
    Bill,
    Aero Shell 15w-50 will work fine and is preferrable to straight weight oil. You should consider taping over about half of the oil cooler inlet in order to raise your oil temps a bit. Click here for a thread from last winter on managing low oil temps in the winter.

    You don't need to remove the oil cooler to put aluminum tape on the front, if you're careful you can reach in though the cooling inlets and put it in place. Most owners are using this technique, it works well.
    Randy Lervold

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Oil

    Thanks guys --
    I know I need to add some more tape to my oil coolerand get the oil temps up for winter operation.
    It just turned cold here and I haven't goten to it as yet.
    +9F here today and too cold to mess with it.

    My question was --
    Is semi sythentic oil (Aero Shell) OK for the CC340?
    The handbook calls for Phillipsmultigrade mineral oil.
    I guess the answer is yes, it's OK to use semi sythentic.
    Bill

  5. #5
    Senior Member randylervold's Avatar
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    Default Re: Oil

    Bill,

    No problem on the semi-synthetic oil, AeroShell 15w-50 is an excellent product. The only issue is not using it too soon, you want the engine fully broken in before using a semi-synthetic. At 60 hours you should be ok, most engine builders advise people to wait until 100 hours just to be safe. If your oil consumption has stabilized and is in the neighborhood of a quart in ten hours then you're good.
    Randy Lervold

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