Dave Higdon/WICHITA
An unusually high number of reported piston-pin plug problems in the past three years has prompted Textron Lycoming to urge all US-registered owners, to inspect closely oil filter elements on their IO-360 piston engines and to have used oil analysed at every change.
Cessna also plans to back up the Lycoming notice with a Service Bulletin to all 1,200 domestic and foreign owners of aircraft built by the manufacturer since production was resumed in January 1997.
The move was driven by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which briefly grounded its 172R Skyhawks in November after the wear problem ruined IO-360 engines in four of its 38 1998 models.
But, according to Lycoming engineer Rick Moffett, incidents of abnormal piston-pin plug wear go beyond the new Cessna fleet.
He claims that the number of engines suffering excessive wear of one or more piston-pin plugs has more than doubled since 1995, from six to 15 reports a year on average. "This is a problem that we've had with all of our models - all sizes and powers - and one that has occurred with increasing frequency in the last two or three years," he says.
The Lycoming Service Bulletin, issued on 30 December, 1998, covers all new and overhauled engines built by Williamsport, Pennsylvania-based Lycoming since 1 January, 1994.
The bulletin directs that oil filter elements be inspected and oil analysis used to check for metal contamination.
Source: Flight International
