This picture shows one of my turbos. I’ve asked around and apparently the turbine has a leak and hot gas is hitting the shaft attachment to the housing.
I would like to know from people knowledgable about metals and such how fast this might have progressing.
The aircraft has had an annual in October and everything was clean. I’ve detected this after 45 hours flight time. Most of the flights have been about 4 hours.
Is it something that happened during the last 4 hours flight or has it been in the making over, for example, 20 hours?
Get it done now. It can hold for one more hour or for 50, that’s almost impossible to tell. I have had a turbocharger break off the engine once, luckily on a twin. From one moment to the next the engine will run on a super-rich mixture and just stop. All the unburnt extra fuel will come through the break in the turbocharger attachment and burn inside your engine cowling. Every rubber hose and cable will be damaged and in need to be replaced. The same can happen if your turbocharger stays on the engine, but more and more hot exhaust gases leak into the cowling.
Is the leak a crack in metal, or gas leaking past a gasket?
I can’t tell but someone knowledgable looking at the picture said “seal” so I think it’s not a crack in the metal. Someone else said to tighten the bolts.
Do not wait, that’s a critical thing, I’d say.
Best recommendation I have: Send photos to Jim Barker, who will reply asap normally and tell you what’s best. I cannot imagine it looks like this after 4 hours.
Jim Barker said to tighten the bolts. And as you can imagine other guys on COPA were using the image of a blow torch … You’ll find it there.
I have decided not to do tomorrow’s 4 hours flight. However, to get it fixed I need to move the aircraft anyway so the question still remains. I’m not sure there is a shop at Sabadell LELL where they know about the TATI turbo. The place that knows is in the UK and that is also roughly 4 hours flight time …
Can you give me the serial number, and I’ll check if there’s a metal gasket in there. It’s the right turbo’s flange, right?
No. It’s left. Let me check and I’ll email what I find.
Sorry, just realized I don’t have a Maintenance Manual for the TN, only for the NA and T.
The best first step would be to check if the bolts are tight. If they are loose you might get it sealed by tightening them with the right moment and securing them.
By the way: The closest Service Center would probably be Cirrus/Aerolithe in Cannes.
Edit:
Heliswiss Iberica, SA on Sabadell Airport is a Cirrus partner
Heliswiss Iberica, SA
Sabadell Airport Hangar #4
Sabadell , Barcelona 08205
+34 937206090
[email protected]
www.heliswiss.es
