Do you keep 100 in winter?
FWIW, I keep 80 all year round.
I tried Roeder some months ago for something and they made it extremely clear they will not communicate in English.
I know they sell a lot abroad and they do communicate routinely in English. Their web site is also available in English. Maybe you were just unlucky when you called?
Regarding oil, I use straight Shell 100 in summer and Philips X/C in winter, both with Camguard (not knowing if it adds value or is just a clever way of making money).
That was the plan, but let’s see how cold it gets :-)) I can always change to 80 when it’s colder, or replace missing W100 with W80 during the winter.
(An airplane shop that doesn’t communicate in English should not survive longer than 4 weeks)
I wonder how THIS compares to “Camguard” … Aeroshell W80/100 “PLUS” is new to me:
Same additives as 15W/50 but a single grade oil.
The problem with this “W80 for winter” is that even myself (150hrs/year pilot) finds that less than 50 hours may elapse between the “end of the summer” and the Annual service in January.
So which oil should I be using?
The general engine temperatures (oil when starting up, CHT, EGT) will all obviously track the OAT, more or less. The oil temp is thermostatically controlled (on a Lyco) so that remains fairly steady through the year.
So the issue is one of starting the engine.
If one was starting the engine in -10C then one would presumably not want to be using W100… but how often is one doing that? Actually if I was starting in -10C I would install a preheater anyway.
That’s why I use multigrade, and a 50/50 mixture of W80 and 15W50 (Shell) seems to be the best compromise between getting multigrade properties, and not having the engine seals eaten by using 100% Shell 15W50.
I used Exxon Elite for years and just got loads of brown watery sludge everywhere, including under the rocker covers, so I gave up on it. This issue is frequently reported. Also there was no statistical difference between Exxon Elite and what I use now (I used to alternate them for the comparison). The thing which made a huge difference was Camguard which roughly halved the hard metals engine wear (details posted here previously).
An airplane shop that doesn’t communicate in English should not survive longer than 4 weeks
I think they can in Germany and France – two countries which are economically advanced but where a lot of companies work only in the local language. I’ve been in business since 1978 and the contrast is pretty strong.
less than 50 hours may elapse between the “end of the summer” and the Annual service in January.
I never change oil during annual service but according to my 25-30h oil schedule.
5W50 (Shell) seems to be the best compromise between getting multigrade properties, and not having the engine seals eaten by using 100% Shell 15W50.
This is why I switched from Shell 15W50 to Philips X/C. It’s multigrade but without synthetic oil (PAO) so it doesn’t have the issues. The Camguard guy (Ed Kollin) recommends Philips X/C when using multi grade.
All Aircraft companies in Germany I know speak English. maybe not all people, but communication in English is always possible.
How many companies in England or the USA could you call in German? Zero. ;-)
I never change oil during annual service but according to my 25-30h oil schedule.
Me too – it just usually happens to work out about right (it’s between 25 and 50hrs) to change it at the Annual, especially as I am not allowed to work in the hangar (in fact I am not even in theory allowed to approach the aircraft or even enter the hangar, in the hangar I am at now – the old company shut down and moved out) and have to arrange a special “discreet” hangar elsewhere for the Annual…
This is why I switched from Shell 15W50 to Philips X/C
I thought you were trying to dispose of the X/C a while ago, because something was missing from it…
How many companies in England or the USA could you call in German? Zero. ;-)
Of course, but that’s a different issue, and would only support my point.
