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ENGINE PRESERVATION

ENGINE PRESERVATION
Primary purpose of engine preservation is to prevent
corrosion.
Engines that are going
to be put in storage or transported to an
overhaul facility must be
preserved and
protected to prevent corrosion and other forms of
damage.
Preservation also recommended
when an engine remains on the aircraft if engine
operation is
limited or suspended for an
extended period of time.

CORROSION PREVENTATIVE COMPOUNDS


Corrosion occurs whenever a base metal combines with
oxygen to form an oxide. (steel, iron or aluminum)
Most preventive compounds are petroleum based products
that form a wax-like film over the metal surfaces to prevent
air from reaching the metals surface.
Several corrosion preventive compounds are manufactured
to different specifications to meet specific aviation needs.
e.g.light corrosion preventive compounds are typically
mixed
with engine oil to form a protective barrier for
short term
preservation.
Light compounds typically MIL-C-6529 Type I, Type II, or
Type III spec.
A Type I compound is a concentrate that must be blended
with three parts of MIL-L-22851 or MIL-L-6082 grade 1100
oil to one part concentrate.
A Type II compound is ready-mixed with MIL-L-22851 oil and
needs no dilution.
A Type III compound is used only in turbine engines and
consists of a preservative material ready-mixed with 1010
grade oil.
Adding the preservative mixture to the oil already in the
engine is not good maintenance practice and must be
avoided.

A heavy corrosion preventive compound is used for


long term preservation and forms a heavy wax-like
barrier over a metal surface.
Before you can apply a heavy compound, it must be
heated to a liquid state for application.
Once the compound cools, the only way to remove it
is with a commercial solvent or kerosene spray.
Although corrosion preventive compounds act as
moisture barriers, they eventually break down over
period of time in the presence of excessive moisture.
Furthermore, the compounds can eventually dry out
as their oil base gradually evaporates.
If this should happen, moisture can come in contact
with the metal allowing corrosion to begin.

DEHYDRATING AGENTS
Often used during engine preservation because they absorb
moisture from the atmosphere.
Silica gel is a common desiccant and is an ideal
dehydrating agent
since it does not dissolve when
saturated.
As a corrosion preventive measure, bags of silica gel are
placed around and inside the accessible parts of a stored
engine.
Silica gel is also used in clear plastic plugs called
dehydrator plugs which are screwed into an engines spark
plug holes.
The silica gel in the dehydrator plugs is typically treated
with Cobalt chloride to provide a visual indication of the
moisture content in the air inside an engine.
For e.g. cobalt chloride treated silica gel remains a
bright
blue color with a low relative humidity.
as humidity increases, the shade of blue grows
progressively lighter, becoming lavender at 30 percent
relative humidity.
if the relative humidity exceeds 30 percent, the
color
changes from lavender to various shades of
pink,
becoming completely white at 60 percent
relative
humidity.

ENGINE PRESERVATION PROCESS


Before an engine is removed from an aircraft for
preservation, a corrosion preventive compound
should be added to the oil.
Then the engine must be run for 15 minutes to coat
the engines internal parts.
Any engine taken out of service and prepared for
storage must receive a thorough corrosion
preventive treatment around the exhaust ports.
This is necessary because exhaust gas residue is
potentially corrosive.
A preventive compound should be sprayed into each
exhaust port to coat the exhaust port interior and
exhaust valve.
Next, a moisture-proof and oil-proof gasket should
be placed over each exhaust port, held in place by a
metal or wooden plate.
These covers form a seal that helps keep moisture
from entering the engine through the exhaust ports.

ENGINE PRESERVATION PROCESS


Once engine is removed, cylinder interior should be
sprayed with a preventive compound, to prevent
moisture and oxygen from reacting with the deposits
left by combustion.
Rotate the engine until one piston is at bottom dead
center and then apply the compound by inserting a
spray nozzle into the spark plug opening.
After spraying each cylinder with its piston at
bottom dead center, respray each cylinder without
rotating the crankshaft.
Once this is done, the crankshaft must not be
moved, or the corrosion preventive seal will be
broken.
Immediately after the corrosion preventive
compound dries, a dehydrator plug should be
inserted in each spark plug opening.
In addition, each ignition harness lead should be
attached to a dehydrator plug with lead supports.

ENGINE PRESERVATION PROCESS


Intake manifold must also be sealed.
If the engine fitted with carburetor, during storage,
the throttle valve should be wired open and a seal
installed over the air inlet.
if the carburetor is removed, install the seal at the
carburetor mounting pad, the seal should be oil-proof
and moisture-proof gasket backed by a wooden or
metal plate securely bolted into place.
To help remove excess moisture, silica gel should be
placed in the intake manifold.
Before an engine is boxed up, the engine exterior
should be sprayed with a heavy corrosion preventive
coating or should at least apply a corrosion
preventive compound to the propeller shaft.
Follow up by securing a plastic sleeve, or moistureproof paper around the shaft.
A final inspection should be performed to be certain
that all openings are sealed, and that only the proper
accessories have been included for storage or
shipping.

Securing the ignition


harness leads to the
dehydrator plugs
protects them from
being damaged as
the engine is moved.

STORAGE
Once preserved, engines sent out for overhaul/newly
overhauled engines put into storage should be
protected by a shipping container.
Metal or Wooden containers are constructed with
mounts for holding and protecting an engine.
When storing engine horizontally in a metal shipping
container, special ventilatory plugs are normally
installed.
If stored vertically, only the upper spark plug holes in
each cylinder receive a ventilatory plug while the lower
spark plug holes are fitted with non-ventilatory plugs.
Dehydrator plugs with the dessicant removed work well
as non-ventilatory plugs.

ENGINE SHIPPING CONTAINERS


Engines that are being shipped out for maintenance or
overhaul must he protected from damage.
Most engines are packed in wooden crates or metal
shipping containers.
Some overhauled engines are sealed in pressurized
containers with an inert gas such as nitrogen.
After an engine is carefully lowered into a shipping
container, it is secured with the same type of hard- ware
and mounting fixtures used to mount the engine to the
aircraft.
Some containers provide a special mounting area for
accessories that have been detached from the engine
but are also being sent back for overhaul.
Wooden crates and metal containers are available for
horizontal mounting or vertical mounting of the engine.

ENGINE SHIPPING CONTAINERS


In addition to the shipping container, most engines are
wrapped in plastic or foil envelopes.
Before the protective envelope is sealed, silica gel
packets should be placed around the engine to dehydrate
the air sealed into the envelope.
The amount of silica gel used is determined by the size of
the engine.
The envelope is then completely sealed.
While lowering the shipping container cover into position,
be careful that it does not twist and tear the protective
envelope.
Secure the cover, then mark the case with the appropriate
removal or preservation dates and indicate whether the
engine is repairable or serviceable.

Engines needing
repairs or
overhaul are
never- theless
costly, and must
be protected
during storage
and shipment. For
this reason,
shipping crates or
containers
tailored to a
specific engine
model must
always be used
when the engine
is being
transported.

INSPECTION OF STORED ENGINES


Maintenance shops normally provide a scheduled inspection
system for engines in storage.
The humidity indicators on engines stored in shipping cases
are normally inspected every 30 days.
When the protective envelope must be opened to inspect
the humidity indicator, the inspection period may be
extended to once every 90 days, if local conditions permit.
The humidity indicator of a metal container is inspected
every 180 days under normal conditions.
Humidity indicator colors in wooden shipping crates
showing the presence of more than 30 percent relative
humidity require the replacement of all dessicants.
When more than half the dehydrator plugs in spark plug
openings indicate the presence of excessive moisture, the
cylinder interiors should be re-sprayed with corrosion
preventive compound.
A metal container with a humidity indicator showing a safe
blue color and air pressure below 1 p.s.i. needs only to be
repressurized.
An indicator with a pink condition, on the other hand,
indicates that the engine should be re-preserved if it is to
remain in storage.

ENGINE DE-PRESERVATION
Engines that have been preserved for storage must undergo depreservation before they are put into service.
De-preservation procedures are typically included in the engine
manufacturers overhaul manual or provided by the overhauler
who preserved the engine.
The information presented here provides a general overview of
these procedures since they vary with the type of engine and
the degree of preservation.
When engines are supplied in pressurized containers, the first
task is to bleed off the gas pressure through the containers
pressure valve.
The container cover can then be lifted off and placed aside.
After hoisting the engine and removing any separate
accessories, secure the engine to a stand or mount it on the
aircraft.
Next, remove all covers and dessicant bags from the engine.
Typical locations of cover plates include engine breather tubes,
intake and exhaust outlets, and accessory mounting pads.
As each cover is removed, inspect the uncovered area for
corrosion and foreign objects. Furthermore, if the dehydrator
plugs indicate water contamination when they are removed,
thoroughly inspect the cylinder walls for corrosion.
Any cylinder showing signs of corrosion or other damage should
be removed and inspected further.

ENGINE DE-PRESERVATION
Remove the oil screens from the engine and
thoroughly wash them in kerosene or an approved
solvent to remove preservative accumulations that
could restrict oil circulation and cause engine failure.
After cleaning, immerse the screens in clean oil, then
reinstall them in the engine.
On radial engines, carefully check the interior of the
lower cylinders and intake pipes for the presence of
excessive corrosion preventive compound.
Excess compound can drain through the engine
interior and settle at low points, creating a liquid, or
hydraulic lock.
Any liquid preservative compounds remaining in a
cylinder, intake, or exhaust port that cannot be
drained should be removed with a hand pump.

ENGINE DE-PRESERVATION
Once you are done with the engine interior, remove
the protective covering from the propeller shaft.
Lightly coat the propeller shaft with engine oil or
whatever lubricant the engine manufacturer
recommends.
To complete the de-preservation procedure verify
that the engine exterior is clean.
Often a quantity of compound runs out of the engine
when the dehydrator plugs and oil screens are
removed.
Spray engine areas in need of cleaning with a
recommended solvent that does not leave any
residue or interfere with the proper functioning of
the accessories.

ACCESSORY DE-PRESERVATION
Good engine performance depends, in part, on the
condition of the engine accessories.
Although an engine is in a condition to give top
performance after being completely overhauled, any
oversight or error in reinstalling the accessories can
result in an engine malfunction or possibly irreparable
damage.
Therefore, follow recommended procedures in the
overhaul manual or the instructions that come with
overhauled or new accessories regarding depreservation and preparation for operation.
Before de-preserving any of the accessories enclosed
with the engine, consult the records enclosed with the
engine to determine how long the engine and
accessories have been in storage.
Some accessories are life limited and are considered
unsafe for use if their storage time exceeds the
manufacturers time limits.
Before installing any replacement accessory, check it
visually for signs of corrosion and for freedom of
operation.

ACCESSORY DE-PRESERVATION
Remove any plastic plugs and movement restraints
placed on the accessory for shipment.
In addition, lubricate the accessory drive shaft and
clean the mounting pad and flange prior to
installation.
Always install an accessory with new 0-rings or
gaskets between the mounting pad and the
accessory.

END OF LESSON

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