Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Brent,
Run mineral oil until your oil consumption stabilizes. Not sure what the rv guy did but there's a good reason to use mineral oil on fresh bores. That motor has sit for decades be nice to it!

Also, I'm not sure how you're operating that thing but the idea is to run it hard for the initial hour (many other details here) and then run it at 75%+ during the oil stab period. No touch and goes no aggressive changes in power ... In other words keeps the temps up and consistent.

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Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

I few years back I was in a Brantley Helio lifting off the roof of a building with the owner, when all hell broke loose. We just made it back on the roof when the engine un-assed itself. Engine shop blamed it on Phillips Oil. I'm using Exon Elite

My engine has ECI CermiNil cylinders and they recommended Philips X/C 20W-50 for break-in and normal operations. The other reason to use it since I don't have a filter and change the oil every 25 hours I wanted the least expensive oil I could find (aviation that is). Been a happy camper with the oil.

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Bruce Finney
N18JF T-18C #262
Yelm, WA USA

Aviation consumer a few years did a corrosion test of various oils. This was dipped steel I to each oil and then they hung them up and sprayed them with water for some length of time and then Compared the amount and coverage of rust.

The winner of this test was Phillips 20W50 with camguard added. The camguard was added as Phillips puts not rust inhibitors in the oil. It is straight petroleum.

The second best just a touch behind was aeroshell 15w50.

The Phillips even with added cost of camguard was still a few cents a quart cheaper.

If I recall surprisingly exon elite faired the worst in their test.

Just saying what they found in this specific test from the article.

I personally wouldn't use the Phillips without camguard. But everyone has to make thier own choice.

Aeroshell 15/50 is my oil of choice. When I broke in the new cylinder, I used 100 weight and ran 1 hour full throttle and then about 14 hours until consumption stabilized. Just went through conditional - compression on new cylinder was 79/80 cold. Prop Grease is as you say...Aeroshell 5 - make sure and remove the opposite side zirc fitting, so you don't blow the blade seals - I've never heard of the 5 pump rule (though that may be a rule to ensure not blowing the blade seals if you ferget to remove the zirc fitting) - I think that depends on the volume per pump/stroke - I pump (at conditional) until the grease is the same color coming out the remove zirc hole as it is going in. That may be 5 pumps, or it might be 15 - I want clean grease in my hub.

I used to use the cam guard stuff - I decided not to any more - I live in a fairly dry climate, I fly fairly often and I change my oil early and often....I think there have been enough engines run well over 2000 hours without using that stuff.

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Fraser MacPhee
N926WM
Serial #279-1
Angel Fire, NM (KAXX)

I like & have used the semi-synthetic AeroShell 15w50 since my engine was new. It has the additional anti-wear additive specified by Lycoming for the infamous O-320-H2AD engines - I don't have one of those, but I figure it can't hurt. It's more expensive than the Philips stuff, but it gives me a warm & fuzzy feeling. I think that the oils mentioned on this thread are all good, & you couldn't go wrong with any of them. Most have passed the test of time... when new oils come out, I can't help remembering Mobile 1.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

I know John probably remembers the late 60's as it was a time for my first car and probably his ! A 1955 MGA that my Parents had and that my Brother turned into a "fix it , you drive it car !" And so it became my first car and as a Senior in HS I could barely keep gas in it at 22 cents a gallon . The thing used oil like a Monkey on Milk of Magnesia and any name brand oil was out of my budget ! I ran across this stuff called "reclaimed oil" at the Thrifty Drug store and it was about $1.25 a gallon . Stuff looked good and would barely pour if the temp was below 60 degrees ! As it turned out the stuff was just filtered used oil with a butt load of paraffin added ! It worked , but left the inside of the engine a nice dark black color . You could also buy "reconditioned" spark plugs at Thrifty .

RB

Yep... I had a '54 Chevy that almost used as much oil as gas until I did a ring & valve job. There was a "chain" of locally owned gas stations in Butte, Montana that had that oil in a big tank. They'd fill up a quart can with a spout for you, for $0.50. Then my girl friend, who became my wife, drove a '61 Chevy that leaked more than it burned (until I jacked it up & replaced the rear main bearing seal), & her dad would fill up a case of old whiskey bottles with the re-cycled "filtered" oil that she kept in the trunk. That would occasionally cause some interesting comments from people walking by, as she would be "adding a quart".

I can save my old 15w50 for you, if you'd like, Rich!

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE