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Oil Filter Safety Wire

hgerhardt

hgerhardt

Well Known Member
What's the general consensus on safetying oil filters? Who does it and who doesn't bother? In all the years I've maintained cars and other vehicles, I've yet to see an instance where the filter even so much as slightly loosened from its initial installation. Is this one of those cases where we do it because it's always been done this way?

Heinrich Gerhardt
 
A should do thing.

:eek:
hgerhardt said:
What's the general consensus on safetying oil filters? Who does it and who doesn't bother? Is this one of those cases where we do it because it's always been done this way?
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Look at it this way, at least it will refresh your skills with safety wire.

This should be done. But what will help is to give yourself room around the filter and the tie off location for the safety wire process and it won't be a chore each time you change the filter. :cool:

Steve, you are right on!... :eek:
 
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gasman said:
:eek:


Do you want to be the first!!

Look at it this way, at least it will refresh your skills with safety wire.

Re think what DEAD means :eek: Oh yeh and by the way, tire pressure will need to be checked every few weeks also. And if you don't want to do that either, then at least give a lot of clearance (at least a finger) 1/2 on sides and 3/4 on ends of the pants. They will blow out a tire!!!
Better yet just leave them off. There is no... just pull over to the side of the road.
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WOW! Why chastise a guy for asking legitimate questions? :rolleyes: Come on! That kind of attitude is what gives aviators a bad reputation.

I have no real opinion one way or the other on this type of question but am interested in hearing others opinions (on the reasoning behind doing so). Berating a guy for asking a question by ridiculing his notion of wanting to live or die is a little too crass for my taste. How about lightening up a little huh?
 
Back to the original question....

Yes I do. I always did this with my Cessna. I think that it would have been a violation of the FAR/AIM to have not done what the A&P would have done. On my Cessna there was an inspection door that I could view the oil filter before each flight and I would check that the safety wire was still on secure.

On my RV, I don't know if is required by FAR/AIM, being that it is experimental. On the other hand, if I ever did loose oil pressure (emergency landing/damage), I would not want to explain to the insurance company that I had decided to cut corners from standard practices and not safety the oil filter.

Just my thoughts, Kent.
 
Why not?

Another one of those aircraft "belt and suspenders" things. But why not? It takes a couple of minutes and it sure can't hurt.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
The way that big lycosaur shakes and vibrates in front of me makes me think that you would be wise to safety anything you don't want to vibrate loose. I've always safteid my oil filter. In fact, I did it last Friday, and the safety wiring process took no more than three minutes.

Just my opinion,

Cheers
 
What amazes me is what is NOT safety wired on the lycos. Like, the "valve" cover screws. Plain 'ol nuts and screws abound in such locations as the exhaust, carb, mags, etc. What's up with that?
 
fl-mike said:
What amazes me is what is NOT safety wired on the lycos. Like, the "valve" cover screws. Plain 'ol nuts and screws abound in such locations as the exhaust, carb, mags, etc. What's up with that?
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Your rocker cover screws don't have lockwashers? You have hardware on your exhaust/carb/mags without lockwashers? Really?
 
Built-In

dan said:
Your rocker cover screws don't have lockwashers? .....
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As Dan says... the rocker box screws should even have the lock washers built-in (STD-1925) - with coarse "teeth"... :)

LYC_STD1925.jpg


And my Tiger carb has nice small 0.020 safety wire on several fittings.... the only place I've found the small diameter safety wire.

gil in Tucson
 
"Safety" Wire

I would not fly unless the oil filter was safetied, I would even want to know that it was a good job of it too!

I don't safety it on my car or truck, but there I can stop in less than 1/2 a minute get out stretch may legs, maybe water a few native shrubs and get back in. Compare that to an emergence landing.

If the oil filter loosened up and I lost too much oil, I would just start walking or tighten it up and check my tool box for a few quarts.

The measures of safety taken should be equal or greater than the consequences of not taking them.

Some people even use .040 wire, I am ok with a nice application of .032 ;)
 
Do it... it took me under 45 seconds to safety my new filter today. After you do it once, it's no big deal. I was all uptight about doing it the first time but now it's perfectly natural.

If you're in doubt at how to do it, grab an RVer or A&P and have them show you how. No big deal. Quick, cheap and easy piece of mind.
 
Its all good

If and I do say IF the oil filter came lose, it would be a big big problem, more than say one valve cover bolt. With that said I run the chicken wire around it and I am very proud of my pretty twisty wire. :D
 
dan said:
Your rocker cover screws don't have lockwashers? You have hardware on your exhaust/carb/mags without lockwashers? Really?
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Yes, they have lockwashers. It just seems inconsistant that metal locknuts are advised on everything we add FWF, nylon elsewhere, but the engine is loaded with plain nuts and lock washers.

FWIW, I noticed that on the Russian Yaks on the warbird line that all of the fluid fittings were safety wired. Not so after they transistioned to AN's for the US brakes of course.
 
They DO back off!

My FBO crew changed engines on a Duke. The new oil filter was removed several times before first start to gain access and AD compliance. It was properly torqued and safetied each time. On its first trip after break-in flight one of the engines lost all the oil because the fliter gasket lost resiliance. Bottom line - they don't always adhere like glue to the filter! Safety that bad boy.
 
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