What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Hartzell slinging grease

czechsix

czechsix

Well Known Member
Guys,

I have 15.8 hours now on my RV and my new Hartzell is still slinging out some grease....just enough to see a few fine streaks down the blade and get drops of grease on my windshield, cowl, and wings. I believe Hartzell says that if you let the prop sit in the box for over 18 months the seals will dry out and need to be replaced because they'll leak. Of course when I ordered my prop I knew I'd be flying in a year so this wouldn't be a problem for me. Yeah right. It sat in the box for two years before I first ran the engine...

I have a hard time believing I'm the only one like this so I'm wondering, has anybody else experienced this problem? If so, did it ever go away? I'm not concerned about it from a safety perspective--I can lube the hub occasionally and make sure it doesn't dry out in there--but it's a real pain to clean up especially on the canopy. If anybody's replaced these seals, can you remember how much it set you back and where you had the work done?

Thanks,

--Mark Navratil
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
RV-8A N2D flying 15.8 hours....love the flying, hate the cleanup afterwards...
 
Mark, I thought my prop was slinging grease but it turned out not to be the problem. My govner line fitting at the front of the crank was leaking and the pressure inside the cowl was blowing the oil foward, I had a real hard time finding the problem
 
Sent same reply to your post on the RV list

Mark, I had this 'problem' as well with my Hartzell. My didn't have anything to do with 'shelf life'. All I did was remove the spinner and retorque all the hub bolts. A couple of the bolts had been removed to fit the spinner and these were the culprits in my case. Once the bolts were retorqued the slinging ceased for me.

Also, I'll mention that (in my case) the grease was building up inside of the spinner before it worked it's way out of the prop root cutouts and was able to fly back to the windsreen......make sure you check the inside of your spinner real good and remove any grease that may be present before you replace the spinner.

Rick Gray in Ohio at the Buffalo Farm - RV6 sold, RV8 completed, RV4 finished and painting, RV10 and F1 Rocket under construction
http://rv6rick.tripod.com/ohiovalleyrvators/
 
I have the same problem with my CS Hartzell

I have about 290 hours on it and it sheds just enough grease to make the backside of the prop a bit slimy. I have had two different A&Ps look at it and they both said that it was a common problem and that I shouldn't be concerned.

It doesn't throw enough grease to put anything on the windshield or on the wings.

The annual is coming up in a couple months. I will check all the bolts then.

bruce
N297NW
 
Right out of the box, mine leaked grease from a poor hub seal (a void in the sealant between hub halves), not a show-stopper amount, but clearly wrong. It took a few hours of fly/wipe/fly/wipe to isolate the leak location. If Hartzell stuffed up the assembly of your prop, raise hell even if your warranty timed out. They'll probably help. Leaks don't lessen with use.

John Siebold
 
The sky is falling, the sky is falling. GMC won't want hear about problems like this from Hartzell owners! :rolleyes:
 
Oh my my my

rv6ejguy said:
The sky is falling, the sky is falling. GMC won't want hear about problems like this from Hartzell owners! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Give it a break. G

Czechsix: Mark Navratil, ignore the children. :p Call Hartzell Customer service and explain. BUT before you call....... This a new prop? It should be under warranty. Sitting for a month or year, what ever should not dry it out. You don't have much flying time on it, so fly and monitor. It takes only a little grease to make a big mess. As you exercise the prop is should seat. Is it cold in Iowa? It could be blowing it out when cold at start, since it is not seated or broken-in yet. You may want to make sure the plane (prop in particular) is pre-heated before start. It could have been over serviced with grease? I am guessing but some LPS sprayed into the the seal area could not hurt. If it persist, the seals may need to be replaced, but you should not have to pay (read on). :confused:

Last one I heard of on a new prop was over a year ago, repair was done at Hartzells expense, and it cost about $500. Hartzell had a new prop leak or two around 2003 or so (about the time you bought yours?). After repair under warranty, there was no further problem. Bottom line Hartzell payed with no questions asked.

It is possible you have an "old" new prop with the problem. I think they did not use enough sealant in installation of the seal. I could be off base. If it does need to be replaced and Hartzell is not willing to replace it for some reason, because it is past warranty I would push them. It should be on Hartzell's nickle, especially if the seals where not installed with enough sealant.

We are getting ahead of ourselves. It could work it self out. I would give it 50-75 hours at least. Again new+cold weather could leak a little grease. If it does stop leaking, write back and tell rv6ejguy, "so there".


After flying and it does not get better, than call Hartzell and tell them you know there was a few RV's with a new seal problems, and you think your brand NEW prop, you just installed, is leaking too much. Tell them what you want, but I would NOT mention the 18 month thing. I would emphasis the time in service. If they ask how old it is, I would say you have no idea how long it was in THEIR warehouse. If they ask how long you had it, I would be evasive and say, it is brand NEW and has XX hours and its leaking. I think they will help you out and back their product; that has been my experience.

I never had a significant leak. Although from time to time I recall seeing a trace of grease or film on the blade, but it was insignificant. Than it would go forever with no grease. Occasionally some sneaks out, even on well worn props. Why grease shows sometimes on occasion? I don't know, but it is no big deal.

I would try real nice at first, and than use subtle hints of your extreme displeasure if they resist repairing it under warranty. I doubt it will come to that. They have always been responsive to me.

At least if you do need new seals, you will be able to drive it over to a local prop shop and have it fixed in a day, verses shipping it to gosh knows where. Try that with a MT or warp drive. "Ja, Vee Vill have Das prop ready after der Oktoberfest, ist das gutes?" ha ha, lol, oh my. :p (so there, Roarrrrr! bear awake, no sudden moves and no one will get hurt.)

Safety wise it is not an issue. I doubt you are spitting that much grease. It only takes a little at 200 mph and 2500 rpm to throw it all over. The hub is full of grease. Make sure you use the right grease type and do the procedure per the manual. You have to remove the opposite Zerk fitting and pump till seeing a smooth full flow of grease out that fitting hole.


As far as not wanting to hear problems, Contraire mon ami (that is French, because we are sophisticated on vansairforce.net). As the ancient Chinese scholar Confucius once said, "Sh@#t happens".

G
 
Last edited:
When you grease the hub, you should remove one of the fittings and just add enough to see that you have added the recommended amount. Add 1 ounce to each blade or until grease is forced from the hole where the other fitting was removed. It is best to add grease to the fitting nearest the LE of the prop blade on our tractor installation. Check the hub to see what grease was used originally. Mine was greased with Aeroshell #6.

Another check might be to see if the oil seal is leaking on the crankshaft.

I have 105 hrs on my Hartzell with no evidence of leakage of any kind.


Roberta
 
Roarrrr

rv6ejguy said:
I poked. Now look at me. All covered in grease! ;) :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Your covered in something. :D :rolleyes: G


Thanks Roberta, good info, I forgot about the grease from the leading edge, and shell #6 sounds right. You use so little grease, I ask the mechanic on the field to let me "borrow" the #6 grease gun. G
 
Same problem

Mark,
I had exactly the same problem with my prop during my first 25 hours only mine was a fresh overhaul, not new. I retorqued the four bolts/nuts that attach the spinner backing plate to the prop hub and it immediately stopped the leak.
When I fabricated the spinner assembly I had taken the prop and backing plate back to the prop shop to install the longer bolts and spacers and they told me to recheck those bolts after running the engine for 10 or 15 hours. Sure enough, they all needed tightening, a couple approx 180 degrees.
You can get to them by removing only the top cowling and spinner dome. 140 hours later nary a drop of grease showing.
Good Luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top