Franklin 150 Starter Oil Leak - Breather guts ?

[blimpy]

I am living with a messy oil leak that seems to be comming from the area of the starter.
Previous owner was unable to pull the starter.... said it was too long and hit the firewall.
He did back it out as far as it would go.. pulled the breather casting, folded a new gasket and finessed it over the bendix.. and into place between the accessory case and the starter. Still leaks !!!
Danged if it isnt still slime-ing up the back side of the accessory case,new tach drive, carberator, and eventually the underside of the plane. I have a couple of cyls about 65/80 but still running smooth and strong enough - I'd expect some blow by but really getting nothing much out the tube. Oil consumption really isnt much.. but god what a mess ! I'm wiping off the removeable cover under the rudders after every flight of an hour, and also cleaning up the back of the engine.

Questions: 1. How can I remove the starter without having to pull prop, cowls, lifting engine off it's mounts and forward ( at annual time this winter) ??
2. Is the breather casting anything besides just hollow ? No flap valve, filter material, or anything else ? I smell a rat. ( Franklin engine manual no help).

3. Is there a starter shaft seal at the front bearing to keep oil out of the starter ?

I need to stick my digital camera up in behind there... to see if I can get a picture of the exact spot thats leaking.

BTW engine is otherwise dry and free of leaks . I gave it a good cleaning with solvent when I got it and have been watching it last 8 hours of operation.

 

[Dan Cullman]

FYI....The bendix housing area should be a dry place. It serves as the crankcase vent and gets only residual oil vapors. That being said, all Franklins will throw oil up in that area when you have more than 7 qts in the engine...especially when it cold and the oil is viscous. In the three point stance, the starter gear rides in about 1/2" of oil with 8 to 8.5 qts. The gear will pick up the oil and throw it up to the starter housing. At 7 qts, the teeth of the gear are just barely in the oil. There will be enough oil to lube the upper gears, but not enough to go out the vent.
The stock gasket should work just fine; but I'm not above making my own gaskets.
You can remove the starter from the engine by removing the cast housing and lifting the starter gear over the starting ring. On some installations, I have removed the bendix unit from the starter shaft. Don't drop the steel installation pin inside the accessory case like I have!
Dan

 

[blimpy]

Thanks Dan !

I'd been led to believe I would have to lift the engine off it's mounts with a cherry picker
to inch the engine forward enough to remove the starter.

This brings up the second and seemingly stupid question... how to read the Franklin Dipstick.

Screwed in.. or set on top of the crankcase boss ( unscrewed) ??
difference is a quart... and since I haven't done my first oilchange since buying the plane..and since the
franklin manual(s) are lovingly vague on this point... inquiring minds want to know !

It is now a quart down from when I topped it up last.. and the leaking seems to be slowing down nicely.
Probably making dan's point.


Larry :shock: