Michael 182 wrote:
I have an ongoing, frustrating oil leak that four mechanics have looked at,
"fixed", charged me over $1,000, and have not made a dent in stopping.
/snip/

Michael,

What were the four "fixes" that didn't fix the leak?

1 quart every 2-3 hours sounds A LOT like blowby in a bad jug (or two or
three). What is the compression in your "marginal" cylinder? My first
inclination here is that the case is being pressurized by excessive
blowby, and your oil mess is coming from the breather exhaust, as well
as from any other outlet the oil vapor can find it's way through. This
type of leakage can be hard to visually pinpoint.

BTW, are you sure about the oil sump capacity you quoted (8 qts)? I
read the specs for the O-540 L3C5D @ 12 qts. I suspect running this
engine with 6 qts could contribute to an oil temperature issue. The
Vernatherm valve would probably be giving the cooler full flow at all times.

Hope this helps, keep us posted on your progress.

Happy Flying!
Scott Skylane
N92054