"Aaron Coolidge" wrote in message
...
Tony Cox wrote:
: "Ron Natalie" wrote in message
: m...
: Tony Cox wrote:

: You'll have to walk me through this Ron, because I still don't
: get it. The flight to warm up the oil was just short of an hour.
: I know that burning fuel creates some water & that it'll get into
: the oil. But why am I seeing 'beading' in the old oil, but not the
: fresh stuff? The only thing that can possibly be different is the
: composition of the old oil compared to the new.

Did you wipe off the dipstick when adding new oil? Perhaps you've wiped
off the little bit of water that's condensed there.

Yes. Wipe, dip, check. Immediately after the flight. No water
to be seen. Instead of the oil adhering consistently to the
dip-stick, the old oil formed a sort-of 'river' up the stick leaving
some parts clear. It looked from the meniscus that it was
trying to form droplets. I should add that it wasn't just the
last flight before the oil change; the penultimate flight showed
the oil in the same condition too, now I think of it. It seems
that *something* that normally reduces the oil surface tension
had boiled off.


I also see a little bit of water droplets on the top of the dipstick
depending on weather and flight conditions. Right after a flight there are
no water drops, but wait a couple hours and a few show up.

The "Plus" in the oil is the Lycoming antiwear additive required for
certain Lyc engines. It's probably a good idea in any engine (the additive
is an extreme pressure lubricant, I have been told, to minimize cam
follower wear).

I've heard that too. I use it in my Continental at the suggestion of my
A&P whose opinion I respect. More expensive, so it must be better,
eh?