LNC Laboratories
928-304-9848



Aviation Oil Analysis



Conducting oil analysis on your aircraft is a vital part of running a professional maintenance program. The data from samples taken can be used to mitigate potential failure of the motor. The reason to build a solid sampling program is to determine what is the "Normal" for your motor. Once you know what that is any deviation from your Normal will be able to key you into inspection or maintenance actions that will save you time and money.

As a pilot and experimental aircraft builder I wanted to put together a specific oil analysis profile that gave me the information I wanted. There were 3 questions I wanted answered. First "Is the engine making metal at a rate that is unacceptable". Second "Is the oil still the correct viscosity". Third "am I operating the oil at to high a temperature". The Basic Aviation oil analysis kit answers these questions specifically. Below you will find information we use to evaluate your sample.


Purchase Sample Kit

For years the Military has been conducting oil analysis on all aviation systems. The data is available online as Tm-38-301-33



The majority of aircraft owners utilize the I\O-360 Lycoming or I\O 470 Lycoming or similar Continental Engines. In the section below you will find data that the Department of Defense Program known as the Joint Oil Analysis program (JOAP) uses to evaluate these motors. These same trends hold true for most Legacy Aircraft Engines of similar displacement. The I\O 470 data would be applicable to any of the 6-cylinder large displacement Continental's, Lycoming's, or Franklin engines. The I\O 360 data would be comparable to other smaller displacement 4-cylinder motors such as the Continental O-200, Or Lycoming 0-320.



JOAP TM-38-301-3 Data





These pages contain a ton of data that can help you evaluate your motor. When you receive your report, we have already checked your values and made an interpretation based on our years of experience conducting oil analysis. These tables below are made available if you would like to look deeper into what we provide you in a report.



Viscosity and Oxidation Values



By definition Viscosity is the measure of a liquid resistance to flow. For oils this is measured by ASTM D445 Kinematic Viscosity. The unit of measurement for viscosity is the Centistoke or cSt. Each grade of oil has it's own specific viscosity range based on its SAE grade. From baseline if an oil changes by greater than 10% it is no longer lubricating as intended. There are several factors that can change the viscosity of an oil. First Fuel Dilution and second Oxidation.


If your engine is operating excessively rich, the residual fuel that is not burned will make it into the oil system. This has the net effect of decreasing the viscosity of the fuel. Oxidation on the other hand is caused by thermally loading the oil for a prolonged period of time. As the index value for Oxidation increases you will see a corresponding increase in viscosity. (The typical limit for Oxidation is an index value of above 23)



Kinematic Viscosity Table





Alternative Aircraft Engines.



Most labs look at alternative aircraft motors and compare them to the Continental 0-200 as a standard "Light Aircraft Motor". At LNC labs we take a different approach. We understand in this world of alternative engines there are huge differences that effect the data we see on the report. This can be due to turbo vs NA, or PRSU vs Direct drive. Or PRSU sharing an oil system or having an independent oil system. Taking this into account allows us to provide relevant data to new or non-traditional aircraft engines.



LNC Laboratories



For information about starting an oil Analysis program
Contact Me at
Lnelson@lnclabs.com
or call 928-304-9848