David Weber:
I went back and forth with a decision to replace 4 bad cylinders on my IO346 with the new
Continental cylinder kit. The day I was to order the cylinders, I found a used engine for less money; 978 SMOH, out of a wreck. No prop strike. Bought the used engine, and test-flew it today. Good compressions, no oil leaks, and a spin on oil filter to boot.
I must say, I am very pleased with my engine and now have many spare parts. Good case, crank and cam, plus mags, starter, alternator, etc. If I only knew how to overhaul an aircraft engine I could have a spare.
Any suggestions on how to store my engine parts, to prevent corrosion damage?
Technical Editor:
If you can store the critical parts someplace that is climate-controlled, like a closet in your house, I would just clean them, and spray them thoroughly with LPS-3. If you can get the brown paper containing corrosion-resistant vapor to wrap them in, that’s fine. If not wrap them in a clean towel, and spray the towel with ACF-50 or Corrosion X. Whatever you do, do NOT wrap them in any kind of plastic.
If they cannot be kept someplace where there will be no condensation during temperature swings, I think that the next best thing will be to get your hands on an old military engine storage container. Some “real” Army-Navy surplus stores have them. Or any similar large container that is hermetically sealed when bolted shut. Then soak the cleaned parts with LPS-3, and put them in the case. It is best if they can be supported on something that is non-corrosive and which will not hold moisture; plastic, for example. Try to place the supports where they contact non-machined precision surfaces. Then heavily fog the entire inside of the storage case with ACF-50 or Corrosion X, to drive out all the air and humidity, and quickly bolt it shut. You can open it every three to six months to examine the parts, then re-fog and re-seal it.
If you have no capability to provide climate-controlled or sealed storage, I would take the same cleaning and LPS-3 steps, but I would store them someplace they can easily be seen for inspection. Drape a clean cotton towel over each critical part, and keep the towel sprayed with Corrosion X or ACF-50. The vapor will help displace moisture, and it will creep slowly onto the parts to prevent corrosion.
There are formal storage (“pickling”) instructions published by both Continental and Lycoming, but they are targeted at assembled engines. Because of that, they can get pretty complex. It is much more difficult to protect all the parts in an assembled engine. My experience has been that if parts are cleaned and sprayed with LPS-3, then kept fogged with the ACF or CX, they won’t rust or corrode. I have tested this with newly-cut threads on iron pipe, left outside in the weather. The big advantage of providing controlled or sealed storage is a reduction in the need for periodic status checks and re-treating.