AvLab Metal Check Kit help

[elmanzah]

Hello everyone,

I did my first oil change on my 2008 DA40XLS. I am filling out the form for AvLab's Metal Check form which asks about the Cylinder Type. I am presented with 4 boxes: Steel, Nickel, Chrome, Mixed. I am not sure which of those I should check.

If any one has done this before and knows, please let me know. The rep couldn't tell me what to put in for my engine.

Thanks!

[Rick]

I've used AvLab Metal Check kits for every oil change I've done over the past 10 or so years, and I have been very happy with their results. I firmly believe you will see the beginnings of most engine problems in the oil analysis long before they become serious, so in my mind it's really cheap insurance.

The Lycoming IO360-M1A manual says the cylinder barrels are machined from a "chrome nickel molybdenum steel" forging, so I believe the correct answer is "Mixed". That's what I checked for my previous DA40's with original engines. My current DA40 had its engine rebuilt at 1200 hours, just before I bought it, because of metal in the oil analysis. They put nickel cylinders on it, so now I check "nickel".

[Karl]

Hello everyone,

I did my first oil change on my 2008 DA40XLS. I am filling out the form for AvLab's Metal Check form which asks about the Cylinder Type. I am presented with 4 boxes: Steel, Nickel, Chrome, Mixed. I am not sure which of those I should check.

If any one has done this before and knows, please let me know. The rep couldn't tell me what to put in for my engine.

Thanks!

This is the Lycoming colour coding, it may be different for Continental.

COLOR CODE FOR CYLINDER IDENTIFICATION
Location – Between push rods on cylinder head, or band around base of cylinder barrel.
Engine gray or unpainted – Standard steel cylinder barrels.
Orange stripe – Chrome-plated cylinder barrels.
Blue stripe – Nitride-hardened cylinder barrels.
Green stripe* – Steel cylinder 0.010 oversize.
Yellow stripe* – Steel cylinder 0.020 oversize.

I think the "mixed" is for if you have 2 or 3 different cylinder types/coatings.

[elmanzah]

Thanks everyone. I checked mixed.

[Lance Murray]

Mixed is NOT correct. Factory cylinders are steel. If you overhauled a cylinder you could have different. If your engine has been overhauled you could have different. You would check “mixed” if you have say one steel cylinder and one chrome cylinder. Normally you would not have mixed cylinders.

They are asking what the cylinder bore is coated with. Factory is plain steel. Overhauled, the steel cylinder could be chrome plated or one of the other platings.