Hot take: I used to think pre-lube oil analysis on the PT6A was a waste of money until one sample saved a $40k hot section

Richard Hall · 2026-10-26T20:15:06.327241+00:00

I've been skipping oil analysis on the PT6A for most of my career, figured the chip detector was enough and lab reports were just something the suits liked. Last month a guy at our shop in Wichita pulled a sample on a 250-hour engine and the iron came back 30 ppm higher than the previous pull, so he borescoped it and found the compressor bearing starting to spall. We pulled it at 4 weeks instead of waiting for it to eat the hot section, and the repair bill landed around $6,800 instead of the $40k quote if we'd kept flying it. The part I had backwards was thinking the chip detector would catch everything, but that's only the big stuff, the lab sees the small stuff months before it lands. Curious what other folks use for trending limits on the PT6A, do you run your own numbers or go off the lab's default?

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Hot take: I used to think pre-lube oil analysis on the PT6A was a waste of money until one sample saved a $40k hot section | Aircraft Mechanics - HW Forums