Cessna R/TR 182 Pilots and Owners

These pics show our suction screen removal and dark specs of combustion byproducts found in the screen after about 100hrs of flight time. The screen is found on the pilot’s side of the oil sump in our IO540, but towards the rear of the sump on the co-pilot's side of the O540. Spraying the screen with a solvent works to remove the dark debris in the tube. Zoom in on the screen shots and the black specs are visible. We clean our suction(finger) screen once a year however Lycoming recommends cleaning it at every oil change. Remember to replace the copper annular gasket(aka crush washer) and install with the open side facing the oil sump and torque the hex plug to 18-20ft.lbs.

This is a very nice location of the suction screen on your 300hp engine however the location of the stock o-540 suction screen is much more of a PIA. It's on the back right corner of the pan and right up near the engine mount bar. It is very har to torque and cuss worthy to safety wire.

Yea we’re lucky for the easy access on the IO-540, but further back on the right side might catch more debris in the screen due to tilt of oil sump and screen being closer to low point.
We pull the nose down to lowest pitch angle in attempt to make sump more level due to screen location more forward than O-540.

Good reminder and photos. Also care should be taken to center the screen on the alignment tube. Yes, the split side of the AN900's should go against the non rotating surface, the block, not the nut.

Importantly the nut is not torqued, crush washers are run up snug then a fixed rotation amount further applied then safety wire installed. If the nut is 12 threads per inch, turn it 90 degrees, 16 pitch, 135 degrees.

Reference Lycoming Overhaul Manual which references: Lycoming SSP-1776-5 Table III, page 49.

And never re-use these.