My ship (PA-28-180C) seems to have had an oil leak on the crankcase seam on the bottom towards the front; about 2-3 inches of the seam appears to be oozing oil. This has gotten noticeably worse so I need to address it as it has started to drip onto my hangar floor. My shop told me it's a part of the life and times of a Lycoming, although mine seems to have sprung a leak relatively early in its life (~840 hours on a factory rebuilt engine from 2003). They recommended I take the airplane to the engine shop they use, and they utilize a technique that entails cutting a tiny "V" shaped groove along the crankcase seam and filling it in with JB Weld. I spoke with the manager of the engine shop that does this work and he told me it's perfectly legal and they've done it on countless engines with great success.
My question is: although it's a fraction of the cost of pulling the engine apart and repairing the seam, is it considered a viable repair or would I be better off just having the engine pulled apart and the leak addressed at its root cause? Another concern I have is if I were to sell the plane at some point, will this "fix" detract from the value because it will reflect an inherent and underlying oil leak is present on the engine?
My question is: although it's a fraction of the cost of pulling the engine apart and repairing the seam, is it considered a viable repair or would I be better off just having the engine pulled apart and the leak addressed at its root cause? Another concern I have is if I were to sell the plane at some point, will this "fix" detract from the value because it will reflect an inherent and underlying oil leak is present on the engine?
