Cabin Odors or Smoke

MAINTENANCE ALERT
MAB-12-04-17-012
BULLETIN
DATE: April 27, 2017
TO: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS CREWMEMBERS

MAINTENANCE BUSINESS PARTNERS – AIRBUS A320/A321
FROM: Neal Sawhny – Manager Powerplant Engineering

Puneet Arora – Powerplant Engineer
SUBJECT: (ATA 12) A320/A321 Cabin Odors - Oil Servicing V2500- A5 Engines
and 131-9A APU’s
REFERENCE: 1. A320 / A321 AMM Task 12-13-79-610-011-A - Check Oil Level and
Replenish on V2500-A5 Engine
2. A320 / A321 AMM Task 49-90-00-600-007-A - Check Oil Level and
Replenish on 131-9A APU
3. A320 / A321 TSM 05-50-00-810-831-A - Identification of the Cause of
Cabin Odors or Smoke
BACKGROUND:
This MAB is issued to stress the importance of APU and Engine oil servicing procedures that
if improperly done may result in Oil Odor in the Cabin. There has been an increased trend of
“Oil Smell in the Cabin” reports on the JetBlue A320 / A321 fleet since mid-year 2016.
Page 1 of 3
MAINTENANCE ALERT
MAB-12-04-17-012
BULLETIN
Review of IAE V2500-A5 engine and Honeywell 131-9A APU build hardware did not identify
any changes that would cause increased “Oil Smell in the Cabin” reports. A change to the
maintenance Service Check philosophy from 72 hours to 3 calender days did occur which
could result in an additional 12 - 23 hours of aircraft operations between service checks.
Following this Service Check change, there was an increase in pilot reports for Engine and
APU low oil messages which required oil servicing. The increased pilot reports was not
unexpected as Oil Servicing intervals are based upon the engine / APU oil capacity and
normal consumption rates.
As increased pilot reports for oil servicing resulted in aircraft delays, this resulted in Tech Ops
emphasis on oil servicing or top-off to mitigate engine / APU low oil level pilot reports and
related delays. The pilot report rates for oil servicing and delays were reduced, but “Oil Smell
in the Cabin” reports saw a significant increase resulting in aircraft out of service, component,
engine and APU removals.
Prior to mid-2016, Jetblue had removed (4) IAE V2500-A5 engines over 15 years related
to “Oil Smell in the Cabin”. Since October 2016, JetBlue has removed at least (9) IAE
V2500-A5 engines due to “Oil Smell in the Cabin” complaints. At least (2) of the engines
could have continued in service after Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) Blind Cap replacement per
AMM Task 72-51-41-400-012-B. Shop findings noted oil leakage from the Front Bearing
Compartment No. 1 carbon seal which allows oil leakage into the Low Pressure Compressor
(LPC) stages 2 - 2.5 and then high pressure compressor (HPC) to the engine bleed air
system. IAE advises the Front Bearing Compartment carbon seal is sensitive to the amount
of oil in the system as too much oil can adversely affect the air and oil pressure balance
between the Front Bearing Compartment and Main Gearbox resulting in Front Bearing
Compartment oil leakage into the engine gaspath.
ACTION:
1. Engine oil must be serviced within 5-60 minutes from shutdown. Servicing of oil
beyond 60 minute window can lead to ‘higher than nominal’ oil quantity in the system
affecting the carbon seal operation. The conditions and procedures in AMM TASK
12-13-79-610-011-A must be adhered to for performing oil servicing on the
engines.
2. APU oil level check must be performed after ensuring APU inlet door is closed. If the
APU inlet door is open, the APU did not go through the entire shut down cycle. Adding
oil at this point can lead to over servicing. The conditions and procedures in AMM
TASK 49-90-00-600-007-A must be adhered to for checking and replenishing oil
on the APU.
Page 2 of 3
MAINTENANCE ALERT
MAB-12-04-17-012
BULLETIN
3. Reference /3/ Identification of the Cause of Cabin Odors or Smoke is the starting
point to determine whether the source is air management system, APU or engine
related. Usage of Reference /3/ will help reduce the number of engine removals.
OIL IN ENGINE
GASPATH –
REMOVAL REQUIRED
ENGINE GASPATH
DIRTY - REMOVAL
NOT REQUIRED – DO
WATERWASH
Page 3 of 3
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MAINTENANCE ALERT

DATE: April 27, 2017

TO: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS CREWMEMBERS

FROM: Neal Sawhny – Manager Powerplant Engineering

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