FALCON SERVICE ADVISORY

FSA-49-91-002-R00-C

Preventing Oil Smell in Cabin After an APU Start

September 26, 2016 Classification: Maintenance

F10 F20 F200 F50 F900 F2000 F7X

- -5 - EX - EX EASy DX LX - EX EASy DX LX S LXS

X X X X X X X

REASON
For in-service aircraft, operators have reported several occurrences of oil smell in cabin, after
APU start.
Troubleshooting revealed that the APU was the cause of the oil smell in most of the cases.
The troubleshooting, conducted jointly with Honeywell, consists of a ground run procedure to
identify the main source of the oil smell (APU or one of the engines). An additional borescope
inspection should confirm oil migration into the APU bleed flow path.

FOLLOW UP / TECHNICAL FINDINGS

Troubleshooting and subsequent borescope inspections typically reveal on the interface
between the APU inlet housing and the APU compressor impeller:
 Heavy black soot
 Light marks of oil leakage
Following the APU disassembly, findings reveal evidence of oil on the compressor shroud, on
the APU bleed exit, or on the compressor impeller.

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FALCON SERVICE ADVISORY
FSA-49-91-002-R00-C
Further investigations performed at Honeywell demonstrated oil migration past the compressor
seal and then into the APU flow path due to the following causes:
 Inadequate compressor seal rotor tracking (excessive motion / vibrations at seal
interface)
 Insufficient compressor seal pressure differential
 Oil coking deposit on seal face
 Inadequate oil scavenge

CORRECTIVE ACTION
Several improvements were developed by Honeywell to avoid oil leak at compressor seal
location:
 Improved rotating group balance procedure (refer to Service
Bulletin GTCP36-49-8212)
 New hydrodynamic seal design
 New ejector (to ensure an effective seal delta P into the AGB)
 Incorporation of baffles in gearbox (to prevent high oil
consumption)
 Modification of the de-oil valve (to reduce oil pressure to the
seal during start and shutdown)
All modifications resulted in improving compressor seal integrity during APU operation through
testing in Honeywell facilities as well as on aircraft.
To implement all the design improvements, Honeywell has released the following Service
Bulletin GTCP36-49-8211 “AIRBORNE AUXILIARY POWER - GAS TURBINE ENGINE -
Rework and Repair of Engine 36-150[F2M], PN 3800548-1 and PN 3800548-2, for Incorporation
of improved Compressor Carbon Seal and Related Components”.
Due to limited assets, this Service Bulletin will be applied when an APU is removed for oil smell
on a priority basis.

INFORMATION
Before removing any APU for oil smell in cabin, Dassault Aviation recommends to perform the
ground run procedure, available upon request, to identify the main contributor (APU or one of
the 2 engines) for oil smell in cabin.
In addition, it is recommended to contact Honeywell Aerospace Technical Support (ATS) for
further instructions regarding troubleshooting results.
If necessary, the APU has to be removed and sent back to an approved Honeywell repair shop
for SB implementation.

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FALCON SERVICE ADVISORY
FSA-49-91-002-R00-C
Aerospace Technical Support (ATS):
 AeroTechSupport@honeywell.com
 Phone:
o (US/Canada) +1 (855)-808-6500
o (International) +1 (602)-365-6500

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