PLT EXPERIENCES HIGH OIL TEMP AND MAKES PRECAUTIONARY LNDG.

Narrative

ON THE EVENING DESCRIBED I DEPARTED MY BASE ARPT FOR A SIGHTSEEING TRIP ACCOMPANIED BY 2 ACQUAINTANCES OF MINE. I BEGAN THE FLT ACTIVITY WITH A FULL PREFLT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT. ACFT PERFORMANCE SEEMED TO OPERATE AS NORMAL THROUGH THE PREFLT AND DEP PHASE OF FLT. WHILE ENRTE; I ENCOUNTERED AN OIL TEMP GAUGE WHICH INDICATED IN THE RED. AT THAT TIME I WAS AT 2000 FT ABEAM A HIGH TFC ARPT ON TWR FREQ. ONCE I ENCOUNTERED THE HIGH TEMP; I REQUESTED A FULL STOP TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE PROB AND IN THE CONCERN OF SAFETY LAND THE AIRPLANE AS SOON AS PRACTICAL TO AVOID ANY FURTHER PROBS THAT MAY OCCUR DUE TO THE HIGH TEMP READING. THE CTLR ADVISED ME THAT HE WOULD INQUIRE AND CHK BACK WITH ME FOR THAT CLRNC. I THEN ADVISED HIM THE REASONING BEHIND THE REQUEST WAS A SLIGHTLY HIGH OIL TEMP. ATC VERIFIED THAT IT WAS A MECHANICAL PROB AND I VERIFIED THERE WAS A SLIGHTLY HIGH OIL TEMP READING. ATC INQUIRED IF I HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT; AND I DID AND REPLIED AS SUCH. I WAS ISSUED A LNDG CLRNC AND WAS ASKED IF I WAS DECLARING AN EMER. I REPLIED NEGATIVE. I ALSO STATED AT THIS TIME THAT NO 'PRIORITY' ATC ASSISTANCE BE RENDERED. THIS WAS REPEATED 2-3 TIMES. THAT REQUEST WAS VERIFIED AND ACKNOWLEDGED. AFTER LNDG I PROCEEDED TO THE INSTRUCTED AREA DICTATED BY ATC. I THEN SHUT THE AIRPLANE DOWN AND INVESTIGATED THE PROB. ONCE AT THE FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE I REALIZED THAT THE UNMARKED GRAY FOAM PACKAGING RUBBER THAT WAS BEING USED AS COWL PLUGS WERE LEFT IN THE COWL. THIS I EXPECTED WAS THE CAUSE OF THE HIGH OIL TEMP. I THEN PROCEEDED TO LET THE AIRPLANE COOL; AND MONITOR THE OIL TEMP GAUGE. THE AIRPLANE WAS LEFT COOLING FOR APPROX 35-45 MINS. I THEN CHKED THE OIL DIP STICK AND ADDED 1 QUART OF FRESH OIL WHICH WAS INSIDE THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT OF THE ACFT. WHEN THE ENG COOLED TO AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL; I STARTED UP AND DID AN EXTENDED RUN-UP TO ENSURE THE ENG WAS SAFE FOR OP. ALL INDICATIONS WERE WITHIN LIMITS AND IN THE GREEN. I THEN PROCEEDED BACK TO OUR DEP ARPT. WHILE ENRTE DIRECT BACK ALL INDICATIONS REMAINED NORMAL AND IN THE GREEN RANGE. WHEN I ARRIVED I FILLED OUT THE IN HOUSE TIME SHEET AND ASSOCIATED DISCREPANCY SHEET PROVIDED ON THAT ACFT CLIPBOARD. ON THE SHEET I EXPLAINED THE PROB I ENCOUNTERED AND THE DEV THAT WAS TAKEN; AND I REQUESTED THE ACFT BE EXAMINED. THAT SHEET WAS THEN SECURED ON TOP OF THE CLIPBOARD ON TOP OF THE NEXT TIME LOG SHEET THAT WAS TO BE FILLED OUT BY THE NEXT RENTER; IN CLR VIEW. ON THE NEXT TIME SHEET I CHKED THE BOX THAT INDICATED THAT A DISCREPANCY SHEET HAS BEEN FILLED OUT TO INDICATE TO THE NEXT PLT OR MAINT PERSONNEL THAT THERE HAS INDEED BEEN A PROB WITH THAT ACFT. THAT CONCLUDED THE EVENTS OF THIS OCCURRENCE.