AN MD11 SHUT AN ENG DOWN BASED ON A FAULTY OIL QUANTITY LOSS INDICATION. THE ENG WAS RESTARTED PRIOR TO LNDG AT A FOREIGN DIVERSION ARPT.

Narrative

OBSERVED OIL QUANTITY DECREASING FROM 15 QUARTS TO 4 (AMBER BOX). AWAKENED FLT MECH; RESTING RELIEF PLT. IN ANOTHER MIN THE QUANTITY DROPPED TO 2. WITH CREW AGREEMENT; I REQUESTED AND COMPLETED THE PRECAUTIONARY INFLT SHUTDOWN CHKLIST. WE TRIED TO ADVISE OUR COMPANY THAT WE HAD AN EMER AND MIGHT NEED TO DIVERT AS RECOMMENDED BY OUR CHKLIST. OUR SATCOM WAS ON MEL; THE ACARS HAD NO COVERAGE; RADIO HF WAS OTS. I GOT ANOTHER ACR TO RELAY FOR ME USING GUARD FREQ 121.5. I INITIATED A DRIFT-DOWN PROC FROM 410 TO A CONSERVATIVE FL350. DURING DSCNT THE OIL QUANTITY RETURNED TO NORMAL. OVER THE NEXT 30-40 MINS WE EVALUATED ALL OUR SINGLE-ENG MEA'S; DIPLOMATIC CONCERNS OF REGION; AVAILABLE MAINT SUPPORT; CREW SECURITY AND ARPT OPTION. AT THE TIME WE WERE 3+05 TO GO ON TO ZZZZ1 WITH 148 KT TAILWIND OR DIVERT TO ZZZZ2 AT 1+35 WITH 95 KT HEADWIND. CTL WAS GREAT! THEY ALLOWED ME EMER CLRNCS FOR ALT AND NEW ROUTING TO ZZZZ1 AND COORDINATED OUR DIVERSION WITH ATC. ABOUT AN HR AFTER THE SHUTDOWN THE FLT MECH VOLUNTEERED THAT THIS DECREASING OIL QUANTITY PROB HAD OCCURRED BEFORE BUT HAD ONLY DROPPED TO 8. WHAT A SURPRISE! NOW I HAD A DIFFERENT SITUATION. NORMAL OIL PRESSURE NORMAL N1; N2; OIL QUANTITY THAT HAD RETURNED TO 15 QUARTS AT FL350. WE AGREED TO TRY TO RESTART. I HAD TRIED TO AT FL350 WITHOUT SUCCESS. DURING THE DSCNT; I COULD GET NEARLY 300 KTS AT FL180. A DIFFERENT SET OF CONDITIONS. WE TRIED AGAIN GOT A NORMAL RESTART. I CANCELLED THE EMER HANDLING WITH ATC. A NORMAL 3 ENG LNDG WAS COMPLETED AT ZZZZ1. AN MEL WAS OPENED ON THE #1 OIL QUANTITY AND AN ENG WIND-MILLING INSPECTION. THE ENG INSPECTION VERIFIED NORMAL OIL QUANTITY AND THE PROB WAS INDEED AN INDICATION. MY CONCERN IS THAT I SECURED A GOOD ENG ON QUESTIONABLE ADVICE AND A LACK OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION OF A PREVIOUS MALFUNCTION.