One of the guys in my hangar has a 77Xp also.  I'll check with him next time I see him.  As I recall the XP uses a common drain sump location for engine and for fuel overflow during priming.  The combination always seems to keep him cleaning the front wheel fairing.

Hi Andy,

Just bought a 1978 XP and have the same oil drip problem from the breather tube. My AP says as long as the drip on the ground is no bigger then a coke can your OK. My XP is presently in annual and I'll let you know if the drip is coming from another problem.

Hi Andy,

My XP is still in annual, but the AP showed me why it drips oil out of the breather. The plumbing, for lack of a better term, goes over the top of the engine and on a downward slant. Gravety lets the excess oil out the breather. I am not a mechanic, obviously, and this is what I remebered from his explaination. The AP also told me to keep the oil at 6 to 7 quarts.

Bill

Good luck with yours Andy. I had a Commander 112 for the past ten years. I lost power on take off and totaled it, walked away with no injuries. I decided to get back to basics with the 172, but still wanted a little more speed and wound up with the XP. I flew it down from Georgia and really liked it. Climb was great, much better then the Commander, and 120K in cruise, not bad.I get it back today and looking forward to flying again. The best part, I don't have to remember to put the wheels down.

Bill