Sport Pilot Talk

It got cold again and I my oil won't go above 175 F or so , even during climbs ( and it is only going to get colder.)

My understanding is that I can block the radiator a bit to limit the air flow ...

The idea is to get some aluminum tape with self-adhesive and glue one stripe across the radiator ?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cUvxPpdMETmnhUUr2

Just wanted to confirm ... Thanks

I already have a strip on my CT. BTW, the CT has a LOA for the installation of the tape. I am not sure about the Sting, but on the CT the oil cooler is behind the radiator. Sometimes it is a balance to get the oil temp up while not having the coolant get to warm.

I don’t have a Loa - I am actually surprised I would need one just to cover a bit of radiator

Right now , my cruise oil temps are about 170-175 F and CHTs are about the same ( maybe 5-10 degrees difference ).
When getting ready to land , after descending to the pattern altitude , it drops down to about 160-165 for oil with a similar drop for CHT.

Not sure if this is a reasonable range for flying during winter months - my EFIS EMT doesn’t complain but I remember reading that the oil should be kept around 190F - I would prefer not to tape it since I lack LOA but not sure what else to do ...

Tape it and don't look back. You need to get your oil temp up above that 190 mark for at least a portion of your flight. Don't worry about the coolant temp being too cool, only too hot. I only mentioned that Flight Design issued an approval to show that measures like that are needed and recognized by some of the manufacturers. Stop by a heating and cooling shop that does install work, and see if they have a roll that is almost empty that they will let you have cheap. I like the kind where you have to remove the backing to stick it down. It seems to stick better, but not to tightly. Don't use duct tape it will leave a gooey mess.

3Dreaming wrote:Stop by a heating and cooling shop that does install work, and see if they have a roll that is almost empty that they will let you have cheap. I like the kind where you have to remove the backing to stick it down. It seems to stick better, but not to tightly. Don't use duct tape it will leave a gooey mess.

I use aluminum tape from HD Aviation Suppy (Home Depot). It works very, very well and does not leave any residue behind after being removed. Get the kind that has a removable "brown" backing. It is what FlyingMonkey recommended to me a few years back, and it works great.

Warmi wrote:I don’t have a Loa - I am actually surprised I would need one just to cover a bit of radiator

Why are you suprised? ASTM rules that require an LoA to change brands of battery, tires, or light bulbs surely wouldn't allow you to do anything as drastic as applying tape, without an LoA!

The best solution, IMHO, is an oil thermostat. These are standard on some installations, available options on others, and just plain not allowed on some. Best time to install one is during Rotax 5-year rubber replacement. (Of course, if your SLSA didn't come with an oil thermostat, it will most assuredly require an LoA to install one - and after installation, an oil system pressure purge is absolutely necessary.)

Thanks.
I will look into installing a thermostat - Sting MEL specifies 3 options including Permacool and BilletPump so no LOA required ...

FWIW, both of my SportStars came from the factory with oil thermostats, and for the one SportCruiser in which I installed one, the manufacturer was fine with providing an LoA. In any case, this time of year I always recommend a good engine preheat. Here's a link to one you can easily and inexpensively build (and it requires no LoA!)

http://www.avsport.org/publicat/nonfict/preheat.pdf

A thermostat alone might not do it. My CT came from the factory with a thermostat, and still needs the tape to get the temperature up.

Curious...

Where is the heat being directed in the cowling?

Directly at the engine block. But with the blanket thrown over the cowling, the whole engine bay ends up reasonably warm. You can use a non contact IR thermometer to see hot spots and cold spots.

Paul, one suggestion for your heater. Get it up off the ground. If you have a fuel leak the vapors will be close to the ground, and the heat gun can ignite them.

I have a home made heater for my CT. It is built out of a $15 space heater from Walmart. I have 2 4" hoses coming off of it. One hose has a reducer that plugs into the front of the cowling where the duct goes up over the cylinders. I stick the other hose in the oil door. I made a second one for use around the airport. It is mounted on a hand cart from Harbor Freight. My 14 year old son made the plenum that the hoses connect to. I still want to add an extension cord and electrical outlet to the cart to support a battery charger.

3Dreaming wrote:Paul, one suggestion for your heater. Get it up off the ground. If you have a fuel leak the vapors will be close to the ground, and the heat gun can ignite

I agree, Tom - and that's exactly what I said in the article!

Using tape is a fine art. I often find I use too little or too much, and then I end up with my temps too high when I climb or too cool in cruise. Yesterday with 32°F OAT was a "too cool" day. Oil temps around 180°F most of the time so I went into a steep WOT climb to 6500ft to get the temps up. That worked well and got me to 220°F. But now I had another problem, I had to get back down! Even on a very shallow descent, the oil temp went down as low as 140°F before I got back down to ~2500ft. At least I got the oil temp up for a bit, but I can't imagine big temp swings like that are ultimately good for the engine.

For less than arctic conditions, just a drop light with 60 to 100Watt bulb tucked into the cowling with a blanket thrown over works fine.