Got tired of sitting on the tarmac waiting for oil temps to come up on cool days here in Idaho.

Fabricated an "oil cooler Butterfly" valve to control the air flow during taxi....first trial run it worked perfectly as the oil temp was way into the green before reaching the runway.

I started by using the Zenith supplied oil cooler shroud, some scraps and parts from around the shop and a choke cable from NAPA Aircraft Supply.  Very simple build. Began with a cardboard mock up and then cut out the parts.  Would you believe I finally found a use for the Zenith supplied "throttle rod" as a shaft.  Only outside help was a quick TIG weld of the lever arm to the shaft...solved with a couple bottles of home brew beer.

Flew the idea yesterday and it works flawlessly.  Built it with a short throw (about one inch) so it will be an on or off action...could use it to modulate temps in flight but haven't tried that yet.

So get with it and stop suffering - BTW so far it beats the conversion to the oil temperature  regulator in the oil lines.

Still grinnin.

Phil Smith

Buhl, ID

CH 70wonderful

Views: 418

Attachments:

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Sounds great!  A lot cheaper than moving south where you don't have to worry about such stuff.  :-)

But if it takes that long to warm up, are you not doing damage to engine?  Wouldn't a small preheater be a good choice? I was stationed in the upper peninsula of Michigan for a while and I (and most others) installed heaters for engine and some of us even put a small electric heater in the passenger compartment of our automobiles.

have you got a scoop or duct on the cowling?

I've got the old style cowling with the radiator in the front. Some years back I got one of the composite foundation vents from the hardware store and trimmed it to size and attached to the front of the radiator with a cable to close it up. It's a lot better than nothing but I can't get the oil temp up over 180 on a cold day. It just doesn't seal that well. at least I don't have to fool with duct tape over the radiator anymore. nice job.

Nice job phil

RSS

New from Zenith:

Zenith Planes For Sale 
 

Classified listing for buying or selling your Zenith building or flying related stuff...


Custom Instrument Panels
for your Zenith
:

Custom instrument panels are now available directly from Zenith Aircraft Company exclusively for Zenith builders and owners. Pre-cut panel, Dynon and Garmin avionics, and more.


Zenith Homecoming Tee:


Zenair Floats


Flying On Your Own Wings:
A Complete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design, by Chris Heintz


Builder & Pilot Supplies:

Aircraft Insurance:

 
 

West Coast USA:

 
Pro Builder Assistance:

 

Transition training:

Lavion Aero

K&S Aviation Services

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty for all your building and pilot supplies!

How to videos from HomebuiltHELP.com

Developed specifically for Zenith builders (by a builder) these videos on DVD are a great help in building your own kit plane by providing practical hands-on construction information. Visit HomebuiltHelp.com for the latest DVD titles.

© 2024   Created by Zenith.Aero.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service