Seatrab Oil Cooler mounting

CODon · #1 06-29-2009, 06:13 PM

Anyone got some photos of a Setrab 110 mounting on the Van's baffle kit? I'm interested in what reinforcing was used (light weight should help) and the satisfaction you have had with the install. I'm also assuming that you used AN-6 fittings, but who am I to assume. RV-7A, IO-360. Thanks in advance.

JimWoo50 · #2 09-23-2010, 02:37 PM

I am shopping for a oil cooler now and am wondering if you or anyone else has recent experience with the Setrab oil cooler that they would care to pass along to me. I have read everything on the forum that comes up with a search on Setrab but it seems to be a couple of years old. Thanks in advance. Jim.

Kevin Horton · #3 09-23-2010, 03:46 PM

Von Alexander used a Setrab oil cooler on his RV-8. He died following an in-flight fire that was triggered when his oil cooler burst, if I recall correctly. I'd use an aviation oil cooler for an aviation engine in an aircraft.

RV8RIVETER · #4 09-23-2010, 03:52 PM

I am not flying yet, but you can see where mine is mounted here.

I am using a MOCAL, similar design but higher pressurre rating and welded fittings. I went ahead and purchased the recommended mounting brackets.

By rv8riveter at 2010-09-23

schristo@mac.com · #5 09-23-2010, 07:49 PM

hmmmm... rv8riveter - wade, i am sure that you have a plan... it looks like it will be pretty tight to duct air to the cooler where you have it mounted... high on the firewall angled upwards...not much room for making the turn under the cowling...

i have a 4" round sceet tube feeding an rv-10 firewall mounted plenum with the 13 row rv-10 cooler and it has proven to be an incredibly effective solution...

just be sure to accommodate your air supply to the cooler.

RV8RIVETER · #6 09-23-2010, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schristo@mac.com

hmmmm... rv8riveter - wade, i am sure that you have a plan... it looks like it will be pretty tight to duct air to the cooler where you have it mounted...

Actually, it is positioned quite well for what I have in mind. It will have it's own inlet and the duct will be molded into the upper cowl half.

schristo@mac.com · #7 09-23-2010, 09:04 PM

a duct molded into the cowling sounds like a neat idea... got any photos?

rich · #8 09-24-2010, 12:16 PM

I been using a Setrab oil cooler for over 1000 hrs.
I mounted it on the baff behind #4 cyl. between 2 peices of aluminum angle 1.5" x 2" (if I remember right.) I drilled 2 holes on one side of the angle to accomidate the oil fittings and also drilled some lighting holes down both sides.The angle aluminum has really made that corner very strong and had no cracking at all.
With the summer temps here in TX. at 100, oil runs at 180-190.
In the winter I block 1/2 of the cooler off to get the temps up.

penguin · #9 09-24-2010, 04:35 PM

This is how I mounted a Mocal cooler its not an RV but it is using Van's baffling kit. I used a 0.063 doubler. I would not rivet the sections of baffling together next time as it makes if difficult to remove - use bolts.

Pete

Kevin Horton · #10 09-24-2010, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Horton

Von Alexander used a Setrab oil cooler on his RV-8. He died following an in-flight fire that was triggered when his oil cooler burst, if I recall correctly. I'd use an aviation oil cooler for an aviation engine in an aircraft.

I made the original post when I was on the road, and didn't have access to my archive of RV postings. I searched that archive, and can't find the message that described the teardown and failure analysis of Von Alexander's accident. So that might be bad data.

But, I did find messages describing two different castrophic Setrab oil cooler failures on RVs with Lycomings. One failed on an RV-4 three miles from an airport, and he landed with three quarts of oil remaining. And Laird Owens had a big hole blow in the Setrab oil cooler on his RV-6, spraying oil all over the place, and dropping his oil pressure to 5 psi. He managed to get on the ground OK too.

Aircraft oil coolers are subjected to much higher pressures than oil coolers on many automobiles. One of the threads about a Setrab failure had the following statement:

Quote:

Brain Costello, Textron Lycoming service rep, told me at the time (and
confirmed again today) that the oil cooler circuit sees *unregulated* oil
pressure which typically exceeds 250 psi (and can be over 350 psi in a
poorly executed cold weather start). IMHO, this is not the place for 'high
performance' automotive oil coolers, some of which advertise being tested
with air to 175 psi (or less).

I've got no dog in this hunt, as I don't sell oil coolers. But I would think long and hard before I used an automotive oil cooler on a Lycoming. I know there are folks who have used these coolers for many hours with no problem, but there have been at least two failures on RVs, with probably much less than 100 installations. I don't like those odds.