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BryanArd

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Hi all, I have a question about a "factory" inverted oil system. I have an IO-320 E2B out of a Citabria. It has a baffle between the case and the sump. There is a trap door to keep oil in the sump when inverted and a "clunk" on the oil pickup. When inverted, it simply falls over into the oil.

I have all logs, but they do not mention the system. I was told that it was an American/Champion STC. Does anyone have any info on this system? Where can I find documentation for overhaul, inverted limitations, etc.?

I have a Christen system, but I would like to use this, because it is sooooo simple. It will not take up any space (I am building a -4). Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Bryan
 
That MIGHT be STC #SE7CE. You can search for STCs here... http://www.airweb.faa.gov/STC I would imagine the text of the STC would contain any changes to the aircraft's operating limitations.

If that doesn't work, try the Citabria owner's group.
 
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I've never heard of the system you described, but I assume you realize that it could only work for a very limited time while inverted. Once the oil in the pan is pumped out, you'd lose oil pressure if you were still inverted, because the oil can't get back "uphill" to the pan.

If you find the STC, I'm sure it will give you some limit for duration, but I'm guessing that will be in the several seconds range. The Christen system will work until you run out of fuel. Just depends on what you want/need.

Cheers,
Rusty
 
Brad, that was it, thanks! I printed it, but it did not give any details. I will have to contact the STC holder.


Rusty, I think you are right about the time limit.

Thanks
Bryan
 
Hi Bryan,

I thought about this some more today, and will be interested to hear what you find out about this system. It sounds like something that would be nice to have on an RV with no inverted fuel system. Basically, it would insure that you'd run out of fuel before you ran out of oil if you went negative for a bit too long on a botched maneuver. I've "heard" those can happen :p

Rusty
 
Rusty, I talked to American/Champion the other day and they said to get rid of it! It seems that the baffle is prone to cracking and has to be inspected every couple hundred hours. Also, the baffle can rub on the oil pickup line--mine shows signs of wear--and that can crack the oil pickup...not good :eek:. In theory, it is a great idea. It is simple, with no moving parts. I just don't want to partially tear my engine apart every 3-500 hours to inspect it.

Bryan
 
Thanks for the follow-up Bryan. I guess you'll be finding space for that Christen system now :)

Rusty
 
B.S.

American Champion is full of ****. There is no recurring inspection of that system, it is very simple and very durable, and was factory installed, along with a firewall breather/seperator on 7KCAB models with inverted fuel. These are the champ winged certified acro models.

I owned one flew hundred and hundreds of hours with it. The nice thing about the system is that it does a better job of feeding during knife edge than does most christen installations. Most people do not install all of the pickups necessary to make the christen system feed well knife edged.

Remember that the current Am Champ has no interest in supporting or maintaining the older aircraft. They actually force wood wing owners to turn in their wings, in order to buy new ones, though virtually no parts are re-used...they want the turn in so that they can destroy the aileron bell cranks and other items..which are no longer in manufacture, in order to make it more and more difficult to do anything but buy their metal wings.

P.S. My airplane had 1800 hours when I sold it, about 900 hours in its life were acro training. No issue, ever, with the pickup system or baffle. Nor has anyone I know had the problem.
 
Jconard, thanks for the feedback...I was hoping someone who had experience with this system would respond. I did not think American/Champion wanted to mess with this system because, to my knowledge, it is no longer being manufactured. My engine was removed at TBO (2004hrs), and pickled. When I tore it down, the baffle had no cracks in it, but the oil pickup line was being rubbed.

What is the inverted limit, in minutes? I do not want to do unlimited inverted flight, but I would like to hang from the straps for a few minutes. You said an air/oil separator was mounted on the firewall...would any work or does it need to be specially made per the STC?

I sure would like to use this one because it is so simple, and it would simplify my firewall forward installation! Any info you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Bryan
 
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