[tx_jayhawk]

I know a number of people have gone this route, but I have not been able to find very many pictures on the net. I was hoping that those who have gone the routte of firewall-mounting their oil cooler might have some pictures or a link to post. The optimal SCAT routing from the back of the baffles is not entirely logical, and I am curious what placement others have used.

Thanks in advance.

Scott
7A Finishing

 

[newtech]

Hi Scott,
I am pleased with the way my oil cooler installation came out. It includes an airflow adjusting door so on cold days I will be able to easily control the airflow through the cooler from the cockpit. Major downside of the way I did it is you will always have a little amount of oil left in the cooler when draining oil for an oil change. It will have a tee fitting on the lower inlet so I can drain oil from that point as well as the oil sump on the engine.

Steve Eberhart. RV-7A Slider, O-360-A1A, Catto 3 blade, finishing up canopy installation

 

[LifeofReiley]

Very Nice!

Steve,

Now that's a sweet set-up you've got going there! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Radomir]

My installation is nearly identical to Steve's... maybe the "angle" is slightly different.... Inboard bolts pick up that diagonal angle on the firewall for additional stiffening. That pretty much set the angle of the cooler.

Like Steve, I ensured that the exit area is pointed towards the exhaust opening in the cowl.

 

[flyeyes]

(snip)not been able to find very many pictures on the net. (snip)
curious what placement others have used.

Thanks in advance.

Scott
7A Finishing

Here are a couple of my -8. This setup works beautifully with an angle-valve IO360.

 

[rjcthree]

I like the idea . . . .

I love the idea, and will probably go this way, I just don't see the technical reasons. Oil cooler not vibed? Simplicitiy/lightness of baffle? Something cool to talk about?

Rick 90432

 

[flyeyes]

I love the idea, and will probably go this way, I just don't see the technical reasons. Oil cooler not vibed? Simplicitiy/lightness of baffle? Something cool to talk about?

Rick 90432

All of the above, really.

The biggest reason I did it was to avoid the chronic baffle repairs that many of my friends have had (cf. Dan Checkoway).

The second reason was that the angle-valve engine puts more of its heat into the oil than most parallel valves, and I wanted a "no fooling, works the first time" setup. I live in Memphis, TN and it gets hot in the summer. Ihave owned airplanes where oil temp was a significant limiting factor operationally in the summer.

I basically copied the setup from another RV-8 with a "hopped-up" IO-360 who went through several iterations of coolers to get a reliable system. Many people have gone through two or more coolers, upsized the SCAT tube, or made other changes to get adequate cooling, so I tried to learn what I could.

This is one of the things that has worked perfectly from day one, and I wouldn't change a thing about it if I were building again.

 

[RV6_flyer]

My original firewall mounted oil cooler was on the RHS of the firewall with 3" SCAT tubing running to it. After THREE (3) vapor lock events and continuous oil temp at or above red line, I move the oil cooler to the same place that has worked well for others behind the #4 cylinder but mounted it to the engine mount.

My experience with the oil cooler mounted to the firewall with 3" SCAT tubing was that it did not work in my installation. Oil temp was red line in September 1997 when I was test flying. I was able to lower oil temp about 5 degrees F by removing the screen that I had over the inlet in the baffle. (same screen that is used in a screen door). I could not do touch and goes without red line oil temp with this setup. There were limitations in climb. Climb speed below 100 knots would hit red line oil time. On trips in hot climate, I need to watch how I operated the airplane to keep oil temp below red line. I could not run full throttle and prop full forward without hitting red line.

After a hot start on a hot day, I would hit red line oil temp on the ground before takeoff. 3 out of 5 times I tried to run up or take off, I would get vapor lock and start missing. I aborted one takeoff at Chino after lunch because of the vapor lock missing when reaching full power.

Summary:
Van's "EA OIL COOLER II" mounted on the firewall with Van's mounting kit did not work well on my O-320 Constant Speed powered RV-6 during the summer in Southern California. I was operating in the California, Nevada, and Arizona deserts. IMHO, the setup I describe is lacking adequate oil temperature control in HIGH TEMPERATURE CLIMATES. I know of flyer's in Oregon that have had good performance with the same installation.

 

[tx_jayhawk]

Interesting feedback Gary...thanks. I've talked to folks that have FW oil coolers that have trouble getting the oil hot enough (in the winter), and no redline problems at all. I susepct it is important to note that model of cooler (I believe SW is most efficient), cooling method (plenum vs baffles), etc.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[szicree]

Is hot oil a likely cause of fuel vaporlock? I'm not casting doubt, I just never considered the two things related. Isn't it more likely that the hot air coming off the cooler was getting blasted right into the gascolator or some other fuel system component?

 

[AllanC]

i'm interested in the pretty yellow oil cooler shrouds - I've had to make mine from a cf layup over foam, and I hate composite work. Are they available for differnt 'face' sizes of oil cooler, and where can you buy them??

Allan

 

[Bdalporto]

Hot Rodded IO-360

James can you give more specifics on the installation. Scat tube size, Oil Cooler make and model, Rear baffel flange source ect. I have a hot rodded IO-360 I'm installing on an RV-7 and would like to put my oil cooler on the Fire Wall.

Brian

 

[tomcostanza]

This seems like a much simpler installation, if it cools as well as putting it on the baffle. Does anyone else have performance figures?

 

[bondiRV7A]

Fire-Wall mounted Oil Cooler

This is the instalation of the 10 row NTP 20004A Oil cooler I have on my RV7A. I used 4" SCAT. I have completed my Phase 1 testing and the set up is on the money for the ported & flow matched, dual LSE Plasma II+, 180+hp IO-360 M1 engine. I have cruising oil temps of 175-185 deg F and on hot weather 25/25 climbs i.e air temps 35+ deg C the oil temp maxs out at 198 deg F with CHTs in the 410s. The intersection between the SCAT and the cooler is a bit funky but I guess it does the job!

 

[flyeyes]

James can you give more specifics on the installation. Scat tube size, Oil Cooler make and model, Rear baffel flange source ect. I have a hot rodded IO-360 I'm installing on an RV-7 and would like to put my oil cooler on the Fire Wall.

Brian

I more or less copied the installation from Greg Hale. He lives in a hot climate and wound up changing his cooler to get reasonable temps.

I have the Stewart Warner 13-row cooler Part #10611R, which was about twice the cost of the recommended cooler. The 13-row cooler is normally used on the IO-540 IIRC.

The yellow plenum is homebrewed--laid up over a foam mold. The flanges were molded on 4"PVC from Home Depot, but you can now get a flange from Van's intended for the IO-540/RV-10.

The SCAT tube is 4", which seems to be a reasonable size. Many people have reported high temps with 3" SCAT (although some -320 installations seem to be doing well).

I am delighted with my cooling. My EFIS logs engine parameters, and the highest oil temp I have seen was 227 degrees. That was on a mid-afternoon departure from El Paso with an OAT of 105 degrees. The taxi was extended before takeoff, and the engine was heat soaked (quick turn) even before start. The temp was about 215 at takeoff, peaked at 227 a couple of minute into the climb, and slowly dropped. After leveling off, the temp dropped quickly. That was about the worst conditions I'm willing to fly in as a pilot (I was miserably hot until I got some altitude).

My engine is completely stock internally, and I run one electronic ignition, a horizontal (hot air) intake, and 4-into-1 exhaust. I have a 2-inch SCAT blast tube on my fuel pump. I typically climb about 200 degrees rich of peak EGT and cruise lean of peak. Oil temps run from 170 in the winter to about 190 in cruise in the summer--usually right on the vernatherm. I will typically see 200 in a long climb, but I can generally climb at Vy from sea level to normal cruise altitudes year round without being limited by oil temp.

HTH

 

[tridge]

Hi Steve,
How goes it with you're fire wall mounted oil cooler? Thinking of doing the same on my 7a IO360. Email me: [email protected]

Tom Ridge, EAA582 Toledo, OH.

 

[kiwipete]

RV7 with VP prop

For info here's how I installed mine on a XP IO-360 with forward facing sump and Hartzell prop.
It took a while to find a solution that didn't interfer with the prop or mixture cables and gear leg.
Works a treat only problem is now in the winter trying to get the oil warm enough! I think I'm going to have to install a butterfly to be able to restrict the airflow.

Peter

 

[newtech]

Hi Steve,
How goes it with you're fire wall mounted oil cooler? Thinking of doing the same on my 7a IO360.

Tom Ridge, EAA582 Toledo, OH.

Not flying yet :-( Looks like early Spring. Will report back with how the cooler works.

 

[roadrunner20]

Hi Scott,
I am pleased with the way my oil cooler installation came out. It includes an airflow adjusting door so on cold days I will be able to easily control the airflow through the cooler from the cockpit. Major downside of the way I did it is you will always have a little amount of oil left in the cooler when draining oil for an oil change. It will have a tee fitting on the lower inlet so I can drain oil from that point as well as the oil sump on the engine.

Steve Eberhart. RV-7A Slider, O-360-A1A, Catto 3 blade, finishing up canopy installation

I'm also using the XP-IO360 horizontal induction and FWF oil cooler.
BTW, I like the idea of placing a screen in front of the scat opening.

My oil temps are always in the normal range but my #4 cht likes to climb to ~415 on perf cruise.

I've fabricated a restricter plate to place inside the baffle on the scat tube opening to try to get some better pressure cooling on that cylinder.

Has anyone else experimented with this setup?

 

[LOGGY]

I have tried the flapper door on the back side of the oil cooler ( very similar to you set up ) .......Poor results...I concluded the air needs to be restricted before the cooler instead of after..if there is any way you can fit the vans restrictor before the oil cooler I think you will have better luck FWIW Mike

 

[N941WR]

In one night

I just posted this on my web site as I thought it might help:

<-- Click to enlarge.
It took just one night to make this transition piece for the firewall mounted oil cooler on a friend's O-360 powered RV. After doing much research he felt the solution to his high oil temps was to install a 4" SCAT tube from the baffle down to the oil cooler. He had purchased a 4" flange which he was going to rivet to the baffle but the big question was, "How are we going to attach that hose to the oil cooler?"

The solution was simple, fiberglass, clay, and Styrofoam. Two rectangular pieces of blue Dow Styrofoam were cut to match the oil cooler, which was bolted to the firewall. Clay was then used to form the transition from the Styrofoam to the hose. As the clay was built up and around the engine mount, the 4" flange, which was not yet riveted in place, was pressed into the clay and the inside filled with even more clay. Any clay on the outside of the flange was removed and the transition was smoothed over. (This was done to form a perfect 4" circle for the SCAT tubing.)

Once it looked like everything would fit, the clay and Styrofoam mold was taken home and three layers of fiberglass was laid over it. The next morning it was put in place and the angle aluminum braces were match drilled to it and riveted in place using pull-rivets.

The hole in the baffle was enlarge, the 4" flange riveted in place, and the SCAT tube installed. Problem solved.

 

[kiwipete]

Check cooling fins

Dan

I have exactly the same engine and setup (see post #17)
I've never had a problem with #4 cylinder. #3 used to be the highest until I put a washer behind it and plates in front of #1+2.
One thing I did which dropped my temps a bit was to check between the cooling fins around the head in the spark plug area. Make sure that they aren't blocked off. This happens when the cylinders are cast and there's a little excess in the join between molds. A quick file to open up the area to match the rest of the fins has been reported to drop CHT's by up to 30 degrees.

Cheers

Peter

 

[TX7A]

How high / low?

In looking at some of the F/W installations, I've noticed that the position of the coolers vary vertically along the firewall.
Just wondering if keeping the SCAT run as short as possible or getting the exit side of the cooler down closer to the cowl exit woud be best....or something in between.
Thoughts on this?

 

[Beancounter]

Firewall position

I positioned my oil cooler to utilize the angle bracing on the cabin side of the firewall as a doubler.