C

CODon

Active Member
Setrab Oil Cooler mounting

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.
 
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Did you use the Setrab cooler?

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.
 
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 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.

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By rv8riveter at 2010-09-23
 
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how are you going to duct air to it?

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...
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just be sure to accommodate your air supply to the cooler.
 
[email protected] said:
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...
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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.
 
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.
 
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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


 
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Kevin Horton said:
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.
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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:

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).
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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.
 
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I agree

While there is speculation that the setrab cooler in Von's aircraft failed causing the fire, it is only speculation. As I recall the engine failed catastrophically from oil starvation and the fire started near the cooler. I too blame the cooler. I was planning on installing a setrab cooler at the time but Von's untimely death made me change my mind.

Laird Owens cooler sprung a leak and as you say lost most of his oil. Laird now runs a aircraft oil cooler.

There is nothing wrong with experimenting with automotive components on aircraft but when there have be others down the road with failures, I would reconsider. There is just a lot more vibration under the bonnet of an RV. Just food for thought.
 
Bubblehead said:
Rich Rudolph and Penguin -what model did you select?
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Ref: On my -8 I've been very pleased (10yrs) with cooler #119M221 (P/N 50-119-7612 $168) w/Setrab M22-AN08 Fittings (P/N 22-M22AN0 $9.20ea) / supported on the engine mount using Adel clamps with 4" SCEET off rear baffle into plenum adapter. I'm powered by an IO-360 and I've never seen 200*, even on the hottest Texas days. I was planning on using the same cooler in my next project, but the incidents Kevin Horton cited in this thread has got me thinking. Thank you Kevin! Time for some homework!
 
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Bubblehead said:
Rich Rudolph and Penguin -what model did you select?
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I used a 7 row 115mm width version, part no OC177-8. There is also an HD version available designed to a 180psi working pressure and a 235mm width version (regular & HD). The male fittings are attached to the cooler.

This cooler is fitted to a One Design aerobatic aircraft with an injected 180hp motor. So far we have only 30 hours on the engine, in general the oil temp has been stable at 180F, occasionally getting up to 200+ during a sequence on a hot day (85 to 90 OAT), I live in England. However, I have a friend who installed a similar cooler in a similar aircraft after the engine had been rebuilt and reported much higher temps.

This cooler is much smaller than the comparable SW (or similar) item, so I might be tempted to go for a 10 row, or 235 wide 7 row if the OAT was expected to get up to 100.

Pete
 
Posted by Bubblehead
Rich Rudolph and Penguin -what model did you select?[/QUOTE]

The box says P/N 113 NPT 3/8
The ports are female so I could use 45 deg. AN fittings to get the right angle for the hoses.
I bought it from George Orendorff back in 2000.
 
Thanks

Penguin, Rich, and Special Delivery - thanks for posting the model numbers. I did the calculations for the 113 Setrab a year or so ago and it looked like it had the capacity.

I'm currently using the Aero Classic 8000081 cooler with good results in my -8 with 180 hp IO-360. I've been improving the baffling a lot and that made a bigger difference than the oil cooler has. This summer in Texas I did a lot of flying when it was over 100 F and I can now climb at 500 fpm up to 8500 feet and never exceed 210 F on the oil temp. It usually returns to about 190 or 195 within 10 minutes of establishing cruise flight. Improving baffling lowered CHTs of course too.
 
We have a 10 row Setrab in our RV-4. Photos below for your reference. Replaced the cooler last year when the engine was overhauled. Previous cooler worked well for 850 hours.

Cheers,

Vac

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I like it

Vac - I like the way the oil cooler is tilted so the hot air is directed generally toward the cowl opening. I realize it still has to make a sharp been going into the cooler but this feels like the right way to do it.
 
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