Oil Cooler Shutter

[NunavutPA-12]

My skis have been on for a month (working outside, I like to do it before the weather gets too cold). Lakes are frozen up now and the smaller ones will soon be safe for ski landing.

Tired of guessing how much to cover the oil cooler. Invariably, I guess wrong.

Does anyone make an off-the-shelf, cockpit-controlled oil cooler shutter for my rear-mounted oil cooler on an O-320?

[stewartb]

Anti Splat Aero. https://antisplataero.com/products/o...er-air-shutter

[NunavutPA-12]

Thanks, though I thought you might be joking. What a weird company name!

(Edit: ordered, along with the cable and end hardware. Thanks Stewart.)

[courierguy]

I made a simple cockpit controlled one, the cockpit controlled part is critical I found. Going from high altitude cruising to a few hours later down lower and playing around doing multiple take offs etc., there was no one ground adjusted position that did the trick as the day progressed. Rotax 912 but similar needs to you, ski flying, and going from single digit temps to 30+, from easy cruising to working it hard, the ability to control the shutter from the cockpit is crucial. Using some aluminum angle and misc., I made a track (top and bottom) for a scrap piece of lexan, which is held open by a spring I found in my junk drawer. That is pulled across the cooler by a push/pull wire, like is used for cabin heat. The only catch is....to remember to open it back up when needed, it can be too effective if you aren't paying a bit of attention. It is also very handy for quicker warm ups after starting.

When full summer hits, the lexan is flexible enough to just flex it a bit and pop it out of the tracks, and I zip tie it out of the way, as even fully open it blocks just a bit of the cooler, just enough for me to want it out of the way when it's 80+ degrees.

Just saw the other post, the splat thing looks good, just plan on being able to totally get it out of the way once it warms up as it too reduces the flow even wide open. My way was cheaper though!

[stewartb]

Check out their prop wrench video. For those of us with constant speed props? Great idea. I ordered one!

I suspect Anti Splat is based on their oil separator and the crankcase vacuum kit. I have both on a shelf and figure to install as soon as the engine is broken in. More good ideas for experimentals.

[mike mcs repair]

Dans aircraft in anchorage has one


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org

[NunavutPA-12]

(Home-built PA-12 clone with O-320 and rear-mounted oil cooler)

Well, I got my Anti-Splat Aero oil cooler shutter installed, but not yet flight tested.

I wanted to mount it to the front of the oil cooler, as the opinion of most is that it works better in front than at the back. It's a tight fit, working in that little cubby hole in front of the cooler, and even if I could fit a drill in there it didn't seem like a good idea to be drilling holes that close to the cooler. I needed a neat installation that would make the shutter easy to remove during the summer months.

Solution (don't laugh) - VELCRO! The shutter is very solid, neat, vibration-proof and should be easy to remove.

The question is: will the Velcro survive the heat? I'm about 90-percent sure it will during the winter months, but only about 50-percent for the summer, when half the Velcro will still be attached to the baffle around the cooler. But, hey … what's the worst that can happen? Melted Velcro and I'm back to square one with nothing lost.

I'll let you know how it works.

[Gordon Misch]

what's the worst that can happen?

Velcro come loose and cover the cooler in the summer???

[NunavutPA-12]

Velcro come loose and cover the cooler in the summer???

There's only Velcro on three sides, 3-inches x 5/8 inch top and bottom, 4-inches x 5/8 inch on the inboard side. Even if it all comes off, the blockage would be minimal. Most likely the pieces would fall to the bottom of "the well", where #4 cylinder will take care of them

[JP11]

I bought one too. Not installed yet. Lemme know how the velcro works.

JP

[NunavutPA-12]

I bought one too. Not installed yet. Lemme know how the velcro works.

JP

WILCO, although I may not be flying for a few months. Getting dark and cold at this latitude now.

[gpepperd]

I have looked at those shutter type from Antisplat Aero but the seem too small to fit my cooler. Seems as if that size cooler would be more for a faster airplane than our cub types. Any feedback would be great.

[NunavutPA-12]

In my case, the shutter is just slightly larger than my oil cooler. There's a baffle around the front of the cooler with an opening slightly smaller than the finned area of the cooler. It's on this baffle that I attached the shutter.
Judging from their web site, Anti Splat products are mostly aimed at the RV crowd, but in my case it seems to fit fine.

[JP11]

That was going to be my comment as well. Look at the area of the cooler that air can actually pass through. I think the shutter is plenty big enough.

I haven't installed mine yet. Plan to do it when the skis go on.

JP