Oil tank quick drain

[jrevens]

I agree with all the points you made, Lowell. Thank you very much.

[Shadowrider]

Revisiting and old thread. Has anyone tried installing the Saf-air M12175 quick drain? A friend accidentally bought the wrong one for his lycoming and asked if I wanted it. He is and A&P and says he uses these on all the airplanes he works on without ever having issues. So I told him sure I will install it. I tried installing it and found out it hits the bottom of the tank. They make and adapter to make it work, but I am worried that with the adapter will make it too long and it will be too close to radiator line?

[Dave S]

I don't know that I can offer any useful comments to Dustin, however, the fact that this subject was addressed today caused me to get interested in reviewing the entire thread.

John's comments regarding the concave bottom plate in the oil tank caused me to consider that Rotax may have had added this feature without explaining their reasoning behind it. I don't think it was a conspiracy to keep us from using quick drains.

I don't know what that date was; but, if I recall, Rotax introduced "INF" (international fine thread) fittings, otherwise understood as "AN" fittings on the top of the tank in place of the metric fittings we have had on the legacy engines. This may have been the time they also did the concave bottom plate inside the tank. Since I have had both style tanks (and installed the new engine in favor of the legacy metric fittings and flat bottom plate while the new tank is now a paperweight) I inspected and measured up the innards on both. In addition to the concave bottom plate, Rotax also extended the oil pickup tube which now dips below the rim of the concave bottom plate. I don't know their reasoning; but, with the new design, a liquid seal will exist between the pickup tube and small pool of oil contained in the concave design if a person drains the oil but does not pull the top off.

Rotax has always been adamandt that oil systems be purged to avoid sucking up air in the oil system; and, speculatively, the change may be relted to this. The are other ways to introduce air into the oil system, but the new design may cut one of those introduction points out.

[jrevens]

Revisiting and old thread. Has anyone tried installing the Saf-air M12175 quick drain? A friend accidentally bought the wrong one for his lycoming and asked if I wanted it. He is and A&P and says he uses these on all the airplanes he works on without ever having issues. So I told him sure I will install it. I tried installing it and found out it hits the bottom of the tank. They make and adapter to make it work, but I am worried that with the adapter will make it too long and it will be too close to radiator line?

Dustin - if clearance is a potential problem you might consider using an angle fitting. I didn't have clearance issues, but this avoided the problem with the valve extending too far up into the tank.

IMG_1528.jpg IMG_1526.jpg

[Kitfox Pilot]

aircraft spruce have 90s to fit the rotax quick drain they sell. I use the quick drain but didn't need the 90 for mine.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...ickkey=3492841

[Shadowrider]

Dave that could be a worry but I would think leaking oil would happen before that?

[Shadowrider]

Hey! That should work for me. Where did you get that 90 from?

[Shadowrider]

aircraft spruce have 90s to fit the rotax quick drain they sell. I use the quick drain but didn't need the 90 for mine.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...ickkey=3492841

Thanks! The quick drain I have is a different brand but I imagine it would still work. Dang! Those 90s are expensive!

[Shadowrider]

John, where do you get that 90?


Thanks,

Dustin

[jrevens]

Dustin,

Sorry this took so long... Aircraft Spruce. It's the same Curtis assembly (Rotax 90 deg Adapter) that Kitfox Pilot listed the link for -

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...ickkey=3492841