912 Winter Operation

[kitfox2009]

G`day All
Now that winter is here I would like to know how most KF`ers are keeping their 912`s up to operating temps. I have been "adjusting" my duct tape on the oil cooler and rad but there must be a better way,especially for the rad. Are most of you using a thermostat and if so ,where do you locate it? I would think if it was on the outlet (pressure) side of the pump this may restrict the flow and increase the pressure with possible hose failure. If a Tstat is the way to go, what is the part number or supplier if other than Rotax? I will talk to Rotax tomorrow, but I thought you folks with live operating experience may have better ideas.
I also notice the EGT higher than usual on climb out. I imagine this is due to a leaner mixture with the cool/heavy air. Do most "richen up" for winter?

Thanks

Don
KF5 Vixen C-FOXK

[Dorsal]

I use an oil T-stat, short money from Lockwood. Mine is mounted in front of the firewall and appears to work very well, significantly shortening warm-up times and holding a nice temp while flying. To be fair I have not flown the plane without it so I have little to compare to in that regard. I did run the engine quite a bit before installing the unit and was surprised at how long it took the engine to come up to temp without it.

[wwillyard]

I use aluminum plates of various sizes, for seasonal adjustment, over the oil cooler. I also fabricated an adjustable damper in front of the radiator, which I can adjust in flight. Lastly I use a modified version the HACman mixture control from Green Sky Adventures on my 912ul.

Bill
Classic IV 912ul

[Av8r3400]

I do not have an oil cooler on my plane, so no issue there. If you have one I would consider completely taping it over.

In the photo below, you can see I also have the speedster "scoop" on the radiator. I tape over the half of the scoop that has uninterrupted air and only let in the "preheated" exhaust air from the cowling into the scoop.

This helps keep the temp up on the engine.

[cap01]

this is what i did to keep the oil warm in the winter , works pretty good

[kitfox2009]

The oil cooler is not bad to deal with. I can tape it up from the outside. Right now I just have a 1"x2" opening and it runs around 200+. I have the smooth cowel and the rad is inside, requiring removal of both halves. I am going to install a cockpit adjustable set of shutters that were supposed to go on the oil cooler. I see also that "Thermo-Bob" has a motorcycle bypass T-stat that looks interesting. Maybe next year!!

[Ron S]

I made an airscoop with a cockpit adjustable shutter for the rad and aluminum tape on the oil cooler. It works well in -20 C temperatures.
Ron

[moosepileit]

I believe most thermocouples are calibrated for 75 degrees, F. The colder it is, the higher your reading will be. 25 degrees F would make your reading 50 degrees higher.

A proper carb at Wide Open shouldn't change EGT much, I see almost exactly the difference in temperature from the above standard.

[kmach]

Hi All, I also as of yet , have not found a satisfactory solution to keep the engine temps up while in cruise. i have both low oil and coolant readings . I have a 912 uls with smooth cowl so the coolant radiator is inside the lower cowl, the oil cooler radiator is up front of the gearbox , so it is easy to tape over. I would be very interested in pictures of the coolant radiator shutter setup, for a smooth cowl setup. Kevin

[kitfox2009]

Hi Guys

I just completed a set of shutters similar to the setup that Chuck showed the pic of a few days ago. I have eight 1 3/4 inch holes in the aluminum plates that slide over each other. I put self sticking household draft seal foam rubber along the perimeter and attached it to the rad with "tarp tape" and 2 zap straps on each end. The size of the unit is 5x17 1/2 inches. The push/pull cable extends under the panel. 1 1/2 inches either way opens and closes the openings (they do not completely close off in order to always supply some air flow) Just installed this yesterday so have not flight tested yet!!! Snowing and mild here today. The ground trial yesterday brought the temps right up.

Have fun

Don

[catz631]

I bought these shutters from HighwingLLC and they also help to control the temp. Control of the shutters is done by the two knobs on the instrument panel.
Dick Maddux
Milton,Fl

[kitfox2009]

Well today I had a chance to try out my new "sliding shutters" as suggested by Chuck (cap01). I installed mine on the rad though, and still use tape on the oil cooler because it is so easy to get at. It was -7 degrees C with a fairly low ceiling so I just stayed in the circuit.
With the slider fully closed ( I adjusted it to always leave small openings)the water temps stayed steady at 180F and oil at 200F. Even throttling back for landing the temps maintained constant. With these results I should be able to leave this assembly in place til the hot summer (plus 30C) July temps. All in all I believe this to be a success. The next time I have the cowl off I could post a pic if anyone is interested.

[kmach]

Hi, Don glad to hear your shutter worked . I didn't really have a bunch of temp problems in the circuit, my cool temps happen in about 30 minutes of cruising, -15 C at 52-5300 rpm . having the rads closed off has got to make a difference! Kevin

[Paul Z]

My plan is to use the following shutter, quick, easy simple to install. I don't have to design it!
http://www.highwingllc.com/oilcoolershutters.html

[kitfox2009]

Hi Paul

I don`t have enough clearance between the oil cooler and the cowling or the prop on my smooth cowl Vixen to use that type of shutter. I suppose with some serious modification it would work but I find the tape on the oil cooler is fine. I was going to install it on the rad, but Chuck`s idea seems to work well.
Good luck

Don