Kitfox Aircraft Stick and Rudder Stein Air Grove Aircraft TCW Technologies Dynon Avionics AeroLED MGL Avionics Leading Edge Airfoils Desser EarthX Batteries Garmin G3X Touch
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: oil access door

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Bryan, Texas
    Posts
    558

    Default oil access door

    About ready to paint my cowling and realized that I should probably put an oil access door in the upper cowling to check the oil. Looking for ideas, advice, pics, etc. on the best way to do this.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Hopkinsville, Kentucky
    Posts
    46

    Default Re: oil access door

    Kiftox sells an oil access door kit with instructions on how to proceed. I'm in the process of installing now. Straightforward & easy.
    Danny
    Super Sport
    99% complete-almost

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Bryan, Texas
    Posts
    558

    Default Re: oil access door

    I am about to cut an access door in the cowling to be able to check the oil but know I am having second thoughts. I am wonderring if most people have an oil access door? I have to cut in at least a 6 inch square door to get my hand around the oil tank and unscrew the cap to access the dipstick. This seems like a big opening and half of the door is behind the firewall. Just curious if this is something that most kitfoxes have? The alternative is to unscrew the cowling every flight but that might be a good thing to be able to check everything else out? Thoughts?

  4. #4
    Senior Member Dorsal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Central, MA
    Posts
    1,511

    Default Re: oil access door

    Such an access door is standard on the current designs, personally it would be a real pain not having it.
    Dorsal ~~^~~
    Series 7 - Tri-Gear
    912 ULS Warp Drive

  5. #5
    Senior Member HighWing's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Goodyear, AZ
    Posts
    1,743

    Default Re: oil access door

    I had a little different take on this when I built my first Model IV. I hadn't flown for about twenty years and had done the long overdue BFR in a Citabria which meant a check out in that airplane. The preflight checklist had something like the following - check the oil level and look for any loose or chafed wires. This while looking through the little 4X4 access door.
    I felt that I had built this puppy and had an understanding about what all those possibly chafed wires were all about but a limited understandng on what all could go wrong. For 900 hours, I lifted off the top cowl to check the oil at every preflight. Among the things I found were the broken ignition module mounts - twice. I have already painted the new Model IVs cowl with no oil access door. Do I recommend this? Not necessarily. This is just to suggest that there might be something more to check under the hood than the oil.

    Lowell

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Soldotna Alaska
    Posts
    176

    Default Re: oil access door

    I am with Lowell on this one. I like to look under the hood each and every time before I fly to check water level, loose wires, hoses, oil leaks etc. Takes an extra 30 seconds to pop the cowl off and get a good look under the hood. I do this summer and winter rain or shine.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Dorsal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Central, MA
    Posts
    1,511

    Default Re: oil access door

    Can't argue with that, I pull my top cowl every ~5 hours, more often couldn't hurt. If I fly out for lunch I will check the oil before the flight back but would probably not pop the top.
    Dorsal ~~^~~
    Series 7 - Tri-Gear
    912 ULS Warp Drive

  8. #8
    DesertFox6's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Glendale, AZ
    Posts
    143

    Default Re: oil access door

    I have an oil access door on my Model IV Speedster's aft top cowl for occasional quick-checks but remove the top front cowl after the last flight of the day once the beastie is in her hangar. A good post-flight allows checking everything while the evidence, and oil, is still hot but I use the oil-door for the dip-stick access. The next pre-flight is always easier since she's already prepped for inspection, but the oil cooler door has another plus for us Desert Fox types, in that you can open it up to allow some cool-down during our blast-furnace summers while you stop for lunch.

    The ignition modules always thank me for that courtesy in keeping the under-cowl temps from melting them!

    "E.T."

  9. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Bryan, Texas
    Posts
    558

    Default Re: oil access door

    Thank you all for the opinions. I think I might just go ahead and cut one in since it would be difficult to do after paint. But I think I am going to still pull the cowling for preflight. Thanks again. This forum is a great resource.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Monocock's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    226

    Default Re: oil access door

    Before you look at the pictures below, I would like to make it quite clear that this isn't my tidy handywork, it is that of someone far more skilled than me!!!



    I too tend to take the top cowl off before the first flight of the day, even though the oil door is there.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •