REFLECTOR:Oil Congealing Problems in Lines to Front Cooler

Scott reflector@tvbf.org
Sun, 30 Nov 2003 08:36:46 -0700


Your worried about a non-problem.

Lycoming & Continental, and every engine that I know of, has a oil 
cooler/filter bypass valve in case the cooler/filter is clogged from dirt 
or congealed oil.  WIth a cooler its a thermostat & bypass valve.

see for lycoming

http://www.lycoming.textron.com/main.jsp?bodyPage=/support/publications/keyReprints/maintenance/moreAboutOil.html

If the oil is congealed it will bypass the cooler to some degree.  If the 
oil congealed so much that you wouldn't get any flow through the filter, 
that would have to be really really cold,  you would have oil pressure but 
most likely the oil temperature would rise above red line fairly soon.

I don't live up where it is really cold, but I've had many starts around 
10F below Zero with no problem.  I run Phillips 10-50.  Of course I 
preheated my engine, but not the nose cooler.

Scott


At 09:16 PM 11/29/2003, you wrote:
>Are people who live up north having any problems with oil congealing in the
>long lines that run up to the forward oil cooler?  Since the full flow of
>oil is diverted to the forward oil cooler before it is circulated back
>through the standard engine oil cooler (at least on the IO-550N) and into
>the engine, it would seem that if the oil did congeal in the forward oil
>cooler (or in the lines on the way there) during a cold climate engine
>start, it could prevent proper engine lubrication and cooling for a VERY
>long time until the oil in the forward cooler finally warmed up.  Has anyone
>observed this or had problems like this during cold weather ops?
>
>Bob Jackson
>Velocity XL-RG
>N2XF
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>To change your email address, visit 
>http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>
>Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
>user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
>Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
>Check old archives: http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html