REFLECTOR:Air Oil Separator

[reflector@www.tvbf.org]

FWIIW:

I have an air oil separator myself. However just in the last few days I have read a thread on the Cessna Pilots Association boards that has me rethinking the separator. 

It seems that one of the multiple purposes of the crankcase vent is to allow water to boil out of the oil. The better the separator works the better it is at collecting steam and putting it right back into your oil as water! 

Some separators are made to drain back into a rocker cover. A few stories came up about corrosion on the rockers, etc. from the water being put back there. But no matter where you put it if the separator works you will be getting water back. 

I don't know that this info is worth removing a existing separator but it sure makes me hesitant to ever install an other one. With the nice pusher design of the Velocity I think I would do as others have and just embed the vent in the wing back to the trailing edge outside the prop arc. Everything will stay nice and clean that way and the water gets out too. 

DM Rob