Is this OK?? Oil Cooler mount

I'm using a 200 HP IO-375 and wanted a large oil cooler to prevent heat issues. The challenge is in shoe horning a 13 row cooler inside the engine mount. I came up something that seems to work slick but want your opinions before proceeding.

I bent the oil cooler mounts so the bottom of the cooler will sit flat against the fire wall. I can support the weigh on the other end with an adel clamp off the engine mount. This was too easy and I haven't seen one done this way… is there something I'm missing?

A couple of issues

I think the basic idea is fine, but a couple of things to think about.

1) Oil cooler mount flanges are kind of notorious for cracking. Now you have bent yours straight once. So it should be solidly supported so it won't vibrate enough to crack over time. I do not think an adel clamp is good enough. You will need some kind of rigid mount support. Maybe some diagonal braces that bolt onto the mount flange on the back side and angle in to the firewall?
Two large triangles just above and below the ends of the cooler, with one leg of the triangle attached to the firewall, and at the outer corner, a piece of angle that spans between the two triangles and bolts to the cooler mounting flange. (A picture would make this a lot easier to communicate)

2) It looks like the hot outflow of the cooler will be blowing directly on a P-mag? That is not good. The outflow temp from the cooler could be 230F or so.

I like the nifty fiberglass transition duct. Did you make that or can you buy that somewhere? How does it attach to the cooler? Maybe put one on the exit too, to aim the outflow away from the P-mags. Just a note from experience, when you do mount that transition duct, be sure to seal the perimeter of where it mates to the face of the cooler with orange RTV. The tiny leak paths between the cooling fins make a noticeable difference in cooling if you don't.

Or, if you have room, rotate the cooler 90 degrees so the inflow comes in the top and the hot outflow goes straight down.

One other thing to think about (that many people who haven't had a lot of airplanes forget) is maintenance access. You are basically going to be cutting off all access to the rear of your engine from that side. If you haven't added wiring and control cables yet, you will be amazed at how your space for hands and fingers will disappear....

The more difficult the access, the more reluctant you will be to do inspections or maintenance, and that is not good.

You might look at how it's mounted on the -10.

Between all of you, I may have an answer. There is room to mount the oil cooler horizontally as suggested. If I built an aluminum plenum box above it, similar to the RV10 but made as a right triangle (with the output 90 degrees to the firewall pointing straight down) it would provide support and rigidity for the oil cooler as suggested by Steve, alleviate heat blowing towards the P-Mag, and give the 4" scat tube a straighter shot to the baffle behind #4.

Anything else I should consider? Thank you for sharing your ideas and knowledge, you make a real difference for those of us working though our first build. If you think about it, there have probably been lives saved by this forum. - Mark

I don't know how much room you have, but you could order the RV-10 mount from Vans.

Here is a better photo

DO NOT BEND THE MOUNTING TABS ON YOUR OIL COOLER. When I inspected the bend under magnification I saw stress cracks even though I tried to keep a radius. The aluminum is quite brittle. This cannot be repaired with TIG. Oil cooler is powder brazed in an oven. Melting temp below that of aluminum. Someone might be able to pull off the repair but I can deal with the loss of $500 a whole lot easier than the loss of oil pressure. Boy do I feel stupid. Life is a series of learning experiences, some are more expensive than others. - Mark

I'd say you just bought yourself an expensive repair of (if not a whole new) cooler. You just dont bend the tabs like that.

I have a IO-375 on my -7 and have never had any oil temp issues with my 9 cell cooler. Even with full power climb outs in over 100 degree days. You can see the cooler I used and the location in the below link to my site.

Also, if you mount the cooler in the general location you are referring to, note that the mixture and prop cables go through that area per the plans. Plugging that area with the cooler will also require rerouting and alternate length cabling etc..

http://www.704ch.com/2012/05/oil-cooler.html

Thx

I also have a 7 with the IO-375 (195 hp). I installed a 9 row cooler from AeroClassics (8000074) at the standard location behind #4 cylinder. It is tight and I had to cut out he mounting frame on one side for the engine mount. I did fly in hot weather and cooling is sufficient. Here is a pic:

I have been flying with an IO-375 for around 110 hours now. I also went with the larger oil cooler from the RV-10 to make sure I had ample cooling capacity. Below is a picture of the mount I fabricated... it has worked very well for me.... good luck,
Jason

Well this ship has sailed and it is an expensive lesson but I would still try and save it. I would attempt to straighten one flange and if successful would use the RV10 installation however before installing I would fabricate a picture frame doubler that goes between the cooler and the mount and picks up all the holes in the upper and lower flange. I would repeat the doubler on the opposite side of the flange.

Pat

RV-7 VS RV-7A

This is one of those areas where a -7 is quite different than a -7A. Be careful.. Although you can get the cooler to fit on the firewall of a -7, the pics of the locations on the -7As won't be helpful. Engine mount structure is completely different.

Thx

I shared my screw-up with Bill Genvero at "Airflow Systems" (the folks who manufactured my oil cooler). Bill was concerned about the safety of an attempted repair but took pity and sold me another oil cooler at a "significantly" reduced price. It was an unsolicited act of kindness that lifted my spirits after such an expensive mistake. Airflow is obviously a company that cares about their customers! - Mark

fiberglass

Mark, wondering where you got the fiberglass transition piece for your cooler. I just found some cracks starting on my baffle mounted cooler after 700 hrs and am planning on moving it to the firewall.

Pete - Got the fiberglass transition duct from Airflow Systems. Also carried at Aircraft Spruce. - Mark

New oil cooler arrived. It appears that the RV10 oil cooler plenum might fit, could someone please call out the dimensions? Thx! - Mark

I think this is actually a better solution. While this is a 540 on an RV-8, the concept and clearances should be similar. Some adels and alum scrap angle to mount cooler to the engine mount. This gives you a couple of things.
1. as mentioned by others, access to the FW for maintenance.
2. Fix to mount, allows for engine movement.
3. Easily serviced
4. reduction of overall area taken up by the cooler and parts.
Higher res version here.

works great

There is not much extra room but the standard -10 plenum with a 4" scat hose and a butterfly valve works wonderfully in a -7

Another way to do it

Here is a link to a post of how I mounted mine in my RV-8. Very similar to the RV-10 plenum, but I changed the dimensions to fit the Rv-8 better.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showpost.php?p=823930&postcount=4

Sorry this ends up being a link to a link to an original post, but you may find other useful ideas in those threads as well,

Thanks all - Based on your information I ordered an RV10 Plenum. Hope to install this weekend if it comes in time. - Mark