High Oil Temperatures with High OATs in the RV-12?

Ken Krueger is currently looking at my data download from the Dynon and mentioned that only myself and Wayne Moyer have been the only two that have contacted Van's Engineering and have indicated that they are observing high oil temperatures with the high OATs (high 80's, 90's). He is very interested in this issue and would like to determine why some of us see the high oil temperatures and others do not.

He is willing to help us here, but, can't help you/us until you make your issue known. Based on the posts here on VAF, many are experiencing high oil temps!

If you are experiencing high oil temperatures, please send an e-mail to Ken Krueger at Van's and let him know. Sending a data download from your D-180 would even be better.

Send the e-mail to [email protected]

If you need help downloading the data from the D-180, I would be more than happy to help you via a phone call.

I'll need help

I agree Marty-- seems like a lot of others had similar problems. It's no more difficult to send an email to Van's than to post here-- at least let them know you're concerned, guys.
As soon as I can get a chance to fly on another hot day I'll dump the mass of numbers from the Dynon onto a laptop and then contact you for help in making some sense of it Marty. I gave up on the Dynon data and did the flight test cards with a kneeboard and radio. Most of what I downloaded didn't make any sense at all.

Wayne 120241

Marty, and others,
What oil temperature are you considering high? >230?

What oil temp/OAT performance are you working towards? I'd like to know how the factory plane did in warm weather testing. In one post I read it was "not overly high", but I'm really not sure what numbers to assign that.

Andy, Yes, I will easily see oil temperatures at the top end of the green band, into the yellow band (the green/yellow setpoint is 230 degF) on the Dynon during a climb to 3000-4000' on a hot day (90 degF) at 75-80 knots. What are you seeing in NV?

Marty,
I think I am about the same as you, now, after a minor change. With a take off OAT in the low 90's, I am now seeing oil temps during climb in the upper green to just into the low yellow range by 3000 AGL, and it then stabilizes and begins to decrease as I reach cooler air at altitude. Would be nice if it was always in the green, but it is probably fine like this. To me: green=go, yellow=caution, red=stop. The Rotax docs say >250f is ok for short periods when using synthetic oil - which I think most of us are afraid to do, but I am currently thinking short periods of operation in the yellow are acceptable. I am not sure what OAT's in the 100's will do, and not sure I would want to be in the plane then either.

I have checked my duct seal at the radiator and its good and per the plans. My take off RPM is 5050.

I have moved my oil cooler forward about 1.25 inches, and added a heat shield to the forward half of the muffler. Originally, my oil cooler was a distance of only 3/8" from the muffler at the closest point - I didn't like this. Prior to doing this, I was in the yellow by 2000 AGL with a take off OAT of just 80f. I was not comfortable going into the summer with this marginal cooling perormance. Moving the oil cooler forward required a little fiberglass work on the duct's oil cooler flange area - not too difficult. The heat shield is similar to the one Larry made but only covers the forward half. This didn't adversely affect CHT's. I don't propose this to anyone as a "fix". In my case it helped. What next, more air flow through the cooler, or a larger cooler? Maybe, Van's study of the situation will lead to a professionally engineered solution.

I feel mine is satisfactory right now, but am watching it closely as OAT's here increase. The plane is really great and a joy to fly - I really am pleased overall and am confident we will all find our solution. Like I mentioned before, my personal tolerance for the heat(and turbulence that comes with it) may be lower than the planes.

I am not sure what OAT's in the 100's will do, and not sure I would want to be in the plane then either.

Yesterday it was 108 here in Granbury Texas and the plane worked fine. Of course the oil warmed up faster. Yes I do climb out at higher IAS and yes I do climb very high so that my brain functions. If the plane didn't work on 100 plus days we would have no utility here. Like anything else, we adapt. On the other hand, I cannot imagine flying in 10/20 degree weather. I think I would die.

Andy J said:

Marty,
I think I am about the same as you, now, after a minor change. With a take off OAT in the low 90's, I am now seeing oil temps during climb in the upper green to just into the low yellow range by 3000 AGL, and it then stabilizes and begins to decrease as I reach cooler air at altitude. Would be nice if it was always in the green, but it is probably fine like this. To me: green=go, yellow=caution, red=stop. The Rotax docs say >250f is ok for short periods when using synthetic oil - which I think most of us are afraid to do, but I am currently thinking short periods of operation in the yellow are acceptable. I am not sure what OAT's in the 100's will do, and not sure I would want to be in the plane then either.

I have checked my duct seal at the radiator and its good and per the plans. My take off RPM is 5050.

I have moved my oil cooler forward about 1.25 inches, and added a heat shield to the forward half of the muffler. Originally, my oil cooler was a distance of only 3/8" from the muffler at the closest point - I didn't like this. Prior to doing this, I was in the yellow by 2000 AGL with a take off OAT of just 80f. I was not comfortable going into the summer with this marginal cooling perormance. Moving the oil cooler forward required a little fiberglass work on the duct's oil cooler flange area - not too difficult. The heat shield is similar to the one Larry made but only covers the forward half. This didn't adversely affect CHT's. I don't propose this to anyone as a "fix". In my case it helped. What next, more air flow through the cooler, or a larger cooler? Maybe, Van's study of the situation will lead to a professionally engineered solution.

I feel mine is satisfactory right now, but am watching it closely as OAT's here increase. The plane is really great and a joy to fly - I really am pleased overall and am confident we will all find our solution. Like I mentioned before, my personal tolerance for the heat(and turbulence that comes with it) may be lower than the planes.

Click to expand...

Andy,

Thanks for the info. Could you please copy your note and send it to Ken Krueger at Vans. Your experience is a GOOD data point. The address... [email protected]

If you can send a download of your Dynon data and send with your note, that would be even better.

Thanks.

Hi Marty,

I think Ken is pulling your leg on the only two RV-12 customers complaining directly to Van's about oil temperature, just for what it is worth the following is an exchange of emails after several phone calls to the help desk and then to Scott R. directly, these were followed by taking the aircraft to Lockwood's and they tried to work directly with Van's as well as they also had another RV-12 in for the same issue.

The sender was tested several days later and found good and was switched with a CHT sender just to be sure.

The following was sent on 25 May 2010:

Yes, the large oval opening has been trimmed to the scribe line.

Yes, the air duct to the water radiator is correctly installed as is the seal to the water radiator. Not sure what the water radiator has to do with the oil temperature when the cylinder head temperatures have stayed at about one temperature well below the yellow.

We will try to test the oil temp. sending unit in the morning.

Thanks for your help.

Best regards,
Vern

----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 5:44 PM
Subject: oil temp info


Vern, these are Scott McD's suggestions.


verify that the air inlet opening in the cowl (oval opening
directly
below
the propeller spinner)
was final trimmed to the proper size.
verify that the duct is installed properly with the
prescribed .250" gap between
the seal flange of the duct and the seal flange of the heat
exchanger.
then verify that the seal flange on the heat exchanger is
positioned
properly, and that the
silicone seals are installed properly on the perimeter of the duct
flange.


Also, verify the calibration of the sending unit using boiling water.




scottr
van's

Vern,

Please do me a BIG favor and send the info directly to Ken K. at [email protected]

I really would like to get some constructive dialog started here.

Thanks, in advance!

The easiest way to determine if the oil temperature sensor is indicating correctly, is to cross check the EGTs, the CHTs and the oil temperature in the morning after the plane has been sitting overnight.

MartySantic said:

Vern,

Please do me a BIG favor and send the info directly to Ken K. at [email protected]

I really would like to get some constructive dialog started here.

Thanks, in advance!

The easiest way to determine if the oil temperature sensor is indicating correctly, is to cross check the EGTs, the CHTs and the oil temperature in the morning after the plane has been sitting overnight.

Click to expand...

OK Marty, I sent the message and it was returned as a bad address, please see the text of the returned message below:

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

[email protected]
Unrouteable address

Marty I don't think my oil temp went over 210 climbing to 4500 this am, but oat was only about 85F. I will check more closely on next flight, but in 70 hrs of flying in last 11 mos I have yet to have a concern. I don't recall going over 230 in the worst case.
Dick Seiders

Carl J. Niedermeyer said:

Looks like "vansaircraft" was misspelled in the original email address. Try:

[email protected]

Click to expand...

Thanks, Carl. Vern.... try again!

dick seiders said:

Marty I don't think my oil temp went over 210 climbing to 4500 this am, but oat was only about 85F. I will check more closely on next flight, but in 70 hrs of flying in last 11 mos I have yet to have a concern. I don't recall going over 230 in the worst case.
Dick Seiders

Click to expand...

Dick,

Where are you located? Your configuration runs a LOT cooler than mine. That is EXACTLY what is curious here. There seems to be some minor difference that allows more oil cooling in some of the 12's compared to the others. As mentioned, maybe the distance between the oil cooler and the muffler? With more input, maybe Ken K. can determine the reasons. Please send your input to [email protected]

Marty, my 12 is plans built so am certain there are essentially no differences with other plans built 12's. I will continue to monitor for a while and will submit data when I have accumulated same.
Dick Seiders

Oops! I am in the Atlanta Ga region.
Dick Seiders

If you have not sent Ken Krueger a note regarding your oil temperatures, PLEASE do so. He is interested in hearing from those that see and do not see high oil temperatures. A thank-you to those that have taken a minute to send Ken a note. His e-mail is [email protected]

I noticed something today and maybe others can check. Tried to gauge the gap between the rear side of the oil cooler and the muffler. With the bottom cowl attached I was able to get my hand/index finger in that area. My finger would not fit in the gap which means the distance between the rear side of the oil cooler and the muffler is less than 1/4".

When your top cowl is removed can you other guys do the same. Would be interested in getting a gap estimate for those that ARE and ARE NOT seeing high oil temperatures with high OATs.

Are you sure the readings are accurate?

A friend of ours had similar problems with his brand new D10 (same engine monitoring technology as the D180, I think) in his SeaRey build. He tested the unit by putting the suspect probes into oil heated on a camp stove. Determining the actual oil temperature with an accurate thermometer, he found the unit gave inaccurate readings on more than one parameter. The problem wasn't the plane but the D10. Folks with concerns might make this sort of test before assuming a problem with their airplane.

A quick test of the sender, at least at one temp is to look at the cht and egt temps before start up and compare. Both egts are reading 90 right noe. One cht is 89 and the other 91. My oil temp reads 90, so I know it is ok at this temp. Whether it reads wrong at higher temps or not I can't tell yet. My temps are high, but I want to get more data before I email Ken.

Mark Henderson said:

A quick test of the sender, at least at one temp is to look at the cht and egt temps before start up and compare. Both egts are reading 90 right noe. One cht is 89 and the other 91. My oil temp reads 90, so I know it is ok at this temp. Whether it reads wrong at higher temps or not I can't tell yet. My temps are high, but I want to get more data before I email Ken.

Click to expand...

Mark,

That is a very good cross check. Knowing a bit about thermocouple theory (was a nuclear instrumentation engineer before retirement), a thermocouple's characteristic curve that relates the voltage output of the thermocouple vs. the measured temperature is fixed for a given thermocouple type. You tell the Dynon what type of thermocouple you are using, and it knows the characteristic curve of the thermocouple. Therefore if accurate at one point, the temperature measured at the other points is most likely accurate. I would say, you are seeing a REAL temperature. The only other factor could be a resistive connection, but, given your readings are so close to another, I highly doubt that to be the case. Send your findings.

Add'l. Data

Marty, still waiting on that email info from you...

Here're numbers from yesterday:
Ground Temp: 94F
Elevation: 1,100
RoC: 75 knots
Peak Oil Temp was 231F after leveling off when needle hit yellow at 4,700MSL
OAT at 4,700: 68F

I affixed a temperature probe to the side of the oil cooler 1 1/2 inches fwd of the muffler. The highest temperature I recorded there was 125F just after takeoff. Temps decreased with altitude. Showed only 118F immediately after shut-down.

Don't know how much my ceramic-coated muffler affect this...

Looks like the remainder of my PAP climbs to 10K will be well into football season.

Jim
RV-12 #264

N223JH said:

Here're numbers from yesterday:
Ground Temp: 94F
Elevation: 1,100
RoC: 75 knots
Peak Oil Temp was 231F after leveling off when needle hit yellow at 4,700MSL
OAT at 4,700: 68F..............
.................Looks like the remainder of my PAP climbs to 10K will be well into football season.

Click to expand...

I am wondering why you called off your time to climb test at oil temp 231. The Rotax Operator's Manual lists the max oil temp at 266. I would think you could safely continue into the yellow range to complete this PAP item as long as you didn't hit the red line. My experience with these climb tests was that in the middle altitudes the oil temp would peak briefly in the yellow, then go back down as you got into cooler air above. Under normal operation (cruise climb) I have never gotten into the yellow range. I doubt that in real life flying you will ever need to push the engine as hard as you do in the PAP tests.

BigJohn said:

I am wondering why you called off your time to climb test at oil temp 231. The Rotax Operator's Manual lists the max oil temp at 266. I would think you could safely continue into the yellow range to complete this PAP item as long as you didn't hit the red line. My experience with these climb tests was that in the middle altitudes the oil temp would peak briefly in the yellow, then go back down as you got into cooler air above. Under normal operation (cruise climb) I have never gotten into the yellow range. I doubt that in real life flying you will ever need to push the engine as hard as you do in the PAP tests.

Click to expand...

Hi John,

I guess some of us are just cowards who do not want to damage our $ 20,000 engine so we are afraid to continue a trend of climbing oil temperature much into the yellow arc. I know that some aircraft cruise well into the yellow speed arc and some people like that, it has always made me uncomfortable. Running oil temperatures just into the yellow arc during a climb would be OK if the trend stopped and reversed soon. In our case we never saw it stop and we saw oil temperatures just into the yellow arc trying level cruise at 1500 ft. and 5200 rpm.

As we have seen in this thread and others on this topic some RV-12's run cooler than others and since the builder does very little to change any of the dimensions of any of the involved parts it is strange, at least to me.

Best regards,
Vern

Marty et al, I flew today to get some time and temp. info:
9A1 Covington GA
10;25am 32C, wind 25@4, t.o. on rwy 28.
5130 rpm at start of T.O. oil tp 130F
Cl out rpm incr to 5330 at 3000' oil tp. 200F in 24C air.
4200' 23C air oil tp. 225F
Level off at 4300 23C, cruise @ 5500rpm for ten min. oil tp. 225 to 226F
Cruise (5-6 min.each speed) @ 5300 oil tp. 221
Cruise @ 5000 oil tp. 219
Cruise @ 4700 oil tp. 215
cruise @ 4200 oil tp. 209
Total 1 hr in air oil tp never exceeded 226.
In pattern @ 4000 rpm oil tp. 201
End of taxi and shutdown oil tp. 198
Diff. in temp today and prior were 6-7 degrees hotter and an accurate monitoring of rpm and oil temps.
I will copy Van's on this info.
Dick Seiders

N223JH said:

Marty, still waiting on that email info from you...

Click to expand...

Sent you a PM. Need your e-mail address.

High Oil Temps

I was talking to a Rotax mechanic the other day about this issue.
He maintains several LSA's; Sport cruisers, Ct Flight Designs, RV-12s. Evidently, this is a common problem in hot weather. His solution; lower the nose and climb more slowly.

John Thach
_____________________
RV-6A Flying
180 h/p constant speed

That's not always a practical method.

Even in my Cessna 180, here in Colorado, we notice the density altitude when it's hot. In an airplane with 1/3 the climb rate (on standard conditions day) you'd really need to be thinking very far ahead of the airplane, like how are you going to get around that chimney or over those power lines.

Best fix the cooling issues, folks.

FINALLY GOT A CHANCE TO TEST THIS MORNING

Was 25C ( about 75F on the surface). FULL FUEL, me 215#. Oil started at 130F. Airport is about 960' MSL. Full power to 4300' at about 68 kts. ( that likely heated things up faster - slower speed ). Oil got up to 243F. Air had gotten cooler, I think 14C, at 4300'. Leveled and came back down. I felt that was enough to prove it will get warm if you hold it in a steep climb long enough.

John Bender

Another short flight today with good results on oil temp.
9A1 elev. 800' Rwys 10-28, winds 25 @ 8kts.
oat 33c, dens. alt. 2900'
Chkd Dynon temp readings before start: 89F oil, 90F on chts.
Oil tp. at run-up 128F
at t.o. 135
cl out at 70-75 (very bumpy hard to hold speed)
Cl rpms 5150
oil at 2000' 175
oil at 3000' 204 lev off and cruise at 5500 for 6 min. oil tp went to 220,and held at that level. oat 28C
(could not go higher due to hvy cumulus at 3800')
cruise at 5000 rpm oil 216
cr at 4700 rpm oil 211
in pattern at 4000 rpm oil 204
At t.dn. oil 198
at s.dn. oil 196
Dick Seiders 120093

Climbing in the YELLOW in the Texas HEAT

While JohnF was flying up to Buena Vista eating Bon-Bon?s and sipping chilled flavored ice tea, Pete and I were enduring 102 deg F Texas heat to get Marty some temperature data to save the RV-12 fleet. I flew from Grand Prairie to Pecan Plantation to join up with Pete. We departed Pecan Plantation and headed to Stephenville. I called out my temps as we climbed to altitude. Pete indicated that my temps were a little higher than his. I?ll let Pete report his numbers if he wants to. I downloaded my Dynon data file so Marty is going to get a ?Big Texas Data Dump?. After eating lunch at the Hard 8888?s BBQ Joint where they have ?Texas Sweet Tea? and not that fancy tea JohnF was probably sipping we launched back to our respective airports. At lunch Pete convinced me that flying in the ?YELLOW? was OK. I took off from KSEP Airport with the altitude indicating 1,338 ft MSL and the OAT reading 102 F. I did a 75 kt climb to 9,556 ft MSL where the OAT was 68 F. We had a temp cap over our area so the OAT varied from 68 F to 70 F starting at 7,000 ft MSL The oil temp maxed out at 262 F at 9,551 ft MSL just prior to my highest altitude. My highest EGT of 1,171 F was at my highest RPM (5,045) just after lift-off. CHTs started at 562/806 at the start of TO and reduced to 248/145 at my highest altitude. I reached my highest altitude and did a wing rock very near the Nuclear Power Plant at Glenrose, Texas as a tribute to Marty for all of his help by phone and postings on his web site and the RV-12 Forum. Bottom line for me is that operating in the ?YELLOW? works for our Texas heat if your prop pitch is about right. It has been so windy that I haven?t been able to get my static WOT at our current temp levels. Maybe while JohnF is cooling off in Colorado with his flavored tea, Pete and I will try to get more data when the OAT is 110 F. No flavored tea sipping wimps here. If you would like a copy of my data summary (AS/alt/temps/ect at 1,000 ft intervals) or entire file send me a PM with your e-mail address.
Bob Kibby (N712BK, 77.6 hrs, paint job scheduled in the Fall or sooner with Grady)

Hi Bob, remember me? Glad to see you are all back together and flying again. I have implemented several of your suggested upgrades to mine already, now that I am going EAB I cm in the process of doing more, like the rear bulkead cutout.
Come on down if you get the chance to stretch its legs a bit, you are always welcome!~.

My experience with Oil Temps

Lets all agree on a few Standardized conclusions about the oil temps shall we.
1 anytime the oil temp is in the green arc there is no problem
121F to 230F
(lets not debate here about the water needs to boiled out stuff)
2 you can operate in the Yellow arc but not all the time.
231F to 247F. Not all the time could be defined as spending 20 min of a one hour flight is OK
(lets not get to carried away on the debate on this definition on this one)
3 If you operate at the red line of 266F you may cause damage to your Rotax engine per page 2-5 in the Rotax 912 Operating manual. Note the RV12 Dynon 180 is set at 248F, dont know why
4 Although not a continuous problem sometimes on the RV12 we get oil temps above 230F depending on the OAT of the air we fly in and in certain aircraft operating conditions.

In a previous post on a different thread I stated that "I would say that at least 50% of the flying RV12s built have the high oil temps when flying in OATs of 85F or higher." That was my own personal opinion based on discussion on this form going back 2 years. I had received some PM,s about this assumption. However as you can see by this thread that other rv12s are having some problems to.

Today down here in Texas I flew a little different scenario.
Airport elevation 640 feet. Flew race track pattern over airport.

Pressure altitude 1500 feet
Density Altitude 3070 feet
OAT at 1500 feet 88F
RPM 5400
IAS 110 kts
OIl Temp 230 F
EGT normal
CHT normal.

There was no way I could I have climbed at Vx or Vy to 10000 feet with out exceeding the red line of 248F. Looking at John Benders Post and Bob Kibbys post are perfect examples of what we are running into. Here in Texas the standard temp decrease rate doesn't always apply. Meaning 3.5F change per 1000 feet of altitude doesn't always work. Some times in the summer you can see temps in the mid 80s or higher at 4000 feet OAT on the ground can exceed 105F. On my plane once we get through summer the Oil temps run in the green with out any problems. OAT of 85F or lower on the ground and things run fine. Summer only last 3 months anyways. RPM seems to be proportional to Oil Temp in high OAT temp conditions, meaning the higher the RPM the higher the Oil Temp. If I step climb, meaning climb a few thousand feet level off throttle back cool off(oil Temp goes down) then climb again I can manage my temps ok. As you can see in John Benders post that some times OAT can be cooler and you can still encounter the high Oil temps. I'll do some more data gathering for this tread and email to Vans next time I fly.

Reasons why these high temps maybe occurring:
1 Engine break-end may be causing some of the problem.
2 When building the cowl the tunnel maybe not trimmed off enough causing the OIL cooler to be slightly closer to the muffler than Vans two Demonstrators. 1/8 inch could be all it takes.
3 In southern latitudes a slightly bigger Oil cooler maybe required.
4 Or a small change in the cowl design maybe needed.
Time will tell as owners make changes that work.
5 The oil temp sensor could be slightly off on some engines

How I get by:
Step climb to altitude
Throttle back
Fly early in the morning or late in the evening when the OAT is cooler
We maybe just over thinking this problem meaning that these high oil temps may not be that big a deal at all just so long as you don't exceed the Red line!


Conclusion: Some RV12s are having a problem with High Oil Temps. In my opinion sending data to Vans will at least confirm there is a problem. But unless Vans goes into the field and checks rv12s that this is occurring on the fix is far off. I will work within the system though to help out.

Have a question. The POH states the maximum oil temperature is 248 degF. The ROTAX 912 Operator Manual states the maximum oil temperature is 285 degF. Why is there a difference? Will have to check the red line on the Dynon. I know it was still yellow at 250 degF from my climb test flight this evening.

Oil Red Line

Rotax oil temp max is 266 degrees Marty (ULS). Rotax coolant max temp is 248. I have found that with my prop pitched for a 5100+ RPM initial climb-out (Bob Kibby's is slightly less) on a 102 degree day that I can climb at 75kts and my oil temp will reach 247 somewhere around 8500' MSL and then begin to decline. You're right John...at that altitude my WOT is not still at 5100RPM and that no doubt influences my oil temp. I have no more problem flying with my oil occasionally in the yellow than I do taking my IAS occasionally into the yellow. I want the utility out of my aircraft. In the summertime that means fly high where your brain doesn't fry before your oil.

Pete

Correction!

Marty you are correct. It looks like the Rotax ops manual states 285F is the red line. For now I will amend My post to this number unless something new arises. It is 248F on our airplanes as per the POH. Not sure why there is a difference. I will ask all the tech reps at OSH while Im there about this. There is a Service Instruction that references 248F but uses it in the following Quote when using Aeroshell Sport 4 oil, Code 2, "Semi-synthetic aviation oils with gear additives. Highly recommend for normal (lower than 250F) and occasionally high temperature (higher than 248F) operation using leaded or unleaded fuels". I'm not sure how to interpret that one. Here is the link to it: http://www.rotax-aircraft-engines.com/portaldata/5/dokus/d04851.pdf

Where is it?

Pete give me a reference for the 266F temp? Never mind I found it Page 2-5 in the OPS manual. Marty take note that the new Max number.

Pete is a genius. I was looking at an older revision. Revision 1 states 285 degF. Revision 2 of the Rotax Operators Manual states 266 degF.

Genius

Not so...but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once!

Pete

I've noticed my oil temps are not as high as last year and seem to hover around 215f even with OATs of 80f, after the engine reaches about 175 - 200 hours.

Good news is.... fly more.

Pete, didn't you play a genius on tv once?

Hey Larry!

Larry how much time do you think is necessary to break-in a new rotax 912?
I think that break-in is partially the reason for high oil temps. My oil temps also seem a bit lower this summer compared to last summer.

Jetguy said:

Larry how much time do you think is necessary to break-in a new rotax 912?
I think that break-in is partially the reason for high oil temps. My oil temps also seem a bit lower this summer compared to last summer.

Click to expand...

Which leads to another question: how long do we think it takes to break-in a Dynon 180? lol

And yes Dave, you found me out. I played a genius on "To Tell the Truth" once...of course I was lying.

J there are etguy said:

Larry how much time do you think is necessary to break-in a new rotax 912?
I think that break-in is partially the reason for high oil temps. My oil temps also seem a bit lower this summer compared to last summer.

Click to expand...

I have been told by senior Rotax reps that 150 - 250 hours is average. Nothing special needs to be done except don't baby the engine. Run it hard (within the operational parameters) once or twice a flight, 5-15 mins is fine. Certainly, no need to run it hard all the time. I like to pull mine back to 4700 and enjoy the view.

Unless you are flying cross county and cannot get mogas do not give a Rotax 912 a steady diet of 100ll. The lead accumulates in the bearing races and cages like jello. The tolerance on this engine are incredibly close.

Properly cared for and operated the Rotax 912 engine will last 3,000+ hours.

JMHO.

I climb out of the CA desert regularly in the summer, it's 90 to 100 F. Oil temp goes up into the yellow at ~240 and stabilizes. Purrs like a cat and climbs >500FPM, all seems normal to me. Green means "go", Yellow means "pay attention", Red means "take action". IMHO, the worst thing you can do to your engine is not fly it much, oil temp is no big deal.

Any word out of Van's - especially now that Ken is gone?

Bob