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Radiator tape

PDG

By PDG
in Engine/Rotax

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Roger Lee

Roger Lee

Posted
Posted

Most of us just put one 2" strip across the top where it affects both the oil and coolant. that is usually enough for most states. If you live up north in really cold country then maybe 2 strips across. Some use duct tape, but I prefer aluminum tape. The thinner stuff not the heavy thick aluminum tape.

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Runtoeat

Runtoeat

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My application may differ from others since I apply 1" strips of aluminum tape vertically in the center of my radiator. My reasonong is that the tape is located in front of the smaller oil radiator (behind the coolant radiator) which better controls the oil temps. I shoot for hitting 210 to 220 F oil temps during steady cruise at 5400 rpm at 2500' to 5000' MSL with full throttle climbs reaching 220 to 230 F. The aluminum tape can be removed in individual strips and "parked" on the floor, along side my seat. If I run into colder or warmer temps during a trip, I can re-install these strips during the trip. Here's my current findings (I'm still working on this).

 

OAT below 2 C = 7 strips tape

3 C to 8 C = 6 strips

9 C to 15 C = 5 strips

16 C to 20 C = 4 strips

21 C to 25 C = 3 strips

26 C to 28 C = 2 strips (maybe 1 strip?)

Over 28 C = no tape

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Runtoeat

Runtoeat

Posted
Posted

:rolleyes:Is Michigan in Canada now? :)

 

 

 

A lot of Michigan is pretty darn close to being in Canada. The local TV and radio weather reports give temps in F and C due to our Canadian neighbors in Windsor, Ontario, which is just across the Detroit River. The main reason I'm using Centigrade temps on my comparison chart is because I always get temps in centigrade when checking with ATIS weather so I'm trying to work with it. Don't think that I ever will get used to understanding that a 30 degree day is really hot! B)

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Roger Lee

Roger Lee

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Easy way to convert Centigrade to Fahrenheit in your head. It's right on every time.

 

Take the "C" number and multiply it times 2. subtract 10% and add 32 F on that number.

 

Example:

 

20C 2 X20 =40 - (10%) 4 = 36 + 32 = 68F

 

30C 2X30 = 60 - (10%) 6 = 54 + 32 = 86F

 

Piece of cake

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Runtoeat

Runtoeat

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I had heard of Roger's method but Eddies is new. I'd really like to come up with an adjustable damper for the radiator. There was an aluminum retrofit damper that was in the prototype stage on the other forum. Had a control cable that came inside and was down low on the front cowl and appeared to be hard to reach. Did this ever get FD approval?

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Runtoeat

Runtoeat

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John, I would really like to see a adjustable control on the radiator. Remos has this. There are many days we get temp swings of 30 or 40 degrees. A lot of time I under apply the tape if it appears that the temps will rise during the day so that I don't have to mess with it during a flight. I end up getting to 190 degrees or less and never get up to 210. While we're on the subject, what really doesn't make sense is it appears that the termostats that now come standard on CTLS do not stabilize temps to 210 degrees. My friend only sees 190 degrees and he must apply tape to his CTLS to get temps of 210 to 220. I have heard this from other CTLS owners also. There's a lot of cost and weight involved with the thermostat system and it appears that one still must apply tape to get temps up to desired levels.

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Roger Lee

Roger Lee

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Roger Who? Don't badger him, I heard he eats badger for breakfast. <_<

 

 

That radiator shutter idea faded into oblivion. It sounded good. Even with the holes open it would have to come off in the warmer months because it still blocked to much air.

 

 

Dick and All,

 

Don't get to hung up over oil temps. If you see 185F, I know it's a little cool, but your just fine. It would be nice to see 210F all the time, but if you live in cold country it most likely won't happen. Worry a whole lot more about cold starts and getting that engine warm first.

 

The Perma Cool thermostat only goes up to 180F and wasn't really meant for oil when it first came out. It will not help you keep temps up past 190F as your friend and many others have seen. It may help a little to get the system up to 180F a little faster in the morning, but that's about it. Some like it and some don't. I have talked to Perma Cool at length and they don't have anything any higher.

 

The tape takes only a few minutes to put on and then leave it alone for the winter. the temps will vary between 185F-210F between warm and cold days. it's ok. Don't get to picky about temps or some other parameters or they will drive you insane.

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Runtoeat

Runtoeat

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Roger, if I shoot for 190 temps it will allow me to have a wider range for the temps and would be much less hassle to figure out how much tape tape to put on. As you know, I have a method of keeping my engine adequately warm (the wife's hair dryer is still going strong but I did have to pop for a replacement when she found out her's was missing :-). I know that you don't believe me but with a little foam blocking the radiator, a quilt on top of the cowl and a 100w light bulb hung near the oil reservoir overnight, a few minutes of blowing with the hair dryer results in 60F engine temps at 10F OAT. The Tanis heater, which keeps the engine at the lower limit for full engine rpm operation (110F?) is still on my wish list.

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Runtoeat

Runtoeat

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Hi Roger. I cannot use my steam gage to determine oil temps on start up because it doesn't read below 100F. My friend's CTLS has Dynon digital readout which shows low temps. Using the light bulb and hair dryer on his CTLS, his dynon shows initial start and first few minutes of running oil temp is in the low 60F. I assume that this displayed temperature of the oil represents the internal temp of the engine since in the first few minutes of running, the oil has circulated thru the engine block and valve train? There is no doubt that the Tanis heater is best since it keeps the engine at a temp which prevents accelerated wear due to cold starts but I think I'm starting my engine at "reasonable" temps until the budget allows installation of the Tanis system.

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Runtoeat

Runtoeat

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Posted

Runtoeat

 

Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for. As i "tune" more on this I will try ti fill in more blanks.

 

Paul

 

Hi Paul. Let me know what you find out. Your climate is pretty much the same as Michigan. As Roger Lee indicates, this can drive us crazy if we try to "fine tune" things. If we shoot for a temperature range of 190 to 230, it makes it a lot simpler to manage the tape. I'm also curious what you might find if you apply the tape horizontally across the radiator compared to vertical application at the center?

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sandpiper

sandpiper

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A friend of mine in Anchorage used a drop light with 100 watt bulb and a cowl cover on his Bonanza for years. He would plug it in as soon as he was done flying and keep it that way until the next flight. It worked well and the price was right. Just not as sexy as a Tanis but I'm not sure they were available in those days.

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