I have just finished the latest modification of a pump powered engine crankcase drier. This version has a pond pump that pumps 100 liters per minute, up from the original pump that pumped 7 liters per minute. And I have switched to a bigger particle size for the desiccant which is still silca gel. The current particles are 3-5 mm and when they change color I have a small toaster oven in the hangar I can put them in at 350F for 2-3 hours to remove the water. The biggest difference I have seen so far is the ambient air being 99% in the hangar and the recycled air inside of the system at 31%. Before I started pumping the air the readings were lower but that was static air. Still seems like a good improvement though.
I push the air through the exhaust pipes and the oil breather tube and pull it back to the dehydrator through the dipstick tube. The choice of the direction was based on the fact the dipstick tube is the highest point and after shut down I always pull the dipstick as the engine cools to let the moisture escape. The connections are rubber stoppers with brass hose barbs, nylon hose barbs and the threaded pipe used to hold a table lamp together.
I do use the oil preheater on the cell phone switch. But only about two hours before I fly so the air being circulated is ambient temp, but drier. So far the engine has been perfect. I have 17 hours on it now and it is much smoother than the prior assembly. I haven't had the prop dynamically balanced yet so it may get a bit better yet. Chewed the paint off the leading edges of the prop already from flying through the clouds. Also added a new battery as mine was 5 1/2 years old and since I am flying it IFR thought it prudent to make sure the battery was at it's peak. Also added a battery charger for in the hangar. When everything is plugged in the plane looks like it's on life support.
Your a tinkerer Rhys....do you wake at 2am with ideas for modifications?
The photos really explain the setup well. Considering how high-tech it all appears, the gonkulator stand (chair) is a decidedly low-tech solution.
Yes I am a tinkerer. When I was a kid I used to take clocks apart and try to put them back together, not with much success. But I have gotten a little better at it. The gonkulator stand also acts as a very useful extra hand when I take the lower cowling off by putting a terry towel over the back and supporting the cowl while removing the screws. Sometimes low tech is best.
For anyone that wants to build a gonkulator here were my supply sources:
Air pump: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HH ... UTF8&psc=1
Desiccant: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BXJ ... UTF8&psc=1
Tubing and fittings: Home Depot
Rubber Stoppers: A local hardware store
Plastic Box with sealing lid: Storables
I'll be getting my newly rebuilt engine later this month, so I built an engine dehydrator for the the new mill. I have an O-360 C1F on the nose of my plane and the oil fill tube is small with a very small threaded cap that incorporates the dip stick. To get the air line return to my desiccated air supply system, I used one of the filler necks that Phillips provides with each case of oil purchased. Those filler caps thread into the oil filler tube. I epoxied a blowout plug with a quick release air fitting in the other end of the neck and it connects to my desiccating system perfectly.
Por mares nunca dantes navegados - a line from a Potugese poem about exploring the unknown.
I've heard hangar tales of folks detecting more silica in their oil analysis when running a dehydrator with silica gel beads. Is this a real issue? If so, is some kind of filter needed in the feed line?
Por mares nunca dantes navegados - a line from a Potugese poem about exploring the unknown.
