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Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 20:42:27 -0600
From: David Staten <Dastaten@earthlink.net>
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To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Tension bolt coolant leak;  was Torque and torque
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Al Gietzen wrote:

> I have never disassembled a rotary engine, so in my further thinking 
> regarding the coolant drip from around the un-torqued tension bolt; 
> perhaps someone would clarify something for me – does the tension bolt 
> anywhere run through the cooling jacket? I had assumed it did (why 
> else are there seals under the bolt heads, but in looking at photos of 
> housings, and cut-away views, it appears not. Would this mean then 
> that there is/was a leak somewhere between the coolant jacket and the 
> bolt hole?
>
> I found no sign of oil in coolant, or coolant in oil; but that 
> probably does not mean there wasn’t some small amount undetected.
>
> Al (next time I’ll build up my own engine – as though there will be a 
> next time)
>
The bolt holes are not "isolated" from the cooling jacket, per se. At 
the interface between each slice, there is the potential for water to 
get into the bolt hole chases, since each of these mating surfaces isnt 
gasketed. The tension bolt heads have an o-ring/gasket on them to 
provide for a seal of the bolt hole cavity.

One sign of a broken tension bolt is a coolant leak, from the bolt hole 
in question.

Dave