Mailing List flyrotary@lancaironline.net Message #23417
From: Mark R Steitle <mark.steitle@austin.utexas.edu>
Subject: RE: [FlyRotary] Re: coolant leak
Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2005 07:40:03 -0500
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>

Isn’t there a tester that checks for the amount of CO2 in the coolant?  This would be able to spot small leaks, before they become catastrophic problems.

 

Mark S.

 


From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Ian Dewhirst
Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2005 10:10 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: coolant leak

 

Hi David,

 

I really really think that a cooling system that consumes coolant is leaking it somewhere, either venting water vapor to the atmosphere or leaking.  I don't follow how your coolant level can be going down and yet you still have residual pressure, shouldn't the pressure drop to zero as the coolant is consumed over time?  

 

A rotary is unique in that depending on where an o-ring failure occurs relative to the intake port you can end up with a little problem or a big problem.  As you rotate past the intake port the compression chamber pressure goes from 0 to over a hundred PSI,  once the plug fires the pressure skyrockets due to combustion.

 

-- Ian

If I were getting combustion pressure in my cooling system I think I would be boiling off my coolant PDQ.  But I find that it only drops very slowly, about like in my car.

 

But now I understand how Ed discovered his problem.

--
Dave Leonard
Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/rotaryroster/index.html
http://members.aol.com/vp4skydoc/index.html

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