Looking for advice on Firewall Forward shopping list - oil cooler

[John Bickham]

Well, paint is curing and the fuselage will be going on the gear for the final time soon. Starting to work on shopping list for Bob's O-540 install.

The first question is oil cooler size for warmer southwest climate. I know the design and configuration of the oil cooler and its inlet plenum is part of the black magic of good oil/engine temps. My plan is to copy Mark G's steep/deep plenum to slow the air down and minimize the length of scat tube. My question is - will the Aero Classic 13 Row drawn cup oil cooler be sufficient for the southwest?

Appreciate any and all help!

[Mark Goldberg]

Hi John. If that cooler is recommended for 540 installations on other planes it should do fine. I like their oil coolers, and buy them for overseas customers. Mark

[John Bickham]

thanks Mark

[rodsmith]

I was concerned about having a large enough cooler with a roughly 290HP IO-540. The cold air induction removes the cooling effect of the induction air on the oil. I went with a 17 row cooler made by Airflow Systems. They make both certified and experimental coolers. Mine is the 2008X, they also have a 13 row 2006X and 15 row 2007X. They also have plenums for them that accept 4" SCAT hose.