Oil Cooler lines

[svyolo]

A few weeks ago I mounted my engine on its mount on an engine stand, with a plywood cutout of the firewall. I know a bit above zero about Lycomings. I figured it would take me months to figure it all out.

I think I managed to figure out most of it through forums and google. There is one thing on the Bob 540 I bought that I can't positively identify. I asked on VAF and only 1 person responded - he though it could be plugged or used for an oil temp sensor.

On the back of the oil thermostat housing there is a threaded port that Bob put a plastic cover on. I made no special requests when I ordered the engine (didn't know enough) so I assume Bob thought I would use this port. Unused ports have threaded plugs in them.

It is a 3/8 inch straight thread port. Pointing straight aft. I tried my oil temp sender, and noticed it came with a sealing gasket instead of NPT threads. It fits that port. Is that it's purpose?

The other question is the oil lines themselves. 3/8 NPT should be -8AN lines, which is what is usually used on IO-360's. Are these large enough for a 540, or should I go up one size to -10AN?

Thanks for any responses.

[Bcone1381]

A few weeks ago I mounted my engine on its mount on an engine stand, with a plywood cutout of the firewall.

I'd like to see a photo of your set up and hope this request does not hijack this thread.

[Aero_tango]

This drawing may help...extracted from « o-540 Lycoming_Engine_Operators_Manual ».
Mike



3E0D4064-DC9D-4D9D-BD8F-2F690A5E44D5.png

[svyolo]

Here is the picture of the port. This is my 3rd attempt at posting it.

[svyolo]

It is the port at the bottom left of the picture at the end of the oil thermostat. I can't find it on any Lycoming documentation that I have seen.

[Bdflies]

Yes, you can put an oil temp sender there. What filter system are you using?

Bill

[svyolo]

Here are a couple of pics of my engine stand. Because I wanted it to be on its mount, it was going to stick out from a normal engine stand (and maybe overseers it). I bought the strongest one HF sold, and calculated that the #3 and 4 cylinders were right over the wheels at the end of the legs. Not good. Didn't want my first prop strike to be in the shop. So I made up some "wheelie bars" to extend the legs if needed.

The frame I made to mount the Dynafocal mount to is 2X2 1/4" angle. Firewall is just some scrap 1/4 ply.

[James]

Yes, I've just been down this path myself. I made up a sub-frame for the back of my Lycoming O-360 from 25x25x3mm RHS, and picked up the engine mount holes. The subframe comes to a single axle, so I can rotate the entire engine 360 degrees. The reason I did this was to make sure the oil coats all the surfaces of the cylinders, in the 1-2 years before I manage to install it. The engine+engine mount sticks out a long way, at least 5 feet, and I too was worried about the stand toppling over. Unfortunately, there is a huge amount of flex in this arrangement, so much so that I didn't trust myself, and ended up making an extension to the stand, and an adapter plate that bolts on to the prop flange, which now takes half the weight.

Engine-on-a-spit! :-)

James

[James]

Addition - I also wondered about buying the rubber mounts now, and then having them sit there sagging for the next few years. So I turned up some plugs of redgum wood, about 60mm in diameter, with a 3/8 hole in the middle, and used them as spacers under the mount hardpoints. Worked well.
James

[BravoGolf]

I believe the fittings pictured are upper left (red) - Oil to cooler, upper right (blue) - Breather, middle right (yellow) tach and lower left (oil from cooler)

[svyolo]

The upper port with the red cover should be the oil return from the cooler. Blue is breather, yellow tach, and the oil To the cooler is not shown as it is underneath the oil thermostat, which is the 3 inch long cylindrical protrusion. The port I am not sure of is the one at the end of that thermostat. Red cap. The Lycoming docs I have seen don't show that.

[Bcone1381]

I say Bill got it!

The first image below was cut and pasted from the Lycoming Engine Overhaul manual dated 2002, p.34.

#5 is the Oil Screen Housing. The large hex nut at the end of it is #4, the thermostatic valve or Thermostatic Oil Cooler Bypass Valve, commonly called the Vernatherm. (We as an industry could improve our nomenclature. Name it once and stick to that name!) Svyolo's red cap, the small port to its right, is not labeled.

I found another image in a Lycoming Service instruction number 1008C dated July 21, 2016. The second image is pasted below show the read cap is the Oil Temp connector and Bulb.
Screen Shot 2019-09-01 at 9.32.44 PM.png
​ Screen Shot 2019-09-01 at 9.40.44 PM.png

[svyolo]

Brooks;
Thanks for the effort. That is the first Lyc doc that showed the part. I owe you one.