Keep oil warmer during winter flight

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josephades

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I fly a Piper PA-28-181 and noticed lately in the extreme cold -10c and colder that the oil temperature is only just making it to the green. This is a steam gauge so I can’t give you exact temperatures.

Someone suggested to me that there’s an item that can be installed where it will trap the heat that the engine generates in order to keep the oil tank even warmer. If anyone is familiar with this item and can make me a recommendation, it would be greatly appreciated. This would put my mind at ease

Bonus points if you can answer this question out of curiosity since I’m on the topic of oil - should I expect more or less fuel consumption when the oil is colder? What about when it is warmer?

Thanks!
 
You can buy and install a plate that partially covers your oil cooler, or you can use aluminum tape like some people. This reduces the area where the cold air can get to the cooler and bring your oil temperature up. You should expect less fuel consumption because the air is more dense and you can fly with a leaner setting, it has nothing to do with oil temp.
 
Piper had oil cooler plates for winter flying, do you need something in addition to the plat?
 
Duct tape on the oil cooler. I use tape pretty much year round. Less in summer, more in winter. Winter fronts limit air to the cylinders and I’ve never had reduced CHTs in cold weather so I won’t use them. As for fuel? Cold air is dense and requires MORE fuel. Hopefully your carb is set up rich enough to maintain 100* plus of leaning authority in cold temps. The reality is that you’ll lean less in cold temps so your overall fuel consumption will be higher than in summer temps.
 
Hey, I took a shot. :dunno:

Maybe that's why I've been getting such great gas mileage. I'm a Piper pilot, I lean appropriately.
 
Your engine naturally has to work harder with colder (thicker) oil. You should see a slight reduction in fuel economy
 
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Thanks for all your prompt responses

@frfly172 I didn’t know such a plate existed

I will order the oil cooler winterization plate and hopefully it will work out well

@Stewartb definitely going to be trying your suggestion as well
 
josephades said:
Thanks for all your prompt responses

@frfly172 I didn’t know such a plate existed

I will order the oil cooler winterization plate and hopefully it will work out well

@Stewartb definitely going to be trying your suggestion as well
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You are allowed to fabricate the oil cooler cover. If there's an EAA chapter locally, join it, and ask someone to help you make one.
 
josephades said:
Thanks for all your prompt responses

@frfly172 I didn’t know such a plate existed

I will order the oil cooler winterization plate and hopefully it will work out well

@Stewartb definitely going to be trying your suggestion as well
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DON'T BUY A NEW ONE!!! They are ridiculously expensive for what they are (just a piece of sheet metal). Its easy to make your own. I know your oil cooler is in a different place than my 140, but it is still easy. Here is the one I made in about 30 minutes:

upload_2017-12-28_23-16-9.png
 
Here’s a pic of my cooler on a typical summer day. Notice the red tape is faded? I use two strips in winter and sometimes that isn’t enough. Duct taping the oil cooler is common practice.

Watch your CHTs if you use restricter plates in the nose bowl openings. Dense air makes more power and that makes more heat. That may be counter intuitive but that’s how it works, and if your carb is borderline lean in cold temps it’ll run hot from that.

C94BADFB-71F8-4E17-B9ED-867B8A3EBADB.jpeg
 
Do yourself a favor and spend a little time on Google to find information about winter kits from one of the Piper Cherokee forums.
The kit blocks air from passing through the oil cooler in temps below 50F. The kits from Piper are somewhat expensive for what they are, they can usually be made much cheaper by someone who has some sheet metal working skills. As shown, duct tape can work too.
 
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Stewartb said:
Here’s a pic of my cooler on a typical summer day. Notice the red tape is faded? I use two strips in winter and sometimes that isn’t enough. Duct taping the oil cooler is common practice.

Watch your CHTs if you use restricter plates in the nose bowl openings. Dense air makes more power and that makes more heat. That may be counter intuitive but that’s how it works, and if your carb is borderline lean in cold temps it’ll run hot from that.

View attachment 58838
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What are those holes in your cowling for?
 
Yes, the Cessna winter front attaches to those holes. I bought a kit 20 years ago and have used it once, for about 30 minutes, and had to land to remove it as CHTs got too hot.
 
josephades said:
I fly a Piper PA-28-181 and noticed lately in the extreme cold -10c and colder that the oil temperature is only just making it to the green. This is a steam gauge so I can’t give you exact temperatures.

Someone suggested to me that there’s an item that can be installed where it will trap the heat that the engine generates in order to keep the oil tank even warmer. If anyone is familiar with this item and can make me a recommendation, it would be greatly appreciated. This would put my mind at ease
Click to expand...
You can pay over $140 for Piper Part (depends on your aircarft), Oil Winterization Plate or.....

Take the cowl off. In front of the oil cooler (big hole, in front of #3 cylinder, IIRC) there's 4 screw holes around that big hole. That's where you screw in the plate. Measure. Now find one of the EAA people around your airport, ask them nicely (chocolate chip cookies or a beer after flying) to help you fabricate (AC40B?) that plate. Every EAA builder has extra Aluminum scrap hanging around. Now you'll also need the 4 screws and locking nuts for them. I attach using only the top 2 holes.

You may need to adjust the plate. In my cherokee, I have a 1 in round hole in the middle of the plate because when completely covered, the oil temps were getting too high.

Like I said - go join the local EAA chapter. Amazing the help you can get.
 
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Stewartb said:
Duct tape on the oil cooler. I use tape pretty much year round. Less in summer, more in winter. Winter fronts limit air to the cylinders and I’ve never had reduced CHTs in cold weather so I won’t use them. As for fuel? Cold air is dense and requires MORE fuel. Hopefully your carb is set up rich enough to maintain 100* plus of leaning authority in cold temps. The reality is that you’ll lean less in cold temps so your overall fuel consumption will be higher than in summer temps.
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*aluminum tape

Nov.30-06%20008.jpg
 
Blue masking tape. Covering half of each cowl opening. About five or six pieces, overlapping. Works great. Easy. Cheap.
 
For what it's worth, not all Cherokees have the same oil cooler configuration nor do all have a simple flat winterization plate. I seem to recall seeing a round one that was stamped aluminum and fit in the scat tube going to the firewall mounted oil cooler, on either an Archer or Arrow. Other Cherokees have a front or rear baffle mounted oil cooler that uses a flat plate like many have mentioned here.

My suggestion would be to consult the correct Piper parts catalog to determine what oil cooler winterization plate you're supposed to have and either buy or make the correct part. I wouldn't simply guess.
 
James331 said:
*aluminum tape

Nov.30-06%20008.jpg
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Hahaha I can’t tell for sure but it looks like they frosted over the inside of the window sitting there breathing, and now they gotta figure out how to clear it before they can taxi?

And looking out the side windows to make sure the tires aren’t sliding after startup. ;)
 
The round opening in front of the oil cooler in a Pa28-181 has two screw holes on top. The winterization plate has two slits on the bottom edge such that a tongue of aluminum wedges between two layers of the the casing in that area. This allows you to push the plate in place easily and then only have to deal with placing and tightening the two screws with lock nuts on top.

The whole process is not my favorite chore on an icy cold day, but can be done in about 10-15 minutes in the cold after you remove the cowl.
 
Gary's photographs above show why it would be terribly inconvenient, if not impossible, if you had to deal with screws on the bottom of the plate.

By the way, besides keeping your engine oil in the optimal range in winter, the plate will allow your heater to work very well to keep you and your passengers toasty warm.
 
MajorTurbulence said:
Gary's photographs above show why it would be terribly inconvenient, if not impossible, if you had to deal with screws on the bottom of the plate.

By the way, besides keeping your engine oil in the optimal range in winter, the plate will allow your heater to work very well to keep you and your passengers toasty warm.
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Exactly, which is why I only attach using the top 2 screws.
 
MajorTurbulence said:
By the way, besides keeping your engine oil in the optimal range in winter, the plate will allow your heater to work very well to keep you and your passengers toasty warm.
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How does your heater work? Mine routes air from behind the landing light, through the heater shroud (surrounds the exhaust pipe), then to either the defrost or floor vents. The heater air doesn’t have anything to do with the oil cooler or airflow from the pressure side of the baffles.
 
Mine works exactly as you've described. It has been a while since flying without the plate in winter, but I recall that when the plate was not used in the cold weather, it made a big difference to the heaters efficiency. Maybe someone can give a better explanation, but my guess would be that that increased radiant and conductive heat of the engine decreases the heat lost by the shroud in the cold airflow.
Anecdotally, I have been around many pilots who have flown pipers, archers and warriors and the like, with their complaints about the heaters. As I have never had this problem, except without the plate as above, it makes me think of how many pilots might have been flying without the plate.
This is certainly an easy experiment for anyone interested whose heater seems marginal without the plate in the winter.
The heater works so well I often have to reduce the heat lever so we in the cockpit are not too warm.
 
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Just dont forget to take it off if you get a warm day in the winter, or when spring comes. It really should be in the checklist. OIL COOLER PLATE--installed (or not installed). Check.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
Mine is similar to this but the previous owner of the plane cut a hole in the middle and made an adjustable flap in which you could choose how much air to restrict.
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Did this solution. Worked like an absolute charm today in the -10c weather
 
I'm a new 1980 Archer II owner and was wondering if anyone can tell me where the winterization plate should be stored on the airplane. I haven't found it yet and the previous owner (who lives in Kansas!) has no idea what I'm talking about. Thanks!

Tom

GMascelli said:
Install when I flew an Archer.

oil+cooler+003.jpg

View attachment 58866
oil+cooler+006.jpg
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T Shugart said:
I'm a new 1980 Archer II owner and was wondering if anyone can tell me where the winterization plate should be stored on the airplane. I haven't found it yet and the previous owner (who lives in Kansas!) has no idea what I'm talking about. Thanks!

Tom
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There likely isn't one. I don't think they were part of the standard equipment. And if there was it's likely lost.
 
T Shugart said:
I'm a new 1980 Archer II owner and was wondering if anyone can tell me where the winterization plate should be stored on the airplane. I haven't found it yet and the previous owner (who lives in Kansas!) has no idea what I'm talking about. Thanks!

Tom
Click to expand...
You can fabricate the oil cooler cover yourself. Find a local EAA chapter, join, and get someone to help. Piece of 4x4 (or 5x5 inch) scrap aluminum, drill 4 holes (I only drilled the 2 holes on the top edge). After numerous test flights, we drilled a 1 in hole in the middle of the plate, YMMV. Make sure you're using the correct size bolts and stop nuts on the outside (back side of the engine) to attach the plate.
 
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