I've never been thrilled with the climb performance of my 85 hp (C85) Cessna 140. Several years ago I had the prop flattened to.........well it's really flat. Redlined (2575 rpm) is only around 85 MPH. Without an oil cooler it's always heated up in a hard climb, but after flattening the prop it really heats up in warm temperatures and hard to get cooled down. I think (there I go again) this is most likely due to the lower airspeeds = less pressure and volume through the cowling.

This past week I got a new STC'd oil cooler installed. It's a pretty cool (pun intended) piece of aluminum machined to the size of a small donut. It sandwiches between the F&M oil filter housing and the spin-on oil filter. It has two threaded ports machined into it for connecting an oil cooler which is mounted on my firewall. It also has a high pressure by-pass spring built into it so if the cooler ever becomes clogged it still feeds the engine with oil.

A long, long time ago someone made an oil cooler that mounted to the side case of C85's, C90's, O-200's and OE-300's. I've looked , but have never found one let alone seen one. Besides you can't use a spin-on filter with that model and I like the simplicity of a spin-on.

Three days ago while it was still about 99 deg. I did a flat out VX climb for over twenty minutes. I went from 1400 MSL up to 8500 MSL with an IAS of around 60 MPH. My oil temp was somewhere around 205 to 210 but then never went any higher. As soon as I leveled out it dropped to 190 in about one to two minutes. I also tested it last Saturday afternoon, but it wasn't as hot as last Monday. Saturday's temp was around 85 deg. and I pushed it up to 10,100 MSL in about 25 minutes. My oil temperature that day never exceeded 195.

I'm really happy with the outcome, but would like to installed a damper that is cabin/cable operated. With the damper I could close off the air when getting too much cooling. In the winter time I'll just tape/block the air inlet, but in the "changing of the season's" temperatures it would be nice to regulate the effectiveness.

I believe the STC is or is going to be available for Cessna 150's, 170's and 172's.

Roger

roger, can you post a picture? I'm always interested in anything having to do with donuts...

Boy Ravi, mention doughnuts around her and everyone gets excited.
As Homer Simpson says: "Doughnuts. Is there anything they can't do"?

On another subject, did you look at that 170B, three blade you were interested in?

Roger

On another subject, did you look at that 170B, three blade you were interested in?

Roger, this is not a thread hijack, as I do fly a 140, and I do love donuts. That said I've not been up to look at the 170. Part of that has to do with my annual inspection, part has to do with my wife's priority on getting her private license (check ride at the end of the month), and part of it has to do with the lousy flying conditions due to the smoke.

It's also a bit on the steep side for me, due to that panel. I like a nice panel, and if you put that panel in a plane with the range and stability of a 180 I think you'd really have a good IFR aircraft. But in a 170 it seems like a bit of overkill.

If the price comes down I recon I'll become a whole lot more interested. Also, I must say that Jeremy's short field landing demonstration has put ideas in my head...