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adding an oil thermostat

seagull

Well Known Member
I had contemplated adding an oil thermostat DIY buy ended up buying the Thermostasis kit that included the hoses and fittings from Aircraft Specialty / Flightline .

I live in So Cal so you may ask “why”. On a 60 degree day my warm-up to 120f is 6 minutes, reviews say this should reduce it to 3 minutes. I also think it is better for the motor to run as close to one temperature rather than fluctuating throughout the flight.

SO you say “what good is 3 minutes” based on 1 hour flight 3 minutes saved is 5% of my engine time, In a 100 hours the savings is 5 extra flight hours. Another way to look at it it’s an extra 100 hours on a 2000hr engine, that 100 hours is worth $1000 on a $20,000 engine.

The install went good, it included a call to Steve to clarify the hose routing. I drained my oil and reinstalled it since it only had 5 hours on it. Then purged the system checked for leaks, dressed the hoses and test flew it.

The added hoses increased my oil capacity 9 ounces or approximately 9%. The added hose and thermostasis unit added 1.75 pounds. The additional oil added .5 pounds for a total weight increase of 2.25 pounds.

I don’t have much time on it so can’t say if it will met my expectations. I flew it today, the start up with an ambient of 80f got to 120f in 2:15 minutes.

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I live just outside Tampa. I installed the Thermostasis kit, and would highly recommend it to anyone considering it. It drastically reduced my engine warm up times, especially in cooler ambient temps. YMMV.
 
Just wanted to let RV-12 builders who want a Thermostasis install kit know that we have one on "Special."

A builder recently purchased and then after receiving decided that they wanted to upgrade to the INTEGRAL firesleeve hoses. We never penalize builders for upgrading and so now we have a thermostasis kit that has flown across the country in a box and made it's way back to us. It has never been installed or had oil in it.

This is the 4 hose kit with Standard firesleeve, the oil thermostat and the oil thermostat fittings. Normal cost is $899.95. Since this unit is technically no longer "new" it is being offered at a $100 discount for the kit and free shipping.

Will go to the first RV12 owner to email [email protected]
 
After a lack of thermostats available for the past 4 months, we are happy to announce we once again have the RV12 thermostasis kits available for order through the website. We updated our website to show this product as once again available, whereas it was previously on an indefinite hold.

Happy building and flying everyone! :)

http://aircraftspecialty.com/rv-12.html
 
I plan to replace my water and oil hoses on my RV-12 ULS at the next annual. Therefore I am thinking to add the Aircraft Speciaity oil thermostasis.
That‘s why I am seeking for your experience report. Are there any issues or safety concerns, any risks I might introduce or just any comments from pilots and builder who have installed this product.
 
Install Thermostasis

Finished my install! Replaced coolant line with FlexFab silicone hose and Aircraft Specialities Teflon oil and fuel lines. AS hose kits fit was a beautiful thing. Fired engine today, popped right off after sitting 3 months. No leaks! Question: Ran engine a few minutes than shut down and looked over the engine. Started up and ran 2000 rpm til oil temp reached 130 degrees. Shutdown and looked things over. Oil tank starting to feel warm as well as line to oil pump and the return line from engine sump. Oil cooler still cold at the elbows on top of cooler. Started engine again. 3000 rpm, 50# oil pressure. Several minutes I had 180 degrees. At shutdown oil cooler fittings are still cold? All other lines and fittings are warmed nicely. I understand thermostat set to open at 190. Should there be some oil flow to cooler regardless of oil temp?
 

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my last build with a jab 3300 i put in a ''thermostat shunt'' which allowed oil to flow but it bypassed the cooler until it was warm. worked great. i think i paid about $45 for the part, plus hoses and fittings.
 
Update......

Looking for an answer.
Can I use my existing hoses?
Mine were just replaced.
If I can great, if not what do I need?
 
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At shutdown oil cooler fittings are still cold? All other lines and fittings are warmed nicely. I understand thermostat set to open at 190. Should there be some oil flow to cooler regardless of oil temp?

There is a little oil flow bypassing the thermostasis regardless of the oil temperature. The purpose of the thermostasis is to prevent the oil from circulating and getting cooled until the oil in the engine reaches 190 degrees. The oil cooler and oil tank are isolated until temperature is reached. The minimal amount of oil bypassing in the warm up period is not enough to heat up the oil cooler.
 
My aircraft is a 2012 and overdue for hose replacement. Adding the thermostasis to the system made sense to me. Hose kit from Aircraft Specialty fit perfectly. I warmed up on the ramp yesterday to 190 degrees. At shutdown the inlet (co-pilot side} is warm. Pilot side is cool. Thermostasis must be working and cooler doing its job too! I'm ready to replace cowling and flight test when Ohio weather permits.
 
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