Did the early Taylorcrafts with the open cowl have inter cylinder baffles ?

[ClipWing_T]

This question came up on a Cub forum about having baffles between the cylinders on an open cowling . My J-5 has the baffles installed on an 0-200 from a C-150 . Did planes like the early T-crafts and Aeronca TAC's and L-3's have the intercylinder baffles or just open between the cylinders ? Some say the baffles make the cylinders run hotter as much as 25* .........Thanks , Mike

[Robert Lees]

Hello Mike, after 24 hours since your initial enquiry, I'll say no they didn't. My reasoning is that the wind was blowing in all directions across the cylinders, so directional airflow was not relevant. There are a lot more J-3 Cub aircraft with open cowls....I wonder what they do?

I'd welcome other's input as well!

[PA1195]

Might be something here in these blueprints for the J-3 and J-5? https://archive.org/details/buildapiperj3

Gary

[ClipWing_T]

Hello Mike, after 24 hours since your initial enquiry, I'll say no they didn't. My reasoning is that the wind was blowing in all directions across the cylinders, so directional airflow was not relevant. There are a lot more J-3 Cub aircraft with open cowls....I wonder what they do?

I'd welcome other's input as well!

From what I can find out the Cub experts are saying that they did not have baffles originally on the J-3's and I would assume that would be true for J-4's ,J-5's and all other open cowls with the cylinders exposed including my all time favorite airplane the Taylorcraft .

[astjp2]

There is a baffle at the bottom of the cylinders between them, it keeps the very bottom of the fins from overheating that part of the cylinder. My engine with a closed cowl had them on top and bottom to direct airflow through the fins. Tim

[LostnSpace]

I was just looking through a Instruction manual for Continental Models C75 and C85 Aircraft Engines Muskegon, Michigan, USA April 1946 and on page 16 figure 11 is a complete engine hanging from a hook to a pad eye screwed on to the crankshaft so the camera is looking straight at the top of the engine and it has baffles between the cylinders, I had a '46 J-3, it had them, have owned 3 BC12-d's and they have all had them, even when the air was blowing all around the cylinders in the J-3, it had air scoops and baffles to keep the air from just shooting straight down between the cylinders, the baffles forced the air to go through the fins on the barrels, one of the T's had a different shaped baffle between the heads, that made more sense to me cause there is more heat at the head than the lower cylinders, I notice on the 550's in the Cirrus the fins of the barrel are machined down to where the fin closest to the base is only about 1/16 inch tall, gary

[PA1195]

I'd have to guess but if there's an air scoop over a pair of cylinders to capture and direct cooling air down they'd use baffles to force air close to them. If the cylinders were just exposed with no upper scoop they may not be needed. They're used inside cowled engines....designs vary by airframe manufacturer.

Gary

[astjp2]

I was just looking through a Instruction manual for Continental Models C75 and C85 Aircraft Engines Muskegon, Michigan, USA April 1946 and on page 16 figure 11 is a complete engine hanging from a hook to a pad eye screwed on to the crankshaft so the camera is looking straight at the top of the engine and it has baffles between the cylinders, I had a '46 J-3, it had them, have owned 3 BC12-d's and they have all had them, even when the air was blowing all around the cylinders in the J-3, it had air scoops and baffles to keep the air from just shooting straight down between the cylinders, the baffles forced the air to go through the fins on the barrels, one of the T's had a different shaped baffle between the heads, that made more sense to me cause there is more heat at the head than the lower cylinders, I notice on the 550's in the Cirrus the fins of the barrel are machined down to where the fin closest to the base is only about 1/16 inch tall, gary

Was the baffles on top of the cylinder or the bottom or both?

[Scott]

I seem to recall the intercylinder baffles (and the "summerization kit) are continental parts as opposed to airframe parts. So the engines would have been supplied with the baffles installed. Perhaps depending on the dash/model.

I think these are relatively important parts as they prevent too much air bypassing the fins through the gap between cylinders and crankcase.

[LostnSpace]

Was the baffles on top of the cylinder or the bottom or both?

The picture shows them just on the bottom of the cylinders

[astjp2]

There is a whole article on inter cylinder baffles in the tech reference forum