Preheating your Taylorcraft??

[Dusty]

Re: Preheating your Taylorcraft??

In town, just stick a small electric bathroom heater under the cowling and glue on an oilpan heater.

In the boonies, a MSR stove in a can with a 4" stovepipe and a hunk of 4" scat hose works well. Poke holes in the can until it burns right, and slit it for the fuel hose. Takes about 2 hours at -20 to get the CHT off the peg.

A good engine and prop cover is the most important thing you can pack around in the winter.

The cataytic propane heaters will not heat up a cold engine. They will maintain heat. I usually shut down at dark (4PM), go out and start and warm it up around 10PM, shut down and put the catalytic in, and it's warm in the AM. Be VERY aware that the catalytic build LOTS of ice under your cowling. The throttle, mixture, etc. is likely to be frozen for a few minutes. Move everything around, fire it up, and be prepared for strange things to happen. You'll probably have to carve some plastic off to get it under the cowling.

I preheat below about 20 above, and don't start until 1) the prop turns freely, and 2) the CHT is off the peg.

[Karl Rigdon]

Re: Preheating your Taylorcraft??

Dick and all up north,

I recall the bush pilots in Alaska telling about draining the oil after landing while the engine was warm and taking it to bed with them. It would at least flow in the morning.
Several years ago a friend built a hanger on my place (WI 181) in a area that it was not pratcial to run a electric service. We made a pre-heater by using a gas heater from a Covair. We mounted the heater on a stand, made some ducting and used a 12 volt fuel pump to supply the gas. He would hook to the battery in his truck. He could get started below 0 deg F. That was before the cute stuff that is on the market today.

[Dick Smith]

Re: Propane moisture concern

Dusty is correct about the moisture concern. The interesting thing about the propane fired heater in the link referenced

http://www.moosineer.com/MooseMain.asp?Option=Detail&ID=Hot+Vent+Heater+w%2Fcase+%239180

was that it appears to have a sealed heat exchanger, which should keep the moisture-laden hot air coming from the propane flame separated from the fan-driven air being pushed into the engine compartment, thus hot, dry heat.
Also, the use of propellor blade covers really decreases the heat loss, no matter which method of preheat you use. You are trying to minimize heat loss through the crank into the prop blades. Dick

[Dusty]

Re: Preheating your Taylorcraft??

At least where I trap, propane is frozen and non-flammable if it's outside. I have to throw the catalytic under the cowling for a couple hours before it'll burn. That fan and all the associated crap ain't gonna fit and therefore ain't gonna work.

The moisture isn't really an issue (if you can get your oil hot the next day), it's just something to be aware of.

Heating the oil will usually get it started, but I can't image it does good things for my engine. I want the whole thing as warm as I can get it.

I can get started at 0 by priming the hell out of it and yanking on the prop. Making it start isn't really the point of preheating. Making it last is the point.

[Dick Smith]

Re: Preheating your Taylorcraft??

Yes, that whole setup would be too bulky and complicated for our use up here...what I was thinking was that it might be workable for the folks who contend with cool temps down in the Lower 48. Dick

[high time cub]

Re: Preheating your Taylorcraft??

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