Crank case venting should be as large an ID as is possible. The stock vent
is too small for mild street use and not at all adequate for sustained high
power applications. The rotors built up to factory specs leak like a screen
door. So oil is contaminated with combustion products and debris. I build up
side seal gaps at less than zero. So long as the 2 side seals and corner seal
can move as a unit, everything is golden. Instant starting even when hot. Good
for 10 races, shifting at 9,600 RPM, then that engine becomes the spare
and a fresh engine goes in for next season. On teardown the side seal gaps are
still tighter than stock minimums.
Oil recovery systems need to enter the pan well below the level of the oil.
This forms a one way valve where oil can return from a separator and stack up in
the return line a bit higher than the oil level, but pan oil cannot be lifted up
the return line by crank case pressure. Return lines also need to be as large a
diameter as is possible. Foamed oil has no interest in flowing down a dash 4
return line. And rotaries foam the oil inside the rotors. Much worse than piston
engines. Foamed oil is very light and tends to flow slowly.
Racing oils have many features that are a help in rotary engines. High film
strength. High anti scuff content.
Large amounts of antifoaming agents. I use 40 weight RedLine racing
synthetic in the crank case. I mix 1 ounce of RedLine racing 2 cycle oil in each
gallon of fuel. The fuel is regular gas with no alcohol. You can use Mr
Sohns gizmo to run oil through the stock system from a bottle of synthetic 2
cycle oil. No mixing required.
I can have any oil pressure I want because I use a three stage external oil
pump and a dry sump oil reserve tank. I have 85 pounds at idle and as soon as
the revs come up, a solid 100 PSI. My oil pan is a flat plate. Before we got all
fancy with the oil system we ran the stock pump in our 12As. Take off the stock
bug screen. It is too course to stop anything dangerous, yet so small it
restricts oil flow. Next look at the sharp edged oil pickup tube. A flow
disaster. Braze a large diameter 1/4" thick washer to the end of the tube.
Radius the inlet so as to look like the bell on a trumpet. Lap the flange end
flat and install it with no gasket.
It cannot fail if it isn't there. Drill and safety the little bolts. The
pickups do fall off once in a while.
Marvel Mystery oil is a mystery. What is in it is the mystery
and it has no place in an aircraft. I use it to wipe rust off of
things, as lubricant for drilling holes and for killing weeds. Engines survive
in spite of Marvel Mystery oil, not because of it. Use the full one ounce
per gallon of 2 cycle oil please.
No oil related failures since 1980.
Lynn E. Hanover