Mailing List flyrotary@lancaironline.net Message #29097
From: Ed Anderson <eanderson@carolina.rr.com>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Frozen coolant...
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 08:50:04 -0500
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Hi Dave, like everyone else sorry to hear about your coolant leak.   I once came out after a cold night and  found coolant beneath my aircraft by the exhaust and I figured that the coolant  "O" rings were leaking.  Decided to fire up the engine anyway, coolant leak went away and never came back.  The only thing I could think up that might explain a "temporary" leak was that the "O" rings had "shrunk" due to the cold sufficient to allow a small leak.  Not a very satisfactory answer - but since I know you will be trying to figure out where the leak is coming from wanted you to hear it.
 
Ed
 
Ed Anderson
Rv-6A N494BW Rotary Powered
Matthews, NC
eanderson@carolina.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 11:35 PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Frozen coolant...

I flew to Mammoth this weekend for some snow boarding.  Has a great time, and was 210 kts GS on the way up.
 
Parked the plane for two nights and came back out this afternoon for the flight home.  But there was a small puddle of coolant under the engine... and it was still dripping. 
 
Then I remembered.  I recently sprung a leak in a cooling line - while away from home.  After fixing the leak I used tap water to refill what coolant had been lost - about a gallon.  I had forgotten all about that on this latest trip... to the mountains.  I figure the antifreeze level was now down to about 25/75 and the overnight temps in the low 20's did the job.
 
I had to concentrate on getting back home for work tomorrow so I couldn't do much.  I couldn't even take off the lower cowl.
 
I suspect the radiator is cracked somewhere.  Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?  Can this do damage to the engine block?  The radiator is custom and will not be cheap to replace, and it will take a while, and the plane is an 8 hour drive away...  :-(

--
Dave Leonard
Turbo Rotary RV-6 N4VY
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/rotaryroster/index.html
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/vp4skydoc/index.html
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