How long does it take to pre-heat your Engine?

[@oneskydog6768]

Lubricity and viscosity are independent properties. Oils protect metal with hydrostatic separation. Lycoming says 100 w is ok to 50 F. I use a simple space heater below the cowl below 50.

[@oneskydog6768]

I used the heater last night 1300 w with duct to cowl exit. Temps dipped to 20’s engine was at 100 to 107 F. It is a metal Tractor Supply farm space heater. I am going to add a timer.

[@Chrisovideos]

Great topic! Preheat and oil changes are two of the best things you can do for your engine (flying regularly helps a lot too). I usually plug mine in the night before (unheated hanger). I have a insulated cover and when it's really cold I have propeller covers as well (Aluminum propeller is a giant heat sink). Engine is warm to the touch the next morning (and bone dry everywhere). I don't think there's a worry about the oil getting too hot, especially at the 180 degrees you show in the test (6 quarts of oil and an engine doesn't let the 300 degree pad get anywhere near that inside). When I start the plane after heating all night, oil temp gauge is still just barely off the peg. Heats up quickly though and is usually well into the green before takeoff.

[@frankrosenbloom]

Great video, thanks.

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Glad you liked it!

[@Joe_Not_A_Fed]

I got my PPL license in northern Alberta. The planes all had plug in, fan powered, interior car heaters, fastened to the engine mount. I have no idea if they were certified and approved...and I didn't ask. With a blanket, they worked a treat.

[@chriswhitelawyer]

Below 40 F my FBO requires 30 min preheat. Someone already blew an engine this year.

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

We do a similar thing up here in Alaska. But I try not to keep it preheating for more than 6-8hrs.

[@Cmoredebris]

I use a fitted, insulated cowl cover and hang a mechanic's drop light inside the cowl under the engine. The light has a 100w incandescent bulb. My hangar is insulated but not heated. Winter and summer the average temp inside the cowl is around 60-70 deg F. After flying I always remove the oil fill cap and let the hot steam out and leave the cap off until the next flight. I have never had to preheat in the traditional way.

[@davidconnolly7693]

So much work went into this video! Awesome job!

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Thanks a ton!

[@rickbarrette6219]

Preheating is a pretty important topic to cover, and I think you knocked it out of the park! It would be cool to see a red dragon style propane forced hot air preheater tested next

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Thank you for the feedback! I'll write that down for a future video topic! Cheers! The FLY8MA Team!

[@keithhoward9238]

I have a Tanisha heater on my PA38 112 Piper Tomahawk and preheat my cockpit to heat up my instruments for 2 hours. This allows me to have 85 to 100 degrees on engine and cockpit instruments are heated properly. My aircraft is hangered with blankets on the cowling.

[@rcbif101]

Blankets over the cowl, and a space heater with dryer hose routed under the cowl. Has my oil warmed up to 75 degrees after an hour when it was about 20 degrees out.

[@TheJamesmcdiarmid]

Great content… thanks for sharing

[@johnwight6041]

This video is awesome! It answered a lot of questions! Thank you!!

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

You're so welcome!

[@AkPacerPilot]

All good stuff, pre heating is huge, saves you fuel warming up to take off temperatures. On another note for ski ops, if you keep your plane in the hanger nice and warm, pull the plane out, the ski’s will freeze to the ground before you get the hanger closed and engine started.. 😜

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Haha....know this from experience?

[@raderjohnson3890]

Hey Jon. I use a space heater with some aluminum tape and some metal dryer ducting. I use those rubber flexible twist tie things to hold it in place under the engine cowling from below. I’ve never put a temp gun on it, but the oil is over 100 degrees on startup and the cylinders are warm to the touch. About $50. Works great!

[@ronaldbrooks3649]

Radar, I agree that a.electric space heater is better than a pad heater, but it must have a set temp sensor amd be U/L listed. With a setting at 60F on a portable heater inside with 9insulated engine, prop and

[@joestuph]

I just made one of those. Haven't tried it yet. How long does it take to preheat? It's going to be in the teens around here next week.

[@LG_Av8r]

I just moved to Wisconsin from Atlanta and this video was super informative! Thanks Jon!

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AirBlairNZ]

great video. Would be awesome to have some Celsius references. USA is the only country that still uses F

[@YamahaC7SRG]

Thanks! Great job!!

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Glad you liked it!

[@budowens6478]

What kind of oil do you use in that engine? Thanks for sharing!

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Aeroshell straight 80W

[@chippyjohn1]

Use a hot water element in the cooling system and all is done, or in the oil sump.

[@Tyler-yb4mc]

Dude! Great job!!!!!!

[@unlisted773]

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Very informative!

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Glad it was helpful!

[@scottleckliter4992]

Great stuff!

[@natelammers652]

Great job! Way to cover all the scenarios!!

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Imhotterthenyou11]

Hey Jon, any experience with the Twin Hornet heaters?

[@Captndarty]

The quickest way to heat up an engine is to run it🤣 Fun video tho👍🏻 What’s your thoughts on the Rotax in your Rans for cold starts? I have a 915is and it only mentions a -4°F starting limitation. I know it’s a much more modern engine likely with tighter tolerances. Wonder if it fairs better without preheating.

[@AkPacerPilot]

Lycoming typically recommends preheat if colder then 10 F or 20F for some models. My experience with my O320, its super sensitive to flooding when it’s colder then 45 F.

[@PghGameFix]

@@AkPacerPilot That sounds like a mechanical issue. They should be harder to flood when cold.

[@AkPacerPilot]

@@PghGameFix it’s been looked at thoroughly, I’ve even changed carbs (for another reason), and it still floods easy when it’s cold.

[@JeffWinters]

Where do you find a mobile triggered outlet switch for $50?

[@rootvalley2]

I use wemo they can be fiddly to set up but usually work

[@JeffWinters]

@@rootvalley2 those are wifi though not mobile, right?

[@PghGameFix]

It's all good info... but what do you do after you land somewhere for lunch/fuel? You are going to start a cold engine. While I don't disagree with anything you said... the reality is we have been running air cooled engines in extreme cold temps for a long time without a lot of preheat. Heck... VW prided themselves on cold running and starts, since they didn't have a radiator to freeze. (back in the 50's and 60's when antifreeze wasn't so common) One other thing... watch your vid again. you spend the intro asking questions... but then you ask them all again after. So, you basically didn't say anything for the first 2 min. (and felt incredibly redundant) Anyway... I look forward to your next vid.

[@Dan007UT]

You didn't really cover the "is it bad to fly without preheating" which is me all the time renting from a flight school. 🤔

[@Dan007UT]

You need a K type thermocouple to get those negative numbers to show up :) #nerdscience

[@WX4CB]

great topic... thank God i live in florida... the plane may be nice and toasty, but i bloody wouldnt be :D

[@scottstp7084]

Suggestion: please speak only in Fahrenheit.

[@Fjord_Driver]

Come on man. If it is that cold out, I am not going flying anywhere unless there is a great sale happening on Haagen Daz ice cream bars four hours away. Then maybe. But, I would have to get an airplane first. Mehh...too expensive for what little use I would give it. I owned an air cooled VW bug in the northern part of the country and can say this, it basically had little interior heat in the winter. Never preheated the engine, ever. Engine never self destructed or lost compression. Ran like a Timex, whether it was 30 degrees F or minus 15F. Sure, pre-heating would make it start easier and maybe idle smoother more quickly. But it still ran fine with no pre-heat. I want to see the independent studies showing no pre-heat destroys engines, scores the cylinder walls, twists cams into pretzels. Where is the link? With the extreme cold temperatures this past week or so, most people's cars across the US should now be zero compression piles of junk, right?

[@gorgly123]

Could talking the oil cap off when heating the oil let the moisture out of the engine? I've also heard that after flying to take the cap off the oil filler to let the moisture out.

[@tonychiesa1823]

Thats not going to let any more out then the breather will let out on its own.

[@Cmoredebris]

@@tonychiesa1823 Not true...Go and fly on a cold day. After you land, take the oil fill cap off and watch the cloud of steam escape the engine. Just be sure to replace the cap before the next flight.

[@gabrielchartrand6342]

I'm still confused why airplanes don't use a full synthetic like a 0w40? Why fight with a conventional when synthetics are available?

[@bigmike2319]

synthetic oil causes the lead salts to precipitate out of the oil making a mess of your engine whereas organic oil can keep the lead salts suspended within until oil change time.

[@twest344]

Lead in avgas. When we ditch lead (coming soon) we will be able to use synthetic oil. We will also (at least at first) pay more $$, but that may be the price of progress.

[@chippyjohn1]

We do use fully synthetic PAO oils in aviation. It's mainly just the US that still use mineral oil. Synthetic oils are not compatible with leaded petrol, but most aviation stopped using leaded petrol some 30 years ago, except the US.

[@chippyjohn1]

@@twest344 Non leaded petrol and liquid cooled engines have been available for a long time, no excuses not to be using them.

[@oneskydog6768]

@@chippyjohn1 So you think I should just scrap my classic airplane? My engine can use unleaded 91 without alcohol, but I cannot buy it! Alcohol uses more energy to produce than it saves, corn farmers lobby won not science!

[@FEDERAL_AID_RACING]

It takes a few days……probably!

[@grumpycat4584]

Come on Man, I'm in bed at 10 pm !!!

[@fly8ma.comflighttraining199]

Must be that seasonal daylight disorder thing keeping me up

[@transcendedanal7307]

I wonder if using a heated blanket on the cowling instead of just a cover would improve heating of the cylinder heads much