was parked in front of the pumps for gas. It had an ugly brown
icicle hanging down from the end of the crankcase breather. I
broke it off, and looked up the breather tube, and it was plugged
solidly with ice. I got out my leatherman and dug the ice out - it
was frozen solid a good 3 inches up the nearly-vertical tube.
It was a good thing that there were 2 tiny holes drilled, further up
the tube, exactly for this occasion. If they weren't there, the seal
at the front of the crankshaft - which is the next weakest link -
would have been blown out by the built-up crankcase pressure,
and all the oil blows out, and your engine doesn't run well without oil.
It wasn't even very cold. This is eastern Ontario, fer crissakes. It
was only -21C this morning, warming to -15C by noon. Other parts
of Canada are MUCH colder than that!
Before your next flight, ensure that there are relief holes drilled in
your breather tube. Some people like to put one wrap of electrical
tape around them - I don't get that fancy. Just make sure there
are holes in the tube, up from the exit.
After your next flight, peek at the end of the breather tube. You
might be surprised what you might find. Keep in mind that water
is a by-product of combustion, and the colder it is, the more likely
your breather tube is, to freeze and plug.
You probably don't want end up like these guys, during their North
Atlantic crossing:
