Engine Saver Installation: Best Method – Oil Filler, Exhaust, or Intake?

[shawnd]

I recently purchased the Engine Saver and plugged it in for the first time yesterday. I’m wondering if there’s a better installation method than using the oil breather tube as the entry point. Aside from the oil gradually degrading the foam around the hose, the documentation mentions that the dry air will seep past the piston rings into the cylinders and exit through the intake or exhaust valves (source). My concern is that this could allow the potentially acidic, humid air to pass through the turbo and associated plumbing, potentially spreading damage further.

Alternative Approaches:

1. Oil Filler Cap Installation (many others have done this):

   • Design a custom cap for the oil filler port and insert the hose there.
   • Prevents oil from entering the dehydration system via the breather tube.
   • Dry air enters the oil sump, rises through the engine, and exits through the exhaust, unfortunately, still pushing humid air out through cylinders and intake/exhaust plumbing.

2. Exhaust and Intake System Installation:

   • Design a cap for the exhaust and intake system and connect the dehydration system to the both intake port and exhaust pipe.
   • Allows dry air to enter through the engine’s normal channels, pushing humid air out through the oil filler tube (if left open to drain) and the oil breather tube.
   • Advantage is that its pushing the humid air away from cylinders and turbo in a top down fashion.

Is the potential humidity / acidity of the air a significant concern for the turbo and internal components as it flows past those components? Or is the oil breather input from the top of the engine still considered the best approach for reasons I may be missing. What have others done, and what are the pros and cons of the approaches? My engine is a Continental TSIO-360-MB.

[N201MKTurbo]

I think the best method would be to do all of the above. The hardest will be the intake, but not Impossible. The most important would be the crankcase. 
 

If you could make a manifold to move dry air through all three spaces, that would check all the boxes.

it would be more fun to throw all that away and fly your plane at least once a week.

[N201MKTurbo]

As far as your turbo is concerned, there isn’t too much steel to worry about, the compressor side is all aluminum. The turbine side is passivated with exhaust deposits. The outside of the turbine housing will have a nice rust patina. But your dehydrator won’t do anything about that.

[Fix]

I have my dehumidifier connect to my Oil Filler (TSIO-360) and then from Oil Breather to a little box there I measure the humidity and then controll my Munther MG50 dehumidifier. I also blow in dry air in cockpit through the storm window.

I use a shrinkable tubing (63mm) and then I heated it to fit my Oil Filler neck.

Mostly I have 30% dry air in the engine all time.



 

 

Edited February 13 by Fix

[shawnd]

1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

it would be more fun to throw all that away and fly your plane at least once a week.

Flying as often as possible is a must for sure! 

After every flight, I open the oil filler cap to let as much hot vapor escape as possible. Seeing that rising thick column of steam and the left over on the oil filler cap motivated me to explore using an Engine Saver.  I've invested a significant amount of money in this plane, and I want to protect that investment however I can. 

[Fly Boomer]

3 hours ago, shawnd said:

My concern is that this could allow the potentially acidic, humid air to pass through the turbo and associated plumbing, potentially spreading damage further.

Compared to 1600-degree exhaust, I wouldn't be too concerned about any air that might pass by.

[shawnd]

13 minutes ago, Fix said:

I have my dehumidifier connect to my Oil Filler (TSIO-360) and then from Oil Breather to a little box there I measure the humidity and then controll my Munther MG50 dehumidifier. I also blow in dry air in cockpit through the storm window.

Interesting setup! Did you build your own humidity controller? I have been thinking about something like that as well.

Rich's suggestion above of using oil filler, intake and exhaust is valuable but then my airplane will be covered like a spider in the hangar if you take into account the battery minder!  

[Pinecone]

If you blow air into the intake, it will only get into the cylinders where the intake is partially open, the other get virtually no air.  The same for the exhaust.

Pressurizing the crankcase does blow some some dry air past the rings.  There is the ring gap and the rings need pressure to fully seal.

BTW, what is your serial number?  Our planes may only be a couple apart out of the factory.

[Fix]

23 hours ago, shawnd said:

Interesting setup! Did you build your own humidity controller? I have been thinking about something like that as well.

Rich's suggestion above of using oil filler, intake and exhaust is valuable but then my airplane will be covered like a spider in the hangar if you take into account the battery minder!  

Will post pictures soon as my Mooney is back from annual and back with tons of cables and hoses connected :-)

Munthers MG50 has a controller where you can set when it should start depending on humidity.
Since I'm not interested in the humidity in my hangar, but in my engine I have connected the oil breather with a hose to a little plastic box where I have the MG50 controller in.
You could if you want, then from the box attach it to the exhaust with dry air.
 

[shawnd]

On 2/13/2025 at 2:40 PM, Pinecone said:

If you blow air into the intake, it will only get into the cylinders where the intake is partially open, the other get virtually no air.  The same for the exhaust.

Pressurizing the crankcase does blow some some dry air past the rings.  There is the ring gap and the rings need pressure to fully seal

Correct that’s why the three pronged approach would make sense. IMO, intake, exhaust and oil breather. Open the oil filler cap for air to escape right after shutdown (which I do) but continue for a while the pump does its job. 

On 2/13/2025 at 2:40 PM, Pinecone said:

BTW, what is your serial number?  Our planes may only be a couple apart out of the factory.

Yours is 25-1057 mine is 26-1026. 

[shawnd]

On 2/14/2025 at 1:11 PM, Fix said:

Will post pictures soon as my Mooney is back from annual and back with tons of cables and hoses connected :-)

Munthers MG50 has a controller where you can set when it should start depending on humidity.
Since I'm not interested in the humidity in my hangar, but in my engine I have connected the oil breather with a hose to a little plastic box where I have the MG50 controller in.
You could if you want, then from the box attach it to the exhaust with dry air.
 

Looking forward to the pictures!

 

Will research the MG50 more. Need to see if I split the air out 3 ways, how much flow can I expect from it.

[Pinecone]

On 2/15/2025 at 9:07 PM, shawnd said:

Correct that’s why the three pronged approach would make sense. IMO, intake, exhaust and oil breather. Open the oil filler cap for air to escape right after shutdown (which I do) but continue for a while the pump does its job. 

Yours is 25-1057 mine is 26-1026. 

Interesting.  I would have thought they would be closer.  But then again, we are different in the 2nd to last, not last character.

I think if you keep a positive pressure on the crankcase, enough will leak past the rings to lower RH in the cylinders.

[shawnd]

Yep. I am currently geeking out on designing my own system :-) Busy upcoming month but will post updates here when I have something for review.