Cessna Rear Air Vent Options?

petrolero

petrolero

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petrolero
The rear air vents on my 182 are old and leaky (and the tubing is pretty rotten). These are the rectangular style vents that rotate and also have vanes. I have searched for these things on google and can't even find an image of them. I don't have a pic right now either but I may get out to the airplane this weekend.

My question is whether anyone knows of a replacement for those dumb things. They suck. Actually they blow. Constantly. We can't shut them off completely and they make the kids cold back there sometimes.

I'd love to install those eyeball style butterfly valves but I haven't found any that are drop-in replacements for the stupid Cessna vents. My mechanic and I talked about just buying butterfly valves and then fabricating some sheet metal to affix them to the plenum. I never pulled the trigger on that because it sounded like a Cla$s 1 PITA.

Has anyone dealt with replacing or repairing those old vents? Aftermarket or Cessna or homebrewed booty fab?

Thanks!
 
bnt83 said:
If there is scat running in there

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/scat.php




you could hook these directly to them


http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/cabinvent.php



The make a plate to go over the hole on the headliner that they can also fasten to.


(Hmmm, do you have a fabric headliner?)
Click to expand...

Yes there is SCAT - or whatever the old black stuff is made of - in there. It needs to be replaced but it's there.

This is interesting and is along the lines of what I was thinking of doing. I'm curious about the plate you mention.

I would need something to screw that into and I'm not sure what would be left in that 'cavity' once the old vents are removed. Guessing the A&P could come up with something, which is kinda along the lines of fabbing up a piece to mount the vent onto. Not a lot of work I wouldn't imagine.
 
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Got sidetracked trimming a new rear window for the Cardinal. I'll get pics tomorrow.
 
The Cardinal has a plastic elbow riveted to a simple sheet metal bracket (ignore the control cable and knob since they aren't needed with the eyeball vents that have an integral valve).










The little plastic nozzle (can easily be swapped for a machined aluminum eyeball type vent and screwed directly to the brackets) and the trim cover plate is placed into the hole in the headliner and screwed to those brackets with a felt air seal.


I'd probably build something almost the same except use fiberglass for the plastic parts and then screw the eyeball directly to the sheet metal brackets. Then fiberglass & paint trim pieces to cover the hole in the headliner.

or

Get an eyeball vent that has a elbow boss on it to connect the duct and then a sheet metal bracket with a fiberglass trim cover plate.
 
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bnt83 said:
Got sidetracked trimming a new rear window for the Cardinal. I'll get pics tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I thought you were working on the windscreen... :wink2:
 
Skywagon City would be a good place to call for salvaged parts. They have some Skylane and Stationair parts on hand for the less fortunate. :)
 
I probably don't have to say this but until you get it fixed you can cover the ports on the wing with some tape and stop the airflow.

STOL pilots argue whether covering the ports aids the stall break. Some say it does and others laugh their ass off. It's been called "the poor man's stall kit" saying it reduces the beginning of the wing root stall break a knot or two.

I don't know whether to believe it or not.
 
probably a wives tale started by an old 180 fan who was picking on a newer 180 fan. Old models didn't have rear seat vents. I yanked and pitched mine 5 years ago. plugged the intakes, removed ducts, etc.
 
txflyer said:
I probably don't have to say this but until you get it fixed you can cover the ports on the wing with some tape and stop the airflow.

STOL pilots argue whether covering the ports aids the stall break. Some say it does and others laugh their ass off. It's been called "the poor man's stall kit" saying it reduces the beginning of the wing root stall break a knot or two.

I don't know whether to believe it or not.
Click to expand...

Stewartb said:
probably a wives tale started by an old 180 fan who was picking on a newer 180 fan. Old models didn't have rear seat vents. I yanked and pitched mine 5 years ago. plugged the intakes, removed ducts, etc.
Click to expand...

Plugging the vents on the wing will be my temp solution for sure once it gets really cold up there this winter.
 
bnt83 said:
The Cardinal has a plastic elbow riveted to a simple sheet metal bracket (ignore the control cable and knob since they aren't needed with the eyeball vents that have an integral valve).










The little plastic nozzle (can easily be swapped for a machined aluminum eyeball type vent and screwed directly to the brackets) and the trim cover plate is placed into the hole in the headliner and screwed to those brackets with a felt air seal.


I'd probably build something almost the same except use fiberglass for the plastic parts and then screw the eyeball directly to the sheet metal brackets. Then fiberglass & paint trim pieces to cover the hole in the headliner.

or

Get an eyeball vent that has a elbow boss on it to connect the duct and then a sheet metal bracket with a fiberglass trim cover plate.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the pics. That actually looks quite different than what I saw in my airplane the other day.

In mine, the SCAT tubing is of the skinny 1" variety and runs outboard of the front doors along the wing root (you can see it behind the inspection strip/plate just outside the doors under the wing) aft to some point near the door post, then comes inboard and connects to the vent.

I don't have a nice plate like that. Wish I did, though.

Mine is this ugly old orange-juice can style...


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    Rear Vent Small.jpg
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It would still take some effort to make a trim coverplate and make it look nice.

 
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