Let me get this straight,  Your driver ran the engine with no coolant
 > for an extended period of time.  Obtaining the only cooling through the
 > oil cooler.  The engine was still running with no ill effects.  short of
 > loosing the rotor housings.   Sounds like this engine is meant to be an
 > aircraft engine.  Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. (oh wait that
 > was used by Timex).  :-)
 >
 > Tom Webber

The interesting thing to me was: without the coil wires, was it the plug
electrodes glowing that was filling in for an ignition system? What was the
total advance?

Since then I had another interesting thing happen that might provide useful
information. I was on the way home from work in my Geo Metro three cylinder.
It has a cast iron block and aluminum head. Some 7 miles from home I heard a
bang under the hood. I pulled into a service station and found that the
serpentine belt had broken.
I decided to drive it as far as I could without the coolant boiling. I turned
on the heater full blast. And took off. I accelerated up to 40 MPH at a very
slight throttle setting. I then switched off the ignition and went to full
throttle. No ignition or fuel injection with the switch off and coasted down
to 30 MPH with cool air going through the engine. I let the throttle back to
idle and switched the ignition (and fuel) back on and did it again, back to
40 MPH and so on....I think I could have done that all day long without
hurting the engine. When I got home I lifted the hood and waited for the
boiling sound from the block. There was none. Not even extra coolant in the
overflow bottle. I suggest that there was some convection in the coolant and
the block and head were radiating a good deal of the heat. The radiator fan
was running the whole time, and I think the induction of cool air at RPM was
removing enough heat to reach a balance. I think the heater fan running was
of little value without the water pump running. The Geo is my daughter's car
now 20,000 miles later with no problems.
I believe this is the strategy the Northstar engine uses to run without
coolant.
       In the aircraft, the power settings would be much higher to be of any
help, but it would be of some help. If there is no better alternative after a
coolant loss or failed belt, you could try this idea and if it isn't working,
put the boot to it and go to the nearest landing site. You can get another
engine later.
Lynn E. Hanover

 
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