Engine Baffles

The engine baffles are critical to proper operation of the engine. They provide the sides for the box that holds the cooling air, and they also direct the air around the cylinder fins to minimize hot spots.

Its very common to see the metal portion of the baffles cracked and fretted from vibration, and to see the rubber seals hardened from heat and age, missing sections and replaced with the wrong types of material. The orange silicone rubber is the most popular replacement material, and its not really suitable for the job.

The rubber baffle seal needs to be thin and flexible, and it should have some fiber reinforcement to prevent tearing. The orange silicone rubber is too thick (1/8"), has no reinforcement, and tears easily.

When installing a lightweight starter such as the Sky-Tec, the front metal baffles on the 75 Traveler and all Cheetahs and Tigers must be trimmed to clear the different contour of the starter motor and solenoid.

Here are some examples of the trimming:

This is a seal I added to decrease the air leakage around the starter.

Also check all of the baffle attach points. This AA5B broken bracket was hard to see, but was obviously not doing it's job. It is attached to the baffles by the oil cooler and held by the upper left engine mount bolt. A previous repair was less than effective. New brackets are available at Fletchair.