Level 2 maintenance

[Guest bateo]

G'day Guys,

 

I have a Tecnam P92 Echo 100hp rotax based in Mudgee NSW, I am having engine troubles with it and am wondering if any of you out there would know of any good Level 2 maintenance engineers (or higher)that could come and source the problem and to give the aircraft a 100 hourly.

 

Could anyone suggest a business or person thatwould be suitable for a rotax 912 or a Tecnam in NSW closer to Mudgee Preferably.

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

I'd be interested to know what type of engine troubles that you are having with your Rotax. From my experience they are fairly bullet-proof. At a rough guess I'd say that you might have some kind of carburettor in-balancing issue... I'm keen to know???

 

 

[Guest bateo]

G'day, I have gone into research with my rotax problem, It was actually what they call the Sprag Clutch between the starter motor and Crank Shaft... When I went to start the engine it would gain momentum but when it went to kick to start it didnt engage and was making a horrible noise and would kick back like it was out of timing.This became worse and worse.. (the previous owner put a heavy duty starter motor in it 10 hours ago thinking that was the problem)

 

So I put a new Odyssey battery in it yesterday and managed to kick the engine over with a heavier battery (than the standard Fiamm)onthe 2nd attempt and ran fine.

 

It starts beautifully when warm, but of a morning it remains difficult.

 

It has only clocked 600 hours which is rare for this to happen to a rotax, it was also running a bit rough but cleaned and re-assembled the carbys and changed the plugs, now running much better..

 

Although saying that I still wouldnt mind a Level 2to go over it for me...

 

I wouldnt say the rotax's are bullet proof, but they are quite areliable engine when treatedhow they should be..I have actually experienced engine failure in a 582.. (Piston chipped in flight, I am not sure how?? and am not sure why engine failed all together, it should have ran roughly though)

 

 

[Yenn]

Sam.

 

On a different note. How do Odyssey batteries do down there. Iv'e had troubles here in central Qld in winter and eventually improved on the situation by removing the metal case at the suggestion of the manager of Battery World.

 

Ian

 

 

[facthunter]

Check that the engine has a good earth to the frame. Generally if an overriding clutch slips, the unit should be replaced ,as damage rapidly increases with continued use.N......

 

 

[Guest mcoates]

Sam, i will be down in Mudgee in about a week and am happy to wave the wand over it, send me an email off group. Michael Coates (ex Mudgee)

 

 

[Guest bateo]

Yenn,

 

The Odyysey battery has definately made a difference, we also run one down here in a Jabiru.. I have noticed a huge difference in momentum it doesnt struggle like the standard Fiamm.

 

I havent had the chance to experience the Odyssey in Winter, but to date, although pretty expensive.. Is definately the right choice!!

 

Thanks Facthunter, I have noticed it has gotten worse within a very short period, I may have to order a new clutch for it.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

[PaulN]

Sam,

 

I have often experienced difficulty starting the Rotax in my CT, esp when cold. It sounds like you may be seeing/hearing/feeling the same symptoms I did, always leaving me with a grimace. That is, on ignition the engine grinds over, attempts to fire then slaps back. After some trial and error we reset all the plugs to a slightly greater gap (thirty thou) and has since started more easily cold or hot and without the slap-back. Might be worth a try.

 

Paul

 

 

[Geoff]

I have a mate (yep one or two) who has a Kit Fox with a Rotax 912 his has the same prob wot works for him is he only uses one ignition at start up. no more slap backs. You can only try it .

 

 

[facthunter]

Less throttle opening eases the load on the starter as the cylinder does not fill so much.This is more noticeable on bigger enginesi If the battery is sick, sometimes you will get by if the engine is rotated initially with the throttle fully closed, and gradually opened while still cranking. The engine is also less likely to kick- back, as it has more rotational speed as top of the compression stroke is passed. N..

 

 

[Guest mcoates]

Rotax's will only start reliably with NO throttle, this information has been flogged to death about 2 years ago when the problems surfaced...

 

The cure is to fit the new starter motor which is strong enough to stop any kickback. For those without the bigger starter then you have to 'help' your engine start by initially engaging the starter to get the engine rotating and then flicking the mags on, she will start nicely this way almost every time, the other thing to do is slow the engine as much as possible before shutting it off to get rid of the sudden stop, what i do is pull the throttle back and slow the engine as slow as possible and then turn off one mag and then the other so the engine slows and then stops in one smooth coordinated process... it takes a bit of practice to perfect the shutdown but once mastered its about the same as stopping your car engine. Take care Michael Coates

 

PS. I have TWO standard starters for sale if anyone needs one, they have been replaced after just a few hours with the new big starters. So you can tell, the small starter is black and the big starter silver

 

 

[Guest micgrace]

Hi Michael Coates.

 

Do you have any secondhand Rotax 503 there?

 

Micgrace :)

 

 

[Guest bateo]

Thanks for all the help guys,

 

On start with a cold engine, I use a small amount of throttle but after Michael's theory I might try and see what happens with no throttle..

 

I have noticed a remarkable difference with a new battery, but it is interesting that some people have had the same problems..

 

I will give some of these methods a try, it wil be interesting to get into the depth of the problem...

 

 

[albert]

Hi Bateo

 

I’m a level 2 .I have only just joined this list so a hello to you all out there

 

After reading about your problem I think it may be that your

 

Ignition timing is to fare advanced which causes pre ignition. The reason why it seems to start better with the new battery is because it has moor cranking power to over come the

 

Pre-ignition. But of corse I can not be sure with out been there this should be check as it can cause engine damage and possible engine failure.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Albert

 

 

[Guest bateo]

G'day Albert.. and Welcome to the forum..

 

Thanks for your help, I will take this into consideration, although running much much better now.. I am not sure if that is the problem as it only occurs once a day (Cold engine) and the sprag clutch seems to be not engaging. I figure if the ignition timing was out, this would happen everytime? maybe not.. what are the other symptoms I would be looking for if the ignitions were out of timing? would this include a difference of rpm in the mag checks???

 

 

[Guest bateo]

G'day micgrace,

 

Ask Michael about a Rotax 503, he has one there from Mudgee out of a X-air that is in excellent condition.. Contact asap as they plan to ship engine back down to Mudgee to sell.

 

 

[albert]

HI Bato

 

Try this link and go to trouble shooting section it may help isolate your problem.

 

http://www.theultralightplace.com/timing_specifications.htm

 

Albert

 

[url=http://www.theultralightplace.com/timing_specifications.htm][/url]

 

 

[Guest bateo]

Thanks Albert, Not a bad site for specifications of the rotax engine.. was interesting