Evans waterless coolant aviation2/16/2024 ![]() ![]() (Heres another point if using 100LL avgas: The gearbox overload clutch should be overhauled at 600 hours. With 100LL, even using natural oil results in shorter recommended oil change intervals. Because of the high lead content in 100LL avgas, however, its use precludes synthetic oils because they don’t scavenge excess lead well. Unleaded auto gasoline allows 100 hours between changes with either petroleum or synthetic oil. Specific oils and their replacement times are based on the fuel used. Most systems include an oil cooler, which should be mounted with at least the outlet at the top so that air cannot be trapped. Vogel recommended removing the oil tank and cleaning it, and he showed us how to do it. Because the oil is held in its external tank, it is drained from the tank rather than the crankcase. We spent considerable classroom time on the oil system and how to service it. More critical than coolant is engine oil, which also lubricates the gearbox. But to protect the engine, you would want to land immediately if you lost coolant. For up to an hour, the engine should run without liquid coolant to the heads. The coolant system is important but not flight-critical. We learned about the cooling system and what to use in it (Evans waterless coolant because of its high boiling point or Dex-Cool diluted 50% with distilled water). We also received reprints of magazine articles by Lockwood on Rotax 912 installation. We each received Rotax manuals on operation, installation and maintenance, and Vogel provided web site addresses for keeping up with changes ( is a primary reference). Vogel listed primary course goals: enhancing safety, teaching students to find and interpret the information correctly, and developing the students confidence. A few were working on a homebuilt that will be equipped with a Rotax. ![]() Others work at an FBO and will maintain Rotaxes for their customers after completing an advanced course. Some were already flying 912s in their LSAs or homebuilts. At Lockwoods facility in Sebring, Florida, participants are taught by Dean Vogel of Aero Technical Institute, which is associated with Lockwood Aviation Supply.įifteen of us-a full class-gathered to learn about Rotaxes. ![]() All three courses run two days and cost $455 each. It is also the prerequisite for the maintenance and heavy maintenance courses, which deal not only with maintenance but also with engine teardown and complete overhauls. The entry-level service course is intended for owners of Rotax 912/914-equipped aircraft, operators and renters, and it also provides basic information for homebuilders who will be installing a Rotax in their new aircraft. The Rotax Service Training session I attended this year was a combination of the older version and the newer material. Tim Kern attended one of the older courses and reported on it in the July 07 KITPLANES. Lockwood Aviation Supply is a leading Rotax dealer and overhaul center in the U.S., and owner Phil Lockwood had set up Rotax courses before the final factory-approved courses were completed. Rotax has a reputation for improving its products and operating procedures, which has resulted in highly detailed procedures for engine installation, operation and inspection plus specific recommendations for consumables such as fuel, oil and coolant.įor all of these reasons, Rotax has designed a series of training courses that its retailers and maintenance centers are encouraged to offer. Two altitude-compensating carburetors provide efficient use of the recommended auto fuel (unleaded regular for the lower-power 912 and premium for the 912S). Dual breakerless capacative-discharge units excite the dual spark plugs. The dry-sump oil system uses crankcase pressure (about 7 psi) to force oil back into an external tank before being pumped into the engine (using a conventional pump) for pressure lubrication.Ī gearbox equipped with a shock absorber and overload clutch reduces engine rpm (by a 2.43:1 ratio in the 912S) to drive a large, efficient propeller. Rotax heads are liquid-cooled, and the cylinders rely on air cooling. The three Rotax four-stroke engines (80-hp 912, 100-hp 912S and 115-hp turbocharged 914) and their uncertified (UL) versions are unlike Lycomings, Continentals and auto engines. In the 24 months that Ive written this column, one topic has come up almost as often as the term Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)-understanding and maintaining the 900-series Rotax engines that are far and away the most popular choice for this new breed of aircraft.
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