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Rotax Service Bulletin

T

the_other_dougreeves

Well Known Member
Rotax this week has released a SB on the 912/914 series engines. Some gearboxes were experiencing excessive wear. The SB calls for complete replacement of the gearbox - not overhaul, replacement. List price on a new gearbox is about $3,400.

I will check my engine tonight to see if it is one of the covered s/n. Note that while experimental aircraft can ignore SB, S-LSA are required to follow them or loose their AW cert.

Not good news for Rotax or rotax owners....

TODR
 
I've got to get in on that deal!
Sell a sub-par product at a premium price and get the consumer to fix it on their nickel. That's some kind of business model...
 
And, of course, my gearbox is on the list. Lovely. :mad:

Fortunately, I was smart enough to not check the serial number until after I got up for .9 hours tonight, so it didn't ruin the flight.

TODR
 
Geico266 said:
Kinda helps a guy realize why Egg is having "issues" with his gear box also.
Click to expand...

Sorry but I don't think that comment is fair...get some details first...you are comparing apples with oranges here i.e. both is round but not the same.

Maximum Rotax HP is for their 914 engine and is 115HP, different story for most RV engines with exception of RV12.

http://www.rotax-owner.com/si_tb_info/serviceb/sb-912-056ul.pdf
There are literally Tens of thousands and of Rotaxes out there with gearboxes running fine, and reliable, that is their reason to fame.

But like with all engine manufacturers recently (Lycoming Cranks & Superior Air Cylinders) it looks like some sub par components got into the system.

PS: How they are handling the "recall" is another matter though!

Kind Regards
Rudi
 
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Ok, here's the skinny, and it's not as bad as I expected:

Rotax will be performing some or all of the work under warranty.

Option #1 - Pull the gearbox locally (yourself if it's legal and you feel up to it) and ship it to one of the 4 rotax service centers (CPS and Lockwood are the biggies). They will overhaul the gearbox, replacing the gears and ship it back to you - no charge. You reinstall locally. Rotax supposedly credits you $50 for shipping to the service center.

Option #2 - You take the engine to a rotax service center and they do all the work.

Option #3 - You do all the work and Rotax ships you new gears.

I will be doing Option #1. I thought about doing this right away, but the flying WX is always poor in late April and early May, so I'm going to wait a few months and then send it in.

TODR
 
Wonder if it was necessary to dis Rotax

the_other_dougreeves said:
Ok, here's the skinny, and it's not as bad as I expected:

Rotax will be performing some or all of the work under warranty.

Option #1 - Pull the gearbox locally (yourself if it's legal and you feel up to it) and ship it to one of the 4 rotax service centers (CPS and Lockwood are the biggies). They will overhaul the gearbox, replacing the gears and ship it back to you - no charge. You reinstall locally. Rotax supposedly credits you $50 for shipping to the service center.

Option #2 - You take the engine to a rotax service center and they do all the work.

Option #3 - You do all the work and Rotax ships you new gears.

I will be doing Option #1. I thought about doing this right away, but the flying WX is always poor in late April and early May, so I'm going to wait a few months and then send it in.

TODR
Click to expand...

That is good news, not only for current owners of a Rotax engine, but is encouraging for future owners who may someday need Rotax factory support (RV-12?).

I do wonder, however, if the tone of this thread would have been as negative if all the facts of the SB were stated prior to the first post...... ;)
 
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Nice to see Rotax stepping up to the plate on this. Was this prompted by field/ shop reports or is this a way to get some mistreated boxes off airplanes and educate operators on the consequences of low rpm operation?
 
rv6ejguy said:
Nice to see Rotax stepping up to the plate on this. Was this prompted by field/ shop reports or is this a way to get some mistreated boxes off airplanes and educate operators on the consequences of low rpm operation?
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From what we know, it's due to bad sets of gears - only specific s/n were affected, and there are significant gaps in the s/n ranges. I suspect a certain supplier is in big trouble with Rotax...

TODR
 
rotax 912

kitfox 912 owner new to ft worth area...suggestions where to have maintance done on 912.....thanks mike dean
 
the_other_dougreeves said:
From what we know, it's due to bad sets of gears - only specific s/n were affected, and there are significant gaps in the s/n ranges. I suspect a certain supplier is in big trouble with Rotax...

TODR
Click to expand...

Nice to see it wasn't a design problem, rather a supplier quality problem. These things happen to even the best manufacturers. Very nice to see Rotax stepping up to the plate with several options for repairs.

Replacing the gear box is really no big deal at all. Done it a few times times during the 100 hour gearbox required spring washer maintenance. If I remember right the biggest thing is to remember there are different length cap head screws holding the gear box on. Make sure you get them back into the same holes, clean mating surfaces, apply red gasket seal sparingly, tourque (twice) to specs. Oh yea, the prop comes first. I'm going by memory, make sure you read the maintance manual, and follow it to the "T".
 
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A side note to those not in the know on the rotax 912/914's. As long as you get a Service Bulliten taken care of within the time alotted by rotax, usally 6 months or a year, the parts have always been free or VERY cheap, and if it requires extensive repair they usually pick up the labor bill to a point also. If you don't, you pay the bill. It also never mattered to rotax who owns the motor, what its mounted on or how many hours or years are on it. If it is part of a bulliten they took care of it, didn;t matter if it's experimental, certified or on a lawn mower. Lycoming and Continental, with my experience, cannot say the same.
 
Jeromiemead said:
A side note to those not in the know on the rotax 912/914's. As long as you get a Service Bulliten taken care of within the time alotted by rotax, usally 6 months or a year, the parts have always been free or VERY cheap, and if it requires extensive repair they usually pick up the labor bill to a point also. If you don't, you pay the bill. It also never mattered to rotax who owns the motor, what its mounted on or how many hours or years are on it. If it is part of a bulliten they took care of it, didn;t matter if it's experimental, certified or on a lawn mower. Lycoming and Continental, with my experience, cannot say the same.
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Lycoming "paid" the full bill, to have two A&P's come to my house (two blocks from the airport FBO), and pull all four cylinders off, to check for possible sub-standard "wrist pins". Turns out the wrist pins were the proper ones.

This "AD" operation was to occur by mid 1998, but Lycoming was on strike at the time; and management just said to leave it in the box, and have it checked when the engine was mounted, instead of shipping it back. My one year guess as to mounting evolved to 2004. Yet, since I did make the call to Lycoming in 1998 before expiration of their time line, as well as offering to send the engine back; they paid in full without much squawking.

L.Adamson
 
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