Rotax Oil

[Pat Stewart]

Ready to buy all the fluids for my engine. Antifreeze is easy but I am having a hard time finding Aeroshell plus 4. Anyone in the North Texas aware of who the distributor is.

[tomkk]

Got mine here http://www.skysupplyusa.com/aeroshel...t-plus-4-case/ back in April. The price has gone up $16/case since I got mine

[Jetguy]

Try these guys on the east side of Fort Worth, Reeder Distributors
5450 Wilbarger St Fort Worth, TX 76119, (817) 429-5957. Or this guy in Denton, Kelsoe Oil Co 600 N Bell Ave Denton, TX 76209, (940) 387-3804. I buy from Kelsoe by the case , good prices! Tina's Pilot Shop at 52F has it also if you want to fly up there. As always call them before you make the drive. I hear there is a guy at 16X who does transition training.

[Flyer68]

Didn't Rotax send you four liters of oil with the engine?

[RFSchaller]

California Power Systems has a product called AV-9 which meets ROTAX specs.

[jabarr]

Where is the 912 ULS approval listed for the AV-9? Rotax SI 912-016R8 lists the approved oils and does not mention this oil.

[Sink]

AV-9 was an oil that was rebranded by the old California Power Systems just for them. The first formulas they tried had a few issues.
Since the reformulation and extensive testing done with flight schools with thousands of hours of run time I think now it would be better to stick with Aeroshell Sport Plus 4. This is now formulated for a high wear engine with specific testing on the Rotax. Remember Rotax is not always like the common 4 stroke. Will other oils work, probably, but you would never know if the engine's life was being cut down for hundreds of hours later. There is even a little talk coming down about a possible issue with Mobile One 4T. I know nothing more than that rumor. This is similar to when they thought Castrol was good, but after several years and enough run time under their belts they now recommend against Castrol.

There are so many oils in the world Rotax couldn't possibly test high time runs with all these oils. It wouldn't be physically and or financially feasible.

Here is a fairly good place to get Aeroshell Sport Plus 4. It's sold here by the case and they tend to always have it.

http://oilstore.stores.yahoo.net/aesppl412li.html


This isn't the only place, but they are a huge distributor.

[R100RS]

The 912 is a very conventional, plain bearing, horizontally-opposed four stroke engine with a pushrod operated valve train and a modest redline. The gearbox and slipper clutch make it resemble a motorcycle engine is some ways and Rotax used to recommend quality motorcycle oils.

Now we are told that the 912 is more likely to make TBO when operated with only one oil. Before that oil was recommended, we were told it would make TBO with any one of several oils. In fact, before the current restriction to just one oil, we were told, over and over, that the 912 so very often ran well past TBO. How were 912s so reliably making TBO without the one oil now recommended?

In the previous post, we are told "There is even a little talk coming down about a possible issue with Mobile One 4T". What does that mean? Why say it? What issue?

What is a "high wear" engine? How do 912 engines fail when approaching TBO? Is it the main or rod bearings that fail? The cam followers? Valve guides? The rings? If not these parts, then why is the oil an issue at all?

I am tired of all the 912 folklore and speculation. Why did Rotax change to only recommending Aeroshell Sport Plus 4? Are other high quality four stroke motorcycle engine oils (that were previously recommended) really inferior in that engine? How about showing us some data rather than the steady supply of rumor and speculation ("There is even a little talk" - what is this, a Hollywood tabloid?). It makes me very tired of Rotax and its "insiders" with special knowledge and I own a 912 (my second).

[rvbuilder2002]

Originally Posted by R100RS

Why did Rotax change to only recommending Aeroshell Sport Plus 4?

I wonder the same thing.

I also find it interesting that every new engine (for the past couple years now) comes with 4 liters of Aeroshell Sport Plus 4 oil inside of the box.

[todehnal]

It sounds to me like a business deal handshake took place. Maybe Shell is providing those first 4 quarts, gratis! In the background, it is probably all about money. But, there I go again, speculating, with no facts. Sorry about that.........Tom