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Major Inspection Required by ROTAX on the 912 at 25 Hours!!

MartySantic

MartySantic

Well Known Member
Buried in the Rotax 912 Line Manual is a single sentence that indicates all of usual 100 hour engine maintenance requirements are to be performed after the first 25 hours!!!

See the two sentences at the bottom of Section 05-20-00 page 3 in Line Maintenance Manual for Rotax 912 engines.

It states.... "In order to demonstrate continued airworthiness, an engine must be inspected after the first 25 hours of operation. The checks performed at the 25 hour inspection are the same as for the "usual" 100 hour inspection".......

Thought you all might be interested. AND, I do realize we may NOT be bound legally to follow this requirement, so don't chase that subject item via this thread. :eek:
 
MartySantic said:
MY POINT is the requirement is BURIED and not a hint of it from Van's.
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Marty,
There is a lot of info buried in the documentation supplied with an RV-12 kit. Each manufacturer of equipment or parts that are intended to meet the ASTM certification requirements, are bound by those requirements to provide documentation for maintaining and inspecting those items (Engines and propellers are just a couple of examples). My point is that Van's Aircraft is only responsible for the airframe portion. It would be very difficult to try and do otherwise. Rotax makes changes in their documentation pretty regularly. How could Van's Aircraft possibly keep up with informing RV-12 owners about every little change when they are not even responsible for making those changes?

-Example- The small 3 or 4 page document that came with your propeller specifies checking the propeller bolt torque every 25 hours. Even though the Kit Assembly Instruction guided a builder through installing the propeller, the builder should still read that document so they are familiar with the manufacturers requirements for installing and maintaining the propeller. It would also be a good idea to check the Manufacturers web site before doing maint. or a condition inspection...sometimes they change things. Sensenich has made a couple of changes in the passed three years related to the placement of lock washers and bolt torque values...It would be nearly impossible for Van's Aircraft to keep up with all of that stuff for every item on the airplane. That is the airplane owners responsibility.

Once an RV-12 builder makes the transition to being an owner, particularly one that is doing their own maint., and obtains certification to do their own annual condition inspection, it is important that he get familiar with what is in the documentation for all of the other equipment on the airplane.

I actually disagree with your feeling that this info is buried in the documentation. It is right at the front of the very check list that will be used for every 100 hour engine inspection.
Failing to look at that part of the documentation just because the discussions in this forum never mentioned anything other than a 100 hr inspection, is not a reason to blame Van's for not knowing about it.
 
Scott,

Agree with everything in your reply!! Thank-you. Just would have been easier another way. We all LEARNING. Me especially. First time builder here. I have done an in-depth check and think, now, have found all of the engine requirements and the prop requirements. Hope there is not more. A learning experience, indeed.

PLEASE let me know how I am to check the torque on the upper left engine mount capscrew as required by the ROTAX engine manual at 25 hours and subsequently every 100 hours with the fiberglass cooling shroud in-place.

BTW, checking the upper right engine mount torque requires the removal of the carb and the drip pan. Very possible, but a pain.
 
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100 hr inspections

Scott, thanks for your postings, and for teenflight.

I have been so happy with my RV-12 I cant stand it. I have 98.5 hours now.
The other day I got depressed, I forgot to put my garage door up the last 2' and I ran my backhoe boom into it and bent it. Just then, I noticed a package from UPS laying on the ground, It was a Champion plaque from the Tulsa fly in. So I may be an idiot on the ground, but I built a nice RV-12 and you can do it too!

I did the 2000 hour TBO fix and you can replace the ball on the oil pressure regulator with a mushroom shaped piece to keep the oil pressure more stable for the honeywell sensor. The total for all was about $35.

Regarding the inspections, I am a bit intimidated about the 200 hour carb rebuild. If someone does it, could you post pictures?

It seems like a hole in the fiberglass pressure cowl for an allen wrench would be a trivial air leak. Could Van's put a dent in the mold so it could be drilled for an allen wrench/ capplug so we could retorque the engine mounts?

John
 
MartySantic said:
PLEASE let me know how I am to check the torque on the upper left engine mount capscrew as required by the ROTAX engine manual at 25 hours and subsequently every 100 hours with the fiberglass cooling shroud in-place.
Click to expand...

A means of dealing with that is being investigated.

Not intending to make excuses, but I am pretty sure that if the optional cooling shroud sold by Rotax had been used, it would still be very difficult to impossible to check that bolt.
 
Forum would be a fix...

This issue is unique to the 12 because we know we have to build it to spec. On previous builds we knew we had to reference the AD's, talk to guys who were flying similar engines (Lycs are more numerous than Rotax 912ULS).

Rotax info must be mined from loose sheets in the engine crate, a plastic bag in same and website downloads. Prop info was, if I remember correctly, in with the bill of lading glued on the crate.

OK, not complaining here. If anything, Vans kind of spoiled us with the comprehensiveness of the airframe plans...kind of lulled me into a state of, "Gee, ain't this a great way to build a plane!"

Previous responses have mentioned the big issues. Would someone be kind enough to post a comprehensive list of what-might-be-overlooked? I, for one, will print it out for reference. (Will save numerous word-searches.)

It is all well and good (and correct) to say that it is each builder's responsibility to research everything, But the safety of our fellow builders is something important to all of us. We're not responsible for other's actions (or inactions) but wouldn't a concise post by a knowledgeable builder make sense under the circumstances? Please feel free to waive liability regarding its completeness.

Thanks to all who have been so generous in the past with Forum posts.

Jim
RV12 N233TX
FAA-approved Grade A, undergoing light kit installation
 
Here is a list of inspection items and their intervals, that I have found so far. THIS LIST is most likely INCOMPLETE. So add your comments.

RV-12 Maintenance Manual - REVISION 1 (Chapter 3 & 18 form a good list, the 25 hour prop bolting requirement is also listed in Chapter 11).

Rotax Line Maintenance Manual (Section 05-20-00, contains the requirement to perform the first general inspection at 25 hours and then every 100 hours, other specific item intervals are listed)

Sensenich Prop Manual/Pages (Contains the requirement to re-torque the bolting EVERY 25 hours.)

Other Miscellaneous Items with Expiration Dates - Main Battery for the ELT (expiration date is on the battery), lithium cell in ELT remote switch (5 year shelf life), transponder certification (24 months), transponder registration with NOAA (24 months).

Additions????
 
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Marty, the Sensenich requirement at 25 hour intervals is only for the 6 clamp bolts holding prop in place. The hub bolts are done yearly unless vibration occurs before that time. There is a big difference in the amount of work performed between the two tasks.
Dick Seiders
 
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