Rotax Mandatory Service Bulletin affecting AR-1 owners and others

Abid

AR-1 gyro manufacturer
Joined
Oct 31, 2011
Messages
6,257
Location
Tampa, FL
Aircraft
AR-1
Total Flight Time
4000+ 560 gyroplanes. Sport CFI Gyro and Trikes. Pilot Airplane
Rotax has released a mandatory Service bulletin about carb circlips for 912 and 914 engines (SB-912-073 / SB-914-055) and it seems it applies to almost all AR-1 deliveries we have made so please download, read and arrange compliance. Compliance is recommended within next 25 hours or by July 31st, 2020, whichever comes first. A Rotax trained iRMT is recommended for doing the work or a Rotax service station. Rotax will reimburse labor and parts.

Download link at Rotax-Owner.com here. If you are not signed up at rotax-owner.com with your e-mail to get automatic notification of engine bulletins, why not? Do it today.

https://legacy.rotaxowner.com/si_tb_info/…/sb-912-073-ul.pdf
 
Well well well .......it took them a whole NINE months after I reported the circlip failure in my 180 hour 914 to decide it was worth a mandatory bulletin .... when my rotax mechanic told me he had heard of several other failures due to broken circlips ...I have been awaiting some response from them ... I filed my report with pictures back in October!
 
It's a pretty simple part, so my guess is that it was a QC issue, and that they are checking the new ones individually and carefully. Perhaps they now come from a different manufacturer as well?
Does anyone have any of the new ones yet?
 
Well well well .......it took them a whole NINE months after I reported the circlip failure in my 180 hour 914 to decide it was worth a mandatory bulletin .... when my rotax mechanic told me he had heard of several other failures due to broken circlips ...I have been awaiting some response from them ... I filed my report with pictures back in October!

How did you come to discover the failure? Were there symptoms (minor or dramatic) or did you just catch it on inspection?
 
How did you come to discover the failure? Were there symptoms (minor or dramatic) or did you just catch it on inspection?
I was lucky that mine broke between the Mag check & lift-off ...I had a passenger & almost at lift-off the engine vibrated badly & lost power ...so I aborted & taxi back to terminal ... as soon as I ran up E rpm above 2200 .... bad vibration no power!
 
Several years ago I removed the needle valve from my 582 and noticed the clip had worn the needle valve almost completely in to as it vibrates an O ring around the needle valve is supposed to stop the viboration and wear. Only reason I even mentioned this is the clip breaking or the clip wearing the needle both will drop the needle down.
 
As of this posting, neither Lockwood nor CPS have the needed replacements parts from Rotax.
When asked, their reply was the same....we're waiting for a response from Rotax; we just got
the notice last Friday.
Perhaps, Abid could (as a mfgr.) get several and then 'dispense' them to his customers who need them?
If anyone knows differently regarding availability at this time, please post for us all. Thx.
 
Mark. This is covered under Rotax warranty. If I get the parts which I could, they would come at the same time as when they get to service stations. And if I dispense them I would have to charge you and you would have no way to get that money back from Rotax. But the parts probably don’t cost much it’s the labor. The main thing though is I can’t get you the parts any faster.
I will try and ask Lockwood to reserve some sets of parts for my customers. Technically OEMs are not allowed to service customers engines with parts after sale because it takes revenue away from Service stations. Service stations get paid by Rotax on warranty claims
 
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Well well well .......it took them a whole NINE months after I reported the circlip failure in my 180 hour 914 to decide it was worth a mandatory bulletin .... when my rotax mechanic told me he had heard of several other failures due to broken circlips ...I have been awaiting some response from them ... I filed my report with pictures back in October!

Can you post the pictures here too since I would be interested in seeing it. Thanks! Thanks for reporting to Rotax as sure it will help others...
 
I am really considering getting rid of my carbs; first the float issue (still not completely resolved it seems) and now this. And then of course the PITA balancing etc. You would think after all these years Bing could make a carburetor that one does not have to worry about. At Oshkosh I took a really good look at Edge Performance EFI systems, and met the owner Thomas Hauklien. I was very impressed. The engines weigh less (unlike Rotax's injection 912is). Better fuel economy, no balancing, better starting, adjust for better efficiency at altitude etc. Edge modified Rotax's (more than just EFI) were first and second in the STOL competition at Oshkosh.
 
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They had this issue on 582s at one point. Bing has made carbs for years that were completely trouble free but the recent years they have had issues. Balancing isn't so bad. Once a year one hour on annual. You don't even have to do it yourself. Just take it to Lockwood or Shawn at Lake Wales Loftus.

The problem with EP products is its very difficult to get straight data. I don't think a single one of their engines has made it to 2000 hours yet straight. So that is to be seen.
 
The problem with EP products is its very difficult to get straight data. I don't think a single one of their engines has made it to 2000 hours yet straight. So that is to be seen.
Of course with any of the mods for Rotax out there no TBO data is available; but I am not looking to increase power, so I can't see any detrimental effect on engine longevity of just an EFI conversion. (Though they do claim about 5% dyno demonstrated power increase with just the EFI, which matches the unofficial claims that Rotax make for their 912is) Installation and setup appear quite straightforward. Not rushing into it, but makes a whole lot of sense except for the expense of course. One nice thing about EFI is the significant improvement in fuel consumption and range.
 
Of course with any of the mods for Rotax out there no TBO data is available; but I am not looking to increase power, so I can't see any detrimental effect on engine longevity of just an EFI conversion. (Though they do claim about 5% dyno demonstrated power increase with just the EFI, which matches the unofficial claims that Rotax make for their 912is) Installation and setup appear quite straightforward. Not rushing into it, but makes a whole lot of sense except for the expense of course. One nice thing about EFI is the significant improvement in fuel consumption and range.

So why not 912iS. I am installing a 912iS right now in an AR-1. I know 912iS can be installed in your aircraft as well. Wiring and fuel system requirements are quite different but the redundant fail over is seamless. 912iS used to have an issue with lubrication of gearbox and every 400 hours gears had to be changed because they tried to use 0 degree dog instead of 30 degree one like in 912ULS. But that problems has been solved now in the last 8 months.
I did a 912iS on a LSA airplane and its fuel consumption was 2.2 GPH at 100 mph. That would not be the case for a gyroplane but I expect some fuel consumption efficiency gain for sure. Will know in a month.
 
So why not 912iS. I am installing a 912iS right now in an AR-1. I know 912iS can be installed in your aircraft as well. Wiring and fuel system requirements are quite different but the redundant fail over is seamless. 912iS used to have an issue with lubrication of gearbox and every 400 hours gears had to be changed because they tried to use 0 degree dog instead of 30 degree one like in 912ULS. But that problems has been solved now in the last 8 months.
I did a 912iS on a LSA airplane and its fuel consumption was 2.2 GPH at 100 mph. That would not be the case for a gyroplane but I expect some fuel consumption efficiency gain for sure. Will know in a month.

I did consider the is engines when I built my Aircam but I was persuaded by others not to for a few reasons; weight was the first one, about twenty pounds per engine, difficulties with the wiring harnesses and twin engine compatibility with the Dynon system, and of course expense. The Edge system on the other hand is cheaper overall, actually lightens the engine a few pounds, and requires no significant change in wiring setup. Of course the Edge system would void a warranty, but then I don't have one any longer anyway. People like myself and Lockwood have been justifiably wary of some of these conversions like the large bore kits etc. Nevertheless some of them offer significant benefits, like the power increase of the large bore kits, without the costs, weight increases and complexities of similar offerings by Rotax. Nevertheless, even Lockwood are coming around to some of these benefits, and are actually offering the large bore kit engines with new Aircam kits. So I think these aftermarket kits are becoming more and more attractive as they prove themselves to be reliable over time, are generally simpler and more lightweight than the Rotax equivalents, and particularly as Rotax really start to price themself into the stratosphere with regard to equivalent features and output from the other offerings available out there. The fact that Rotax dealers like Lockwood and Mississippi Light Sport are prepared to back these new conversions also makes me feel more comfortable.
 
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Here is the bigger portion of my broken circlip that lodged beside the needle retaining screw.. the smaller piece dropped through the hole when the needle dropped and went into # 2 piston ... my mechanic had to remove heads to try to find it ... at least verify it was not lodged in a valve or ring... or damaged turbo on way out of exhaust !
 

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Have a look... new one is on the left.
So I am guessing the new one is made of a different material.
Does anybody know what the serial numbers for uncertified Rotax engines are? The notifications I got from Rotax Owners.com seemed to be for certified engines only. Also where is the serial number that is on the carburetors?
 
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