CT4ME Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Rotax celebrated several significant milestones at Airventure 2011.... 40,000 912/914's sold, 15th birthday of the 115hp 914 turbo, and over 24 million hours logged in the air. Bravo, Rotax! read more... Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 With all the time and engines and watching people screw up their engine then it stands to good reason to listen when Rotax gives advise on their best practices. They must have had a good reason even if you don't immediately see it all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C ICEY Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 From the Rotax source, there is no one I trust more for advice and service....... true. thanks mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy MacGregor Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 This year also marked the first year that the factory has had a presence at the Airshow. Personally I think it says a lot about there customer support. This is all in preparation for a big release coming up in the next yr or so. Fuel injection and or a new model 912 are the two speculations although I will give Rotax credit for keeping there lips sealed. Only time will tell, because there R&D department won't :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opticsguy Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 well, I'm done with Rotax until it gets fuel injection. Any time I leave my plane for more than 2 weeks it's a hour-long ordeal to get it started. Today, after 3 weeks in a hangar in Texas, I ran down the battery of my Blazer trying to get it started, and never did get it started. I will no longer take this plane more than a few hours drive from home because I can't risk getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with a plane that won't start. I'll guess I'll sell my CTSW to some flight school that will fly it every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Hi Optics, Sorry your having the problem and I know it must be very frustrating. I think you need to maybe seek a new mechanic. It's a maint. issue. Many of us leave our planes for 4-6 weeks, some much longer and never have an issue starting. You have a problem that someone has not addressed. Heat should not be an issue as many Rotax 912 owners around the world live in hot climates. I leave mine up to 2 weeks and so do some of the other CT's in Tucson and we walk right in and apply choke and it starts right up first crank. Don't blame Rotax on this one, you have something wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opticsguy Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 When it's running, it is fine. Everything is right on the numbers. I even ran Avgas before putting it up for 3 weeks. That didn't help, obviously. So I have a dead plane in a metro area with 5 million people, and I can't find an experienced mechanic locally to do an annual or even get it started. I used to be able to use the A&P 100 yards from my hangar, but now they need Rotax training and they won't touch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandpiper Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 There is a FD service center near Dallas in Hurst, TX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Optics Check out this website for a mechanic. http://www.rainbowaviation.com/repairman.htm You don't have to be trained by Rotax any more. Just have some training, tools and the manuals and SB's. I know there has to be someone in your area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opticsguy Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 I posted last night but it somehow disappeared (moderator?). After cranking the engine for an hour Thursday, I tried again Friday morning, and it started instantly. I flew to Austin and back without any problems, including another cold start. This is starting to look like a vapor lock issue. Three weeks of sitting in a 120F hangar must have boiled off fuel somewhere in the lines or near the fuel pump. Cranking must have started a siphon effect that filled up the carbs overnight. I must stress that the plane ran and climbed normally, and all pressures were nominal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 Flooding will have the same start issues. Even after a pull all the fuel lines and drain the tanks. Once I put fuel in the tanks, open the fuel valve the engine usually cranks over in about 2 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opticsguy Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 so what do you recommend after several weeks of boiling the CT in a hangar? I was thinking about pulling a plug from each cylinder and spinning the prop 50 times, then waiting 12 hours. That has to be easier on the battery. If my plane hasn't been sitting for weeks, it starts instantly (half a second of cranking). It is being starved of fuel somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Several things can affect a start up. Poor choke cable adjustment, too low an idle setting, too high an idle setting. It may have been a little dry to start, but may have become flooded if you gave it any throttle at all with the choke. If your idle is set at 1800 +/- and the chokes are opening all the way (check them) then it should start with no throttle at all. The plug age can play a part. Chuck them between 75-100 hrs. Plug gap is another player. .027 max and is good for the summer and .023 is the min and good for cold weather. If the battery at the first start was a little weak and you kept turning the engine and then tried to jump it then most likely it became flooded. Do you put it on a charge at least the day before a long lay off before trying a start? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opticsguy Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 If it has been sitting less than a week, it starts up right away. I would think this instant-flooding issue due to mal-adjustment would happen whether it sits 8 hours or 3 weeks. To me, it seems like an electric fuel pump would help. BTW, I remember flooding it once when I started it warm with the choke by mistake. It at least sputtered and made some smoke when it started (and it did start in about 10 seconds). AFter Thursday's hour of cranking the engine, I couldn't smell any gas. I think some amount of vapor made its way into the fuel pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J L M Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 There is a rotax mechanic named David at Midway Regional, just south of Dallas, just fyi if it helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennM Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 If you deplete the fuel in the carb, the float drop should open the fuel metering pin and fuel or vapor should be pushed in to the fuel bowl by gravity feed from the tank. After all, the fuel is above the carbs. I always shut off my fuel valve when I leave the plane, just in case, for that reason. I have not had any vapor lock trouble at any time, even leaving the plane for a month. I have a hard time with the vapor lock theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT4ME Posted August 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 'never had any vapor or starting problems here, and our CT sets in a 90-120 degree hangar all summer, with sometimes 2-3 week between flights. I wish I could say the fuel valve is properly closed all the time... But sometimes.... Oooops. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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