Nothing is worse when you see a fella who has a bum engine and has to deal with these problems, sometimes we just want to fly. Appreciate you putting this video up amongst others that you have made.
Well done on showing the less glamorous but equally important part of flying! Also really like your “lets try use what we got” vs “just order new stuff” mentality. I’m sure its going to be awesome when its done, doing it right always takes longer but you can’t put a price on the piece of mind from knowing its done properly. Good luck and thanks for the great vid!
appreciate that Andre! you are right... doing it right, is worth a ton for peace of mind and willingness to really go out away from home on some big adventures!!!
Sorry to hear about the issues, but really enjoy watching you work through these inevitable challenges with owning an airplane. You and your Dad are pretty amazing, actually. On another note that's none of my business, I noticed in the video a knot on the left side of your neck and wanted to check with you about that to make sure, if you weren't aware, to get that checked. Dealt with something similar that turned out to be a medical issue requiring immediate attention. Love your videos, so thanks for all the work you put into them.
Thanks Larry! I actually did have that looked at, I have one on my arm too... I can't remember what they call them, but they are the non-serious type of lumps (fatty tissue buildup or something). Had 3 chunks of basil cell carcinoma removed and they looked then. Had them now for about 10-12 years. They haven't changed at all, but I sometimes wouldn't mind getting the one on my neck taken off just because it looks bad you know. I appreciate the thoughtfulness and glad you are around after dealing with something that sounds unpleasant in that realm of things...
Wow..... Has to be SO disappointing to have to tear into your engine at this stage in the game. Props to you for sticking with it and keeping a positive frame of mind with a well thought out plan. Hope to see you flying soon- and let's go fly when it's done!!!
Outstanding video given the terrible circumstances. I liked seeing the guts of the Rotax. Great news that Edge is going to the mat for you to get you back in the air as soon as possible. I know you’ve already got a lot of $ invested going down the 914 road but it would have been great fun to see an Edge 300 HP Apex strapped on to your 7!
thanks Todd.. agreed, if I could go back and do it different, I would definitely just bite the bullet and go Epex! would be a big-ish project up front, building an engine mount, cowl mods possible etc... but in the end.. damn that would be a sweet setup!
Ian, really sorry you had to go through that, but sounds like the new engine will be worth it. The video was really interesting, and a lot of respect for your knowledge and determination to do a high quality job.
Man, that SUCKS. I have an older case, plane jane ULS 100hp in my Evektor Sportstar. I live in New Mexico and would LLLLooooove more power but keeping pressures low and just letting it be is all I can afford. Fly with half tanks for local area fun and keep it light. The allure of power is intoxicating for sure! Hang in there, brother.
Arghh! Sorry to hear this. These situations can be so frustrating! The final satisfaction and the experience you get through this will be the payoff. Persevere and thanks for taking the time creating these videos to help others.
I also had my crankcase develop a hairline crack. It was part of a batch of Rotax engines that were under an airworthiness directive to inspect for hairline cracks. I replaced it with the new style crankcase. It was expensive but as you said, it needs to be done and done right. Good luck and safe flying!
too bad these old ones sucked!!! I want to say I've been told none of the new style cases have ever cracked?! not sure if thats accurate.. but you know what I mean after going through that.. way better setup... sorry to hear it got you as well....
Sorry to hear about the engine. If you’re cutting a metric thread it will be threads per centimetre not inch. I did my apprenticeship building aircraft with British aerospace. Like the majority of aircraft manufacturers we used the imperial system. So have always used inches. But as I got older I’ve started using the metric system. It is so much easier to use. Love your dads machine shop
Makes sense...where it messes with me is the threaded drive shaft that moves the tool carriage has the 8 points at which you can release, and then re-lock back in for the cuts... they dont work with metric threads.. you can lock back in on the same mark, but the tooling might be off track.... since that threaded shaft is threaded and divided in inches not metric... interesting stuff. Thanks for the comment!!
It all seemed like dejavu.....the puller that I didn't have (and running of to an open engineering shop on a Saturday morning, who quickly made me one) and then the deep socket that was made in the same way as yours. Did you had to make tools to split the two case halves, also?.....I had too, LOL. The fun and learning when opening up your motor for the first time is very satisfying.
You sure have had to deal with a lot of difficult problems with your engine and mods. I admire your persistence and patience. I think I would have given up long ago or gone broke one. I guess I don’t have a high opinion of Rotax in general. I will continue to be watching to see how your progress goes. Good luck!
Thanks Jim... appreciate the comment. Rotax has it's good and bad traits.. keep in mind these engines produce massively higher power than lycomings and continentals for their size. For example, this 914 is about 72 cid, and makes 115hp stock up to 9000ft., thats 3.2 times as much power for its displacement vs. an o-360 at sea level!.. and something like 20-30% more power for their weight etc. Trade of for that performance is that everything has to be 'more right' .. less margin for error I guess you could say. They generally do last very well, especially the run of the mill 100hp models... but as with everything, there are those problem areas.... I knew this older case version could be a problem.. and dang, that really is no joke! The other thing is this... what's the alternative?.. the Yamaha conversion is the only thing I can see... there is no lycoming or continental that can even remotely compare without eating up a huge chunk of useful load and throwing CG way off, raising stall speed etc. I flew an o-200 equipped ch750 here and it wouldnt climb out of ground effect with 2 onboard on a semi-warm day at these high altitudes. Flying from 7k and landing at 10k+ with DA's in the 13's really does create some huge hurdles up here. I wouldn't be against running something else if something else existed if you know what I mean. My last rotax was hopped up pretty good and had almost 1200 problem free hours on it when I sold it... I hope this one will treat me more like that after this build!!!
Awsome Video, I bet your back in the air before you no it. LET Me know when you get out to Idaho, I live 37 miles west of Moose creek . I have a air strip and all the Rotax tools you would ever need, hopefully you won't need anymore. I had almost the same situation happen to me. Looking forward to meeting you.
That is so awesome man!!! 👍 What a freaking awesome place to live... absolutely loved Moose Creek and Fish Lake... hard to put into words how neat that area is. Thank you very much, I will be in contact for sure when I can get back up that way! Thanks -Todd
This is GKF news we didn't want to hear, glad Edge and your Dad are right on-side. Sounds like everyone is busting a gut to get you back on schedule - hope you somehow manage to make your Idaho trip. Good luck!
Thanks friend. I do appreciate those guys all jumping in to help. It's not like I'm flying for work, or flying to do anything real important. But others have still dug in to help and that sure means a lot to me!
God man that sucks you just got it back up sorry man but maybe you will be better off in the end good video man thanks for taking the time to make them people like me benefit from them good luck
Hindsight is always 20/20 as they say...looking back.. rather than buying the Fuel Injection for the Rotax, if I knew this was going to happen so soon.. I'd of bought an Edge Epex setup and just gone down that road... little heavier on the nose which isn't good... but that crazy high power would be a blast!!!!
agreed Steve!! I think it had been cracked for something like 35-40hours now that I put the pieces together of what all went on.. the crack just finally grew to leak externally.. but I had been getting some oil seeping out from that head stud for a while! Glad it kept chugging until it was real obvious!
Hey GKF, I’m looking to buy a 912 ULS powered RV 12 in the next few months..is there a quick and easy way for me to tell If the engine is one of these old vs new style cases that is prone to cracking? Thanks!
Hey Wes, there is! If you can get the serial, and or confirmed age... 07+ motors all have the heavy case... if you are looking at it, look on the side of the engine up front.. right near/behind the oil filter.. where the magnetic plug for the gearbox is.. there are two bolts there... they will either be allen headed bolts, studs with nuts, or regular bolt head bolts... all the old cases had the allen headed bolts I believe... allens = bad... anything else = good basically. Hopefully it's a newer motor and if so I'm sure it will live a long happy life for you!
Todd? Do you still have the stock 914 intake??? Maybe I can assist your build with some $. Great video by the way. Love your gumption and fallow thru. I also am building on a no budget. Dean
Dean, I replied to your earlier message on that other video the other day to see if you wanted it. UA-cam probably didn't send the notification- I see that happen sometimes as I don't get notifications for a lot of comments etc. I had not heard for a couple days so I put it up on ebay to see if there was any interest. (Still on there at the moment). If you would email me through the link on my contact page here on youtube, we can talk about it further! thanks Dean!
Very informative video. Thx. Never seen a Rotax taken apart. Had hoped it wasn’t for real. I feel your pain. At least you will now be in great shape engine wise. Still painful though. Hope you can get back up there ASAP. Look forward to the install.
So sorry guy...sucks to have your plane down...good news is, you can fix it yourself and don't have to pay an A&P...Good Luck and hope to see you posting more Flying videos soon 😉
great point Jon!! helps so much being able to work on it myself! and even though it can be frustrating at the time, it's always neat to build and learn stuff and be part of it. I'd like to think, that even if I had the money to pay someone else, I'd still chose to do the work myself...
Awe man, that situation sucks, would it be possible to weld the crack, then reinforce the problem area with fillet weldments, im sure it could be made much better than original at a minimal cost. Im not a pilot or a plane owner, but i am a 30+ year toolmaker.
good Q.. the thought crossed my mind... maybe not worth experimenting since it's an airplane, but in general... things like that of course are done.. not sure what material the case is made from (7 series that can't be welded or something lesser that can? not sure). since these are prone to crack in several different areas, I figured it's best to upgrade to the new one that doesnt crack.. but I hear you on what your thinking...
Such a bummer man. I feel you you. 3 questions tho. What’s keeping you from just getting a 915? Is the cost difference that much? Secondly what about an electric constant speed prop? Thirdly what’s going on with that Cherokee in the background?
When I first set out for an S7, I was expecting to find a stock 100hp uls S7, and I was seriously considering selling the motor and buying a 915. Ultimately, I was glad to go down the 914 route at that time, after looking at the 915 closely.. the extra weight on the nose had steered me away. Plus I have looked over the only 915 powered S7 out there and it was a major engineering project to fit everything inside that narrow cowling. Zero room to work on anything which is a bummer... Also, the cost is a lot higher on the 915... that was the other thing.. neat engine, but dang... pretty steep at almost 40k! Of course this setup has had it's frustrations (this cracked case), but I think ultimately - for performance vs. weight, full control over the tune etc. the Edge setup will really be awesome. The constant speed prop has definitely been on my mind.... would be super helpful for altitude changes which I see regularly (7k-18k around here, and obbiously going lower when in other states) ... i'm not going to tell you I won't ever go that route.. as it could happen.. but I keep telling myself I don't want any more nose weight... we'll see though! .. the cherokee is my buddy Lynn's, he picked it up in pieces, (all freshly painted, with a new o-320 for it). We stuck the wings, hung the motor, put the gear on etc... still needs a ton of work to be airworthy, but he has been putting it together slowly.. he does some CFI stuff on the side, so it would make a good trainer... ultimately I think he will sell it down the road. Thanks for the comment!
Just got my new 914 uls conversion with welded crank, oil squirters, etc. from edge last week. I think it’s a good setup for way less weight and money than a 915. Your S7 is really gonna rip.
@@hammitr oh ok cool! I will for now. I'll be non-intercooled at first and power limited, so it should do ok with a little more pitch. I think when I add an IC I'll need more prop as well. What are you running for a prop?
GravityKnightFlying I ordered a 3 blade luga. I will be running without an inter cooler for now as well, but I am only at 3500’ so the turbo isn’t working too hard. Really enjoy your videos keep up the good work!
What a bummer. I feel like I've been there, but with a certified engine which makes that $s go up at an exponential rate. So, at least you can be happy that you are experimental where the money at least makes some kind of rational sense. There have been times when I've felt like everyone thinks I'm the DOD paying to keep a Continental going. Probably not helpful, but I'll just make this point. If that were a Continental or a Lycoming you would be looking at getting that case half welded. A place like Divco can make an airworthy repair to a case half with a weld. I have no idea if that's an option with a Rotax, but I thought I'd mention it. Sounds like you have a plan that will upgrade the case to handle more power. But, welding can be an FAA-approved repair to a cracked case. Last thought. Have you considered setting up a Patreon account? Or maybe even a "Go-fund-Me" program? I'd be willing to pitch in a few bucks to help you get back in the air. I'm enjoying your videos and I'd be willing to pitch in a few bucks for the content you're providing. There is really no-one else with a channel that's as directly relevant to what I'm building and hopefully soon flying as yours. Seems only fair that I pitch in a bit to help you get back in the air. I bet I'm not alone. Lastly; your Dad's a legend. Keep up the videos, you've got a fan base pulling for you.
dang man... I sure appreciate your comments time and time again. Good help, and perspective, and some good ideas to consider. As far as the case, I didn't realize welding a case was an approved repair (at least on some engines). I've never heard of it done on a rotax, but that sure doesn't mean it can't be a thing. But really thanks for bringing up the Patreon/Go-fund-me idea... I'm going to give that some real thought. As I'm sure you can guess, I didn't set out to replace my day job with UA-cam... but at the same time, the videos do require a ton of time, and a lot of gear, and it hurts money wise. I was hoping to maybe break even someday so I could justify it all a little easier. Sometimes it's hard to keep at it when it just costs money to produce content you know! So I appreciate that so very much... thank you! Going to be looking at this very seriously. -T
@@GravityKnightFlying Wow, note to self. I just re-read what I wrote last night, it's a reminder not post comments when engaged in COVID Alcohol Therapy. I guess I got my points across because you seemed to understand but wow, what a mess. I'm no expert on this, but I hear about Divco all the time for crankcase welding. www.divcoinc.com/ Seems like many of the engine overhaulers send the cases to Divco for repair. They don't list Rotax as one of the cases they work on, just Lycoming and Continental. Since it's experimental, I'm sure they could legally weld it. Not sure they will but they could. Definitely worth a call. In the certified world some cracks can be welded and returned to service, some can't. It depends on where the crack is. As far as the Patreon suggestion, do it. Your content is better than most of the guys who are monetizing their channels. No reason to at least cover your expenses plus a little gas money. Who knows this thing could take off and you become the next Trent Palmer. Free Rotax 915, oodles of Garmin goodness, Bose headsets and on and on. I met Trent at Oshkosh last year. He's like a rockstar at the ultralight field, crowds waiting to meet him. Why not? Nikk Audenried raised enough money on GoFundMe build a completely new KitFox with all the extras after his accident. www.gofundme.com/f/let039s-get-nikk-flying-again Granted he did get badly injured so it wasn't worth it. But the UA-cam community showed up in a big way to help him get back in the air. I sent him a few bucks and felt great about it. Well you need help getting back in the air, at least give us a chance to help.
Ive seen case cracks in certified Lycoming aircraft engines numerous times over the years, hopefully Rotax makes a beefed up case to deal with the higher horsepower settings, unfortunately thats the dilemma you face when you pull more horsepower out of a power plant than what it was originally designed for. Historically speaking companies like Lycoming and Continental haven't dealt very well with higher horsepower modifications of their certified engines, although Ive heard that with the experimental category going great guns, thats all changing, hopefully Rotax has a program that deals with higher horsepower modifications of their engines.
I enjoy your videos and the way you explain your installs. I can't help but think overriding the design of the engine can lead to problems. Trent Palmer had a big bore engine throw a rod and even Hal Stockman (Zipper Big Bore) threw a rod in his Rotax on his way to Oshkosh. Hal is a great guy, and have met him at Osh, but I just don't believe getting more horsepower out of a stock Rotax is a good idea. Rotax engineers never anticipated it to be modified for more power than it was designed for. I'm not criticizing your videos at all. I just hate to see all your work and money end up in a loss. I also know the attraction is for you bush pilots trying to get in and out of small mountain strips, but you know what can happen to engines that are pushed too far.
Definitely a risk with the higher power levels... no argument there. Though, the pioneers of this like Hal, and Edge have pretty well discovered the weaknesses and found a solution. Trent had an old, high time motor with weaker rods that had a prop strike previously. Hal was also running an old motor with the old rods. They changed rods somewhere around 2000. Then the better in case in 07... and Edge found out you have to weld the crank above approx 135hp. There are mods to the gearbox to hold the high power... Edge now has a couple hundred high power engines out in the field. I purposely waited a while to see what failures may show up as these engines build time, so far, it seems the older case and older rods have been the main problems. Edge pushed a couple up to failure points with all the upgrades and said that in the 175-200hp range is where other issues started to show up. I do appreciate the comment as I understand where you are coming from! I'm not trying to claim that pushing one of these up to 155+ hp is going to somehow increase it's lifespan... but after watching the failure points arise, and solutions to follow... This engine is claimed to be good for 155 after these upgrades...I feel pretty confident in running it slightly reduced from there should net good results....(135-145 range). I hope I don't reget this!!!!! Thanks Ralph
I don't think you're asking the obvious question here. Can we somehow strap a PT6 to it? :D Jokes aside, it would get you that high density alititude performance. Secondly, where have you been in Kansas? Did Rans have a meet up, I didn't see?
hahaha!! I like where your heads at on that .... i got an invite from a guy down in TX to camp on the sandbars down by oxford, south of wichita.. fun time but was only 1 night.. long ways for it
This is a huge reality of owning an aircraft which is too often overlooked. I really appreciate you showing this side of the coin. I find maintenance of the aircraft just as fascinating as flying the aircraft.
@@GravityKnightFlying Please keep it coming. Your pop's shop is excellent. Be advised, the smell of machine oil is translating through the video, and it is well appreciated.
This ecu does have capability to control timing... thrown around that idea as well.. has to be both some efficiency and power gains to be made there, plus starting better etc.! It has a wideband on it (actually two, one on the ECU, and one I installed prior to fuel injection so I can monitor in the cockpit).
Stephen Gloor thanks Stephen. The boost is controlled via the ecu with a servo that controls the wastegate.. pretty interesting deal.. its the factory servo setup - the edge system runs the servo that the factory rotax ecu originally ran... its a neat deal in that it has full control (no base wastegate pressure).. but also a bit tricky to tune in some aspects (takes a bit to get duty cycles all dialed in)
Id like to get your old crankcase to try to figure out how to repair or solve that potential cracking problem, before it happens. either by internal/ external welded bracing or some sort of girdle system that acts like an exoskeleton that helps stabilize the structure of the block. It sucks worrying about if this time bomb is going to go off on older engines. Rotax should do the responsible thing and not profit so heavily on the misfortunes of others thru faults in their design.
hope you was pushing just for the video other wise should of been pullin. also sounds to me you need a constant prop instead of fixed. same as a transmission in theory would help your rpm and power problems I think.
It's possible it can (unless it's 7 series aluminum). But, it will just crack again somewhere else. The new case is a completely different design, and much stronger (never heard of one cracking). Thanks
Oh dude! I know realizing what had happened was like a swift kick in the guts!! However, I'll take a dead engine over a dead Todd any day! I know taking a financial hit like this, in some of your prime flying weather, is the worst! But, on some level you're actually enjoying this episode in your flying career, because when this 'new' engine is built, hung, test run, dialed in and flown, you will have a truly superior flying machine. And isn't that what we all want?!?
I really appreciate this comment. And you bring up a good point, it didn't completely fail or cause an unplanned landing or anything to happen that could have been real bad news... lots to be thankful for there. You have hit the nail on the head with the plan. Thanks for this JBird!
as far as I know, none of the newer style cases have cracked (I think!).... so they did finally fix the shortcomings there... I think Edge was working on some things along those lines though? For real big power... but then the Yamaha came a long and basically made the Rotax look silly lol!
Grind out crack all the way, past the edges about a quarter inch, and weld it up. I've done it on hairline cracks like that before on a few other motors, car motors, but same thing basically. Had a small crack like that on an ej20 that was pushing about 750 crank hp @ about 30 psi of boost, literally still running the same setup and it's been fine since. There are other methods too, here's one system, I haven't tried it, but it seems decent: ua-cam.com/video/Pq0wfU4ZaKk/v-deo.html
Thanks William for the comment.. I like the honda engines, but they are much heavier than the rotax, and I personally would have a hard time giving Jan any money until he pays back the handful of people who got ripped off back in his subaru conversion days. Nothing against anyone out there who decides to do business with Viking... they seem to continually improve their offerings, I just have some issues with former business practices. Cheers!
That air filter is complete garbage. I understand in the air it doesnt really matter but the bush take off and landing stir up a ton of dirt and the K&N filter doesnt filter really at all.
Problem is nobody else makes one with the right dimensions... not a fan of k&n either but there is nothing else. Compressor housing, intake piping, old and new manifolds were all clean though, plus old cylinders have 0 wear, compressor wheel looks perfect etc. so it seems to be doing the job ok
Nothing is worse when you see a fella who has a bum engine and has to deal with these problems, sometimes we just want to fly. Appreciate you putting this video up amongst others that you have made.
Much respect for your dad’s machine shop and skill.
Well done on showing the less glamorous but equally important part of flying! Also really like your “lets try use what we got” vs “just order new stuff” mentality. I’m sure its going to be awesome when its done, doing it right always takes longer but you can’t put a price on the piece of mind from knowing its done properly. Good luck and thanks for the great vid!
appreciate that Andre! you are right... doing it right, is worth a ton for peace of mind and willingness to really go out away from home on some big adventures!!!
Sorry to hear about the issues, but really enjoy watching you work through these inevitable challenges with owning an airplane. You and your Dad are pretty amazing, actually. On another note that's none of my business, I noticed in the video a knot on the left side of your neck and wanted to check with you about that to make sure, if you weren't aware, to get that checked. Dealt with something similar that turned out to be a medical issue requiring immediate attention. Love your videos, so thanks for all the work you put into them.
Thanks Larry! I actually did have that looked at, I have one on my arm too... I can't remember what they call them, but they are the non-serious type of lumps (fatty tissue buildup or something). Had 3 chunks of basil cell carcinoma removed and they looked then. Had them now for about 10-12 years. They haven't changed at all, but I sometimes wouldn't mind getting the one on my neck taken off just because it looks bad you know. I appreciate the thoughtfulness and glad you are around after dealing with something that sounds unpleasant in that realm of things...
Holy crap...! your Pops is a freakin machine shop wizard...!! Love his shop...!
Wow..... Has to be SO disappointing to have to tear into your engine at this stage in the game. Props to you for sticking with it and keeping a positive frame of mind with a well thought out plan. Hope to see you flying soon- and let's go fly when it's done!!!
thanks!! indeed!!!!
Outstanding video given the terrible circumstances. I liked seeing the guts of the Rotax. Great news that Edge is going to the mat for you to get you back in the air as soon as possible. I know you’ve already got a lot of $ invested going down the 914 road but it would have been great fun to see an Edge 300 HP Apex strapped on to your 7!
thanks Todd.. agreed, if I could go back and do it different, I would definitely just bite the bullet and go Epex! would be a big-ish project up front, building an engine mount, cowl mods possible etc... but in the end.. damn that would be a sweet setup!
Sweet video bro I love the tool making and the dog too
Ian, really sorry you had to go through that, but sounds like the new engine will be worth it. The video was really interesting, and a lot of respect for your knowledge and determination to do a high quality job.
thanks Eric
Man, that SUCKS. I have an older case, plane jane ULS 100hp in my Evektor Sportstar. I live in New Mexico and would LLLLooooove more power but keeping pressures low and just letting it be is all I can afford. Fly with half tanks for local area fun and keep it light. The allure of power is intoxicating for sure! Hang in there, brother.
Bummer man. Good luck with the new engine. Thanks for the update. I like your flying videos.
thanks Nathan!
Arghh! Sorry to hear this. These situations can be so frustrating! The final satisfaction and the experience you get through this will be the payoff. Persevere and thanks for taking the time creating these videos to help others.
thanks Rick!
I also had my crankcase develop a hairline crack. It was part of a batch of Rotax engines that were under an airworthiness directive to inspect for hairline cracks. I replaced it with the new style crankcase. It was expensive but as you said, it needs to be done and done right. Good luck and safe flying!
too bad these old ones sucked!!! I want to say I've been told none of the new style cases have ever cracked?! not sure if thats accurate.. but you know what I mean after going through that.. way better setup... sorry to hear it got you as well....
Well.... it’s always something isn’t it? Very informative Todd.... thanks.
Sorry to hear about the engine. If you’re cutting a metric thread it will be threads per centimetre not inch. I did my apprenticeship building aircraft with British aerospace. Like the majority of aircraft manufacturers we used the imperial system. So have always used inches. But as I got older I’ve started using the metric system. It is so much easier to use. Love your dads machine shop
Makes sense...where it messes with me is the threaded drive shaft that moves the tool carriage has the 8 points at which you can release, and then re-lock back in for the cuts... they dont work with metric threads.. you can lock back in on the same mark, but the tooling might be off track.... since that threaded shaft is threaded and divided in inches not metric... interesting stuff. Thanks for the comment!!
That shop is incredible! I grew up a good amount of my youth in a shop like that with a bunch of old engineers. What a childhood!
Your dads shop I mean.
It all seemed like dejavu.....the puller that I didn't have (and running of to an open engineering shop on a Saturday morning, who quickly made me one) and then the deep socket that was made in the same way as yours. Did you had to make tools to split the two case halves, also?.....I had too, LOL. The fun and learning when opening up your motor for the first time is very satisfying.
been down this path as well it sounds? dang!!
Dear old dad has a killer shop.
i agree with your decision to replace the case not knowing the composition of case tig welding would be iffy
agreed... in the car world I'd maybe try some stuff.. but being an aircraft, best to do it right! thanks william
I'm sorry it went that way for you. It's been very insightful to get your info from inside the Rotax community.
You sure have had to deal with a lot of difficult problems with your engine and mods. I admire your persistence and patience. I think I would have given up long ago or gone broke one. I guess I don’t have a high opinion of Rotax in general. I will continue to be watching to see how your progress goes. Good luck!
Thanks Jim... appreciate the comment. Rotax has it's good and bad traits.. keep in mind these engines produce massively higher power than lycomings and continentals for their size. For example, this 914 is about 72 cid, and makes 115hp stock up to 9000ft., thats 3.2 times as much power for its displacement vs. an o-360 at sea level!.. and something like 20-30% more power for their weight etc. Trade of for that performance is that everything has to be 'more right' .. less margin for error I guess you could say. They generally do last very well, especially the run of the mill 100hp models... but as with everything, there are those problem areas.... I knew this older case version could be a problem.. and dang, that really is no joke! The other thing is this... what's the alternative?.. the Yamaha conversion is the only thing I can see... there is no lycoming or continental that can even remotely compare without eating up a huge chunk of useful load and throwing CG way off, raising stall speed etc. I flew an o-200 equipped ch750 here and it wouldnt climb out of ground effect with 2 onboard on a semi-warm day at these high altitudes. Flying from 7k and landing at 10k+ with DA's in the 13's really does create some huge hurdles up here. I wouldn't be against running something else if something else existed if you know what I mean. My last rotax was hopped up pretty good and had almost 1200 problem free hours on it when I sold it... I hope this one will treat me more like that after this build!!!
Informative video thanks !
@Mr GKF ua-cam.com/video/Tah9Fnuk7Tc/v-deo.html around 2:35ish these guys have similar issues. Cheers
Awsome Video, I bet your back in the air before you no it. LET Me know when you get out to Idaho, I live 37 miles west of Moose creek . I have a air strip and all the Rotax tools you would ever need, hopefully you won't need anymore. I had almost the same situation happen to me. Looking forward to meeting you.
That is so awesome man!!! 👍 What a freaking awesome place to live... absolutely loved Moose Creek and Fish Lake... hard to put into words how neat that area is. Thank you very much, I will be in contact for sure when I can get back up that way! Thanks -Todd
This is GKF news we didn't want to hear, glad Edge and your Dad are right on-side. Sounds like everyone is busting a gut to get you back on schedule - hope you somehow manage to make your Idaho trip. Good luck!
Thanks friend. I do appreciate those guys all jumping in to help. It's not like I'm flying for work, or flying to do anything real important. But others have still dug in to help and that sure means a lot to me!
Machinists are awesome!
There’s never a good time for things like this to happen, but at least you have a team working on it....
God man that sucks you just got it back up sorry man but maybe you will be better off in the end good video man thanks for taking the time to make them people like me benefit from them good luck
appreciate that Bennie! no problem!
Love your videos. Such a bummer. Would it be too amateurish to weld it? Or even JB Weld? After all its not certified.
Awe man, sorry to see this. Give Steve Henry a call and look into a Yamaha Epex!!!
Hindsight is always 20/20 as they say...looking back.. rather than buying the Fuel Injection for the Rotax, if I knew this was going to happen so soon.. I'd of bought an Edge Epex setup and just gone down that road... little heavier on the nose which isn't good... but that crazy high power would be a blast!!!!
WOW. Real bad event, far better than a catastrophic failure in flight though! Keep strong. It will work out.
agreed Steve!! I think it had been cracked for something like 35-40hours now that I put the pieces together of what all went on.. the crack just finally grew to leak externally.. but I had been getting some oil seeping out from that head stud for a while! Glad it kept chugging until it was real obvious!
Rotax doesn't share the overhaul manual. How do you go about splitting and reassembling the case and bearings?
Gravityknightflying : but my tool works
Me : that's what he said.
😂
Your very fortunate to have your father to help and teach
Hey GKF, I’m looking to buy a 912 ULS powered RV 12 in the next few months..is there a quick and easy way for me to tell If the engine is one of these old vs new style cases that is prone to cracking? Thanks!
Hey Wes, there is! If you can get the serial, and or confirmed age... 07+ motors all have the heavy case... if you are looking at it, look on the side of the engine up front.. right near/behind the oil filter.. where the magnetic plug for the gearbox is.. there are two bolts there... they will either be allen headed bolts, studs with nuts, or regular bolt head bolts... all the old cases had the allen headed bolts I believe... allens = bad... anything else = good basically. Hopefully it's a newer motor and if so I'm sure it will live a long happy life for you!
Todd?
Do you still have the stock 914 intake???
Maybe I can assist your build with some $.
Great video by the way. Love your gumption and fallow thru. I also am building on a no budget.
Dean
Dean, I replied to your earlier message on that other video the other day to see if you wanted it. UA-cam probably didn't send the notification- I see that happen sometimes as I don't get notifications for a lot of comments etc. I had not heard for a couple days so I put it up on ebay to see if there was any interest. (Still on there at the moment). If you would email me through the link on my contact page here on youtube, we can talk about it further! thanks Dean!
bummer! Better to catch it now, rather than in the back country.
true that!!
Very informative video. Thx. Never seen a Rotax taken apart. Had hoped it wasn’t for real. I feel your pain. At least you will now be in great shape engine wise. Still painful though. Hope you can get back up there ASAP. Look forward to the install.
Thanks Mark!! appreciate that!
What a team, if you havent got something, make one.
Great videos: How about a tour of your dads shop and maybe a interview about you and your dad. Thank you
So sorry guy...sucks to have your plane down...good news is, you can fix it yourself and don't have to pay an A&P...Good Luck and hope to see you posting more Flying videos soon 😉
great point Jon!! helps so much being able to work on it myself! and even though it can be frustrating at the time, it's always neat to build and learn stuff and be part of it. I'd like to think, that even if I had the money to pay someone else, I'd still chose to do the work myself...
Awe man, that situation sucks, would it be possible to weld the crack, then reinforce the problem area with fillet weldments, im sure it could be made much better than original at a minimal cost. Im not a pilot or a plane owner, but i am a 30+ year toolmaker.
good Q.. the thought crossed my mind... maybe not worth experimenting since it's an airplane, but in general... things like that of course are done.. not sure what material the case is made from (7 series that can't be welded or something lesser that can? not sure). since these are prone to crack in several different areas, I figured it's best to upgrade to the new one that doesnt crack.. but I hear you on what your thinking...
You got a cool dad
agreed!
Engine work on the Rotax is interesting too!
Part of the overall ownership, unless one pays someone for the crank work.
Such a bummer man. I feel you you. 3 questions tho. What’s keeping you from just getting a 915? Is the cost difference that much? Secondly what about an electric constant speed prop? Thirdly what’s going on with that Cherokee in the background?
When I first set out for an S7, I was expecting to find a stock 100hp uls S7, and I was seriously considering selling the motor and buying a 915. Ultimately, I was glad to go down the 914 route at that time, after looking at the 915 closely.. the extra weight on the nose had steered me away. Plus I have looked over the only 915 powered S7 out there and it was a major engineering project to fit everything inside that narrow cowling. Zero room to work on anything which is a bummer... Also, the cost is a lot higher on the 915... that was the other thing.. neat engine, but dang... pretty steep at almost 40k! Of course this setup has had it's frustrations (this cracked case), but I think ultimately - for performance vs. weight, full control over the tune etc. the Edge setup will really be awesome. The constant speed prop has definitely been on my mind.... would be super helpful for altitude changes which I see regularly (7k-18k around here, and obbiously going lower when in other states) ... i'm not going to tell you I won't ever go that route.. as it could happen.. but I keep telling myself I don't want any more nose weight... we'll see though! .. the cherokee is my buddy Lynn's, he picked it up in pieces, (all freshly painted, with a new o-320 for it). We stuck the wings, hung the motor, put the gear on etc... still needs a ton of work to be airworthy, but he has been putting it together slowly.. he does some CFI stuff on the side, so it would make a good trainer... ultimately I think he will sell it down the road. Thanks for the comment!
Just got my new 914 uls conversion with welded crank, oil squirters, etc. from edge last week. I think it’s a good setup for way less weight and money than a 915. Your S7 is really gonna rip.
thats awesome Fluffy! congrats...agreed, the power/weight is hard to beat! what is yours going into?
GravityKnightFlying it’s going into a kitfox STi. You going to keep the same prop?
@@hammitr oh ok cool! I will for now. I'll be non-intercooled at first and power limited, so it should do ok with a little more pitch. I think when I add an IC I'll need more prop as well. What are you running for a prop?
GravityKnightFlying I ordered a 3 blade luga. I will be running without an inter cooler for now as well, but I am only at 3500’ so the turbo isn’t working too hard.
Really enjoy your videos keep up the good work!
What a bummer. I feel like I've been there, but with a certified engine which makes that $s go up at an exponential rate. So, at least you can be happy that you are experimental where the money at least makes some kind of rational sense. There have been times when I've felt like everyone thinks I'm the DOD paying to keep a Continental going.
Probably not helpful, but I'll just make this point. If that were a Continental or a Lycoming you would be looking at getting that case half welded. A place like Divco can make an airworthy repair to a case half with a weld. I have no idea if that's an option with a Rotax, but I thought I'd mention it. Sounds like you have a plan that will upgrade the case to handle more power. But, welding can be an FAA-approved repair to a cracked case.
Last thought. Have you considered setting up a Patreon account? Or maybe even a "Go-fund-Me" program? I'd be willing to pitch in a few bucks to help you get back in the air. I'm enjoying your videos and I'd be willing to pitch in a few bucks for the content you're providing. There is really no-one else with a channel that's as directly relevant to what I'm building and hopefully soon flying as yours. Seems only fair that I pitch in a bit to help you get back in the air. I bet I'm not alone.
Lastly; your Dad's a legend.
Keep up the videos, you've got a fan base pulling for you.
dang man... I sure appreciate your comments time and time again. Good help, and perspective, and some good ideas to consider.
As far as the case, I didn't realize welding a case was an approved repair (at least on some engines). I've never heard of it done on a rotax, but that sure doesn't mean it can't be a thing.
But really thanks for bringing up the Patreon/Go-fund-me idea... I'm going to give that some real thought. As I'm sure you can guess, I didn't set out to replace my day job with UA-cam... but at the same time, the videos do require a ton of time, and a lot of gear, and it hurts money wise. I was hoping to maybe break even someday so I could justify it all a little easier. Sometimes it's hard to keep at it when it just costs money to produce content you know! So I appreciate that so very much... thank you! Going to be looking at this very seriously. -T
@@GravityKnightFlying Wow, note to self. I just re-read what I wrote last night, it's a reminder not post comments when engaged in COVID Alcohol Therapy. I guess I got my points across because you seemed to understand but wow, what a mess.
I'm no expert on this, but I hear about Divco all the time for crankcase welding. www.divcoinc.com/
Seems like many of the engine overhaulers send the cases to Divco for repair.
They don't list Rotax as one of the cases they work on, just Lycoming and Continental. Since it's experimental, I'm sure they could legally weld it. Not sure they will but they could. Definitely worth a call.
In the certified world some cracks can be welded and returned to service, some can't. It depends on where the crack is.
As far as the Patreon suggestion, do it. Your content is better than most of the guys who are monetizing their channels. No reason to at least cover your expenses plus a little gas money. Who knows this thing could take off and you become the next Trent Palmer. Free Rotax 915, oodles of Garmin goodness, Bose headsets and on and on. I met Trent at Oshkosh last year. He's like a rockstar at the ultralight field, crowds waiting to meet him. Why not?
Nikk Audenried raised enough money on GoFundMe build a completely new KitFox with all the extras after his accident.
www.gofundme.com/f/let039s-get-nikk-flying-again
Granted he did get badly injured so it wasn't worth it. But the UA-cam community showed up in a big way to help him get back in the air. I sent him a few bucks and felt great about it. Well you need help getting back in the air, at least give us a chance to help.
Ive seen case cracks in certified Lycoming aircraft engines numerous times over the years, hopefully Rotax makes a beefed up case to deal with the higher horsepower settings, unfortunately thats the dilemma you face when you pull more horsepower out of a power plant than what it was originally designed for. Historically speaking companies like Lycoming and Continental haven't dealt very well with higher horsepower modifications of their certified engines, although Ive heard that with the experimental category going great guns, thats all changing, hopefully Rotax has a program that deals with higher horsepower modifications of their engines.
I enjoy your videos and the way you explain your installs. I can't help but think overriding the design of the engine can lead to problems. Trent Palmer had a big bore engine throw a rod and even Hal Stockman (Zipper Big Bore) threw a rod in his Rotax on his way to Oshkosh. Hal is a great guy, and have met him at Osh, but I just don't believe getting more horsepower out of a stock Rotax is a good idea. Rotax engineers never anticipated it to be modified for more power than it was designed for. I'm not criticizing your videos at all. I just hate to see all your work and money end up in a loss. I also know the attraction is for you bush pilots trying to get in and out of small mountain strips, but you know what can happen to engines that are pushed too far.
Definitely a risk with the higher power levels... no argument there. Though, the pioneers of this like Hal, and Edge have pretty well discovered the weaknesses and found a solution. Trent had an old, high time motor with weaker rods that had a prop strike previously. Hal was also running an old motor with the old rods. They changed rods somewhere around 2000. Then the better in case in 07... and Edge found out you have to weld the crank above approx 135hp. There are mods to the gearbox to hold the high power... Edge now has a couple hundred high power engines out in the field. I purposely waited a while to see what failures may show up as these engines build time, so far, it seems the older case and older rods have been the main problems. Edge pushed a couple up to failure points with all the upgrades and said that in the 175-200hp range is where other issues started to show up. I do appreciate the comment as I understand where you are coming from! I'm not trying to claim that pushing one of these up to 155+ hp is going to somehow increase it's lifespan... but after watching the failure points arise, and solutions to follow... This engine is claimed to be good for 155 after these upgrades...I feel pretty confident in running it slightly reduced from there should net good results....(135-145 range). I hope I don't reget this!!!!! Thanks Ralph
I don't think you're asking the obvious question here.
Can we somehow strap a PT6 to it? :D
Jokes aside, it would get you that high density alititude performance.
Secondly, where have you been in Kansas? Did Rans have a meet up, I didn't see?
hahaha!! I like where your heads at on that .... i got an invite from a guy down in TX to camp on the sandbars down by oxford, south of wichita.. fun time but was only 1 night.. long ways for it
This is a huge reality of owning an aircraft which is too often overlooked. I really appreciate you showing this side of the coin. I find maintenance of the aircraft just as fascinating as flying the aircraft.
thanks Dark_water... appreciate that.. I can really get to babbling on and on in the hanger, thanks for hanging out and for the comment...
@@GravityKnightFlying Please keep it coming. Your pop's shop is excellent. Be advised, the smell of machine oil is translating through the video, and it is well appreciated.
How about a modern ECU that does the ignition as well. A wideband O2 sensor would enable the ECU to optimise the boost at any altitude.
This ecu does have capability to control timing... thrown around that idea as well.. has to be both some efficiency and power gains to be made there, plus starting better etc.! It has a wideband on it (actually two, one on the ECU, and one I installed prior to fuel injection so I can monitor in the cockpit).
GravityKnightFlying Excellent - you have a new sub. What about the exhaust sensor? Also can it control the boost with a waste gate?
Stephen Gloor thanks Stephen. The boost is controlled via the ecu with a servo that controls the wastegate.. pretty interesting deal.. its the factory servo setup - the edge system runs the servo that the factory rotax ecu originally ran... its a neat deal in that it has full control (no base wastegate pressure).. but also a bit tricky to tune in some aspects (takes a bit to get duty cycles all dialed in)
I would have tried metal putty epoxy filler
Id like to get your old crankcase to try to figure out how to repair or solve that potential cracking problem, before it happens. either by internal/ external welded bracing or some sort of girdle system that acts like an exoskeleton that helps stabilize the structure of the block. It sucks worrying about if this time bomb is going to go off on older engines. Rotax should do the responsible thing and not profit so heavily on the misfortunes of others thru faults in their design.
Like they say in the kings sport pilot course( WHAT MAKES THIS PLANE FLY) .... MONEY.
BUT FLYING IS JUST SO WORTH IT
Well that sucks at least it didn’t shit the bed all together ie. no extra pieces.lol
So Todd just found your message. Sorry at my ineptness in this format. Couldnt find email address???
hope you was pushing just for the video other wise should of been pullin. also sounds to me you need a constant prop instead of fixed. same as a transmission in theory would help your rpm and power problems I think.
left hand thread
@@GravityKnightFlying It just so happens...I know an outstanding machinist in your area! 😀
Bad news but it resulted in a great video!
thanks Chuck!
Out of curiosity why can't it be welded
It's possible it can (unless it's 7 series aluminum). But, it will just crack again somewhere else. The new case is a completely different design, and much stronger (never heard of one cracking). Thanks
Oh dude! I know realizing what had happened was like a swift kick in the guts!!
However, I'll take a dead engine over a dead Todd any day!
I know taking a financial hit like this, in some of your prime flying weather, is the worst!
But, on some level you're actually enjoying this episode in your flying career, because when this 'new' engine is built, hung, test run, dialed in and flown, you will have a truly superior flying machine.
And isn't that what we all want?!?
I really appreciate this comment. And you bring up a good point, it didn't completely fail or cause an unplanned landing or anything to happen that could have been real bad news... lots to be thankful for there. You have hit the nail on the head with the plan. Thanks for this JBird!
Bummer!
Crap case design, needs to have more support on gearbox. Good luck with getting it repaired to last 👍
Yea the old ones sucked. The new cases don't crack as they are pretty extensively re-designed.
Reverse engineer the case and offer billet replacements to others.
as far as I know, none of the newer style cases have cracked (I think!).... so they did finally fix the shortcomings there... I think Edge was working on some things along those lines though? For real big power... but then the Yamaha came a long and basically made the Rotax look silly lol!
Grind out crack all the way, past the edges about a quarter inch, and weld it up. I've done it on hairline cracks like that before on a few other motors, car motors, but same thing basically. Had a small crack like that on an ej20 that was pushing about 750 crank hp @ about 30 psi of boost, literally still running the same setup and it's been fine since. There are other methods too, here's one system, I haven't tried it, but it seems decent: ua-cam.com/video/Pq0wfU4ZaKk/v-deo.html
As an emergency repair, absolutely. But on a 150hp engine, if it develops cracks like this you are playing with fire trying to fix it.
I have had this problem also on my 1.4l rotax case. Its so sad for you.i can feel your disapointing about that..😥
Thx! sorry to hear that Dok!! Did you upgrade to the new style case?
@@GravityKnightFlying Hallo,yes i upgraded my new rotax case. I have the 100hp 1.4l case version. No more issue yet.👍😊
Sorry to see this but if you got the money I'd say replace it with a VIKING 130 or the 200
Thanks William for the comment.. I like the honda engines, but they are much heavier than the rotax, and I personally would have a hard time giving Jan any money until he pays back the handful of people who got ripped off back in his subaru conversion days. Nothing against anyone out there who decides to do business with Viking... they seem to continually improve their offerings, I just have some issues with former business practices. Cheers!
@@GravityKnightFlying i hadn't heard about the Subaru conversation fiasco. I'll have to research it. Hope you get your bird back in the air soon.
William Parker thanks William!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! why couldnt this just have been clickbait!
haha agreed
I'd go for a new Engine.
That air filter is complete garbage. I understand in the air it doesnt really matter but the bush take off and landing stir up a ton of dirt and the K&N filter doesnt filter really at all.
Problem is nobody else makes one with the right dimensions... not a fan of k&n either but there is nothing else. Compressor housing, intake piping, old and new manifolds were all clean though, plus old cylinders have 0 wear, compressor wheel looks perfect etc. so it seems to be doing the job ok
Hold still more and move slowly when recording, please. I like your videos, but it is hard to watch / follow what you're talking about.
Try and keep the camera steady, jeasch.
you giving him crap and i looked at your vids and you are shaking all over and panning so quick i had to call you out for the same thing!!! w t f bro?