There's another Rotax problem that's not mentioned much. I know a guy in upstate New York with a Rotax engine in his Kitfox. He gave me a ride once, and before he could start it he had to pull the prop through about a dozen times which was quite laborious. He said it had a dry sump engine with a separate oil tank, but on long standing, the oil tended to leak down through the pump into the sump and you had to get rid of it before you could start the engine.
I don't have a Rotax, but I do have a British motorcycle (a '72 Norton Commando) with the same dry sump system and the same leakage problem, usually called "wet sumping." The best solution is a ball valve in the feed line with some mechanism to remind you to open the valve before starting the engine. (And that method has to be idiot proof, or you lose your engine). I explained to the guy that he could install a valve with a microswitch on it that would disable the starter motor circuit when the valve was closed, but he decided to go on pulling the prop around. He hadn't built the plane, but he couldn't have found this particularly daunting because he's an A&P. Mike Taglieri On Mon, Mar 25, 2019, 9:34 PM Mike Stirewalt via KRnet <krnet@list.krnet.org> wrote: > > Chris said > > > "I have a friend who has a Franklin Sport 4 engine for sale ( 400 hours > on it )." > > Sounds like a great opportunity for someone. > > I had the pleasure of getting a Cavalier rehabilitated and delivered from > KSEE to Indianapolis a couple years ago. In the process I got to know > that O-235 Franklin to some extent and I was highly impressed with how > smooth and trouble-free it was. The "Sport" model was sold as a kit that > the buyer assembled, much like Great Plains used to sell their kit > engines. What a great idea that was. A builder who assembles his own > engine is going to know a lot more about it than if bought ready-made > from a factory. > > I dunno if it would be too heavy for a KR . . . guys have been sticking > O-200's on their KR's ever since Dan Diehl hung one on Old Blue and the > Franklin can't be all that much heavier. George McHenry built his KR > around an O-235 and had upgraded to a 360 or 320 but unfortunately we'll > never know how well that would have worked over time. > > My thought continues to be that the VW is the ideal engine for the KR. > I've never heard of a crank breaking or any other engine related problems > when the engine the plane was originally designed around is used and > operated correctly. If one reads Bob Hoover's material one should never > have any trouble with their VW's. > > ***************** > > I can't help but have a gut-feeling reaction to the name "Rotax". They > turn too fast and then lose efficiency through gear reduction. I know > they've proved themselves to be reliable and my prejudice makes no sense. > Like most prejudices my dislike has no logical foundation. I just plain > can't stand the name Rotax. It may have something to do with the way > they sound . . . kind of like irritating leaf blowers. > > Mike > KSEE > > > > > ____________________________________________________________ > Judge Judy Steps Down After 23 Years Over This Controversy > glancence-hality.com > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/5c998172817ca1721d72st01vuc > > _______________________________________________ > Search the KRnet Archives at > https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. > Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. > see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change > options. > To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org > _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change options. To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org
