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5 year rubber hose change


Al Downs

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Rotax still wants rubber hoses and rubber parts replaced. Teflon hoses are okay on condition and all the way up to an overhaul which is not just hours, but has a calender limit which will dictate its service life. I have now done around 40 hose changes and I'm convinced to do my rubber hose change at 5 years. I fly over way too much bad country to play the Russian Roulette game. I've lost one engine I don't need a repeat performance to be glider pilot.

 

I just did a hose change 2 days ago. Wait until I post 2 new pictures. If you don't believe in a rubber hose change maybe you will then and they were not areas you could have inspected.

 

Look at it this way and answer the question to yourself honestly. (I know that may be hard for some :) )

 

If you are flying over the Sierra Mnts / Rocky Mnts. (with snow and no roads :) ), the Grand Canyon (raging Colorado river), out over the ocean 10 miles out (lots of Great White sharks in a feeding frenzy) or over the middle of a large city (in the middle of the L.A. riots) and you lost your engine due to a broken oil or fuel hose and you were headed down. What would you give at that very moment to keep flying and not have to descend into the Grand Canyon? My answer would be thousands of dollars. If you say $5 then you're just cheap. LOL

Why not pay less and forgo all the news press and extra money, (frost bite and shark bites) at the 5 year mark and hopefully be done with it and not make the Darwin Awards list for dummy of the year.

 

Back in 1981 when I was flying Ultralights people ask me why I didn't wear a throw style parachute. Then they ask what would I give if I folded a wing and was plummeting to my death. I said everything, so they said why not just spend $800 now, it would be cheaper. Two weeks later I had a chute.

I had two friends over the years that weren't as lucky and died. Sometimes it's better to just get it done and pay up front and not to pay the hard way.

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Hi Roger.  Although I've done one 5 year rubber change, I'm wondering where to purchase for the various rubber parts for my CTSW when the next change comes up.  You've been thru this so many times you must have a very detailed and accurate list of parts needed for both CTSW and CTLS.  Are you able to give the latest list for all rubber parts required and where the best places are to purchase these?  Also, what's the situation on engine mounts now?  When I did my rubber change, these were hard to find and costly.

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Hi Dick,

 

I have all that and the mounts too. I usually buy engine mounts at least 100 at a time so I usually have plenty.

 I always have in stock CTSW engine mounts, Door lift struts and polyurethane red front suspension dampeners. I will have very shortly the front suspension slot pin.

 

 Now that's a GANGA! LOL 

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I use Gates barricade hose. If you want and I'm now trying this, use a piece of 1/4" Aero Quip hose (blue) on the bottom of the fuel pump outlet fitting that is about 14" long and goes up and connects at the fuel distribution block on the cross over tube. This is the only rubber hose in the system that does not have a filter before it gets to the carbs. So far so good. I haven't used fuel injection hose for years. It's too hard to get on because it has no give and that will definitely scrape off the insides.

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.... I haven't used fuel injection hose for years. It's too hard to get on because it has no give and that will definitely scrape off the insides.

 

You said quite emphatically when this happened to me that it was clearly my mechanics fault and not the Gates Barricade FI.  You said the problem was over tightening clamps and I said it was clearly scraped or shaved on insertion. You would not agree with my claims that my hoses were scraped.

 

The supplier got a pass [he blamed my mechanic, claimed the hose was correct and refused any refund in spite of the kit being labeled 'as recommended by Roger Lee]. My mechanic gets fired but now you seem to agree that the problem is the hose?  I have waited years for you to say this but its to late to recover the huge costs of fixing.  Remember you said you had asked to have your name removed multiple times and your name remained on the kit?

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It's all of it Ed. These are all things that can happen. It depends on the materials you use and the person installing them. The problem isn't the hose 98% of the time! but I still don't like the 2%. It could even be an MFG imperfection. I'm just trying something new to try and negate the extra 2%. It's still a work in progress. I'm not having any issues with the Gates hose. Just trying to make it fool proof for everyone.

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So which is it?  

  1. it has no give and that will definitely scrape off the insides.?  or  
  2. The problem isn't the hose 98% of the time! but I still don't like the 2%

Remember you insisted that my mechanic clamped too hard, scraping was something you wouldn't even consider yet my hose ends were clearly scraped clean.  I dropped my claim because you insisted this was my fault and it cost me $4k and many months of flying.

 

If  your #1 statement is true ( It does confirm my tests and my results ) then the hose shouldn't have been sold as a kit for a CT put together by you.  The vendor left your name on it for the next 6 months if he ever took it off.

 

#2 isn't true.  I have done numerous tests and the FI will shave off when used on the barbed fittings.  I get the same result 100% of the time not 2% and that is with testing the hose from the kit as well as sourcing my own.

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