Roger Lee Posted August 30, 2014 Report Share Posted August 30, 2014 ""Well, I just had Brenda from CPS call to tell me the modules were "12 to 16 weeks out"."" sent you a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S3flyer Posted August 30, 2014 Report Share Posted August 30, 2014 I hope my source from CPS is better in that she emailed me today that the order should be in to next week. Fingers are definitely crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2FlyAgain Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 I talked to Lockwood on 21 August. I was immediately told that they didn't have the part and they didn't know of anyone in the US that did. This was believable because of the prior discussion on this forum. Not surprisingly, I was also told that Lockwood already had some orders ahead of me. While the thought of placing orders with different vendors does have an obvious logic, I decided that there could a down side later if we all did it. So, I am waiting in line at Lockwood. If anyone learns of "extras" appearing at CPS or LEAF, please let me know. And to all of the others grounded by this problem, I share your pain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Please see my update here: http://ctflier.com/index.php?/topic/2892-no-start-sky-arrow/?p=37633 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Hard to believe given the prevalence of this issue, that Rotax has not issued a SB or recall. Especially since it's clearly a problem confined to one two year batch of modules. :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Hard to believe given the prevalence of this issue, that Rotax has not issued a SB or recall. Especially since it's clearly a problem confined to one two year batch of modules. :angry: Or at least made production and distribution of the new modules for existing customers a priority. We had this dissatisfaction in the Cirrus community as well - long waits for parts, but somehow the factory always had them to crank out new planes. Obvious their priority is not always the existing customer base. On a positive note, ROTAX did drop the price of the modules by about 50% to make the upgrade more palatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Rotax doesn't get the info from these forums. If you fail to fill out CSIR (customer service information report) then they have no way of knowing. Anytime you have a part failure or an engine issue you should take 5 minutes and fill out this report. You can get it on either of these two sites. This report is the only way Rotax will ever get any feedback. We all need to be involved or we all will eventually have to pay in some way later. http://www.rotax-owner.com/support-topmenu/csir-service-information-report http://www.rotaxflyingclub.com/images_one/tech_doc/SIR-EN.pdf Complaining fixes nothing without follow through and solutions. The ignition module issue has only become more problematic over the last 8 months or so. No one at the top has had a clue because no one has put forth any information for them to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Roger, I know that Lockwood has been working on this for quite some time, I know it has been more than 8 months. I also know that the CSIR's have been filed. You can't say they didn't know about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Hi Tom, The majority of the failures haven't been reported except the ones that may have gone through a distributor. They also aren't the ones that are supposed to fill out the CSIR. It's the owners responsibility. Rotax is only getting a small picture and not the whole thing. We as a group should make sure we all follow through with any problem with a report and then remind others out there to do the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S3flyer Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 I'm on a first name basis with the staff at CPS. Caroline, Donna and I are soon to celebrate my 3 month-aversary of being grounded due to the lack of advanced software start modules in the states.* A large shipment which included 6 sets of modules was shipped from the German distributor a week ago and they are due in today although purchasing hasn't marked the shipment as received. They will then have to stock the items and ship mine from CA to TX. There is another shipment of modules due on the 29th. I'm wondering which one will make it first? I'm #1 on the list. Maybe they'll make it time for a Christmas present :unsure: Not an overly happy camper at this point. :angry: On a more serious note. I had 93 octane ethanol in the tank. Should I be concerned with octane after 3 months storage in a sealed fuel tank? * Can actually only hold CPS and Rotax accountable for 9 weeks or so since it took a couple weeks to figure out the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted September 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 On a more serious note. I had 93 octane ethanol in the tank. Should I be concerned with octane after 3 months storage in a sealed fuel tank? Personal experience says no, not an issue. I'd just not flog it until you can get 10 gallons of fresh fuel in the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanik Posted September 25, 2014 Report Share Posted September 25, 2014 Ugh. Mine just failed today. Sure enough, the ice bucket challenge fixed it right up so at least I figured it out quickly thanks to ctflier. Rotax really sucks with the electronics side of things, that is for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S3flyer Posted October 3, 2014 Report Share Posted October 3, 2014 Chanik -- hope you got lucky. I talked with CPS on Wednesday and the Kodiak order that contained the ignition modules had just arrived. The modules were to be shipped out Wednesday or Thursday. I had not heard from them so called this afternoon. The Kodiak order was huge and took a couple days to stock. My buddy Claudia went out to the warehouse to see if the modules were part of the shipment. Of course not. :angry: They'll call me with the next ETA. Tried Lockwood and they just received a small batch of modules but they're already allocated. Next shipment is mid-November. I've been exceptionally patient through the process and it is neither Lockwood or CPS' fault. CPS had an original promise date from Kodiak of 8/18. Not real happy with Rotax and their supply network. :excl: LeadingEdge has 36 on order due in the "end of the month'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted October 3, 2014 Report Share Posted October 3, 2014 That's beyond frustrating, and something ROTAX must aggressively address. You know they are managing to find enough modules to get new engines out the door, and that is clearly their priority. But failure to put equal emphasis on keeping current owners supplied may come back to haunt them someday. Losing months of use due to limited supply or an uneven/unreliable distribution network will be remembered down the road when current owners face buying decisions later. I wish them well, but they need to get a handle on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmInce Posted October 3, 2014 Report Share Posted October 3, 2014 That's beyond frustrating, and something ROTAX must aggressively address. You know they are managing to find enough modules to get new engines out the door, and that is clearly their priority. But failure to put equal emphasis on keeping current owners supplied may come back to haunt them someday. Losing months of use due to limited supply or an uneven/unreliable distribution network will be remembered down the road when current owners face buying decisions later. I wish them well, but they need to get a handle on this. Concur totally. There are those who replaced . . . those who are replacing now (so slowly) . . . and those as I . . . who will be replacing. We know idle inventory is expensive, but what it the cost of unhappy and perhaps repeat customers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tip Posted October 10, 2014 Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 Where can I buy the flat module pin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted October 10, 2014 Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 At any Rotax distributor and possibly an electronics store. I haven't tried the electronics store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted October 10, 2014 Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 I have a set of used modules if anyone wants to make use of them. If you are really that eager to get flying, i won't mind renting them to you until your new set arrives. I would like them back though, I plan on using this engine (it's timed out, but still in great shape). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 Since I installed my new modules, the plane starts instantly - yay! But... There's a decided roughness after engine start between about 2400 and 2800. Shaking that was NOT there before. Smooths out at 3000 and above, and feels strong and smooth in flight. Also smooths out after a few minutes of running on the ground. All this is in relatively warm weather with the "CHOKE" off soon after start. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tip Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 I can hear and feel the engine switching from soft start to normal operation, but it is only a few seconds after starting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 That's how my BullyHawk SoftStart module was. This goes on much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 The soft start system starts at 4 degrees after TDC and then after about 7 seconds (rough running) or so it should switch to 26 degrees BTDC. The old modules started at 3 degrees BTDC. For full benefit from the soft start modules you would also have to change the flywheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Kent Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Since I installed my new modules, the plane starts instantly - yay! But... There's a decided roughness after engine start between about 2400 and 2800. Shaking that was NOT there before. Smooths out at 3000 and above, and feels strong and smooth in flight. Also smooths out after a few minutes of running on the ground. All this is in relatively warm weather with the "CHOKE" off soon after start. Thoughts? I have the soft start modules, and my engine on start has always been rough. I just jockey the throttle between about 1800 to 2500 rpm until I can find a semi-smooth point until oil is over 120 F. Once I do the run up everything smooths out. I think my engine is slightly too rich on start and cold idle, but runs fine once warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastEddieB Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Dan, That sounds like mine now. Again, new behavior with the new modules. As an add'l data point, switching to each mag individually maybe drops the rpm evenly by about 100 rpm, with no change in smoothness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S3flyer Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 I'm traveling this week but my wife sent me a picture of the CPS shipment containing my ignition modules yesterday so I hope to be flying on Saturday. When we pulled one of the prior existing modules out it was a bit of pain unplugging the connectors. Is there a trick to getting the connectors to release? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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