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Rotax Stator Rumor


gbigs

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There is a rumor now confirmed by Lockwood Aviation regarding an alleged Service Bulletin to soon be issued by Rotax regarding a stator problem lighting up enunciators.  The alleged fix would be a full engine pull and the stator(s) replaced.

 

No SB has been issued and likely will not be issued, here is why. 

 

The rumor originated at Pipistrel while they were doing work on various electric, electric hybrid engine projects and other testing.  Somewhere along the line Pipistrel sent out an email to various people claiming stator problems with the Rotax engine...but Rotax position is the problems encountered were with Pipistrel, not a Rotax engine.

 

Those emails and this rumor managed to get spread around the Pipistrel tent at Sun N Fun.  From there the rumor was reported here  and various aviation sites around the web (like COPA - the Cirrus Owners site).

 

FD USA and Lockwood are trying to pin down the facts but as yet have gotten no official feedback from anyone, Rotax or Pipistrel regarding the rumor.  Both FD USA and Lockwood say no US owner of a Rotax engine is reporting any problem like the ones claimed by Pipistrel.

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As a data point, at the ROTAX display at Sun 'n' Fun I looked at the 912is engine on display. I asked the rep if there was some kind of recall going on which involved pulling the engine, and he replied yes, because of a stator problem.

 

No dog in the fight, but that's what the rep said.

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As a data point, at the ROTAX display at Sun 'n' Fun I looked at the 912is engine on display. I asked the rep if there was some kind of recall going on which involved pulling the engine, and he replied yes, because of a stator problem.

 

No dog in the fight, but that's what the rep said.

 

He is repeating rumor.  Rotax told Lockwood the story about Pipistrel.  The Pipistrel emails are apparently affecting even Rotax employees here in the USA.

 

Lockwood is the Rotax distributor and maintenance depot in the USA.

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Rotax will get their butts in a giant ringer if they know about a major issue like this and have not issued this SB before someone gets hurt.  If this is real then Rotax better get this out so I and those like me can bring our planes in for a FULL WARRANTY fix (not parts and 'some' labor). 

 

FastEddie brought this issue over to COPA.  I asked both FD USA and Lockwood for info and it appears a kind of conspiracy of silence is being carried out if you are correct.

 

Frankly, this one is not going to sit well with ANY owner ......Regardless of the secret society that seems to be in constant swirl behind the scene.  This is serious business...money, time, safety are all at stake.   I will be making calls tomorrow...I suggest others with a 912iS do the same.....

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"If this is real"...hilarious. Confirmed by both a Rotax rep and probably the most highly Rotax-trained tech in the USA who is not a Rotax employee. But it's just people repeating rumors? I mean really, what does the engine manufacturer know?

 

Manufacturers of anything never issue recalls until they know the cause and the fix. That's just the way it is. If they issued something without a plan to fix it, owners would be even more upset. No "secret society" involved. It's not really a safety of flight issue. If the stator fails in flight, the iS engine has extensive EMS alerts to notify the pilot, and two batteries to make sure he can get on the ground safely will full electric power.

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If anyone is wondering why this came up on COPA...

 

Cecil made a statement there that the 912is was more reliable than the 912.

 

I argued that that assumed facts not in evidence, and pointed out the pending SB would involve major repairs while the carbed models just soldiered on.

 

But I was working from very limited knowledge about what the actual problem was.

 

I think fuel injection, if done right, has the potential to be more reliable than carbs. It just has yet to be demonstrated for the 912is.

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No engine has quit due to an overheated stator. The ones found all smelled the burnt smell first. It isn't widespread, but enough. Like other recalls Rotax wants to cover all bases. They don't have to be forced as other companies do to help and reach out to owners. They could wait like the auto MFG's until the NTSB forced them, but they always do it on their own.

 

 

 

100hamburger,

 

If your plane has been running this long then yours most likely isn't going to have an issue. Most engines that had a problem had it up front.

 

No sense making calls. Most people don't know all the details. You now know more than most in the US. Don't make me sorry I revealed this as I will never again give out any  pre-published information.

 

No sense putting out the bulletin before any replacement parts are ready. They have done that and people complain.

 

I told you this and the forum in confidence and ask that you wait.  You can't do anything about it now anyway because there are no parts yet. Very soon within a couple of weeks. This is a huge project that is worldwide.

If you  betray that trust then any further info in the future won't be forthcoming.

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SB out in about 2 more weeks. No one including service centers can buy parts until at least then. No use fretting over the time slot. It is what it is and the US service centers are not in control of that. I don't know every detail, but it will be in the bulletin. It will have the who, the what, the where and why's.

 

The sun will still come up every day and life will go on.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Does this require the engine to be dismounted , on a CTLSi ? and if so , are labor costs included ?

 

Cheers

 

From the bulletin:

 

Company support information - BRP-Powertrain will support this exchange of stator assy. Any information about this support will be provided on request by ROTAX® Authorized Distributors or their independent Service Centers. - Exchanged parts must be returned F.O.B to ROTAX® Authorized Distributors or their independent Service Centers. - Shipping costs, downtime costs, loss of income, telephone costs etc. or costs of conversion to other engine versions or additional work, as for instance simultaneous engine overhauls are not covered in this scope and will not be borne or reimbursed by ROTAX®.

 

We expect Rotax to cover the labor for engine removal and parts for this....

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From the bulletin:

 

Company support information - BRP-Powertrain will support this exchange of stator assy. Any information about this support will be provided on request by ROTAX® Authorized Distributors or their independent Service Centers. - Exchanged parts must be returned F.O.B to ROTAX® Authorized Distributors or their independent Service Centers. - Shipping costs, downtime costs, loss of income, telephone costs etc. or costs of conversion to other engine versions or additional work, as for instance simultaneous engine overhauls are not covered in this scope and will not be borne or reimbursed by ROTAX®.

 

We expect Rotax to cover the labor for engine removal and parts for this....

I hope your expectations become a reality !

 

Cheers

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The PDF above is an older version of the SB.  Enclosed below is the one that Lockwood Aviation just got which  lists the engine serial numbers affected.

 

Lockwood says Rotax has not told the distributors how much labor they will cover, but they will be covering labor and the part.   A letter from Rotax is forthcomming to the distributors that will detail how much labor they will cover and what the complete process is for returning the part for a refund.

 

There is a list of Rotax qualified technicians on Lockwood's site that are allowed to do the work.

statorassemblyforCTLSiS SB.pdf

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I knew of this SB for a few months, but was threatened with secrecy. The engine does have to come off and may even have to come off the engine mount. It is setup up to be a 2 day service. Parts may be here in as little as 2 weeks. It will require an IRC or Service center. It does take a puller to remove the flywheel. The earth magnets on this engine an exceptionally strong and can crush fingers if they are in the way when putting it back on. This will be an expensive SB for Rotax. Approximately a 135 engines in the US alone.

If yours is running fine then most likely it will continue to be fine until you get the work done. The engine's that had an issue is a very small number. When the stator overheated it gave off an odor and they had no fires.  You'll have plenty of time to get the work done so there is no real need to go bonkers trying to get it done today.

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We are now informed that Rotax will be covering just 9 hours at $65/hr for the engine pull and stator replacement.  The part will not be here for at least a month more...

 

We have an estimate from our mechanic that the job will take at least a day....7 hours.   So, unless you do the work yourself or unless you can find someone to do the work for half price you will be suffering a cost penalty.

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If they are covering nine hours, and your estimate is for seven hours, where is the problem here?

 

They are only paying $65 an hour....so the 9 hours are half rate hours...not enough to cover the work.

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I guess that depends on the mechanic.  My A&P charges less than $65/hr.

 

It's certainly not "half rate"...if you are paying $130/hr, you are not getting anywhere near a normal rate.  Lockwood charges $95/hr and they are considered high.

 

You are in Georgia and Florida....the going rate in the West is over $100....the going rate in CA is over $130.  In any case the cost of the work will not be covered entirely for many of the 140 or so affected in the USA.  But that's fine.  Given FDs problem, warranty coverage is also something that may not be covered also.

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