AlanW Posted June 18 Report Share Posted June 18 I have an aircraft I am looking at that has not flown regularly in 4 years. It has been started and an oil change recently. Has anyone seen Rotax go unused that long? If so what should I look for? bore scope? run it and check plug for metal? Or should I just figure a 20K repair bill now? Best, Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted June 18 Report Share Posted June 18 Scope the valves / valve seats, the gearbox through the fuel pump port (be careful you don't crush your scope inadvertently if you rotate the prop), and if you are PARANOID: pull a couple cylinders and look at the face of the tappets and cam lobes. Change oil at 25 hrs and resume normal interval. These don't really rot, and if the oil reservoir had oil in it, there's not really any easy place for moisture to get inside. The above is just precautionary and even that is a bit much. Valves, valve seats, gearbox, cam lobes are the main things that if there is an issue, they're the places that will hurt the wallet the most, but the cam lobes are only mentioned because of the very high cost with those but the very minimal chance there is anything wrong with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted June 18 Report Share Posted June 18 I would not worry about a Rotax engine sitting like I would a Lycoming or Continental. You have ceramic coated aluminum cylinders, and basically a sealed crank case with the dry sump. Both help with environmental issue from sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted June 19 Report Share Posted June 19 Hi Tom, Where did you get ceramic coated cylinders. They are nickel (nickelsil) based. You don't ever hone these because they are so hard you'd need a diamond hone. Even at 2K hours you can still see the original factory hone markings. Nikasil is a plating process where nikasil is fused to aluminum inside the cylinder, it is very thin coat, about .003 to .005" thick, the reasoning for it is better heat transfer to the cooling system, a lighter cylinder, and a supposed better seal for the rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted June 19 Report Share Posted June 19 13 hours ago, Roger Lee said: Hi Tom, Where did you get ceramic coated cylinders. They are nickel (nickelsil) based. You don't ever hone these because they are so hard you'd need a diamond hone. Even at 2K hours you can still see the original factory hone markings. Nikasil is a plating process where nikasil is fused to aluminum inside the cylinder, it is very thin coat, about .003 to .005" thick, the reasoning for it is better heat transfer to the cooling system, a lighter cylinder, and a supposed better seal for the rings. Roger, I was on the tablet last night, and didn't really address this. Nikasil is a trademarked name for a process in which a layer of nickel infused with silicon carbide is applied to aluminum. As I understand it the nickel is a binder to attach the silicon carbide, which is a hard ceramic. I simply said that it is a ceramic coating, because that is easier for people to understand who might not know what the Nikasil process is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Meade Posted June 19 Report Share Posted June 19 Tom, Thanks for your presence and patience. All of us learn from your posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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