Heavy duty starter

by Kjetil Kristensen in 912 / 914 Technical Questions 13 years ago

I installed the HD starter from Sky-tec on my 100 HP 912 two years ago. I inspected the starter last week and I discovered it was filled with engine oil ( inside! :( ). After opening the starter i could not find any O-ring to prevent oil from the engine from flowing into the inside of the starter.

No, is the original Rotax HD starter identical to the Sky-tec starter?

This problem is not good? Anyone else experienced the same?

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Re: Heavy duty starter

by Rotax Owner » 13 years ago

Rotax Owner

1 36 0

This after market starter is NOT identical to the Rotax Heavy Duty Starter.
The after market starter does not have any oil seal at the starter shaft.

The Rotax 912/914 series crank case is sealed and is under pressure (for oil return to the crank case). Inside the crank case is also splashing oil. If the starter does not have a proper oil seal on the shaft, it may leak oil into the starter as in your situation. More importantly, the lack of a seal at this position may cause a pressure leak in the crank case and compromise the oil return system.

After market accessories including starters must not be used on a Rotax aircraft engine.
Please see Rotax Service Letter SL-912-014 / 914-012 / 2ST-008 for more information.

Thank you said by: Kjetil Kristensen

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Re: Heavy duty starter

by Roger Lee » 13 years ago

Roger Lee

127 5.24k 4.88k

That's the problem with after market accessories, you experiment at your own risk and many may look the same and your neighbor may tell you they are the same, but you're on your own as far as experimentation and any damage cost which can be expensive. I learned many years ago that trying to save a penny now may cost triple or more the original price if I had just spent a few extra pennies right up front.

Roger Lee
LSRM-A & Rotax Instructor & Rotax IRC
Tucson, AZ Ryan Airfield (KRYN)
520-349-7056 Cell

Thank you said by: Kjetil Kristensen, Ralph iRMT Sneer

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Re: Heavy duty starter

by Kjetil Kristensen » 13 years ago

Kjetil Kristensen

2 6 0

OK, aftermarket parts are from now on "no-no-no" in my airplane.

The Sky Tec starter was recomended on a respected homepage and the difference in cost was huge: 330 EURO!
I think Rotax parts are too expensive compared to their marketshare. Cheaper parts would increase our sports safety.

But, lesson learned. :)

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Re: Heavy duty starter

by Dale Atchetee » 13 years ago

Dale Atchetee

9 33 0

No, no, never use the after market stuff on your Rotax such as the Soft Start which addressed and fixed the kickback problem 100% when Rotax would not even address it much less fix it.
Dale

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Re: Heavy duty starter

by Ralph iRMT Sneer » 13 years ago

Ralph iRMT Sneer

0 38 0

That's not really a fair statement Dale but I can appreciate why you made it! That said, the beauty of this forum is to give us all an opportunity to learn from one another and dispel miss information, wives tales and just plain old misunderstanding of technical issues. If your frustrated no doubt so are many other people and so be an opportunity to get better information out there using this forum to hopefully help people see things in a different light for the benefit of us all!

So far I've seen some remarkable quality information being passed around on this forum, intelligent questions often spurred from lack of experience, miss information or just plain old bad luck followed by intelligent answers by people with proper training, long time experience and dedication to improving the industries overall safety record. That in itself speaks highly for the overall quality of people exchanging information on this forum. We all don't always have to agree, but hopefully we all can remain open minded in the spirit of achieving a higher level of safety when using our Rotax engines while at the same time saving money by lowerIng our operating costs! What a deal!

The fact is Rotax engines in general have proven to run much cheaper in the long run than comparable Lycoming or Conti engines when all factors are fairly considered. There are many commercial flight school operators out there running Rotax powered Aircraft that easily reach rated TBO without any major component repair or replacement. In most cases any such positive results have been predicated on proper maintenance by trained technicians who have had the liberty of working with a specific aircraft over a longer period of time. This has allowed them to learn and understand the strengths and weaknesses of any airframe, engine and prop combination to offset with good maintenance, operating habits and service protocols the negative influences that lead to higher operating costs, more down time and reduced safety.

In summery, often we're smart too late and broke to soon, hopefully all the great information being exchanged here can help offset that if we remain open minded and allow it too! :)

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Heavy duty starter

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