I'm sure there are many who wish this subject would finally die out, so
I will make this my last message on this thread as well.
We had two different heat problems with our 912S installation, which by
the way, was as stock as we could make it (i.e. no builder
enhancements).
1) The lower cowl temps got as high as 450 deg F when leveling out from
the climb, melting tie wraps and taking the temper out of muffler
mounting springs, causing the muffler to fail after about 5 hours flight
time. That caused CO in the cockpit to exceed 150 ppm, as measured next
to the pilot's head. I have not heard others mention this problem, but
then, we took the time to instrument in-cowl temps in five places, so,
who knows. We do know that curing the in-cowl temp problem dropped our
oil temps noticeably, and high oil temps in the climb have been the
subject of more than one email on this list.
2) We saw high coolant temps on the ground on even moderate days (70 deg
F), and managed to boil some coolant (50/50) out on more than one
occasion. With many mods to the system we have something marginally
acceptable. When I first mentioned this to the group (BTW, surprised no
one else had seen this problem), I received many replies saying they had
the same problem. One response was that if the tower could not clear
the aircraft for immediate takeoff, the pilot told the tower he was
shutting down his engine and requested they give him a green light when
it was finally his turn to go!
It is not my purpose here to rant about how bad Europa/Rotax are. I DO
believe we are responsible to tell the bad (as well as good) on this
list in the hopes of helping others that may find the same problems some
day. I strongly believe the XS cowl has very poor cooling, at least in
regards to a monowheel 912S installation. The Rotax is supposed to have
air cooling for the cylinders, and the standard XS cowl does not do that
properly, IMHO. At the least, the rear louvers in the upper cowl should
be closed off and a baffle placed between the footwells, in order to get
cooling air past the cylinders and exhaust system (the lower-rear
ducting also needs to be trimmed forward to provide proper exit area).
My last posting on this thread, I promise.
Regards,
Terry Seaver
A135 / N135TD
P.S. We were also concerned about running too cool until we realized the
Rotax temp gauge is mounted in the coolest part of the system.
Measurement taken at the hottest part (oil tank inlet) revealed it was
higher by 50 deg F in climb and 40 deg F in cruise.
--> <bryan@blackballclub.com>
Hello. Hello!
Back here in Blighty I know several people who power their Europas with
912S's. None of them report the problems which have been experienced by
you Terry.
We don't fly so high, and generally we don't fly at 139kts (approx), but
we do have short grass strips and a max weight requirement of 1370
pounds. This engine is ideal for the Europa in the UK. It weighs less
than the 912, and far less than the 914, leaving plenty of spare payload
for luggage. The common concern with XS/912S combination is that it runs
too cool, so that blanking is often required.
Since most of the engine problem correspondence has involved the more
complex 914, I have always assumed that the silent majority were
satisfied 912/912S types. Perhaps I was wrong.
I have reluctantly join this thread of debate, and will now happily
rejoin those silent ranks 'till the subject finally expires into the
ether.
Ta Ta. Bryan.
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