Rotax 912ULS flywheel upgrade

[jiott]

I took my battery cables to an automotive battery shop and had them use their high quality crimper. Then as I mentioned below I threw in some solder also.

[Kurt.A]

Soldering the wires both small and large if done correctly is superior, IMHO. The whole idea behind crimping or soldering is to get an air tight seal between the wire and the connector to prevent corrosion. Yet allow a flexible connection that will not crack under vibration. The method I prefer is to crimp the connection (non insulated connector) and then solder only the very tip of the wire to the connector. (This can be hard to accomplish without having the solder travel up the wire but do-able) Then cover the entire connection with heat shrink that contains the impregnated adhesive. This provides support for the barred wire as well as helps to seal the connection further. I also use only solid ring connectors, no split connectors! Less chance of a total electrical failure vs an intermittent problem if connection hardware becomes loose.

[jrevens]

Soldering the wires both small and large if done correctly is superior, IMHO. The whole idea behind crimping or soldering is to get an air tight seal between the wire and the connector to prevent corrosion. Yet allow a flexible connection that will not crack under vibration. The method I prefer is to crimp the connection (non insulated connector) and then solder only the very tip of the wire to the connector. (This can be hard to accomplish without having the solder travel up the wire but do-able) Then cover the entire connection with heat shrink that contains the impregnated adhesive. This provides support for the barred wire as well as helps to seal the connection further. I also use only solid ring connectors, no split connectors! Less chance of a total electrical failure vs an intermittent problem if connection hardware becomes loose.

I agree with you 100%, Kurt, and that's the way I do it too. Takes a little more time & "finesse" with the soldering but worth it IMHO. The heat shrink with hot melt adhesive pretty much prevents flexing close to the barrel of the connector, which helps prevent any problems from a little solder wicking a short distance up the wire if that happens. I use the silver-bearing electrical solder now days.

[herman pahls]

Thanks to all for the ideas and suggestions.
It is amazing how well my 912ULS now starts with a new starter and repaired ground connections.
I installed the Bully Hawk soft start since it came with the Kitfox and it started much worse so I took it off.
I may have installed it wrong or it is faulty.
I was feeling like I needed to upgrade my ignition to 2010 or newer flywheel and modules to fly the 912ULS with out abusing it since they have the soft start feature built in and retarded starting timing.

Are others using the Bully Hawk and what has been their experience with it?

New modules and flywheel sell for around $1400. in parts and Brett at LEAF said the modules needed to be rewired with different connectors to fit my engine for another $300-400 in labor..

I need to get around a 912ULS that has latest ignition to compare how much smoother those engines start than mine.
Apparently the newest ignition does not make the shut down any smoother.

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare the start ups between the newest and earlier ignition modules?

For now I will fly it as is since many of you with older engines have had great success.

"If it isn't broke, do not fix it" is the advice I will follow.


Thanks
Herman

[Av8r3400]

Herman, if you remember my chapter president, Steve, he is using one on his 912 ULS powered Rans s7. That airplane with its bed style engine mount hammered terribly on startup. After the bully hawk unit install, he says the startup is much better.

The shut down is still awful, but I may get him to try the method posted earlier.

With the Bully Hawk module, since it's not a major surgery to install it, why not try?